Lifeguard Drowns Trying To Save Swimmer

A lifeguard has drowned while trying to rescue a swimmer off a California beach.

The lifeguard was identified as 32-year-old Ben Carlson, who had been with the department for 15 years.

He went into the water at Newport Beach, Southern California, on Sunday afternoon to help a swimmer in distress.

He went under water, prompting a search involving some 25 people. At one point the divers created a human chain in the rough waters.

Fellow lifeguards found Mr Carlson's body around 8pm. Efforts to resuscitate him failed, and he was pronounced dead in hospital.

The divers created a human chain in their effort to find their colleague

The swimmer he was saving made it to shore safely.

It was the first time in the department's 100-year history that a lifeguard died in the line of duty, CBS News said.

The National Weather Service issued a coastal hazard warning of dangerous rip currents and high surf along Southern California beaches.

Some beaches saw up to 8ft (2.4m) high surf.

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Pistorius Witness 'Too Close' To Be Credible

Prosecutors have claimed the evidence of a key defence witness in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial is not credible.

The trial resumed with the questioning of Professor Wayne Derman, the doctor for the South African Paralympic team.

Professor Derman testified last week that Pistorius was vulnerable, stressed and would have been unable to flee because of his disability.

But prosecutor Gerrie Nel put it to the court on Monday that Professor Derman was close to Pistorius, travelled the world with him and therefore could not be objective.

"You don't want to give an answer that will not benefit the accused," said Mr Nel.

The witness responded: "I have attempted to come to court to give as objective evidence as I can - I do not think I am biased."

The prosecutor argued that even if the physician's analysis was correct, and "hyper vigilance" caused Pistorius to shoot Reeva Steenkamp, the Paralympian was a "danger to society".

Pistorius waits for the final defence witness to resume his evidence

Mr Nel did not mention explicitly the video broadcast on Australian TV that shows Pistorius re-enacting the night he shot his girlfriend.

The defence commissioned the video but chose not to use it as part of their case - and they are furious it has been broadcast.

The footage shows Pistorius running on his stumps and miming shooting - and though Mr Nel did not refer to it in court, he suggested Professor Derman's claims about the defendant's lack of mobility were not accurate.

The physician maintained that Pistorius could not flee "as you or I" could - but conceded under questioning that fleeing to another room would have been an "option".

Professor Derman also admitted that having a gun made the athlete "less vulnerable" on the night.

Sky's Emma Hurd was in court and said the video broadcast in Australia was an "elephant in the room".

"Gerrie Nel has asked Professor Derman about the level of movement Pistorius would have had," she said.

"The video has not been mentioned explicitly but has been hinted at, so we're not expecting it to be introduced as evidence."

Pistorius, who is on trial for premeditated murder, denies deliberately killing his girlfriend, claiming he mistook her for an intruder.

He faces between 25 years and life in prison if found guilty.

The trial has been adjourned until Tuesday morning, when the defence is expected to close its case.

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Global Jihad 'Could Be Funded With Bitcoin'

Jihadists Embrace Social Media

Updated: 1:26pm UK, Wednesday 18 December 2013

By Sarah Hajibagheri, Sky News

This a holy war of the 21st century - where fighters are embracing social media to advertise their "five-star" jihad in Syria and blog their experiences in the hope of recruiting others.

Although Jihad is an ancient calling, it's being taken up by modern men who were born and bred in Britain.

This new breed of jihadi are entirely removed from the ascetic Islamists who flocked to Afghanistan in the 1980s and Bosnia in the 1990s.

They are no longer cut off from the outside world for months - they relax after a day's fighting on their iPads, chatting to friends in the UK or posting macho selfies.

They have left their lives and their families to fight against Bashar al Assad, but online on the front line, they are never far from home.

Just like their young counterparts in the UK, many are prolific users of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr and some have gained a large and loyal following, eager to hear daily updates from the battleground.

With many foreign fighters unable to speak Arabic, most of the posts are in English.

The Foreign Office says it is aware of at least 200 UK-linked individuals currently fighting in Syria, but Sky News has learnt the figure may be far greater.

The recruitment process has shifted away from mosques and into bedrooms. Many of the young men we spoke to were lured to Syria from online forums and websites. It's proving a fruitful PR exercise as an increasing number of Western fighters have been drawn to the region.

They come as individuals, rather than groups - often via Turkey, which is just a cheap and short flight away.

One fighter with a prominent online profile has been dubbed a jihadi 'Agony Uncle' after hosting question and answer sessions with would-be volunteers.

