US Drops Weapons For Kurds Battling IS

The US has airdropped weapons and supplies for Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State (IS) in the town of Kobani in Syria.

A statement from US Central Command said Air Force C-130 planes "delivered weapons, ammunition and medical supplies that were provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq and intended to enable continued resistance against ISIL's (IS) attempts to overtake Kobani".

Multiple airdrops were completed near the town, which is close to the border with Turkey and would be seen as a strategic coup for IS if it is captured.

Kurdish forces said they had received a "large quantity of ammunition" from the US airdrop.

Spokesman Redur Xelil told the Reuters news agency: "It will have a positive impact on the course of military operations and certainly we are still hoping for more support."

Video: Stuart Ramsay With 'Rag Tag' Army

The US statement said 135 airstrikes near Kobani - combined with continued resistance on the ground - had slowed IS advances and killed hundreds of its fighters.

"However, the security situation in Kobani remains fragile as ISIL continues to threaten the city and Kurdish forces continue to resist," the statement added.

The Kurds have been under IS assault for more than a month - and US Commander General Lloyd Austin has warned that the city could fall.

However, airdrops are likely to anger key ally Turkey, which has said it would oppose the US helping to arm Kurdish rebels.

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1. Gallery: The Kurdish Refugees Of Kobani

   A Kurdish refugee woman and her child from the Syrian town of Kobani rest in front of their family tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Turkey

2. The United States is bombing targets in Kobani to relieve the defenders of the Syrian town and give them time to organise against Islamic State militants, a senior US official said

3. A Kurdish refugee from the Syrian town of Kobani sweeps a passage in the camp

4. A child looks out of a tent

5. Kurdish people watch smoke billowing from Kobani as they gather on a hill overlooking the Syrian town of Kobani

6. A child walks through the camp in Suruc

7. A Turkish aid worker distributes food to Kurdish refugees

8. Kurdish refugees from the Syrian town of Kobani queue to get food

9. Smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobani

10. Kurdish people shout slogans while standing upon a hill opposite the Syrian town of Kobani

11. The graves of Kurdish people killed fighting alongside People's Protection Units (YPG) against IS jihadists in Kobani

Ankara views the main Kurdish group in Syria as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an organisation that has waged a 30-year insurgency in Turkey.

The PKK is designated a terror group by the US and NATO.

Turkey has resisted pressure from the West to take a more direct role in fighting IS in Kobani.

However, in an earlier call with Barack Obama, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to "strengthen cooperation".

Video: New Video Of The Battle For Kobani

An unnamed official said that while the results of the airdrop mission were still being assessed, it appeared "the vast majority" of the 27 bundles reached the intended Kurdish fighters.

Another official suggested "you might see more" drops in the days ahead.

:: Sky's Stuart Ramsay joined the forgotten Kurds who have held off IS for more than two years with homemade weapons and armoured cars.

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Mystery Hero Rescues Man From Blazing Home

By Sky News US Team

A man has been called a hero for rescuing an elderly father from a house engulfed by fire in Fresno, California.

The scene was caught on camera by a passer-by, Beth Lederach, who called 911, the Fresno Bee reported.

Ms Lederach said a woman started screaming that her father was trapped inside the house.

Moments later, a man emerged from the burning house carrying the older man on his shoulders.

"He just calmly walked right in there and then came walking right back out with this guy," Ms Lederach told the Fresno Bee.

She added the rescuer, whose identity remains unknown, seemed to have "come out of nowhere". 

The older man was treated for smoke inhalation.

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How Kurds The World Forgot Are Holding Off IS

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Sari Kani, Syria

Right now in Syria a desperate fight is under way against Islamic State (IS) forces that control so much of the north of the country.

In the east that fight is being carried out virtually unseen to the rest of the world by People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters, Syrian Kurds, who are doing so with almost no assistance.

They have been fighting IS for longer than any other group.

With home-made weapons and armoured cars and some old heavy guns, they fight in dusty villages, the countryside and larger towns to try and force IS back to the west of Syria.

Kurdish fighters have been retaking ground from IS militants on the border

Kobani has been surrounded for weeks by IS but there are many other towns that are under siege. From Sari Kani 100 miles or so east of Kobani the YPG have been taking back ground from IS.

