Ukraine: Can Merkel Broker A Breakthrough?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has two key objectives for her visit to Ukraine.

First the meeting with Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko must send a united message to the Russians.

Her visit comes just days before Mr Poroshenko will hold crucial talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Mr Putin will seize on any signs of disunity between the EU and Ukraine.

Ukraine has been pushed and pulled between East and West but closer trading ties with the EU have been one of the big ambitions of Mr Poroshenko's presidency.

Second - the German Chancellor has a much more difficult objective: to work towards a ceasefire between the government in Kiev and separatist rebels who've declared a people's republic in eastern Ukraine.

Mr Poroshenko has said he will "talk peace" with Mr Putin but he wants Russia to stop supporting the rebels.

In June, the German Chancellor met the Russian and Ukraninan presidents

There's been talk of a deal Ms Merkel has been trying to hatch which had to be put on the back burner following the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

Rebels are accused of firing at the plane believing it was a Ukrainian military aircraft.

If anyone can broker a breakthrough it is Mrs Merkel.

She is one of the few Western - and indeed world - leaders who Mr Putin appears to have time for and both know a further decline in Russian-EU relations will hit each others' economies even more.

Some of Germany's biggest companies have big operations in Russia, which is still the EU's third biggest trading partner.

Under Ms Merkel, the Russo-German axis has strengthened and until the plane attack the Germans had been against punitive sanctions and their impact commercially and diplomatically.

There has been heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine

Ms Merkel has already spoken by phone to Mr Putin in the wake of his decision to send a convoy of humanitarian aid into eastern Ukraine without agreement from Kiev.

So in Kiev the conversation, whilst tricky, focuses on a way to stop the fighting.

She is priming Mr Poroshenko ahead of his talks with Mr Putin in Minsk - and potentially paving the way for a deal.

It is complex but there's speculation any kind of ceasefire would likely focus on giving autonomy to the east of Ukraine and possibly allow for recognition of Russian control of Crimea.

Other key factors include Ukraine's desire to join Nato and its economic ties with the West.

With Europe and particularly Germany wanting Russia's gas, no one needs reminding winter is on its way.

The people of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine are suffering real humanitarian hardship - with no power and water for days.

As temperatures start to fall Ms Merkel's diplomatic efforts could be a real opportunity to thaw frozen relations with the Russians.

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US 'Ready To Take Action Against IS In Syria'

The US has said it will not be restricted by the Iraq-Syria border as it considers further action against Islamic State militants.

White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes the US stood ready to take action to protect American citizens as the group was more dangerous now than it was six months ago.

The US has already carried out airstrikes on the group - formerly known as ISIS or ISIL - in Iraq as it has sought to support government forces and Kurdish Peshmerga in their attempts to push back the jihadists.

However, it has so far steered clear of Syria, except for a brief special forces raid which attempted to rescue journalist James Foley and other American hostages.

Red shows areas controlled by IS, while yellow is areas of fighting

Mr Foley was beheaded by a member of the group - believed to be British - in a video released earlier this week. The black-clad militant said the journalist was killed in retaliation for US airstrikes.

"When you see somebody killed in such a horrific way, that represents a terrorist attack- that represents a terrorist attack against our country and against an American citizen," Mr Rhodes told reporters at the White House

He added that the US had done everything it could to rescue American hostages but would keep trying to get back those still held by the group.

The announcement that the US would consider acting in Syria came after the former head of the British Army said the West should consider negotiating with Syrian president Bashar al Assad to tackle IS.

Lord Dannatt told Sky News: "You have to at least consider the otherwise unpalatable thought that maybe we've got to have some kind of dialogue, whether it's under the counter or over the counter, with President Assad of Syria.

Journalist James Foley was beheaded on video by an IS militant

"The old dictum that my enemy's enemy is my friend just might have some credence in this less than satisfactory and pretty extraordinary set of times that we are in."

However, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond ruled out working with Mr Assad - who is accused of carrying out war crimes, including chemical attacks, during his country's three-year civil war.

He said Britain would help Kurdish and Iraqi forces with weapons and training once there was a credible government in place in Baghdad.

However, efforts to form a new government around Prime Minister-designate Haider al Abadi were dealt a major blow when Sunni politicians pulled out of talks following an attack on a mosque that killed at least 64 people and injured 60 others.

The mass killing at Friday prayers was initially blamed on Shia militia allied with the government but there have also been suggestions that IS fighters, who have been trying to recruit Sunni tribes in the area, could have staged the attack.

Kurdish Peshmerga are leading the fightback against IS in Iraq

Elsewhere, Kurdish forces have launched a major assault to try to retake the northeast Iraqi towns of Jalula and Sadiyah.

Sky's Alex Crawford, reporting from the outskirts of Jalula, said the operation was being carried out by the Kurdish military's elite counter-terrorism unit, backed up by peshmerga forces.

She said the towns, near the Iranian border and semi-autonomous Kurdish region, had been under IS control for more than two months.

"What is significant about this assault is that they (the Kurds) are doing this pretty much entirely on their own," she said.

"They've had very little air support. There is no evidence of any outside weaponry, military hardware to back them up."

Although US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has warned that IS is the most dangerous threat faced by America for years, the FBI on Friday said there were no specific or credible threats that the group was planning an attack on US soil.

An intelligence bulletin, issued to state and local law enforcement, said officials were concerned though that IS supporters could attack overseas targets with little warning.

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IS Has Iraqi Towns In Lockdown As Battles Rage

Kurdish forces are struggling to defend themselves against Islamic State (IS) militants in northeast Iraq and are appealing for more international help.

There has been fighting around towns including Jalula and Sa'dya, which have been controlled by the well-armed Sunni extremists for several weeks.

The IS insurgents have seized large swathes of the country since a June offensive but have been hit by US airstrikes in some areas including around Mosul Dam.

