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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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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