Russian Tourist 'Raped In Sharm El-Sheikh'

Police have arrested a minibus driver for allegedly raping a Russian tourist in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The suspect was driving the woman and her husband back to their hotel after a night-out when he pretended the vehicle had broken down, officers said.

He then tricked the Russian man into getting out of the minibus before speeding off with his wife.

The 23-year-old suspect attacked the woman, 36, and left her on the side of the road, according to Egyptian news website Ahram Online.

In March, a British businesswoman was allegedly raped in a five-star hotel in the same resort.

The woman, aged in her 40s, said she was sexually assaulted by a security guard who escorted her to her room.

The Egyptian government recently passed a law imposing harsher penalties for sex attacks.

President Abdel Fattah al Sisi vowed to crack down on such crimes, after footage appeared in the world's media of men sexually assaulting a woman during a rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

Thirteen men are to stand trial over the attack.

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Middle East: Complex Web Of Friends And Foes

Rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel at dawn. The opening of a new front for Israel already engaged in an escalating air campaign in the Gaza Strip? No.

Neither the Israelis nor Hezbollah, which has an arsenal of 100,000 rockets and controls southern Lebanon, are that stupid.

The missile attack on Israel's north was an attempt by Sunni militants to spark a confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel that both know would be a zero sum.

Why would Sunnis, in all probability descendants of Palestinian refugees from what is now Israel, want to do that?

It's Hezbollah, a Shia movement, after all, that has been a major conduit of experts, funding and modern rockets to Hamas, a Sunni organisation, in Gaza. Hamas and Hezbollah are allies.

Hamas has condemned the Hezbollah-backed regime of Bashar al Assad

But only when it comes to fighting Israel.

In Syria, Hamas has condemned the Assad regime, which like Hezbollah is backed by Iran.

Sunnis of Palestinian descent are among volunteers who have joined rebel groups fighting Damascus, while Hezbollah has sent thousands of its best fighters to the frontlines to defend the regime of Bashar al Assad.

There is a logic at work here.

If Sunni groups in south Lebanon can sucker the Israelis into a war with Hezbollah they could enjoy the double whammy of reduced pressure on Gaza, and the use of Israel's devastating air power against Hezbollah, the Sunni's enemies in Syria.

No better example of an attempt to kill two birds with one stone.

It won't happen because both Hezbollah and Israel, foes who have the greatest respect for one another, saw through the plot some time back. It's not the first time it has been tried.

But it does signal just how the Middle East's tectonic plates of conflict have shifted and can overlap.

The explosion of sectarian Muslim war between Sunni and Shia in Syria, which has spread into Iraq and has destabilised Lebanon, has become the defining clash in a new age of chaos.

Rival regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran use proxies to vie for influence and control.

The Saudis have become increasingly nervous of the spread of a Shia crescent from Tehran through Baghdad to Damascus and south Lebanon.

But Tehran has also used enemy forces to bolster the positions of its allies.

According to intelligence sources Muhsin al Fadhli, once a senior al Qaeda figure based in Iraq has taken up an operational roles inside Syria - at the instigation of the Iranian government.

Why would Tehran release someone to fight a key client an ally in Damascus?

Because radical groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have fought harder against fellow rebel groups than they have against the Assad regime.

Tehran has split the rebels.

But now ISIS threatens Iran's client government in Baghdad showing that an enemy's enemy may be a friend from time to time, but will remain an enemy.

This may be complicated but there is no excuse for stupidity in the Middle East. Failure to comprehend this can be fatal.

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Ukraine Rights Abuses Flagged Up By Amnesty

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

Hundreds of people have been abducted and subjected to horrific beatings in the troubled eastern region of Ukraine, according to campaign group Amnesty International.

After the collapse of the pro-Russian government of President Yanukovych in February this year, Russia seized control of Crimea and separatists in the east of the country have been fighting Ukrainian government forces, prompting the biggest East-West showdown since the Cold War.

Amnesty International gathered information on abductions and attacks such as beatings and torture meted out to activists, protesters and journalists as Kiev lost its hold over the region.

A soldier looking out from an armoured vehicle in eastern Ukraine

"With hundreds abducted over the last three months, the time has come to take stock of what has happened, and stop this abhorrent ongoing practice," said Amnesty's Denis Krivosheev.

There are no comprehensive or reliable figures for the number of abductions - Ukraine itself says there were nearly 500 cases between April and June 2014, but the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission for Ukraine says it recorded 222 cases of abductions in the last three months.

Amnesty says most are being carried out by armed separatists, with the victims often subjected to beatings and torture. But it says there is also evidence of a smaller number of abuses by pro-Kiev forces.

A pro-Russian separatist in the eastern town of Donetsk

It says abductions have taken place across eastern Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

"Now that pro-Kiev forces are re-establishing control over Slavyansk, Kramatorsk and various other places in eastern Ukraine, new captives are being released almost daily with an increasing number of disturbing cases emerging," said Mr Krivosheev.

"It is time that these are meticulously documented with perpetrators brought to justice with victims awarded compensation."

Hanna, a pro-Ukrainian activist, told Amnesty International how she was abducted by armed men in the eastern city of Donetsk on May 27.