However, Sky's Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay, reporting from outside Jalula, north of Baghdad, said the Kurdish peshmerga fighters want more weaponry from the outside world and are "getting little or no air support".

Thousands of peshmerga and counter-terrorism soldiers have been deployed, including many around the town.

Sky's Stuart Ramsay outside the town of Jalula

He said the Kurds have some heavy weapons but the equipment is old, while the jihadists "have modern equipment and lots of money".

Ramsay said the two sides are fighting to control territory not the towns themselves as IS have them "under total lockdown".

The Kurds are trying to cut their supply lines and one fighter told Sky News: "We need weapons to make the battle equal."

Ramsay said: "Peshmerga front-line positions are regularly hit from far away. There are scorch marks and burning patches everywhere."

Roadside bombs laid by the extremists are also "causing more casualties than ever before," he added.

Meanwhile, eight people have been killed after a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives at the interior ministry's intelligence headquarters in Baghdad.

PM designate Haider al Abadi is trying to form a more inclusive government

It comes a day after a sectarian attack at a mosque killed at least 68 Sunni Muslims, plunging efforts to form a united front against the jihadists into crisis.

Officials say a suicide bomber blew himself up in the Imam Wais mosque north of Baghdad, with Shia militiamen picking off fleeing worshippers with machine guns.

Diyala has seen heavy fighting between Iraqi troops and IS. File pic

Attacks on mosques are acutely sensitive and have in the past unleashed a deadly series of revenge killings and counter attacks in Iraq.

The attack, in Diyala province, is seen as a blow to government efforts to secure backing from Sunni groups in its battle against the extremists.

The US says the killing of James Foley was a "terrorist attack" on America

Prime Minister designate Haider al Abadi, a moderate Shia, is attempting to form a more inclusive government following the resignation of outgoing PM Nouri al Maliki.

But two influential Sunni politicians - Parliamentary Speaker Salim al Jabouri and Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al Mutlak - have now pulled out of talks with the main Shia political alliance after the massacre.

The US, which is carrying out airstrikes against militants, has ramped up its rhetoric over the beheading of journalist James Foley.

In Washington, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said the murder "represents a terrorist attack against our country".

He said the US would not be restricted by the Iraq-Syria border when it considers further action against IS militants.

Having poured in from Syria across a desert border that it does not recognise, the Islamist movement has declared its own caliphate.

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Russia Aid Trucks 'Took Ukraine Military Goods'

A Ukrainian army spokesman has accused Russia of using aid trucks to take production equipment from two military plants.

A convoy of about 200 vehicles entered the country on Friday without the permission of the Ukraine government - and left on Saturday after dropping its cargo.

However, military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said the trucks had taken equipment from a factory in Luhansk that makes firearm magazines and a Topaz plant that produces radars.

The convoy's departure comes as German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Kiev for talks with Ukraine's pro-Western leaders on the conflict, which has claimed more than 2,200 lives.

Russian aid trucks pictured upon their return to the border crossing

Ms Merkel immediately called for a ceasefire and urged Russia to play its part ahead of talks between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko in three days' time.

"There must be two sides to be successful. You cannot achieve peace on your own. I hope the talks with Russia will lead to success," said Ms Merkel.

"The plans are on the table - now actions must follow."

Ms Merkel will hold discussions with Mr Poroshenko, who has maintained that pro-Kremlin fighters must leave before the conflict can end.

"The Ukrainian side and our European partners will do everything possible to bring about peace - but not at the price of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the independence of Ukraine," he said.

Ms Merkel will hold talks with Mr Poroshenko

Ukraine continues to pound rebel strongholds such as Luhansk and Donetsk, where water has been cut off and supplies are dwindling.

At least two civilians were killed by shelling on Saturday.

Russia rolled in its convoy on Friday, saying any delay in providing humanitarian aid was "unacceptable".

It had been agreed the lorries - which had waited on the Russian side of the border for a week - would only be allowed into eastern Ukraine if they were escorted by the International Red Cross.

However, the charity pulled out after not receiving enough security guarantees as fighting continues to rage.

A Ukrainian rebel controls an area after a shelling in Donetsk

Kiev's foreign ministry informally allowed the convoy to pass to avoid "provocations".

Russia previously let journalists look inside a handful of the lorries, which it said were carrying 1,800 tonnes of aid including food, water, medicine and electrical generators.

This was questioned by Nato's top military commander, Philip Breedlove, who claimed the trucks looked like a disguised attempt to reinforce separatist forces. Russia denies backing the rebels.

The UN Security Council discussed the convoy on Friday and no country came to Russia's defence, according to British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant.

Members called it an "illegal and unilateral" action.

Following a phone call, US President Barack Obama and Ms Merkel condemned the act.

They also expressed concern that the large numbers of Russian troops on the Ukraine border and fighting in eastern parts of the country represented a "dangerous escalation".

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Final Email From James Foley's Killers Revealed

IS Demanded Release Of Woman In Texas Jail

Updated: 11:34am UK, Friday 22 August 2014

One of the demands made by kidnappers who killed US journalist James Foley was the release of a woman once named among America's seven most wanted terrorists.

In the final email the Islamic State militant group sent to Mr Foley's parents, the jihadists claimed they offered prisoner exchanges for the journalist's freedom. The one name mentioned in the email was that of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

The US-educated, Pakistani-born scientist was arrested in the street in Afghanistan's Ghanzi province in 2008.

When local police searched her handbag they found she was carrying handwritten documents referring to a "mass casualty attack" as well as a toxic substance called sodium cyanide, US prosecutors said.

The mother of three's notes listed locations such as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street and the Brooklyn Bridge, according to the FBI.

There was also information on how to create a dirty bomb, destroy reconnaissance drones and use underwater bombs, and excerpts from the book "Anarchist's Arsenal", according to US prosecutors.