Recently an increasing number of questions on these sites are being posted by women eager to join the fight.

However, one by one, these social media accounts are falling silent, as these men are killed in combat.

The family of Brit Ifthekar Jaman - who gained notoriety online after his blog went viral - confirmed he had died in Syria on Tuesday.

He lived in Southsea, Portsmouth, before flying to Turkey in May, and making his way across the border to Syria to wage jihad.

In one of his last tweets, the 23-year-old wrote: "I can tell you that I haven't spoke to one muhajir who wants to return."

For these young men, leaving home to wage jihad abroad is clearly a big decision - but ultimately, for most it will be a fatal one.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Israelis 'Confess To Killing Palestinian Teen'

Three Israelis have reportedly admitted killing Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khadair, who was abducted following the deaths of three Israeli youths.

A source close to the investigation told news agency AFP that three of the six suspects arrested on Sunday had confessed to the murder.

Their confession has not been independently verified.

The 16-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem was found dead in the Jerusalem Forest last week.

A preliminary post-mortem examination found he had been burned alive.

Earlier today Israeli Prime Minister Benjanim Netanyahu telephoned Mohammed's father to express his outrage at the killing.

A video captures the moment Tariq was reportedly beaten by Israeli police

"We denounce all brutal behaviour. The murder of your son is abhorrent and cannot be countenanced by any human being," Mr Netanyahu told Hussein Abu Khadair.

The teenager's death has prompted days of violent protests which have spread from East Jerusalem to Arab Israeli towns.

Police said 110 people were arrested overnight for disturbing public order.

Their arrests follow the detention of Mohammed's cousin Tariq Abu Khadair who was filmed apparently being severely beaten by Israeli police.

Murdered Israeli teens Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach

Tariq, an American of Palestinian descent, has now been released from custody.

Police claim he resisted arrest, attacked officers and was carrying a slingshot when he was detained during the clashes.

It is suspected that Mohammed was killed in retaliation for the deaths of three of the Israeli teenagers, whose bodies were found in the West Bank last week.

An unidentified suspect is being held in connection with the killings. 

Israel has made clear it holds the Islamist militant group Hamas responsible, although Hamas has denied any involvement.

Israel says the airstrikes are in retaliation for rocket attacks from Gaza

The deaths of the four teenagers has resulted in a spike in tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.

Both Israel and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, have stepped up aerial assaults against one another in recent weeks.

Hamas claims seven of its members were killed overnight in the deadliest Israeli airstrikes on Gaza in recent weeks.

It says the strikes hit a tunnel used by its men in the early hours of the morning.

Monday's attacks were the deadliest to hit Gaza in recent weeks

The militant group said it would seek revenge, warning: "The enemy will pay a tremendous price" over the latest killings.

Two militants from a different group were reportedly killed in a separate strike.

The Israeli military said it targeted at least "14 terror sites" including "concealed rocket launchers" in retaliation for rocket attacks from Gaza which a military spokesman described as "unbearable and unacceptable."

Around a dozen rockets were reportedly fired overnight, injuring one Israeli soldier.

Another 25 rockets hit Israel on Sunday.

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Kenya Attacks: Dozens Killed In Two Shootings

At least 29 people have been killed in two separate shootings on the coast of Kenya, according to the interior ministry.

One of the attacks happened at a shopping centre in Hindi, Lamu county, where a group of 10-15 men opened fire.

Nine people were killed in the overnight raid.

The other assault was in the Gamba area of Tana River county, where 20 people lost their lives.

Security forces are investigating the deadly raids

Lamu commissioner Miiri Njenga said the attackers targeted government offices and some properties were burnt down.

"They went around shooting at people and villages indiscriminately," said the area chief Abdallah Shahasi.

Militants from the al Qaeda-linked Somalian group al Shabaab have reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Lamu county was the same area where 60 people were killed in a massacre last month.

In September 2013, the rebels raided the upmarket Westgate shopping mall in the capital Nairobi, killing 67 people.

There has been a wave of gun and grenade attacks along the coast and in Nairobi since Kenyan troops went into Somalia in October 2011 to fight al Shabaab.

The Kenyan tourism business has been badly hit by the rebel assaults.

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First Video Of ISIS Group Leader Al Baghdadi

Jihadist group ISIS has released a video apparently showing the first public appearance of its elusive leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.

In the Ramadan sermon footage, said to have been filmed in a mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul on Friday, he calls on all Muslims to obey him.

Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of a state straddling Iraq and Syria, is increasingly seen as more powerful than al Qaeda's leader.