Ukraine troops took control of Slavyansk

She said she was held for six days before being released in a prisoner exchange. She described how she was violently interrogated.

"My face was smashed, he punched me in the face with his fist, he was trying to beat me everywhere, I was covering myself with my hands," she said.

"I was huddled in the corner, curled up in a ball with my hands around my knees. He was angry that I was trying to protect myself. He went out and came back with a knife."

The eastern town was badly shelled last week

Hanna showed scars on her neck, arms and legs where she says she was sliced with the blade: there is a stab wound in her knee, her right index finger is still heavily bandaged in a plastic splint.

She also described how her interrogator made her write a separatist slogan on the wall, in her own blood.

While most abductions appear to have a "political" motivation, there is clear evidence that abduction and torture is being used by armed groups to exert fear and control over local populations. People have also being abducted for ransom.

President Poroshenko was elected in May

Sasha, a 19-year-old pro-Ukrainian activist, fled to Kiev after he was abducted by separatists at gunpoint in Luhansk. He said he was beaten repeatedly for 24 hours.

"They beat me with their fists, a chair, anything they could find. They stubbed out cigarettes on my leg and electrocuted me. It went on for so long, I couldn't feel anything anymore, I just passed out," he said.

He was finally released after his father paid a $60,000 ransom (£35,010).

There are allegations of atrocities on both sides.

One local government official in Mariupol, who wished to remain anonymous, told Amnesty International how they heard a captive separatist fighter wailing in pain at the hands of pro-Kiev forces who were seemingly trying to extract information about the separatists.

The report was published as Ukrainian officials said a missile attack in by pro-separatist fighters may have killed at least 30 soldiers and border guards, with final figures possibly even higher.

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China's 'Star' Anchorman Disappears Before Show

A popular Chinese television news presenter has disappeared from his nightly show, just weeks after his boss was detained on suspicion of taking bribes.

Rui Chenggang, a business journalist who works for the state-run broadcaster CCTV, was taken from his workplace by prosecutors, according to financial news magazine Caixin.

He was missing from the newscast he co-anchors, although producers kept two microphones wired up for the show.

It comes two months after CCTV's financial news director Guo Zhenxi was detained as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption.

Mr Guo once praised Mr Rui as the station's "star anchor", telling the New York Times his reporter was, for the first time, "examining the health of the nation" through a television programme.

Mr Rui, who is known for his nationalistic streak, has interviewed numerous political and business leaders during his career, amassing more than 10 million followers on his social networking account.

He once formed a campaign group to remove a Starbucks coffee shop from Beijing's Forbidden City and raised eyebrows when he claimed he could represent all of Asia at one of US President Barack Obama's news conferences in 2009.

As well as his prime-time role at CCTV, Mr Rui is a columnist for Beijing Youth Daily and sits on the board of the China National Symphony Orchestra.

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Gaza Conflict: Hague Calls For Ceasefire

A Complex Web Of Friends And Enemies

Updated: 5:06pm UK, Friday 11 July 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel at dawn. The opening of a new front for Israel already engaged in an escalating air campaign in the Gaza Strip? No.

Neither the Israelis nor Hezbollah, which has an arsenal of 100,000 rockets and controls southern Lebanon, are that stupid.

The missile attack on Israel's north was an attempt by Sunni militants to spark a confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel that both know would be a zero sum.

Why would Sunnis, in all probability descendants of Palestinian refugees from what is now Israel, want to do that?

It's Hezbollah, a Shia movement, after all, that has been a major conduit of experts, funding and modern rockets to Hamas, a Sunni organisation, in Gaza. Hamas and Hezbollah are allies.

But only when it comes to fighting Israel.

In Syria, Hamas has condemned the Assad regime, which like Hezbollah is backed by Iran.

Sunnis of Palestinian descent are among volunteers who have joined rebel groups fighting Damascus, while Hezbollah has sent thousands of its best fighters to the frontlines to defend the regime of Bashar al Assad.

There is a logic at work here.

If Sunni groups in south Lebanon can sucker the Israelis into a war with Hezbollah they could enjoy the double whammy of reduced pressure on Gaza, and the use of Israel's devastating air power against Hezbollah, the Sunni's enemies in Syria.

No better example of an attempt to kill two birds with one stone.

It won't happen because both Hezbollah and Israel, foes who have the greatest respect for one another, saw through the plot some time back. It's not the first time it has been tried.

But it does signal just how the Middle East's tectonic plates of conflict have shifted and can overlap.

The explosion of sectarian Muslim war between Sunni and Shia in Syria, which has spread into Iraq and has destabilised Lebanon, has become the defining clash in a new age of chaos.

Rival regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran use proxies to vie for influence and control.

The Saudis have become increasingly nervous of the spread of a Shia crescent from Tehran through Baghdad to Damascus and south Lebanon.

But Tehran has also used enemy forces to bolster the positions of its allies.

According to intelligence sources Muhsin al Fadhli, once a senior al Qaeda figure based in Iraq has taken up an operational roles inside Syria - at the instigation of the Iranian government.

Why would Tehran release someone to fight a key client an ally in Damascus?

Because radical groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have fought harder against fellow rebel groups than they have against the Assad regime.

Tehran has split the rebels.

But now ISIS threatens Iran's client government in Baghdad showing that an enemy's enemy may be a friend from time to time, but will remain an enemy.