They would dearly love to reach their colleagues in Kobani but, with no assistance, even they accept it will be an almost impossible mission.

Video: Travelling Through Syria

Always moving and repositioning themselves, the front line is a confused and confusing battle of attrition.

The men of the YPG and the women fighters of the Women's Protection Unit (YPJ) work together. There is no battlefield difference between the sexes. They all throw themselves into the fight. They are protecting their homeland and say to us that they can die at the front or at home, but either way they are prepared to die.

Against the odds and the better equipped IS forces, they have made ground and captured weapons. In a rear position they work on tanks captured from IS and they showed us the bodies of 20 IS jihadists they killed in a night operation.

We travelled from Iraq through Syria. The birthplace of IS is one of the most dangerous places on earth today. The YPG grip is tenuous and the vast open spaces are difficult to protect from IS incursions.

Video: Passports Reveal Turkey Link

These Syrian Kurds are hemmed in. The Turkish border lies to the north and its military considers the YPG a terrorist organisation.

To the south, east and west IS controls all the land leading to Iraq and across its border.

On the newest YPG front lines we came across a seemingly rag-tag group of fighters. But while they may look so they are in fact well trained and utterly determined.

A hill-top cemetery has become a fort. They watch across the plains and the villages that IS control. They are so close they can hear the foreign languages of the IS fighters on their walkie-talkies.

Video: Kurds Face Future Without A Home

But nobody here seems in any way frightened of IS. They laugh and joke and prepare to fight. Day in, day out.

The YPG are very canny. Their front-line positions are never static for long. Their numbers are small so they move positions and manoeuvre around the battlefield looking for signs of IS weakness. Then they attack. Both sides are doing this but one gets the sense that the Kurds are more determined.

While IS have many foreign fighters the YPG also have a small contingent. Chechens, Europeans and Americans who have decided to help fight IS.

Brian Wilson is from Ohio. A divorcee with two children, this veteran of the first Gulf War and 16 years a police sheriff in the United States decided to come here a month ago and join the fight. He was shocked that the West was doing nothing to help here.

Video: Desperate Help Needed In Kobani

"They have been holding out against DASH (IS) in this area for going on two, two and a half years," he told me on the front line.

"They are outgunned. They are brave fighters. They just need more help. If they had better technology, better weapons, they could finish IS on their own. More airstrikes would be very helpful to clear out some areas."

The YPG are fighting multiple fronts on a constant basis. Sometimes they are in cities and towns, sometimes in open countryside. But they are holding on and sometimes doing better than that.

And, as they say, they will do that to the death if necessary.

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Missing Hannah Graham: Skull And Bones Found

By Sky News US Team

Remains police say might belong to missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham have been found in a dried-up creek at an abandoned property.

A skull and bones were discovered in a heavily wooded area five weeks after the 18-year-old was last seen in the university town of Charlottesville.

The Albemarle County area, which is home to horse farms, is about 12 miles (20km) from the campus.

Residents said they noticed a foul smell days ago.

Chesterfield Sheriff's Department Sergeant Dale Terry, who led the search, said he believes God wanted his team to find what they found.

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1. Gallery: Hannah Graham Search In Rural Area

   Police are scouring the area where remains that might belong to missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham were found

2. The Albemarle County area is home to horse farms

3. Officers sifted through autumn leaves in the heavily wooded area looking for clues

4. Police have blocked off roads

5. Forensic experts must examine the remains

6. Ms Graham, who is British-born, was last seen on 13 September

7. Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr, 32, has been charged with abduction

"I don't know how else to explain it," he told local station WTVR.

"Something inside me just told me to continue to look."

The last person seen with Graham, 32-year-old Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr, has been charged with abduction with intent to defile Graham.

Video: Parents Plea Over Missing Student

He is being held in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

The remains were discovered roughly six miles (10km) from where the body of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington was found after she vanished in 2009.

Police have said forensic evidence connects Matthew to Ms Harrington's killing, which in turn is linked by DNA to a 2005 sexual assault in northern Virginia.

Video: Graham Suspect Innocent, Dad Says

Matthew has not been charged in those cases.

Ms Graham, who is British-born, was last seen on 13 September after a night out with friends.