Upon her arrest, Siddiqui was taken by local police to a compound but, left unsecured behind a curtain, she managed to grab an M4 rifle and fire at the US team who had come to interview her, yelling "death to America", her trial heard.

She did not hit anyone, but Siddiqui herself was shot.

The 42-year-old was flown to the US and following her two-week trial in 2010, she was sentenced to 86 years in a Texas jail for trying to kill American servicemen.

No terrorism charges were filed, but prosecutors painted her as a potentially dangerous terrorist.

Siddiqui's lawyers - three of whom were paid by the Pakistani government - argued she had shot at the US officials in a panic and she was mentally ill.

She appeared in a wheelchair, looking frail, and frequently disrupted the proceedings with outbursts at her own lawyers, the jury and witnesses.

Dubbed "al Qaeda Mom" and "Lady Qaeda" by US tabloids, Siddiqui was born in Karachi, Pakistan, but moved to America in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

She trained as a neuroscientist at prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brandeis University.

US authorities claim she returned to Pakistan in 2003 after marrying a relative of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.

But her disappearance for the next five years is unexplained and has caught the attention of human rights groups.

One theory is that she was detained by America after being named by Mohammed during interrogation. Her lawyers had claimed she had been held in secret US detention.

However, in 2004 US attorney general John Ashcroft listed her among the seven most wanted al Qaeda fugitives.

Her eventual detention, trial and sentencing prompted mass protests across Pakistan.

Activists poured on to the streets shouting "death to America" and burning effigies of President Barack Obama when she was sentenced.

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan led one rally in Lahore, condemning her jailing as "unethical and inhuman".

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IS Demanded Release Of Woman In Texas Jail

One of the demands made by kidnappers who killed US journalist James Foley was the release of a woman once named among America's seven most wanted terrorists.

In the final email the Islamic State militant group sent to Mr Foley's parents, the jihadists claimed they offered prisoner exchanges for the journalist's freedom. The one name mentioned in the email was that of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

The US-educated, Pakistani-born scientist was arrested in the street in Afghanistan's Ghanzi province in 2008.

When local police searched her handbag they found she was carrying handwritten documents referring to a "mass casualty attack" as well as a toxic substance called sodium cyanide, US prosecutors said.

The final letter sent to James Foley's parents named Siddiqui

The mother of three's notes listed locations such as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street and the Brooklyn Bridge, according to the FBI.

There was also information on how to create a dirty bomb, destroy reconnaissance drones and use underwater bombs, and excerpts from the book "Anarchist's Arsenal", according to US prosecutors.

Upon her arrest, Siddiqui was taken by local police to a compound but, left unsecured behind a curtain, she managed to grab an M4 rifle and fire at the US team who had come to interview her, yelling "death to America", her trial heard.

She did not hit anyone, but Siddiqui herself was shot.

The 42-year-old was flown to the US and following her two-week trial in 2010, she was sentenced to 86 years in a Texas jail for trying to kill American servicemen.

Siddiqui married a relative of the 9/11 mastermind

No terrorism charges were filed, but prosecutors painted her as a potentially dangerous terrorist.

Siddiqui's lawyers - three of whom were paid by the Pakistani government - argued she had shot at the US officials in a panic and she was mentally ill.

She appeared in a wheelchair, looking frail, and frequently disrupted the proceedings with outbursts at her own lawyers, the jury and witnesses.

Protests in Pakistan following Siddiqui's sentencing

Dubbed "al Qaeda Mom" and "Lady Qaeda" by US tabloids, Siddiqui was born in Karachi, Pakistan, but moved to America in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

She trained as a neuroscientist at prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brandeis University.

US authorities claim she returned to Pakistan in 2003 after marrying a relative of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.

But her disappearance for the next five years is unexplained and has caught the attention of human rights groups.

One theory is that she was detained by America after being named by Mohammed during interrogation. Her lawyers had claimed she had been held in secret US detention.

Imran Khan is among Siddiqui's supporters

However, in 2004 US attorney general John Ashcroft listed her among the seven most wanted al Qaeda fugitives.

Her eventual detention, trial and sentencing prompted mass protests across Pakistan.

Activists poured on to the streets shouting "death to America" and burning effigies of President Barack Obama when she was sentenced.

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan led one rally in Lahore, condemning her jailing as "unethical and inhuman".

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Hamas Kills 18 Suspected Israeli Informers

Hamas has killed 18 people suspected of being informers for Israel.

The group said 11 were killed by firing squad at the Gaza City police headquarters following sentencing by courts.

Hamas media then reported that seven more alleged informants had been targeted by masked gunmen near a mosque.

One onlooker, Ayman Sharif, said dozens of people witnessed the shootings.

Mr Sharif added that a piece of paper was placed above the head of each victim, with their initials and alleged crime.

Scores of people witnessed the killings

Two of those killed were women, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, which called for an immediate halt to what it said were "extra-judicial executions".

The Al Majd website, which is close to the Hamas security services, said suspects would now be dealt with "in the field" rather than in the courts in order to create deterrence.

The deaths come a day after Israel killed three top Hamas commanders - Mohammed Abu Shammala, Raed al Attar and Mohammed Barhoum - in an airstrike on a house in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israel's intelligence services rely, in part, on informers to pinpoint the whereabouts of Hamas leaders.

A smoke trail from rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have reportedly killed four Palestinians - including two at the Nusseirat refugee camp.

The Israeli Defence Force said it had launched about 20 airstrikes on targets inside Gaza on Friday. It also claimed at least 26 rockets had been fired at Israel.

One rocket hit a synagogue in the Israeli city of Ashdod, wounding at least three people, according to police.

Egyptian-mediated talks to end the weeks of fighting collapsed on Tuesday when violence broke out after 10 days of relative calm.