This may be complicated but there is no excuse for stupidity in the Middle East. Failure to comprehend this can be fatal.

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Israelis Using Apps To Avoid Incoming Rockets

It is an app that has been described as pointless and stupid, but a new use for Yo is potentially saving lives in Israel.

It is one of a range of apps and web services on which Israelis are increasingly relying to alert them to incoming rocket attacks from Gaza.

The Red Alert: Israel app's notification screen

The app lets users send just one word - Yo - to friends and followers. People who are friends with an account called Red Alert: Israel get a Yo message every time a missile is incoming.

There is also a standalone Red Alert app, which has been downloaded by more than 500,000 people in recent days - which provides real-time information on rocket launches.

It is not the only alert system - warning sirens wail and radio stations and TV channels interrupt broadcasts to alert citizens of incoming rockets.

But as more people embrace smartphone technology, demand for alternative ways to be notified of potential blasts has grown.

Developer Ari Sprung told the Washington Post: "I don't know if it's saving lives, but it's a great tool for letting people know what is going on in real time, and it gives them a personal alarm system.

"People who have families in the south are downloading it because they want to see what is going on there."

Israel's air strikes on Gaza have killed 80 people - mostly civilians

He says the information on rocket launches comes directly from Israeli military sources.

Meanwhile an app called SOS NowForce was developed by volunteer emergency service United Hatzalah after the kidnapping of three teenagers in June - who were later found shot dead.

Users can swipe the screen rather than make a phone call to notify emergency services of an incident.

The app sends the GPS co-ordinates to United Hatazalah, and contacts pre-programmed friends and family members.

Also, when the sirens wail people often need to find a secure spot in which to shelter in.

An app called Secure Space shows iPhone users where the nearest bomb shelter can be found.

More than 550 rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel since Tuesday when the Israeli army launched an operation targeting Hamas militants.

The Iron Dome defence system means most rockets don't land in Israel

Most have been intercepted by its Iron Dome missile defence system and no fatalities have been reported.

Israel's offensive has killed an estimated 100 Palestinians, according to medics there.

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Ukraine Rights Abuses Flagged Up By Amnesty

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

Hundreds of people have been abducted and subjected to horrific beatings in the troubled eastern region of Ukraine, according to campaign group Amnesty International.

After the collapse of the pro-Russian government of President Yanukovych in February this year, Russia seized control of Crimea and separatists in the east of the country have been fighting Ukrainian government forces, prompting the biggest east-west showdown since the Cold War.

Amnesty International's report has gathered information on abductions and attacks such as beatings and torture meted out to activists, protesters and journalists as Kiev lost its hold over the region.

A soldier looking out from an armoured vehicle in eastern Ukraine

"With hundreds abducted over the last three months, the time has come to take stock of what has happened, and stop this abhorrent ongoing practice," said Amnesty's Denis Krivosheev.

There are no comprehensive or reliable figures for the number of abductions - Ukraine itself says there were nearly 500 cases between April and June 2014 but the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission for Ukraine says it recorded 222 cases of abductions in the last three months.

Amnesty says most are being carried out by armed separatists, with the victims often subjected to beatings and torture. But it says there is also evidence of a smaller number of abuses by pro-Kiev forces.

A pro-Russian separatist in the eastern town of Donetsk

It says abductions have taken place across eastern Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

"Now that pro-Kiev forces are re-establishing control over Slavyansk, Kramatorsk and various other places in eastern Ukraine, new captives are being released almost daily with an increasing number of disturbing cases emerging," said Mr Krivosheev..

"It is time that these are meticulously documented with perpetrators brought to justice with victims awarded compensation."

Hanna, a pro-Ukrainian activist, told Amnesty International how she was abducted by armed men in the eastern city of Donetsk on May 27.

Ukraine troops took control of Slavyansk

She said she was held for six days before being released in a prisoner exchange. She described how she was violently interrogated.

"My face was smashed, he punched me in the face with his fist, he was trying to beat me everywhere, I was covering myself with my hands … I was huddled in the corner, curled up in a ball with my hands around my knees. He was angry that I was trying to protect myself. He went out and came back with a knife."

Hanna showed scars on her neck, arms and legs where she says she was sliced with the blade: there is a stab wound in her knee, her right index finger is still heavily bandaged in a plastic splint.

The eastern town was badly shelled last week

She also described how her interrogator made her write a separatist slogan on the wall, in her own blood.

While most abductions appear to have a "political" motivation, there is clear evidence that abduction and torture is being used by armed groups to exert fear and control over local populations. People have also being abducted for ransom.

Sasha, a 19-year-old pro-Ukrainian activist, fled to Kiev after he was abducted by separatists at gunpoint in Luhansk. He said he was beaten repeatedly for 24 hours.

President Poroshenko was elected in May

"They beat me with their fists, a chair, anything they could find. They stubbed out cigarettes on my leg and electrocuted me. It went on for so long, I couldn't feel anything anymore, I just passed out," he said.

He was finally released after his father paid a $60,000 ransom (£35,010).

There are allegations of atrocities on both sides.

One local government official in Mariupol, who wished to remain anonymous, told Amnesty International how they heard a captive separatist fighter wailing in pain at the hands of pro-Kiev forces who were seemingly trying to extract information about the separatists.