In surveillance footage, she can be seen walking unsteadily and even running at times, past a pub and a service station and then on to a seven-block strip of bars, restaurants and shops.

Video: CCTV Shows Missing Teen Running

It is not clear how long it will take authorities to identify the remains.

Police have blocked off roads, sifted through leaves and scoured the area for evidence.

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Nigerian Schoolgirls Could Be Free Within Days

Nigeria hopes 219 schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamist group Boko Haram will be freed by Tuesday, according to a government source.

Authorities earlier said they had agreed a ceasefire with the militant group to make the release possible.

"I can confirm the Federal Government is working hard to meet its own part of the agreement so that the release of the abductees can by effected either on Monday or latest by Tuesday next week," the source said.

The girls were kidnapped from a school in Chibok in April

But Bana Lawan, chairman of Chibok Local Government Area urged caution and said: "We don't know how true it is until we prove it. We will know the negotiations were successful when we see the girls physically.

"Then we will know it is true. And then we will celebrate."

Community leader Pogu Bitrus said: "People rejoiced, but with caution."

Both men said residents have been disappointed too many times in the past by reports of progress by Nigeria's government and military that later proved to be false.

And this caution seemed well-founded with suspected Boko Haram militants carrying out two deadly attacks on Nigerian villages after the announcement of the ceasefire.

On Friday, French President Francois Hollande had told a news conference in Paris that the girls' release "could happen in the coming hours and days".

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1. Gallery: Profile: Boko Haram Leader

   Abubakar Shekau is the leader of Boko Haram. He took control of the Islamist group after the death of founder Mohammed Yusuf in 2009.

2. Little is known about him, although he was born in Shekau village in the northeastern state of Yobe and is now thought to be in his early 40s.

3. Shekau is Nigeria's most-wanted man and was designated a terrorist by the U.S. government in 2012. A reward of $7m (£4.6m) and 50m Nigerian naira (£182,000) has been issued for information leading to his location.

4. Shekau is also known as "Darul Tawheed", a reference to his knowledge of an orthodox doctrine of Islam centred on the oneness of Allah.

5. Nigerian authorities thought he had been killed in 2009 during clashes with security forces, but he reappeared in a video in 2010 to claim leadership of Boko Haram.

6. Shekau is believed to have been behind the August 2011 bombing of the UN compound in the capital Abuja, which killed at least 21 people.

7. In a video released after the abduction of 276 girls from a boarding school in the village of Chibok on April 14, he described the youngsters as "slaves" and threatened to "sell them in the market".

France had been involved in negotiations that led to the release of several of its citizens kidnapped by Boko Haram in Cameroon.

Boko Haram (their name means 'education is sinful') kidnapped the 276 girls at gunpoint from a school in Chibok, northeastern Nigeria, on April 14.

Some of the girls managed to escape in the aftermath of their kidnap or during fighting among militants, but 219 are still unaccounted for.

The group has demanded the release of detained extremists in exchange for the girls.

Video: Nigeria 'Optimistic' Over Girls

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford said Boko Haram had "assured Nigerian authorities that the Chibok schoolgirls are well and safe".

The country's leader, Goodluck Jonathan, has faced strong criticism over a deteriorating security situation in Nigeria, with areas in the northeast Borno state inaccessible due to the threat from Boko Haram.

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Hong Kong Clashes As Protesters Fight Back

Dozens of people have been injured in new clashes in Hong Kong as pro-democracy campaigners took back an area that was cleared by police less than 24 hours earlier.

Riot officers used batons and pepper spray against protesters who pushed against police lines and shielded themselves with umbrellas.

Officers were eventually forced to retreat during violent scuffles with the crowd which numbered around 9,000.

Demonstrator Peter Yuen said: "The police have lost control of the situation. They've lost their minds. We've come here peacefully, to peacefully protest for our future."

Activists rushed to reoccupy their protest camp and rebuild makeshift barricades from packing crates and fences in an area of the Mong Kok district which police had opened to traffic just hours before.

Protesters push over barricades

At least 33 people were reportedly arrested in the skirmishes, while 18 officers were among the injured.

