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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Weddings Reflect Tensions In Israel and Gaza

A series of weddings in Israel and Gaza have reflected the tensions and hardships in the region.

In Israel, four far-right protesters were arrested at the wedding of a Jewish-born woman who converted to Islam and an Arab Muslim man.

Three homeless Gazan brides were married and given gifts by the UN

Several hundred protesters demonstrated outside the reception hall in Rishon LeZion, as groom Mahmoud Mansour, 26, married Morel Malka, 23.

Mr Mansour had sought a court order to try to stop the protest from taking place but failed - and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin condemned the demonstrations.

Supporters of the far-right Jewish Lehava group, who oppose the intermarriage of Arab Muslims and Jews, were granted permission to picket the wedding.

A man is arrested by police at a protest outside the wedding in Israel

They were told not to come within 200 metres of the wedding hall, but four protesters were arrested for failing to follow police instructions, Israel's Ynet News website said.

A counter-demonstration of left-wing protesters was also staged in support of the couple's marriage, attended by 500 guests.

Several hundred police were deployed to keep the two sets of demonstrators apart.

One of the weddings in Gaza

"We live in true coexistence, and I don't really care what people say," Mr Mansour told Israel's Channel 2 ahead of the wedding.

Meanwhile in Gaza, three brides, who lost their homes in the conflict, were married to their grooms in joint ceremonies in the southern town of Rafah.

Organised by the United Nations, the weddings took place at a school which has been used as a shelter for people displaced by the conflict with Israel.

The far-right protesters outside the wedding in Israel

The UN paid for the celebrations and gave each couple presents, including a mattress and clothes.

A five-day ceasefire in the region was due to expire on Monday night.

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Cameron: 'We Are Not Going To War In Iraq'

David Cameron has insisted that Britain will not be getting involved in another war in Iraq.

He spoke out after reports Britain had briefly sent some ground troops to Irbil, to prepare the way for a rescue mission to help displaced Yazidi people.

His comments came amid reports on Iraqi state TV that Kurdish troops have retaken the strategic Mosul dam from Islamic militants.

The UK is considering arming peshmerga troops fighting IS extremists

Peshmerga fighters have been battling Islamic State fighters, with the aid of US airstrikes, after the dam was seized by the militants 10 days ago.

The Islamic State group denied they had lost control of the dam and there were reports of fierce fighting on the southern side of the facility.

Mr Cameron made his strongly worded statement this morning amid confusion over the UK's involvement in Iraq after a series of media interviews by senior ministers. 

He said: "I want to be absolutely clear to you and to families watching at home. Britain is not going to get involved in another war in Iraq.

A US airstrike against an IS position near Mosul Dam

"We are not going to be putting boots on the ground. We are not going to be sending in the British Army."

Mr Cameron has previously conceded that Britain's role will go beyond humanitarian aid and involve limited action to prevent violence spreading to British streets.

But he said: "So we are helping the Kurds, we are working with the Iraqi government to make sure it is more representative of the whole country.

"And, of course, we are working with neighbours and allies to put the maximum amount of pressure on IS and make sure it is properly dealt with.

Michael Fallon says Britain's involvement could last 'weeks and months'

"We have said that if the Kurds, the peshmerga, want to have arms from us, that is something we would consider favourably."

Mr Cameron appeared on television after Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the UK's Iraq mission would likely last "weeks and months".

Mr Fallon was addressing British troops in Cyprus as it emerged that UK soldiers have been back on the ground in Iraq for the first time since 2009.

The soldiers, from the 2nd Battalion Yorkshire regiment, were briefly sent to Irbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region, to prepare the way for a Yazidi rescue mission.

Sheikh Khalah Sheikh Alyas: 'IS killed our young people'

It is understood the rescue operation would involve Chinook helicopters and the ground troops remained in the country for only 24 hours.

Sky News Political Correspondent Anushka Asthana said the UK's position on Iraq was "a little confusing" after various newspaper and TV interviews by the PM and Mr Fallon.