The report was published as Ukrainian officials said a missile attack in by pro-separatist fighters may have killed at least 30 soldiers and border guards, with final figures possibly even higher.

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India Council Accused Over 'Revenge Rape'

Two men have been arrested over the rape of a 14-year-old girl dragged into the woods and assaulted as payback for an alleged sex attack by her brother.

A local police official said the men arrested were the head of the village council, which allegedly ordered the rape, and the husband of the victim of the original assault.

The teenager's mother said she had pleaded with the council and other villagers not to carry out the rape but they took no notice.

"We kept begging them. We begged with folded hands but they would not listen. They dragged her away to the forest," she said.

The girl's brother has also been arrested on molestation charges.

The attack on the unnamed 14-year-old took place after midnight on Sunday in a remote village in Jharkhand state's Bokaro district, in the east of the country.

"They attacked her in retaliation and we are taking this case very seriously," the police officer said, adding the investigation was expected to be completed and charges brought within the next few days.

Deeply conservative local councils wield great power across much of rural India, being able to pass decrees on any subject they choose - from how women should dress to whether young lovers deserve to live or die.

They usually enforce strict social codes about marriage and gender roles.

A council of elders in West Bengal state in January ordered the gang rape of a 20-year-old woman as punishment for falling in love with the man from a different community.

The village councils are often seen as the only practical means of delivering justice in areas where local governments are either too far away or too ineffective to settle disputes.

Their power often comes from being able to insist that those who ignore their decrees are ostracised.

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'Omar The Chechen' Should Come Home, Says Dad

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent, in Pankisi, Georgia

The father of ISIS commander Omar al Shishani has told Sky News his son felt rejected by his country when he left to fight jihad.

With his distinctive red beard, al Shishani has become one of the most recognisable faces of a group now notorious for extreme brutality in its pursuit of an Islamic state across large swathes of Iraq and Syria.

But his father remembers a young man who was never particularly religious, but who always wanted to be a soldier.

Born in the remote Pankisi Gorge in Northern Georgia, an area once seen as a stronghold for Chechen militants, his real name is Tarkhan Batirashvili.

When he was younger, he worked as a shepherd boy in the hills above the gorge, where he reportedly first met Chechen fighters, crossing the Caucasus mountains to fight Russian forces across the border.

Al Shishani was 'tormented' when he was not allowed back in the army

"He was a very good boy, very well behaved," Timur Batirashvili remembers.

"Always very intelligent, very nice, he hated when people lied.

"Do you know what I think now? I didn't know my son. I didn't know him at all."

Tarkhan joined the Georgian army and served in the Russia-Georgia war in 2008. His father said he seemed happy, that he had found his place in the world.

Mr Batirashvili says he son told him to convert to Islam and hung up on him

He was due to be promoted to become an officer, and told his father their lives were about to change, that he was going to earn so much more money.

But then he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and admitted to hospital, after which he was discharged from the army on medical grounds.

He tried and failed to get back in - Mr Batirashvili said he was "tormented" - sent from office to office to no avail.

'Omar the Chechen' comes from Georgia's Pankisi Gorge

A few months later he was arrested and sent to prison for possession of illegal weapons.

"When he came back from prison he was really thin," Mr Batirashvili said.

"He lost his colour in prison, and he told me, 'Father, this means that this country doesn't need me.'

"I haven't seen him ever since. He felt really bad, he was really angry.

"He made a pact that if he left the prison alive he would start a holy war for God.

"'I will start a holy war in the name of God', he said, and that's what he's doing right now."

He reappeared in Syria last year under a new name, Omar al Shishani - which translates as Omar the Chechen - and became the leader of an al Qaeda-inspired group, The Army of Emigrants and Partisans, before pledging his allegiance to ISIS.

Mr Batirashvili said his son phoned him once, asking whether everything was okay, and whether he was praying to God.

When he replied that he was praying to Saint George, a Christian saint, al Shishani told him he should convert to Islam and hung up.

We asked him what he would say to his son if he could speak to him now.

He said: "Come back home. I am an old man. I need to be taken care of, I need to be looked after. Come home."

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Hamas: Israel's Main Airport Will Be Targeted

The armed wing of Hamas has threatened an imminent attack on Israel's main airport in response to Israeli airstrikes on Gaza that have now reportedly killed 100 Palestinians.

The Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades warned they planned to fire rockets at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion international airport through the course of the day.

It urged airlines to divert their flights for the safety of their passengers.

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 100 people, most of them civilians

"In the light of Israel's ... attacks on the residents of Gaza Strip ... The armed wing of Hamas movement has decided to respond to the Israeli aggression and we warn you against carrying out flights to Ben Gurion airport, which will be one of our targets today because it also hosts a military air base," it said.

A spokesman for Israel's Airports Authority said activity at Ben Gurion was briefly halted after an air raid siren sounded, but operations has since resumed.

The Israeli army launched an offensive, named Operation Protective Edge, on Tuesday targeting Hamas militants in the wake of persistent rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel.

A rocket from Gaza hit a petrol station in Israel early Friday

With no end to the violence in sight, US President Barack Obama has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington would be willing to help negotiate a truce.