Raed al Attar (left) and Mohammed Abu Shammala pictured in 1999

Hamas has demanded a lifting of the border closure imposed by Israel and Egypt after it took control of Gaza in 2007.

Israel said the latest strikes were in response to a resumption of Hamas rocket fire.

Gaza officials say more than 2,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the conflict began on July 8.

Some 64 Israeli soldiers and three civilians have also been killed.

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Major Operation To Retake IS-Held Towns In Iraq

Kurdish forces have been carrying out a major assault to try to retake the northeast Iraqi towns of Jalula and Sa'dya from Islamic State (IS) militants.

It comes as US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the threat posed by the "barbaric" IS extremists, who have seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq, was "beyond anything we've seen".

The group, which beheaded American journalist James Foley in response to US airstrikes in Iraq, was "beyond just a terrorist group", Mr Hagel said.

A Kurdish peshmerga fighter

"They marry ideology, a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess. They are tremendously well-funded," he added.

Sky's Alex Crawford, reporting from the outskirts of Jalula, said the operation was being carried out by the Kurdish military's elite counter-terrorism unit, backed up by peshmerga forces.

James Foley in Libya in 2011

She said the towns, near the Iranian border and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, had been under the control of IS insurgents for more than two months.

The Kurdish forces have already taken back a major checkpoint, which the Sunni militants had controlled.

Alex Crawford said: "What is significant about this assault is that they (the Kurds) are doing this pretty much entirely on their own.

"They've had very little air support. There is no evidence of any outside weaponry, military hardware to back them up."

A rough outline of the caliphate declared by IS militants

Meanwhile, US airstrikes in Syria - where Mr Foley disappeared in November 2012 - have not been ruled out.

When asked about that possibility, Mr Hagel said Washington was "exploring all options".

General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, also did not discount attacks on IS fighters in Syria.

Militants vowed to attack US targets in another video clip

"This is an organisation that has an apocalyptic, end-of-days strategic vision and which will eventually have to be defeated," he said at a briefing.

"To your question, can they be defeated without addressing that part of their organisation which resides in Syria? The answer is no.

"That will have to be addressed on both sides of what is essentially at this point a non-existent border."

The fighter who killed James Foley

Also, at least 30 people were reportedly killed when a Shia militia opened fired inside a Sunni mosque in Baquba, Diyala province.

IS, which was formerly known as ISIS, declared an Islamic state, or caliphate, covering large parts of the two countries earlier this year.

Michael Scheuer, a former CIA senior officer who ran operations against al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, has told Sky News defeating IS will require an "enormous" number of Western troops on the ground which would mean an "enormous bloodbath".

He said: "It's a greatly bigger problem than we've seen before, it's better armed, it's better led and certainly more vicious than al Qaeda was in the initial years."

US President Barack Obama has insisted the scope of the US strikes will remain limited, while Prime Minister David Cameron has said Britain will not fight another war in Iraq.

A criminal investigation has now been opened into Mr Foley's murder, which was recorded by the militants in a video that emerged earlier this week.

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Clashes As Liberia Slum Sealed Off To Curb Ebola

Liberian security forces have clashed with desperate protesters after using scrap wood and barbed wire to seal off a sprawling slum to prevent ebola from spreading.

Hundreds of angry protesters took to the streets on Wednesday to confront riot police and soldiers who reportedly fired live rounds and tear gas to disperse the stone-throwing crowd.

Residents vented their fury at the government for isolating their West Point neighbourhood in the Liberian capital Monrovia and said they were given no warning of the blockade which has prevented some 50,000 people from getting to work or buying food.

"I don't have any food and we're scared," said Alpha Barry, a resident with four children under the age of 13.

Liberia's ebola task force enforcing the quarantine

The coastguard was also in action, patrolling sewage-strewn waters offshore to ensure no one fled the area by sea.

And there was further fury when relatives of Miata Flowers, the local government representative, were escorted away from the slum by security forces.

Around four people were injured in the clashes which erupted as the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised the total death toll from the ebola epidemic to 1,350 - and warned the disease was spreading fastest in Liberia, where at least 576 people have died.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ordered a nationwide curfew - and the West Point barricades - insisting the country had been unable to control the spread of ebola.

Relatives of Miata Flowers run to an awaiting car to be taken from the slum

She blamed the rising death toll on denial, defiance of authorities and cultural burial practices.

However, residents have accused the government of being slow to remove dumped infected bodies from the streets, some of which have been left for hours and days.

On Tuesday, protesters broke into an isolation clinic housing 29 patients in West Point - 17 of whom fled and were later found.

WHO officials have warned that measures to restrict travel in heavily infected areas, including quarantines of whole villages and counties, are limiting access to food and medical supplies in many cases.

West Point is one of the capital's poorest and most densely populated neighbourhoods, with poor sanitation and overcrowding.

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Gaza Airstrike Kills Senior Hamas Commanders

Three senior Hamas military commanders have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian group said.

It has named the men as Mohammed Abu Shammala, Raed al Attar and Mohammed Barhoum, saying they died along with three other people overnight.

The commanders were all killed in the bombing of a house in the southern town of Rafah, one of 20 airstrikes the Israeli military said it carried out after midnight local time on Wednesday.

Israel's security agency Shin Bet confirmed the deaths of Mr Shamaleh and Mr al Attar in an email to Associated Press, but made no mention of Mr Barhoum.

Raed al Attar (left) and Mohammed Abu Shammala pictured in 1999

Palestinian health official Ashraf al Kidra said "dozens" of people were still missing, believed to be trapped in the rubble of the four-storey building hit in the Rafah airstrike.

Emergency services spokesman said four Palestinians attending a funeral in northern Gaza City were also killed when an airstrike hit a graveyard in northern Gaza City.