Asthana said some had interpreted the PM's commitment to providing more than humanitarian aid in Iraq as meaning there would be military action.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said discussions with the Kurdish regional government were focusing on what weapons to supply Kurdish troops.

Kurdish officials will take part in negotiations on forming a new Iraqi government, according to the outgoing foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari.

It paves the way for improved ties between Kurds and the central administration.

The retaking of Mosul Dam - the country's largest dam - would be considered a major victory in the fight against militants.

Army spokesman Lt Gen Qassim al-Moussawi said the dam itself was secured by peshmerga troops and Iraqi security forces.

But he said that the southern side of the complex remains contested and that fierce fighting is underway to free that area.

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Teen Shooting Unrest: National Guard Called In

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has ordered the National Guard to Ferguson amid rising tensions over the shooting death by police of an unarmed black teenager.

Mr Nixon said the National Guard would "help restore peace and order" to the St Louis town after days of protests over the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. 

In the latest violence on Sunday night, police fired tear gas at demonstrators as gunfire was heard.

The announcement by Mr Nixon came as a preliminary private autopsy found that Mr Brown was shot at least six times including twice in the head, according to the New York Times.

The post-mortem examination was carried out by Michael Baden, a former New York City chief medical examiner, at the request of Mr Brown's family.

Michael Brown was killed on August 9

Dr Baden said one of the bullets entered the top of Mr Brown's skull, suggesting that his head was bent forward when he suffered a fatal injury.

Mr Brown was shot four times in the right arm and all the bullets were fired into his front, he told the New York Times.

Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered a federal medical examiner to perform another autopsy.

As night fell in Ferguson, a peaceful protest quickly deteriorated into further violence - more than a week after Mr Brown's killing on August 9.

Some protesters have defied the curfew

Some protesters carried signs protesting against police brutality. Some had their hands up in the air, while others threw Molotov cocktails at police officers.

Authorities said they were responding to reports of gunfire, looting and vandalism.

The Missouri Highway Patrol also said it used tear gas to disperse "aggressors" who were trying to infiltrate a law enforcement command post, and that armoured vehicles were deployed to ensure public safety.

Captain Ron Johnson said there were "acts of violence that appear to not have been spontaneous, but premeditated attacks designed to damage property, hurt people, and provoke a response".

The demonstrations have been going on for a week, with most being peaceful

A man was shot and critically wounded in the area, but not by police, and someone also shot at a police car, authorities said.

Seven people were arrested for failing to disperse.

Officials announced another five-hour curfew for the second night running which started at midnight local time (6am UK time). But much of the violence started before the curfew.

Seven people were arrested for failing to disperse

Authorities said they plan to decide on a day-by-day basis whether to extend the curfew, first imposed on Saturday night by Mr Nixon in an effort to quell the demonstrations.

Mr Nixon meanwhile sharply criticised the town's police for releasing CCTV video which they say shows Mr Brown stealing cigars from a store and shoving an employee.

"I think it had an incendiary effect," he told CBS' Face The Nation on Sunday morning.

He said police "clearly are attempting to besmirch a victim of a shooting".

Minutes after the alleged robbery, Mr Brown had the encounter with an officer who police say stopped the teenager for jaywalking.

Mr Brown was unarmed and it has been claimed he was trying to surrender before he was shot dead by white police officer Darren Wilson, 28.

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Missouri Shooting: Tear Gas Fired At Crowd

Police have fired smoke bombs and tear gas at protesters defying a curfew imposed in a suburb where a black teenager was shot dead by an officer.

Police in Ferguson, Missouri, were forced to admit using tear gas after initially claiming only smoke was used to disperse the crowd - many of whom complained of a burning sensation in their throats.

One man was taken to hospital and police said he "may lose his life" after he was hit by a bullet fired by someone in the crowd.

Captain Ronald Johnson said officers initially responded to concerns about people who had broken into a barbecue restaurant and taken up position on a roof overlooking police. 