Mr Netanyahu has said international pressure will not stop his country acting against militants and the operation will continue until Gaza rocket fire is halted.

Hamas health ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qudra was quoted by AFP as saying 100 Palestinians had been killed since then after 11 people were killed in airstrikes on Friday.

Overnight the military bombarded the city of Rafah, killing six people. Five of them, including a seven-year-old child, died in a strike on the home of an alleged Islamist militant.

According to Palestinian officials most of the victims over the past four days have been civilians, many of them children.

The Israeli military says more than 570 rockets have been fired into Israel since Tuesday alone, but there have so far been no Israeli fatalities.

Five Palestinians were killed overnight in a strike on a home in Rafah

Many rockets, including three spotted over Tel Aviv on Friday, have been intercepted by Israel's partly US-funded Iron Dome missile defence system.

However, one struck a petrol station in the Israeli city of Ashdod in the early hours of the morning, triggering a major blaze.

The Israeli fire service said several people were injured in the attack, one of them seriously.

One witness told Sky News' Alex Rossi he was filling up his car when air raid sirens went off. 

Soldiers inspect a shell thought to have been launched from Lebanon

"We heard a huge explosion and after (that) a big ball of fire and (there were) a lot of people injured," he said. "We are lucky to be alive."

For the first time at least one rocket was also reportedly launched from southern Lebanon which, according to Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, struck Israel's northern border, prompting the military to respond with artillery fire.

It is not yet known who was responsible for the attack, although fire from Lebanon has previously been blamed on radical Palestinian factions. 

Rocket fire from Gaza aimed at Israel has increased in recent days

Southern Lebanon is also a stronghold of the Shia militant group Hezbollah which has battled Israel on numerous occasions.

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Germany Expels Top US Spy Amid Espionage Row

The German government has asked the top US intelligence official in Berlin to leave the country.

The move comes amid reports of two cases of suspected American espionage in Germany over the past week and a longer dispute over alleged US National Security Agency (NSA) eavesdropping.

German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Thursday: "The representative of the US intelligence services at the United States embassy has been asked to leave Germany.

"The request occurred against the backdrop of the ongoing investigation by federal prosecutors as well as the questions that were posed months ago about the activities of US intelligence agencies in Germany.

The NSA eavesdropped on Angela Merkel's phone, it was reported last year

"The government takes the matter very seriously."

Clemens Binninger, head of a parliamentary oversight committee on intelligence, said the move was "a reaction to the long-lacking co-operation in efforts to get to the bottom of this affair".

The US government did not immediately comment directly on the decision.

But White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said German-US security co-operation was essential.

"It keeps Germans and Americans safe," she said.

Shortly before the expulsion was announced, Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters that Germany and the US had different approaches to the role of intelligence agencies.

Pedestrians pass the US embassy in Berlin

"I think that in these times, which can be very confusing, very much depends on trust between allies," she said.

Ties have been strained between the two allies since reports emerged last year that the NSA had eavesdropped on Ms Merkel's mobile phone.

But the relationship frayed further over the past week when two German officials fell under suspicion of spying for the US.

Last Friday, a 31-year-old intelligence agency employee was arrested for allegedly selling more than 200 documents to the CIA.

Then on Wednesday police searched the Berlin-area home and office of a German defence ministry official who local media report is suspected of also spying for the US. 

US Ambassador John Emerson has reportedly held a number of meetings with German officials in recent days to discuss the allegations.

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ISIS Seizes 'Low Grade' Nuclear Material

The United Nations atomic agency has asked Iraq for more details about 40kg (88lbs) of poisonous nuclear material taken by Islamic militants.

Iraq informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the seizure from a scientific research facility at a university in Mosul.

It appealed for the agency to help "stave off the threat of their use by terrorists in Iraq or abroad".

The city is part of a large swathe of territory both in Iraq and Syria that is now under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which now refers to itself as the Islamic State.

Militants from IS drove triumphantly into Mosul last month

IAEA spokeswoman Gill Tudor confirmed the request and said the non-enriched material that had fallen into the hands of insurgents was "low grade" and did not pose a significant security risk.

"On the basis of the initial information we believe the material involved is low grade and would not present a significant safety, security or nuclear proliferation risk," Ms Tudor said.

IS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi wants a caliphate to include Mosul

"Nevertheless, any loss of regulatory control over nuclear and other radioactive materials is a cause for concern."

Former IAEA chief inspector Olli Heinonen said that if the material came from a university it could be laboratory chemicals or radiation shielding, consisting of natural or depleted uranium.

"You cannot make a nuclear explosive from this amount, but all uranium compounds are poisonous," Mr Heinonen said.

UN inspectors failed to find nuclear weapons in Iraq pre-2003

Because radioactive material is less hard to find and the device easier to make, experts say a 'dirty bomb' - which could cause panic and have serious economic and environmental consequences - is a more likely threat than an actual atom bomb.

Dirty bombs are improvised explosive devices in which radioactivity is dissipated to contaminate an area or population.

Meanwhile, authorities in Baghdad have halted cargo flights to the Kurdish cities of Erbil and Sulaimaniya, amid an escalating row between the Shia-led central government and Kurdish leaders.