The Hamas deaths came after Israel apparently unsuccessfully targeted Hamas's top military commander, Mohammed Deif, on Tuesday. Instead, his wife and seven-month-old son were killed.

Palestinian officials say more than 2,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since Israel began its latest offensive in response to rocket attacks from Gaza.

The aftermath of the airstrike that failed to kill Mohammed Deif

Israel says hundreds of the dead were Palestinian militants. Sixty-four Israeli soldiers and three civilians in Israel have been killed.

Egyptian-mediated talks to end the weeks of fierce fighting in Gaza collapsed on Tuesday when violence broke out after 10 days of relative calm.

Israel said the latest airstrikes were in response to a resumption of Hamas rocket fire on Tuesday - adding that only one rocket launch had been registered since midnight, compared to more than 210 over the previous 30 hours.

In a TV address on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed little willingness to return to the negotiating table with Hamas.

Smoke billows from Gaza following an airstrike

"We are determined to continue the campaign with all means and as is needed," he said.

"We will not stop until we guarantee full security and quiet for the residents of the south and all citizens of Israel."

 

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US Doctor Infected With Ebola Leaving Hospital

US doctor Kent Brantly, who was infected with ebola while working in Liberia, is expected to make a statement soon as he is discharged from the hospital where he has recovered from the disease.

Franklin Graham, president of the Samaritan's Purse charity, confirmed Dr Brantly was now well enough to leave hospital.

"Today I join all of our Samaritan's Purse team around the world in giving thanks to God as we celebrate Dr Kent Brantly's recovery from ebola and release from the hospital," he said

Dr Brantly - who was treated with the experimental drug ZMapp - is expected to take part in a press conference at 11am (1500 GMT) on Thursday.

He was admitted to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, where his blood has since tested negative for the virus.

Dr Brantly and fellow aid worker Nancy Writebol were flown out of the West African nation of Liberia earlier this month after contracting the disease.

They have been receiving treatment for the deadly disease in an isolation unit at the hospital.

Dr Brantly and Nancy Writebol contracted the disease in Liberia

They were both infected while working at a missionary clinic outside Monrovia.

Earlier this month, Dr Brantly insisted the only available dose of an experimental serum went to Ms Writebol.

It comes as World Health Organisation (WHO) officials visit two hospitals in Liberia on Thursday where authorities have sealed off entire neighbourhoods to try and stop the spread of the disease.

A nationwide curfew was brought in after clashes between protesters and security forces in the West Point area of Monrovia, which residents have been prevented from leaving.

The ebola outbreak has killed at least 1,350 people across Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria in western Africa.

It is only spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of those infected with the virus who are experiencing symptoms.

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Video Shows Yazidis 'Converting To Islam'

An Islamic State video has emerged purporting to show dozens of captured Yazidi people converting to Islam.

The footage emerged shortly after the group released a video showing one of its black-clad fighters beheading American journalist James Foley.

The latest film, titled "Hundreds of Yazidis convert to Islam", gives no indication of the bloodshed that prompted tens of thousands of people to flee.

In the video, two Islamic State fighters field questions in Arabic. One of the fighters is a bearded middle-aged man dressed in black with an AK-47 assault rifle.

The men get off a bus and greet militants

The other is dressed in a crisp grey military uniform and camouflage cap.

"What has been said is the opposite of reality," the older man says.

He also says that Islamic State has provided the Yazidis with everything they need.

"Men, women and children have converted and I was with them and they are happy with their conversions," he says.

The video shows men asking questions to Islamic State fighters

He adds: "We advise the Yazidis to come down from the mountain and convert."

This is a reference to Mount Sinjar, where thousands who feared death at the hands of the militants took refuge.

"If they stay on the mountain, they will die of starvation and thirst. This talk about aid from Western and crusader countries is all lies.

"If they convert, we will give them everything they need. They will live a happy life."

Thousands of Yazidis have been displaced by the IS advance

The video then shows dozens of Yazidis getting off a bus, walking past a truck mounted with an anti-aircraft weapon and hugging Islamic State militants.

IS fighters had previously threatened members of the ancient religious group with death if they failed to convert to Islam.

IS has been accused of killing hundreds of Yazidis since the militants moved into the area of northern Iraq where the community lives.

More than 400 men were reported to have died in the village of Kocho over two days and their families forced to move with IS militants to Tal Afar.

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IS Beheads US Journalist James Foley In Video

Islamic State militants have released a video that purportedly shows the beheading of a US journalist who went missing two years ago.

The footage appears to show a masked man - speaking in English with an English accent - killing James Foley, who was seized by armed men in Syria in November 2012.

In the five-minute propaganda video, posted on social media sites by Islamic State sources, the man says Mr Foley was being killed because Barack Obama had ordered airstrikes against IS positions in northern Iraq.

The journalist, dressed in an orange jumpsuit like those worn by Guantanamo inmates, is seen kneeling in the desert before he blames the US for his death, in a statement presumably prepared by his abductors.

He then says: "I wish I had more time, I wish I could have the hope of freedom and seeing my family once again, but that ship has sailed." 

He is then beheaded.

Mr Foley in Syria before he was captured. Pic: Nicole Tung

The group also claimed to be holding another American journalist, Steven Sotloff, who appears at the end of the video, and said his life depended on the US President's next move.

A statement issued by Mr Foley's mother, Diane Foley, said: "We have never been prouder of our son, Jim. He gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people.

"We implore the kidnappers to spare the lives of the remaining hostages. Like Jim, they are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world.

"We thank Jim for all the joy he gave us. He was an extraordinary son, brother, journalist and person. Please respect our privacy in the days ahead as we mourn and cherish Jim."

On Tuesday, two unnamed US officials said they believe the man in the video - which Sky News has chosen not to show - was Mr Foley.

John and Diane Foley, Mr Foley's parents

White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said if the video is verified by the intelligence community, the US would be "appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American journalist".