The shooting of Michael Brown sparked protests across the US

He said tear gas was first used after shots were fired, including at a police car, as officers tried to get to the gun victim.

Speaking at a news conference in the early hours of the morning, he said use of the gas was a "proper response to maintain officer safety and public safety".

Seven protesters were arrested for failing to disperse, he said.

Hundreds of demonstrators had left peacefully before the midnight to 5am deadline took effect on Sunday morning.

But the remaining protesters - chanting "No justice! No curfew!" - refused to leave the area.

A protester throws a gas canister back towards police

As five armoured tactical vehicles approached the crowd, officers said through a loudspeaker: "You are in violation of a state-imposed curfew. You must disperse immediately. Failure to comply may result in arrest."

Officers put on gas masks as some of the crowd shouted back: "We have the right to assemble peacefully."

Moments later, police began firing smoke canisters into the crowd of protesters.

Speaking from the scene in Ferguson, Sky News US Correspondent Greg Milam said: "There was a hard core of about 150-200 who had said they would defy the curfew and did.

"At the time that curfew came into effect there were long lines of police with riot equipment - shields, helmets, masks and batons.

A demonstrator overcome by the effects of gas is carried away

"They stepped back, allowing SWAT teams to move in with armoured vehicles."

Michael Brown, 18, was unarmed and it has been claimed he was trying to surrender before he was shot dead by white officer Darren Wilson on August 9.

His death sparked protests across the US and scenes of armoured tanks and officers in riot gear firing tear gas on crowds in Ferguson were broadcast around the world last week as tensions in the St Louis suburb boiled over.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon imposed a state of emergency and curfew on Saturday after looters targeted a shop which police say Michael Brown may have robbed before he was killed.

The release of CCTV footage of an individual police said they believed was the 18-year-old walking out of the convenience store with a box of cigars and assaulting the owner had fuelled the anger felt by his family and protesters in the area.

It is understood Officer Wilson stopped Mr Brown for jaywalking before opening fire and had no knowledge the teen was a robbery suspect.

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'Too Much Anger' As Ferguson Ignites Again

If the people of Ferguson, Missouri, thought they had seen the back of the police SWAT teams on their streets, they were wrong.

Heavily armed officers in armoured vehicles rolled back on to the streets of this St Louis suburb on Saturday night.

They were called up to deal with a hard core of 150 protestors who defied a curfew imposed by the state's governor. When shots were fired, the SWAT teams moved in.

And, with their return, the promise of a more light touch police approach to the tinderbox of Ferguson appeared to fade.

The curfew was observed impeccably by most of those who have been protesting for a week now at the killing of 18-year-old Mike Brown last Saturday.

Up to 200 people confronted police after defying the curfew

As midnight ticked by, the crowd thinned, watched by lines of police officers in riot gear protecting businesses from any more looting.

Thunder, lightening and torrential downpours helped some on their way, no doubt, but the calm urging of community and church leaders was persuasive to many.

Instead of the usual "No justice, no peace", those who remained chanted "No justice, no curfew".

The danger now is that some will see the police response to those who remained as heavy-handed.

While the police fired smoke and tear gas, there were no rubber bullets this time. The only injury reported to be a man shot by another protester.

Locals say those who defied the curfew are people from outside Ferguson who have hijacked the legitimate protests.

The crowd ran after police fired smoke bombs and then tear gas

Increasingly the peaceful night of protests on Thursday looks like a false dawn. There is too much anger in community, too much resentment of law enforcement and too many questions so far unanswered.

As the Governor of Missouri announced the curfew and state of emergency, FBI agents were flooding the neighbourhood where Mike Brown died.

The extra agents have been drafted in to speed up an investigation which is critical to how this crisis now plays out.

But frustration among locals is such that even Capt Ron Johnson, the local Highway Patrol chief credited with restoring calm to Ferguson, is now facing criticism.