Kurdish leaders accused Prime Minister Maliki of being "hysterical"

The decision comes as Iraq's Kurdish regional president said Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki was "hysterical" and not fit to run the country.

The worsening political discord comes three days ahead of a planned parliamentary session meant to revive the process of replacing what has effectively been a caretaker government since April elections.

Iraqi forces fled Mosul which allowed militants easy access

Since ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a caliphate -  twice the size of Israel -  militants have not made any further significant advances, however they are suspected of murdering more than 50 handcuffed men on the periphery of Baghdad on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile a Russian-made Sukhoi jet of the kind recently delivered by Moscow attacked a market in the rebel-held city of Fallujah, which lies only 35 miles west of the capital.

A local doctor said 35 people were wounded and eight killed in Wednesday's attack, and another 12 were injured, including five children, during airstrikes on Thursday.

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Funerals In Gaza As Hamas And Israel Trade Fire

The Calculus Of Conflict For Hamas

Updated: 3:54pm UK, Wednesday 09 July 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

In the morbid calculus of conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants, both sides are drawing satisfaction from the recent bout of violence.

Hamas and its allies will be delighted to know that some 3.5 million Israelis have been added to their potential target list with the launching of long-range rockets which have landed close to Haifa, over 100 miles north.

The Israelis have mobilised 40,000 troops and are systematically smashing Hamas' military infrastructure with scores of air raids and naval bombardments every day.

It's clear this is now seen as the opportunity for Israel to rid the region of Hamas.

Mark Regev, the Israeli spokesman, told Sky News: "Our strategic goal is ultimately defensive. We want to end rocket attacks not just on southern Israel (as) rockets hit further north."

He added: "Over the last few years, Hamas has built up, in Gaza, a formidable terrorist machine. We're now acting to dismantle that machine".

Mr Regev went on to confirm there were no realistic diplomatic avenues to explore and that Israel was escalating its military operations to "once and for all" destroy Hamas' military capabilities.

Hamas will take a nihilistic satisfaction from this explicit threat.

It is opposed to the existence of the Jewish State.

It recently agreed to form a technocratic government with the Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas, which includes no Hamas members but is a 'technocratic administration'.

Facing declining popularity and economic ruin in Gaza, Hamas will now claim that an attack on it is an attack on all Palestinians.

So a ground invasion is just what a movement, which specialises in suicide attacks, most relishes.

It would be an opportunity for volunteers to ascend to paradise while taking enemy soldiers to "hell".

Israel must know that a ground assault might offer it the opportunity to destroy Hamas, blow up its honeycomb of tunnels beneath Gaza and blow up the vast stockpiles of missiles the militant group is believed to have.

But there is a risk of counter attack from the rear.

The West Bank is already close to a third uprising against Israel.

There were already fears that Israel's mass arrests, house demolitions and the killings of several Palestinians following the murder of three Jewish settler youths near Hebron would trigger a new intifada.

So far, the Palestinian Authority has managed to keep a lid on a wider insurrection but at the cost of being seen as collaborating with Israel in an occupation which shows no sign of ending after the collapse of peace talks earlier this year.

If Israel makes good on its threat to "dismantle" Hamas, Palestinians on the West Bank may rise up.

Or, less likely but now conceivable, the Palestinian Authority may seize a moment of Israeli distraction to dissolve itself, forcing Israel to effectively re-occupy the cities handed over to Palestinian control and turn the clock back over 20 years of largely fruitless negotiation.

A move like that would be a gamble and appear a fatal blow to long-term peace.

It could also be seen as the drastic measure needed to focus the calculations of both sides beyond narrow equations in the conflict.

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Video Of Narrow Tornado Escape For Sailors

Dramatic footage has been released of two British sailors being washed off the side of a yacht as it is knocked flat by a tornado in the middle of the ocean.

The video shows Sarah Usher and Liz Richards desperately trying to grab hold of the boat as they were swept overboard in the freak weather.

The yacht is blown on to its side

Their 70ft yacht - part of the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race for novice sailors between the ages of 18 and 74 - was blown on to one side, then smashed to the other side as the tornado struck.

It was all over within a minute

Winds of more than 115mph pinned the yacht down for around 60 seconds.

Paul Hardy says the incident was a reminder that the sea 'is boss'

As they eased, the footage shows the boat's crew pulling the pair out of the water and back on board.

In the video, crew member Paul Hardy, a 43-year-old IT consultant from Brighton, is seen describing what happened and how he himself was submerged by the sea.

He said: "All of a sudden the wind picked up and the noise picked up … water started to rise and I knew there was something wrong … I tried to get out of the water and climb up on to the mast and then saw the water spout."

It happened when the team were a week out of Australia heading towards the equator with heavy rain and squalls battering the fleet.

The round-the-world race is described by organisers as the world's longest and toughest ocean race, taking place over 11 months and covering more than 40,000 miles across six continents.

Now in its ninth year, the race comes to an end this Saturday in London.

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Aunt Of Young Gaza Victim: 'Enough Is Enough'

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, Gaza City

Shayma was walking with her family in the Bait Hanoun neighbourhood of northern Gaza on Wednesday when an airstrike hit a house near them.

She ran.

Then another strike hit.

She cannot tell this story for herself. She is four-years-old, and is still unconscious after shrapnel from the second blast tore into her stomach.