The protests, calling for fully free elections and the resignation of the territory's leader, Leung Chun-ying, have been going on for three weeks.

Video: Police Accused Of Protest Brutality

It was the third consecutive night violence had broken out after a fortnight which has been relatively quiet. The first week saw major clashes.

The latest came just hours after Mr Leung offered talks with student leaders next week in an attempt to defuse the protests.

His chief secretary, Carrie Lam, later announced discussions would take place for two hours on Tuesday.

Video: Dozens Held After Hong Kong Clashes

The Mong Kok area was calm later on Saturday with the number of protesters much smaller as activists rested. Police stood away from the barricades.

During the demonstrations, protesters have held sit-ins at three major intersections causing significant disruption to the city.

China has insisted that whoever stands to replace Mr Leung in elections in 2017 must be vetted by a committee that is expected to be loyal to Beijing.

Video: HK Protest Barriers Dismantled

But the protesters have dismissed the proposal as "fake democracy".

Hong Kong police commissioner Andy Tsang said his force had been tolerant since the rallies began in the hope that demonstrators would "calm down".

"Unfortunately these protesters chose to carry on with their unlawful acts, including acts which are even more radical and more violent," Mr Tsang said.

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MH17 Parents Plead For End To 'Pointless War'

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Corespondent

The parents of three children killed in the MH17 tragedy have issued a heartbreaking statement, calling for the Ukraine war to end.

The bodies of the Maslin children, Mo, 12, Evie, 10, and Otis, 8, were returned to Australian soil on Thursday.

They died along with their grandfather, Nick Norris, after a missile shot the Malaysia Airlines jet out of the sky on 17 July, killing 298 people.

Anthony Maslin and Marite Norris said: "Our lives are an ongoing hell.

The plane was shot down in eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people

"The pain we are enduring is unfathomable, and we grieve alongside families in the Ukraine, the Netherlands, Russia, Malaysia, Australia and elsewhere.

"Please respect our children's memory, and stop this pointless war.

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1. Gallery: Images Of Flight MH17 Wreckage

   The crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine

5. A pro-Russian separatist holds up a stuffed toy found at the crash site

6. Some 298 people were killed when flight MH17, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was brought down near Grabovo, Donetsk, where Ukrainian forces have been battling separatists

7. Pro-Russian rebels have been accused of stopping investigators accessing the site

8. International pressure is growing on Russia to aid the investigation and apply pressure on the rebels

9. Body parts are now being removed by Ukraine emergency ministry staff. Continue for more images from the crash site

"No hate in the world is as strong as the love we have for our children, for Mo, for Evie, for Otis.

"No hate in the world is as strong as the love we have for Grandad Nick.

"No hate in the world is as strong as the love we have for each other."

The couple paid moving tributes to their three children, who were among 38 Australians killed in the crash.

"We honour Mo - his wisdom, his compassionate heart, and his total selflessness. Mo is peaceful and inclusive," they said.

"We honour Evie and her boundless, unlimited love. She is empathetic, beautiful, funny, artistic and creative.

Video: MH17 'Split Into Pieces' In Flight

"We honour Otis and his complete and humbling fascination with all things outdoors, big and small, near and far.

"Oti provides all of us with carefree joy and laughter - perhaps the most powerful gift of all."

The Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine.

The Maslin children had been travelling home to Perth with their grandfather while their parents stayed on in the Netherlands to enjoy a few extra days of holiday.

The couple go on to say they have been two of the "luckiest and happiest people on the planet" and their love for their children will never weaken.

"Our children were taken from us by a war in which we, and our country had no part. It is impossible to understand the reason they were blown out of the sky," they said.

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1. Gallery: Impact Marks On MH17 Fuselage

   These stills were released by the Dutch Safety Board on September 9, 2014

2. They show clearly visible puncture marks scattered across the fuselage of MH17

3. On July 17, the Malaysia Airlines flight lost all 298 passengers and crew

4. The plane was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur

5. The disaster occurred over an area of Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists

6. Crash investigators say it was probably downed by "a large number of high-energy objects"

7. The Dutch Safety Board has ruled out technical fault or human error

Australia wants investigation teams to re-examine the crash site.