Mike Brown's family will be joined by civil rights leaders Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King Jnr at a rally in Ferguson on Sunday - as the world watches and wonders what next for a suburb in turmoil.

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Russian Missile Launchers 'Cross Into Ukraine'

A convoy of Russian military equipment, including at least three missile launchers, has crossed into Ukraine, according to officials in Kiev, as a fighter jet was shot down by pro-Moscow rebels.

A Ukrainian military spokesman said at least three Grad missile systems were among the weapons being sent to the separatists in the east of the country, who are battling a Ukrainian government offensive.

"We have information that rebels used their routes, which are not under control by Ukrainian army, and got some ammunition and troops that crossed from the Russian Federation," Andriy Lysenko said.

"We can't the say exact number of them, we're checking this information."

Russian vehicles with containers for BUK-M1 missiles in Rostov on Saturday

He also told journalists that Russian drones had violated Ukrainian air space on 10 occasions.

The fighter jet MiG-29 plane was shot down in the Luhansk area, where Ukrainian forces recaptured a police station on Sunday after more than three months under the control of the separatists.

The pilot ejected from the MiG-29 plane and has been found after a search, spokesman Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky said.

Mr Dmytrashkivsky said the plane was shot after launching an attack on rebels.

The plane was shot down in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine

The shooting down of the plane came after Kiev and Moscow reached agreement on the passage of a Russian aid convoy into the east.

There are reports that 16 of the aid trucks left the parking lot in western Russia where the convoy has been waiting and headed for the Ukrainian border.

Ukraine had been concerned the convoy of 280 white trucks could be a 'Trojan horse', allowing Russia to set up a permanent presence in rebel-held territory.

But Russia "guaranteed" the US that no military personnel were in the vehicles, which have been stuck near the border for the past few days.

Several lorries from a Russian aid convoy are moving to the border

Moscow says the trucks are carrying water, food and medicine for people displaced by fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Red Cross officials have been examining the contents of the lorries.

They say they need security guarantees from both sides before the convoy can start moving across the border.

Fighting in Ukraine has escalated since the insurgency arose in April, with government troops steadily taking back rebel-held territory in the east.

Luhansk is reportedly suffering from severe electrical outages and shortages of food and medicine.

Donetsk, the largest rebel-held city, is also suffering through frequent shelling.

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Foreign Tourists Missing In Indonesia Sinking

At least 10 foreign tourists are missing after a boat sank while travelling between holiday islands in Indonesia.

The tourists were on a boat travelling from Lombok island to the Komodo Islands and are believed to have hit stormy weather, reports said.

Ten people have been rescued - including one Briton - but the fate of 15 people, including Indonesians and foreign tourists, is not known. 

The journey between Lombok and Komodo can take three days by boat

A Foreign Office spokesman said "British nationals" may be involved in the accident.

"We are in touch with the local authorities and stand ready to offer consular assistance," the spokesman said.

An Indonesian search and rescue official said the boat was carrying 20 foreigners and five locals in total.

The boat sank at 7pm on Saturday, but the alarm was only raised with rescue teams at 8am on Sunday due to "poor communication",  the official said.

Local fishermen rescued a number of people near the island of Sumbawa before the rescue team arrived, he said.

The official said that of the 10 rescued people, the nationalities were known for five - two each from New Zealand and Spain, and one from Britain.

Tajudin Sam, who runs the tour company operating the boat, said it likely encountered stormy weather.

A boat ride from Lombok to Komodo can take three days.

More follows...

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Russia Assures US Over 'Humanitarian Convoy'

Russia has "guaranteed" that no military personnel are on a convoy waiting at the border with Ukraine to deliver aid to the conflict-hit east of the country.

Ukraine has been concerned the convoy of about 260 white trucks could be a 'Trojan horse', which will allow Russia to set up a permanent presence in rebel-held territory.

Officials from the Red Cross have been examining the contents of the trucks on the Russian side of the border to make sure they contain nothing other than aid.