Mr Foley, 40, was an experienced correspondent who had covered the war in Libya before heading to Syria to follow the revolt against Bashar al Assad for the GlobalPost, AFP and other outlets.

Philip Balboni, GlobalPost chief executive and co-founder, said the firm had been informed that the FBI is evaluating the video to determine whether it was authentic.

"We ask for your prayers for Jim and his family," he said.

According to witnesses, Mr Foley was seized in the northern Syrian province of Idlib on November 22, 2012.

The car he was travelling in was stopped by four militants in a contested battle zone that both Sunni rebel fighters and government forces were trying to control.

His family has not heard from him since, despite a public campaign for information.

IS militants have captured large areas of northern Iraq and Syria

Several senior US officials with direct knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press that IS very recently threatened to kill Mr Foley to avenge the American airstrikes over the last two weeks.

The strikes targeted militants advancing on Mount Sinjar, the Mosul Dam and Kurdish capital Irbil.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the video, voiced by an IS fighter with a British accent, appeared to be genuine and was "an appalling example of the brutality of this organisation".

Mr Hammond told Sky News: "This is an evil organisation with an evil ideology."

"I reject any suggestion British foreign policy is providing any excuse for what ISIL is doing," he added.

Mr Hammond said the IS extremists posed a major threat, not only to stability in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East, but also to the UK's domestic security.

The Foreign Secretary also said he did not believe the US would be "cowed" by IS threats to kill US journalist Steven Sotloff, who they claim to be holding.

Prime Minister David Cameron returned to Downing Street from his holiday early after the beheading, which came just days after he warned Europe could be facing a "poisonous" terrorist state on its doorstep.

The release of the video comes a day after IS militants threatened to attack US targets in another video where they warned "we will drown all of you in blood".

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Hamas Chief 'Deserves To Die Like Bin Laden'

An Israeli cabinet minister has said Hamas's military leader "deserves to die just like bin Laden", after an airstrike apparently targeting him left his wife and infant son dead.

Interior Minister Gideon Saar told army radio Mohammed Deif was a legitimate target, as Hamas and Israel's military carried out rocket attacks and airstrikes following the breakdown of the latest truce.

"He is an arch murderer and as long as we have an opportunity we will try to kill him," Mr Saar said.

It was not clear if Mr Deif, who has escaped numerous Israeli assassination attempts in the past, was at home at the time of the latest attack.

Israel has yet to comment officially on the airstrike

The Islamist militant group later said he was alive.

The airstrike was one of around 60 carried out after Israel claimed three rockets fired by Hamas landed in open areas near the city of Beersheba on Tuesday.

The latest rocket attacks were condemned by Israel as a "grave and direct violation of the ceasefire" and the Israeli military said at least 80 rockets have been fired since the truce collapsed.

This came amid Egyptian efforts to mediate a longer-term truce to the conflict following a 24-hour extension to a temporary ceasefire secured on Monday.

Rockets from Gaza are intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system

The talks now hang in the balance; Israel has withdrawn its team from the indirect discussions, while Hamas officials said the chances of a durable ceasefire were "evaporating" and blamed the "Zionist occupation" for the lack of progress.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry expressed "deep regret" over the breaking of the truce and security officials said Cairo is still pressing the two sides to agree on a ceasefire.

Since hostilities resumed, at least 16 Palestinians have been killed and more than 68 wounded in Israeli strikes, Gaza Health Ministry official Ashraf al Kidra said.

In a strike on the southern Gaza town of Deir el-Balah a pregnant woman, three children and two men were killed, emergency services said.

A bus window damaged near Yad Mordechay by a rocket fired from Gaza

A further 21 people were injured in a separate airstrike that hit a building housing offices of Hamas's Al Asqa TV station.

Another killed a Palestinian man north of Gaza City, medics said.

Seven-year-old Maha Sheik Khalil, who was paralysed from the neck down in an Israeli airstrike last month, has left Gaza bound for Turkey.

Air raid sirens sounded in southern Israeli cities on Wednesday, warning of incoming rockets from Gaza, after Hamas accused Israel of opening a "gateway to hell".

Hamas has also threatened to fire more rockets at Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv.

An Israeli soldier directs a tank near the border with the Gaza Strip

Israel's civil defence authority has ordered the reopening of public bomb shelters within 50 miles (80 km) of Gaza.

Israel's military said it targeted two Palestinian militants after they fired rockets at Israel. The Palestinian Red Crescent said they were killed.

Shortly afterwards a rocket fired from Gaza hit a house in southern Israel, causing damage to the home but no injuries.

Since the war began, more than 2,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed, according to Palestinian and UN officials.

Sixty-four Israeli soldiers, two Israeli civilians and a worker from Thailand have also died.

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James Foley 'Died Doing Job He Believed In'

A friend and colleague of the US journalist apparently beheaded in a video released by militants has said he died doing something "he truly believed in".

Film maker Matthew VanDyke was with James Foley in Syria just a fortnight before the 40-year-old was abducted.

And he told Sky News he had been left in "complete shock" at reports his friend had been beheaded by Islamic State forces.

"I haven't seen the video myself, but it's a complete nightmare," he said.

"James was a fun guy. He was very nice, very calm. We had good times together, good conversations. He interviewed me when I escaped prison in Libya ... and he did a great job.

"He was very kind, very good at what he did. He had a great career ahead of him."

He said Mr Foley "lived and breathed" conflict journalism.

The arrival of Islamic State fighters has changed the conflict in Syria

"It was who he was, he loved doing it," he said.

"He believed in it, believed in doing things right. What every editor would want working for them is exactly who James was.

"One thing that you can say is he died doing something he truly believed in and that he was making a difference there."

Mr VanDyke insisted Mr Foley was conscious of the dangers he faced in war-torn Syria.

"He was always aware of the risks," he said.