The 21-minute video's release on the internet follows reports he was killed or injured in an attack.

The recording shows a bearded man in a black robe and black turban ascending a pulpit below the black flag of the Islamic State.

If confirmed, it would be Baghdadi's first public appearance.

Omar al Shishani has appeared in recent propaganda videos released by ISIS

"God has granted your brothers, the mujahedin, victory and a conquest after years of patience and holy struggle, and enabled them to achieve their objective," he said.

"I was appointed in charge of you, though I am not the best or better than you, so if you see me in the right, then help me, and if you see me in the wrong, advise me and put me right."

The Iraqi government said the video is "indisputably" not Baghdadi.

"We have analysed the footage ... and found it is a farce," said Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan.

In an audio tape released last week, Baghdadi called on Muslims to take up arms and flock to the caliphate ISIS has declared on captured Syrian and Iraqi soil.

Reyaad Khan has had his assets frozen by the UK government

Another man, Omar al Shishani - which means Omar the Chechen - has appeared in ISIS's recent propaganda videos and may have been promoted to overall military chief.

The red-bearded militant is among hundreds of Chechens who are considered some of the toughest and most ruthless jihadi fighters in Syria and Iraq.

Baghdadi, born in Samarra in 1971 according to US intelligence, joined the insurgency sparked by the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

At one point he spent time in an American military prison in Iraq.

In 2005, American forces said they had killed "Abu Dua", one of his known aliases, on the Iraq-Syria border.

The US Treasury declared him a terrorist three years ago, and there is now a $10m (£5.9m) bounty on his head.

The video comes as three British citizens thought to be fighting alongside ISIS in Syria have had their assets frozen by the UK Treasury.

Reyaad Khan and Nasser Muthana, both 20 and from Cardiff, and Abdul Raqib Amin, who grew up in Aberdeen, were seen in a propaganda video released by ISIS last month.

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Israel Makes Arrest Over Murdered Teenagers

Missing Teens: Timeline Of Events

Updated: 5:24pm UK, Tuesday 01 July 2014

Israel launched a major military operation in attempt to find three teenagers after they disappeared in the West Bank. Here's how the situation unfolded:

June 12: Israeli students Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Shaar, both aged 16, and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach disappear in the West Bank. They were last seen hitch-hiking near Hebron.

June 15: Israel blames Hamas militants for abducting them and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatens "serious consequences" unless the trio are found safe.

June 16: Dozens of Palestinians are arrested as part of the search, including the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

A Palestinian man is reportedly killed when the Israeli army opens fire after unrest broke out during an operation to find the youngsters outside Ramallah.

A vigil is held in New York for the three teenagers, including Mr Frenkel who had dual Israeli-US citizenship.

June 17: Mr Netanyahu meets the families of the youths, telling their relatives that Israel is doing everything possible to find the boys.

June 19: British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Twitter: "My thoughts are with the families of the three kidnapped Israeli teenagers. Praying for their early and safe return home."

June 20: A Palestinian youth is killed by Israeli forces amid tensions over raids in the West Bank.

June 22: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reiterates his opposition to the alleged kidnapping of the three Israeli youths and says he is working to return them to their families.

June 26: Israel's security agency, Shin Bet, reveals the identity of two of the main suspects in the apparent kidnapping. They are alleged Hamas members Marwan Quasma and Amar Abu Eisha, both from Hebron.

June 29: A rally is held in Tel Aviv in support of the missing youths.

June 30: The bodies of the three teenagers are found near the village of Halhul, north of Hebron.

Hundreds of mourners hold a vigil in Tel Aviv to remember the trio.

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Teenager In Beating Video Row Speaks Out

A 15-year-old boy who was filmed apparently being severely beaten by Israeli forces has faced the media for the first time outside court.

Tariq Abu Khadair, an American of Palestinian descent, spoke as he was released from custody and will be under house arrest for nine days.

Police claim Tariq had resisted arrest, attacked officers and was carrying a slingshot for hurling stones when he was detained during clashes with security forces.

When reporters asked the teenager who attacked him, he said: "I think it was the police.

"I was standing and watching. I was watching the group of people and they came from the side of me and then grabbed me."

The alleged attack was filmed on a mobile phone

He said he was treated well in prison but he said he felt "really bad" for a number of other accused Palestinians who remained in custody, adding: "I hope they get better."

Tariq's family claim he was punched and kicked in an attack by two police officers.

His mother Suha Abu Khadair said her son was innocent and undercover security forces "came out from nowhere and attacked him and beat him".