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said he spoke with his Russia counterpart on Friday night and requested clarification on the convoy.

Russian truck drivers check their vehicles, which are said to contain aid

A statement released by the Pentagon, about the phone call between Mr Hagel and Sergey Shoygo, said: "Minister Shoygu 'guaranteed' that there were no Russian military personnel involved in the humanitarian convoy, nor was the convoy to be used as a pretext to further intervene in Ukraine.

"He acknowledged that the goods would be delivered and distributed under the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"Minister Shoygu assured Secretary Hagel that Russia was meeting Ukraine's conditions."

Russian officials allowed journalists to see the contents of some trucks

It came after Russia angrily denied it had sent a separate armed convoy into Ukrainian territory that Ukraine claims it partially destroyed.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said his forces had destroyed part of the convoy adding: "We won't tolerate any invasion."

Officials in Kiev said they tracked the vehicles, including armoured personnel carriers, from the border and then attacked with artillery.

Ukrainian guards check people suspected of crossing the border illegally

The claim was partially verfied by journalists from the Guardian and Daily Telegraph newspapers who said they saw around 23 Russian military vehicles crossing the border near the town of Donetsk on Thursday night.

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Sam Kiley said any attack would mark "a very serious development" in the four-month conflict, and "could be the beginnings of something much more dangerous".

The US later said it was not able to confirm whether Kiev's forces had attacked the convoy, but said Russia had no right to send vehicles into Ukraine.

White House spokesperson Caitlin Hayden said: "Russia has no right to send vehicles, persons, or cargo of any kind into Ukraine, under any pretext, without the Government of Ukraine's permission."

Moscow's Defence Ministry dismissed Kiev's claim that it had sent a convoy into Ukraine as "some kind of fantasy".

Spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Ria Novosti agency: "There was no Russian military column, which allegedly crossed Russian-Ukrainian border, not in the night, not during the day, it just doesn't exist."

The European Union said it would consider any Russian incursion as "a blatant violation of international law".

Fighting continued on Friday with 11 civilians killed and eight more wounded by shelling in the besieged stronghold of Donetsk in 24 hours.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin is due to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Berlin on Sunday to discuss the crisis.

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South Koreans Flock To See Pope Francis Mass

An estimated one million people have gathered to watch Pope Francis deliver a mass in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

During the service, the Pontiff beatified 124 people who died for their beliefs during the early days of Roman Catholicism in the country.

More than 30,000 police have been deployed for his five-day visit, including snipers on rooftops.

Aerial video footage showed a kilometre-long line of people cramming a route due to be taken by the 'Popemobile'.

Up to a million people lined the route taken by the Pope

Some had arrived up to seven hours before the event and most of the worshippers were in place with three hours to go.

The people beatified were among those who attempted to spread the religion in the 18th and 19th centuries. They were killed when they came up against resistance from the Joseon Dynasty, which opposed Western influences.

The streets leading up to Seoul's iconic Gwanghwamun Gate were packed with onlookers who had turned out to honour the founders of the Korean church.

The Pope is in the country for five days

Police declined to put a number on the size of the crowd but local media said it topped one million.

A cheer went up from those assembled when Pope Francis declared the 124 "blessed" - setting them on their way towards possible sainthood. The primary message from his lesson was that of reconciliation.

The beatification mass was taking place on the third day of his visit to South Korea.

The Pope blessed 124 Korean martyrs

It is his first tour to Asia since he became pope in March 2013.

Beatification is the first stage that a person undergoes before they can progress to being made a saint.

Local priests also took part in the mass

On Friday, the Pope had a private meeting with some of the survivors of the Sewol ferry disaster and the families of those who died.

He also gave a mass in their memory at a football stadium in Daejeon, attended by tens of thousands of people.

It is the first visit to South Korea by a pope for 25 years. More than five million of the country's inhabitants - around 10% - are members of the Roman Catholic faith.

Earlier, North Korea had test fired five short range missiles.

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