"He was always very serious when it came to work.

"He was not someone who did anything reckless, or cowboy things. He always checked on the security ahead of him.

"He did everything the right way, but even when you do everything the right way in Syria, things can go the wrong way."

But Mr VanDyke said the arrival of IS - previously known as ISIS - had drastically changed the nature of the conflict in Syria.

"There was always a threat of kidnapping, border strikes, airstrikes, it was always dangerous," he said.

"Ever since the arrival of ISIS in the spring of 2013, it's become a complete nightmare for journalists.

"People go there and they just disappear and they're never heard from again. It's like a black hole."

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Japan Mudslides Kill At Least 36 People

At least 36 people have died and up to a dozen are missing after a mudslide on the outskirts of Hiroshima.

Hillsides have caved in or been swept down into residential areas in at least five valleys in the suburbs of the western Japanese city after heavy rains left slopes unstable.

Video from national broadcaster NHK showed rescue workers suspended by ropes from police helicopters pulling victims from the rubble as rain-soaked slopes collapsed into torrents of mud, rock and debris.

Soldiers and police carry away the body of one of the victims

Rescuers were also seen climbing carefully into windows of crushed homes as they searched for survivors.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency, quoting the local government, said 19 people were known to be injured, two of them seriously.

"A few people were washed away and it is hard to know exactly how many are unaccounted for," a spokesman said, explaining that conditions in the disaster area were hampering efforts to account for all those affected.

A soldier walks through the rubble as he searches for survivors

Authorities have issued warnings that further rains could trigger more landslides and flooding.

Landslides are a constant risk in mountainous, crowded Japan, where many homes are built on or near steep slopes.

Torrential rains in the early morning apparently caused slopes to collapse in an area where many of the buildings were newly built.

Damage from land and mudslides has increased over the past few decades because of increasingly frequent heavy rains, despite extensive work on stabilising slopes.

A soldier stands inside the wreckage of a house

There have been nearly 1,200 landslides a year over the past 10 years, up from an average of about 770 a year during the previous decade.

Thirty-five people were killed in October last year in multiple mudslides on Izu-Oshima, an island south of Tokyo.

The mudslides followed a typhoon that delivered a record 824mm (more than 32in) of rain in a single day.

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Iraqi Militants Threaten Revenge Attacks On US

Crucial Battle For World's Most Dangerous Dam

Updated: 5:36pm UK, Monday 18 August 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Recapturing the Mosul Dam from Islamic State (IS) militants isn't just a military and political necessity - it's an engineering imperative.

It's got feet of clay. More accurately, gypsum and limestone.

It holds 12 billion cubic metres (425 billion cubic feet) of water.

If it broke it would unleash a liquid bulldozer 10 metres (65 feet) high that would engulf Mosul downstream on the Tigris before racing south and flooding Baghdad.

Some experts have said around 500,000 people could be killed if the dam were to fail.

Because it's been built on gypsum and limestone, which are water soluble, the dam's base gets regular injections of "grout" - a messy mix of concrete and earth.

Some 200 tonnes of the emergency engineering porridge has to be poured into the base every year but sinkholes are appearing.

Iraq's government had earmarked billions to repair the dam, which is also the source of electricity for about a million people and clean water for much of northern Iraq.

And while IS has pretentions to establishing a "caliphate" over much of Syria and Iraq, it is unlikely the ranks of its militants include advanced construction engineers capable of keeping the dam from collapsing.

In 2007, the US Army Corps of Engineers surveyed the structure and concluded the dam was "the most dangerous in the world".

Kurdish peshmerga fighters, with the support of airstrikes by US warplanes, are battling for control of the dam.

It's a ginger process.

The IS fighters are battle hardened. They are also demolitions experts and have unleashed a tide of bloody religious slaughter across a third of Iraq and Syria.

They have sown the countryside around the dam with improvised explosive devices and mines.

There are fears they might have also rigged the dam for destruction.

This may be an exaggerated concern. The IS is violent and extreme but there are no signs it is idiotic.

Its recent tactical successes have been carefully orchestrated as part of a wider strategy to create a caliphate not even al Qaeda managed to establish.

Sending a wall of water crashing down the Tigris valley and drowning mostly fellow Sunni Muslims would rob the caliphate of potential supporters and guarantee the survivors would turn against its brutal interpretation of Islam.

But this doesn't mean the dam may be damaged in fighting.

Nor that it would be able to survive intact if the IS manages to hang on, or in tit-for-tat-operations the dam's relentless need for reinforcement was fatally interrupted.

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Horror Video Of Snipers Picking Off 'Fishermen'

Fiji police are analysing a video which appears to show fishermen being shot dead at sea by unknown gunmen.

The 10-minute video - which was uploaded to YouTube by an unknown source - shows the men clinging to the remains of an upturned boat as shots are fired from what appears to be a commercial vessel.

One of the commercial vessels seen in the video

The film shows some of the men on the boat, which appears to be a tuna fishing vessel, laughing and posing for photographs after the killings.

Interpreters said languages heard on the video included Mandarin, Thai and Vietnamese, while the markings on one of the boats reportedly identify it as Taiwanese.

Fiji Police spokesman Atunaisa Sokomuri said it was too early to confirm whether the footage was genuine.

Men on the vessel laughed and posed for pictures after the killings

"There is no clear evidence to identify the victims as Fijian citizens, nor is there a clear indication of where or when this gruesome incident took place," he said.

The president of the Fiji Tuna Boat Owners Association, Graham Southwick, told Pacific Beat radio that Taiwanese boat contractors in Suva have claimed the footage shows the aftermath of a failed hijacking off Somali last year.

"It's a very famous incident and this didn't happen in Fiji, it happened off the coast of Somalia," he said.