She does not yet know that her mother, father and sister were killed in that moment.

Instead her aunt, now her closest living family member and carer, tells this story for her.

Sameh Fayeg Al Masri sits next to her bed in the Al Shiffa hospital in Gaza City, stroking the child's forehead.

She watches her chest raise and fall fitfully - the only sign this otherwise pale, still, shredded body is alive.

Doctors believe she has a chance to recover, but she has a long way to go.

For now Shayma will lie in the children's ward.

Her aunt Sameh, holding back tears with an emotional strength that is as common in Gaza as emotional trauma, tells me enough is enough.

"We have to stop shooting rockets, and they have to stop shooting at us," she said.

"Only innocent children are paying the price. What did this child do to deserve this?"

For some in Gaza such words would be seen as surrender.

But for Sameh, staring at the child lying in front of her, it is the only answer.

"Only God knows if she is going to live or die," she said.

"Pieces of bomb are still inside her. These things should stop. From both sides. It is forbidden to do this."

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Israel Pounds Gaza As Hamas Fires Across Border

The Israeli military has said it has shot down more rockets fired by Palestinian militants as Israel's major air offensive over the Gaza Strip enters its second day.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said at least eight rockets sent from Gaza were intercepted over Tel Aviv, Ashdod and Ashkelon on Wednesday.

Israeli media reported two rockets also crashed into the sea off the northern coastal city of Haifa, which lies 102 miles from the Gaza border.

If confirmed, it would be the furthest into Israel that rockets from Gaza have reached.

A wounded Palestinian is stretchered into hospital

The IDF claims at least 48 missiles, sent by the Islamist militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, have "struck Israel" since midnight.

It confirmed the rockets had landed as far away as Hadera, 60 miles from Gaza.

In total, more than 300 rockets have been fired at Israel since Operation Protective Edge began on Monday night.

No fatalities have been reported. 

In Gaza, meanwhile, news agency AFP says at least 21 Palestinians have been killed during the second day of Israel's offensive.

The fatalities come after at least 23 people, including children, were killed overnight in the biggest Israeli assault on Gaza in nearly two years.

The Israeli military said a total of 550 Hamas targets have been hit since the operation began.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has quoted him as saying he plans to "intensify the attacks on Hamas and the terrorist organisations in Gaza" even further.

A house in Gaza destroyed by an Israeli attack

At a crisis meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza.

Mr Abbas said: "It's genocide - the killing of entire families is genocide by Israel against our Palestinian people."

The exchange of fire marks the heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas since an eight-day battle in November 2012.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev told Sky News Israel's actions are "defensive" and designed to eliminate rocket fire.

The IDF says Hamas is firing from civilian areas. Pic: IDF/Twitter

The Israeli cabinet has warned it may also send in ground troops and has authorised the call-up of as many as 40,000 reservists.

Hamas has targeted numerous cities including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in recent days.

On Tuesday, wedding guests in Holon, central Israel, were forced to run for shelter after sirens alerted them to incoming missiles.

Video footage shows Israel's 'Iron Dome' defence system intercept an incoming rocket.

Israeli tanks at the southern border with the Gaza Strip

The IDF said 80 rockets have been intercepted and neutralised by the defensive system.

IDF also posted an image on Twitter which it said shows rockets being sent from civilian areas in Gaza.

Israel and Hamas had, until recently, been observing a truce that ended the 2012 hostilities.

Tensions increased last month after three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and killed in the West Bank.

Israel blamed Hamas and launched a crackdown on the group's members and arrested hundreds of people.

The situation deteriorated further last week when a Palestinian teenager in Jerusalem was abducted and burned to death in what was viewed as a revenge attack.

According to news agency Reuters, a US official involved in the investigation into the deaths of the three Israeli youths has revealed they were shot at least 10 times with a silenced gun, indicating premeditated murder.

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'Flash Raid' On World Cup Crowd Sparks Panic

Brazil In Hell, Germany In Seventh Heaven

Updated: 9:59am UK, Wednesday 09 July 2014

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent, Rio de Janeiro

Brazil's coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said winning this World Cup would take "seven steps to reach paradise".

In Belo Horizonte, at the sixth step, with the summit in sight, they tripped and fell. Who knows when they will land.

The scale of their defeat to Germany was so shocking it needs spelling out. Seven-one is a Sunday morning scoreline, not one to be inked into the record books of football's greatest tournament.

For a team that has traded so deliberately on faith and emotion, this was a descent into hell. Judging by the public mood in the immediate aftermath, Brazilians may demand a long stay in purgatory before they can think of moving on.

It represents a deep humiliation for the five-times champions. It is their worst ever World Cup defeat and their heaviest since a 6-0 loss to Uruguay in 1920.

In the litany of national sporting disasters it ranks alongside the 3-0 defeat to France in the 1998 World Cup final, and more painfully the 1950 loss to Uruguay in the Maracana.

That loss earned an epithet, "Maracanaza", a shorthand for national shame. This tournament was meant to offer redemption for the sins of the last century. Instead, Brazil now has a "Mineiraozo", a fresh catastrophe to make Brazilian's shudder whenever the stadium in Belo Horizonte is mentioned.

If you think that sounds dramatic consider the headlines. "Shame of shames" said Globo's website. Lance! went for "The biggest shame in history".