Australia's foreign minister, Julie Bishop, recently held a "detailed discussion" with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

She said she received assurances from Mr Putin that he would help get access to the site, but could not give details of when that might happen.

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Texas Hospital Apologises For Ebola Failings

The Dallas hospital at the heart of three US ebola cases has taken out a full-page newspaper advert to apologise for its failings.

Barclay Berdan, the CEO of Texas Health Presbyterian, said that "mistakes were made in handling a very difficult challenge" after two nurses contracted the deadly virus from Thomas Eric Duncan.

The 42-year-old, from Liberia, was the first person to be diagnosed with ebola outside West Africa.

Thomas Eric Duncan died at the Texas Presbyterian Hospital. Pic: Facebook

But in an open letter, published in the Dallas Morning News, the hospital admitted it "did not correctly diagnose his symptoms as those of ebola – and for this, we are deeply sorry".

Mr Berdan added: "In short, despite our best intentions and skilled medical teams, we did not live up to the high standards that are the heart of our hospital's history, mission and commitment."

Video: Obama: I've Hugged Ebola Nurses

The executive used the advert to reject accusations that his hospital fell short of CDC guidelines on treating ebola, amid criticism over how two of its nurses, Nina Pham and Amber Vinson, contracted the disease from Mr Duncan.

"Many of the theories and allegations being presented in the media do not align with facts stated in the medical record and the accounts of caregivers present on the scene," Mr Berdan wrote.

Texas Presbyterian, which said it is "praying these US-based cases of ebola will also be the last", has seen its patient numbers plummet since becoming one of the first hospitals in the States to deal with ebola.

Video: No UK Checks On African Passengers

Some people in desperate need of emergency treatment have asked paramedics to take them to other hospitals further away, while hundreds of others have cancelled their appointments.

"It feels like a ghost town. No one is even walking around the hospital," one worker told local television.

The plummeting confidence among prospective patients in Dallas came as President Obama urged Americans not to "give in to hysteria or fear" over the ebola virus.

Video: Ebola In UK - What Would You Do?

Elsewhere in Texas, a cruise ship carrying a quarantined Presbyterian worker has docked in Galveston after it was refused entry into some foreign harbours.

Described as a "floating petri dish" by one traveller, the Carnival Magic ship arrived on Sunday afternoon and a lab technician on-board was allowed to leave after showing no ebola symptoms.

There were fears the medic may have come into contact with bodily fluids from Mr Duncan that had been submitted for tests.

Video: U.S. President Appeals For Calm

The UK's International Development Secretary, Justine Greening MP, told Sky News: "The cases in the US show we need to be taking action to make sure we have the necessary precautions in place."

Meanwhile, a World Health Summit is set to open in Berlin, with Germany's foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, due to make a speech on the crisis.

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Hong Kong Clashes As Protesters Fight Back

Dozens of people have been injured in new clashes in Hong Kong as pro-democracy campaigners took back an area that was cleared by police less than 24 hours earlier.

Riot officers used batons and pepper spray against protesters who pushed against police lines and shielded themselves with umbrellas.

Officers were eventually forced to retreat during violent scuffles with the crowd which numbered around 9,000.

Demonstrator Peter Yuen said: "The police have lost control of the situation. They've lost their minds. We've come here peacefully, to peacefully protest for our future."

Activists rushed to reoccupy their protest camp and rebuild makeshift barricades from packing crates and fences in an area of the Mong Kok district which police had opened to traffic just hours before.

Protesters push over barricades

At least 33 people were reportedly arrested in the skirmishes, while 18 officers were among the injured.

The protests, calling for fully free elections and the resignation of the territory's leader, Leung Chun-ying, have been going on for three weeks.

Video: Police Accused Of Protest Brutality

It was the third consecutive night violence had broken out after a fortnight which has been relatively quiet. The first week saw major clashes.

The latest came just hours after Mr Leung offered talks with student leaders next week in an attempt to defuse the protests.

His chief secretary, Carrie Lam, later announced discussions would take place for two hours on Tuesday.

Video: Dozens Held After Hong Kong Clashes

The Mong Kok area was calm later on Saturday with the number of protesters much smaller as activists rested. Police stood away from the barricades.

During the demonstrations, protesters have held sit-ins at three major intersections causing significant disruption to the city.