It is claimed the shot men were Somali pirates

"And the graphic pictures you see of people gunned in the water are not Fijians, but Somali pirates that attempted a hijack of some Taiwanese vessels that attempted a hijack that backfired and they all got gunned down.

Authorities have asked for help from Interpol and other Pacific nations to identify the vessels seen in the video.

Fairfax Media New Zealand, citing Fijian police sources, has reported that a student found the footage on a mobile phone left in a taxi in the Fijian capital, Suva.

Fiji is home to a large tuna fishing fleet, with many of the vessels from so-called "distant water" nations who ply the Pacific because it is one of the few regions where stocks, though declining, are still relatively abundant.

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Iraq Conflict: Fighting Resumes At Mosul Dam

Fighting has resumed at Mosul Dam in northern Iraq with US jets spotted flying overhead, according to Sky sources.

Islamic State (IS) militants seized the strategically important site, which supplies water and power to millions of people down the Tigris river valley, nearly two weeks ago.

But US President Barack Obama announced on Monday that Iraqi and Kurdish forces had regained control of the hydroelectric facility with the help of American airstrikes.

He called it a "major step forward" in the battle against the extremist group.

However, as the Kurds were celebrating their victory at the dam, it appeared there were still remnants of IS in the area who were putting up resistance.

Mosul Dam. Pic: File

Sky's Alex Crawford, at Mosul Dam, said: "We heard firing behind us about 1km away. The president's son said he suspected some hardened IS fighters were in the south of the dam who had not been cleared from the area."

She added: "They are still clearly holding out and putting up some sort of defence."

Crawford said she heard heavy machine-gun fire and possibly mortar shelling as well as jets overhead.

US fighter jets and drones have been attacking IS targets as they try to help push back the Sunni extremists who have taken over large parts of the north and west since June as Iraqi troops fled.

There is also fierce fighting near the centre of Tikrit, the hometown of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

The dam and the city of Mosul are in the north of the country

Iraqi forces have halted their advance to Tikrit, which was seized by IS two months ago, due to fierce resistance from the militants.

The Iraqi military had earlier shelled militant positions inside and outside the town, officials said.

Much of the fighting was taking place near the main hospital, more than two miles from the centre.

Meanwhile, the insurgents, who also seized control of the second city of Mosul in June, have threatened to respond to US airstrikes by attacking American targets, posting a video in which they warn: "We will drown all of you in blood".

The message was accompanied by photographs of beheadings.

Unlike al Qaeda, IS has, to date, focused on seizing land in Iraq and Syria for its self-proclaimed caliphate, rather than attacking Western targets.

Earlier, the group denied losing control of Mosul Dam.

Also, the UN refugee agency said it was poised to mount a massive aid operation for 500,000 Iraqis driven from their homes by the jihadists.

Among the initial supplies are 3,000 tents, 200,000 plastic sheets, 18,500 kitchen sets and 16,500 jerry cans.

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Israel: 'Rockets From Gaza Break Ceasefire'

Three rockets fired from the Gaza Strip have struck southern Israel, violating a temporary ceasefire, says the Israeli military.

The rockets, launched by Palestinian militants, landed in open areas near the city of Beersheba and there were no reports of casualties, according to the military.

The Israel Defence Forces said on Twitter: "Terrorists have violated the ceasefire."

There had been a new 24-hour truce agreed on Monday night between Israel and Gaza rulers Hamas that was due to expire later.

Egyptian-brokered negotiations have been taking place over how the end the weeks-long conflict.

Israel launched its military offensive on July 8 to stop rocket fire from the Palestinian territory.

In over a month of fighting, nearly 2,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of them civilians.

Israel lost 67 people, all but three of them soldiers.

More follows...

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Israel Blows Up Homes Of Teen Murder Suspects

Israeli forces have demolished the homes of two Palestinians accused of abducting and killing three Israeli teenagers in June.

Hussam Qawasmeh and Amar Abu Eisha's houses in the West Bank were blown up before dawn on Monday.

Police say there were 250 policemen and dozens of Israeli soldiers at the scene.

The home of a third suspect, Marwan Qawasmeh, was sealed off, the military said.

Last month, houses in the West Bank linked to Marwan Qawasmeh and Amer Abu Eisheh were also blown up.

Israel destroyed the home of Hussam Qawasmeh before dawn

Israel said the demolitions were in accordance with procedures used to deal with militants suspected of major crimes.

All three are suspected of murdering Eyal Yifrach, 19, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frenkel, both 16, who went missing on June 12.

Israel launched a major operation in the West Bank in order to locate the teenagers - one of whom, Naftali, had American citizenship.

Their bodies were discovered by soldiers beneath a pile of rocks on June 30.

Israel has held Hamas responsible, but the militant political group has denied any involvement.

Hussam Kawasma has been in Israeli custody since July. The other two suspects remain at large.

(L-R) Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel, Eyal Yifrach were murdered in June

The deaths of the Israeli teens and the subsequent murder of 16-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Abu Khadair heightened tensions in the lead-up to the current conflict in Gaza.

Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians over the month-long war continued on Monday as the end of a five-day truce nears.

Both sides have until 10pm (UK time) to conclude a deal before the ceasefire was due to expire.

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in the Egypt-mediated talks appeared to be hardening their positions, with the Gaza blockade remaining the key stumbling block.

The mother of Arab teen Mohammed holds a photo of her son

Norwegian foreign minister Boerge Brende said Norway and Egypt were planning to co-host a conference in Cairo to discuss the reconstruction of Gaza once there was an agreement in the ceasefire talks.

The Gaza conflict has killed more than 1,900 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, according to Palestinian and UN officials.

Israel said it lost 64 soldiers in combat. Three Israeli civilians have been killed.

Meanwhile, the UN has helped three couples wed in Gaza on Sunday as protests broke out in Israel at the wedding of a Muslim man and a Jewish-born woman who converted to Islam.

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