The mobile phone footage of the alleged assault - said to have been recorded in East Jerusalem - was released by a human rights group that described it as state sanctioned violence against children.

Tariq's relatives also say he is the cousin of Mohammed Abu Khadair, who was killed in Jerusalem earlier this week.

The 16-year-old Arab boy was apparently burned alive and his death sparked days of violent protests.

This image shows Tariq after he was detained

Palestinians believe Mohammed was killed by Israeli extremists in a revenge attack after three Israeli youths were found dead.

A number of Jewish suspects have been arrested over Mohammed's killing.

Micky Rosenfeld, national spokesperson for the Israeli police, told Sky News the video footage was "edited" and "biased".

Mr Rosenfeld said: "It does not represent the events that took place before the actual arrest."

He claimed 15 police officers were hurt in clashes with Palestinians who had thrown pipe bombs, Molotov cocktails, fireworks and stones.

And he added six masked Palestinians had been arrested by undercover police officers.

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Ukrainian Flag 'Is Raised In Rebel Stronghold'

Ukrainian government forces have said they re-gained control of the rebel stronghold of Slavyansk.

The defence minister said Ukrainian soldiers hoisted the national flag over the town after pushing most pro-Russia insurgents out.

"A minute ago the Ukrainian national flag was raised over the Slavyansk city council before a line-up of Ukrainian soldiers," said a statement posted on the Ukrainian administration's website, citing Defence Minister Valeriy Geletey.

The town in eastern Ukraine has been at the centre of the fighting between Kiev's troops and the separatists. 

Andrei Purgin of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic told The AP news agency that rebels were evacuating, but claimed the army's campaign had left the city "in ruins".

Government forces at a checkpoint near Slavyansk on Friday

Ukrainian officials said the offensive was continuing as small groups of rebels were hiding in buildings.

President Petro Poroshenko's website said the separatist fighters had come under mortar fire as they tried to break through government forces' lines.

The website, citing the newly appointed head of the armed forces general staff, said the separatists had lost one tank and other armoured vehicles.

Earlier, a Ukrainian minister had said the rebels and a top commander had fled, though a rebel spokesman said they were relocating to a nearby town.

Slavyansk has been ravaged by heavy fighting

The rebels reportedly fled to nearby town of Kramatorsk, but the Reuters news agency said a convoy of about 20 vehicles and buses filled with armed rebels was seen driving out of the town.

If confirmed, regaining control of the area would represent a major success in the government's three-month offensive against the separatists.

Separatists seized the industrial city of nearly 120,000 people on April 6, and on May 30 rebels there brought down a military helicopter killing 14 servicemen.

Ukraine launched its first major assault nearly three months ago

This week, Ukraine's ceasefire with pro-Russian separatists expired and Mr Poroshenko said his forces would go on the offensive against the rebels.

But, amid increasing violence, Mr Poroshenko on Friday called for immediate crisis talks with rebel commanders and Russia.

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Germany Holds 'Double Agent Who Spied For US'

Germany has arrested a suspected double agent accused of leaking confidential information to the United States.

A 31-year-old German man is being held on suspicion of espionage.

The Federal Prosecutor's office said investigations were still ongoing, but did not reveal his identify or comment on reports that the suspect had handed information to the United States.

However, the German Foreign Ministry said the US ambassador in Berlin had been summoned to assist in the "swift clarification" of the case.

Several German news outlets have cited unnamed government sources who say the suspect was a mid-level agent for Germany's intelligence service, the BND.

The agent reportedly spied on an inquiry into Edward Snowden's revelations

According to the daily Bild newspaper the agent sold 218 sensitive documents to an unspecified US intelligence agency for €25,000 (£19,800).

It said he had worked as a double agent for two years.

The suspect has reportedly admitted the documents included details about a parliamentary committee investigating the US National Security Agency's surveillance operations in Germany.

Germany was shaken last year by information leaked by US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden which revealed that the NSA had spied on German citizens and tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone.

Reports the NSA tapped Mrs Merkel's phone have strained US-German relations

Mrs Merkel has not yet commented on the latest allegations, but a spokesman said: "We don't take the matter of spying for foreign intelligence agencies lightly."

Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper and the broadcasters WDR and NDR say the agent was initially detained on suspicion of contacting Russian intelligence agencies.

But during questioning he admitted that he had worked with the Americans.

Mrs Merkel spoke to US President Barack Obama on Friday evening, although it is not clear whether she discussed the case.

The US embassy in Berlin, the US State Department and the White House have all declined to comment.

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