China has insisted that whoever stands to replace Mr Leung in elections in 2017 must be vetted by a committee that is expected to be loyal to Beijing.

Video: HK Protest Barriers Dismantled

But the protesters have dismissed the proposal as "fake democracy".

Hong Kong police commissioner Andy Tsang said his force had been tolerant since the rallies began in hopes that the protesters would "calm down".

"Unfortunately these protesters chose to carry on with their unlawful acts, including acts which are even more radical and more violent," Mr Tsang said.

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Ebola: UN Agency Admits It Botched Outbreak

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has admitted that it botched attempts to halt the ebola outbreak in West Africa.

The UN health agency has blamed factors including incompetent staff and a lack of information, according to a draft internal document obtained by The Associated Press.

"Nearly everyone involved in the outbreak response failed to see some fairly plain writing on the wall," the document says.

WHO admits it was "particularly alarming" that the head of its Guinea office refused to help get visas for an expert ebola team.

The organisation concedes it should have realised that traditional containment methods would not work in a region with porous borders and broken health systems.

Video: Questions Over Ebola Checks

Another factor was "politically motivated appointments" to WHO country offices in Africa.

Sky News Health and Science Correspondent Thomas Moore believes "simple infection control" would have stopped the virus spreading.

Here he takes a look at the mistakes that have contributed to a crisis that has killed at least 4,555 of the 9,216 people infected so far.

:: THE EPIDEMIC SMOULDERS

The epidemic started almost 10 months ago with the death in Guinea of a two-year-old boy called Emile.

For three months, the outbreak smouldered. Cases here and there, the virus spreading into neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The cases were in rural areas, far from medical help; the deaths undiagnosed and unrecorded.

But then, suddenly, it flared up. The Health Ministry in Guinea reported a mysterious illness with a high fatality rate.

By the time ebola had been identified as the cause, there were 86 cases and 59 deaths in four districts of Guinea.

Video: Ebola Victims' Families Shunned

:: THE FIRST MISTAKE

By the end of March it had come to the attention of the World Health Organisation.

A team of ebola experts from the WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control reached the area.

Within weeks, cases dwindled and the medics moved on.

It was assumed it was just another rural outbreak, easily contained, just as the previous dozen or more outbreaks had been in Central Africa.

That was the first big mistake. The virus had already spread too far.

:: THE SECOND MISTAKE

Between the end of May and late July the virus reached the capitals of the three countries.

It was the first time that ebola cases had ever been reported in densely populated cities.

Video: Paying The Price For Ebola

Eradication now became far more challenging - it would be impossible to quarantine an entire capital.

Even though there were still only just over 1,000 cases, the seeds had been sown for an exponential rise in numbers.

Still, there was no international response.

:: THE THIRD MISTAKE

By now it was clear the health services in the three countries could not cope.

Years of civil war had left the countries on their knees.

Liberia had just 120 doctors to care for four million people.

There simply weren't enough doctors to quarantine infected patients and chase down their contacts.

But still it was only charities and missionary groups that were sending in medical teams and organising clinics.

Video: Spotting Ebola At Beijing Airport

:: THE FOURTH MISTAKE

All three countries were too slow to tackle risky cultural practices, the suspicion of health workers and the stigma of the disease.

Relatives washed the dead with their bare hands, putting themselves at risk.

Bodies were hidden by relatives for fear of being ostracised by the community.

And villagers chased away medical teams, believing they were spreading the virus.

Yet it was only in August that Sierra Leone's government began an awareness campaign to change attitudes.

:: THE FIFTH MISTAKE

It wasn't until September that world leaders really understood how serious the epidemic had become.

A cynic might say it was the repatriation of western health workers - and then the arrival of infected travellers - that was the game-changer.

Video: How Ebola Attacks The Human Body

The US has begun building 1,700 beds in Liberia, the UK is building 700 in Sierra Leone and France is co-ordinating efforts in Guinea.

But it's nowhere near enough. The WHO still has only a fraction of the resources it needs.

And, with every week of delay, the virus spreads further. Cases are doubling every month.

That means more beds, more medics and more money will be needed.

It's no wonder the WHO says the ebola epidemic has been a wake-up call for the world.

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