To their credit - about the only thing that was on a traumatic night - Scolari and his players did not duck responsibility. Captain David Luiz, the poster boy for a derelict defensive display - only stopped crying long enough to apologise. And the coach, plain "Felipao" to the nation in happier times 24 hours earlier, accepted all responsibility.

And so he should. His attacking selection, featuring just two holding midfield players, was fatally exposed as reckless by a German side who outnumbered their opponents and then destroyed them.

Scolari's deeply melodramatic approach must also be questioned. They tried every emotional trick in the book, even holding up the missing Neymar's No 10 shirt during the national anthem to stir the stadium to its foundations.

But what Brazil needed in the face of a dazzling German display was clear heads, not misty eyes. Perhaps as a result, having conceded a dreadful opening goal to Thomas Muller, they froze, like perhaps no team before them in international football. Four more goals followed in six minutes, five in 19 minutes in total, and with not even half an hour played.

So good were Germany, and so complete was Brazil's loss of poise, it could have been 10.

The impact of Brazil's loss is compelling, but it should not detract from the German achievement here.

This is a side that has reached the semi-final in each of the last four major tournaments, and has only been denied a title by the brilliant Spanish side that gave up its world crown here.

They possess a wonderfully talented generation of players who combine a fluid, modern style with the focus and resilience of their forebears. They are a delight to watch, a surprise apparently even to themselves at times, and would be worthy winners of a dazzling World Cup.

Only a Dutch side marshalled by the formidable Louis Van Gaal or a Messi-inspired Argentina stand in their way. On this form, neither will be enough to stop Germany completing the seventh step to heaven.

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Tweets Poke Fun At Brazil's Defeat By Germany

Brazil Coach: 'The Worst Day Of My Life'

Updated: 7:18am UK, Wednesday 09 July 2014

Luiz Felipe Scolari has said watching his side being crushed 7-1 by Germany was the worst day of his life.

And Brazil president Dilma Rousseff said she was sad and sorry.

Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella, whose side play the Netherlands in the other semi-final on Wednesday, said the result was "not normal" but showed "why (football) is beautiful".

Here is more of what they and others had to say about the "extraordinary" and "bewildering" game in Belo Horizonte:

BRAZIL COACH LUIZ FELIPE SCOLARI

"If I were to think of my life as a footballer, as a coach, as a physical education teacher, I think it was the worst day of my life.

"I'm going to be remembered probably because I lost 7-1, the worst defeat in Brazil's history, but that was a risk I knew I was running when I walked into this position.

"My message for the Brazilian people and fans is that we tried to do what we could, we lost to a great team who had the skill to end the game in just six or seven minutes with four goals."

BRAZIL STAND-IN CAPTAIN DAVID LUIZ

"I just wanted to make my people happy. Unfortunately, we couldn't. I'm sorry, I'm sorry to all Brazilians, I just wanted to see them smile, everyone knows how important it was."

BRAZIL GOALKEEPER JULIO CESAR

"It's very hard to explain the unexplainable."

BRAZIL PRESIDENT DILMA ROUSSEFF

"Like every Brazilian, I am very, very sad about this defeat. I am immensely sorry for all of us. But we won't let ourselves stay down. Brazil, get up, dust yourself off and move forward."

BRAZIL FAN RIBEIRO FRANCA AFTER GERMANY'S FIFTH GOAL

"Five-nil is so embarassing, we're not going to stay any longer. One-nil is fine, one-one, two-one, two-two, but five-nil is shameful for a country that has a tradition of football. Bye. Bye."

GERMAN COACH JOACHIM LOEW

"They were shocked and didn't expect to fall behind. And after that it was an easy match for us. I feel sorry for him (Scolari). I think I know how he feels."

ARGENTINA COACH ALEJANDRO SABELLA

"Seven-one is not a normal result between two world footballing powers. (But) football can be like that. Sometimes things happen that you don't expect, and that is why it is beautiful."

FORMER BRAZIL MIDFIELDER JUNINHO PAULISTA

"It will be difficult to recover. Some players I don't think will be back to wear the Brazilian shirt. It is wrong now to criticise the players. On the field, Germany taught us how to play football."

FORMER ENGLAND STRIKER GARY LINEKER

"In nigh on half a century of watching football, that's the most extraordinary, staggering, bewildering game I've ever witnessed."

FORMER GERMANY MIDFIELDER DIETMAR HAMANN

"Master class from Germany. Clinical, organised, hard-working, unselfish and humble. Very proud of the team. One to go."

FORMER ENGLAND DEFENDER RIO FERDINAND                           

"I would worry that the Brazilian players might never recover from this. Some might not be able to come back."

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World Cup: Brazil Defeat Sparked Unrest Fears

Brazil Coach: 'The Worst Day Of My Life'

Updated: 7:18am UK, Wednesday 09 July 2014

Luiz Felipe Scolari has said watching his side being crushed 7-1 by Germany was the worst day of his life.

And Brazil president Dilma Rousseff said she was sad and sorry.

Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella, whose side play the Netherlands in the other semi-final on Wednesday, said the result was "not normal" but showed "why (football) is beautiful".

Here is more of what they and others had to say about the "extraordinary" and "bewildering" game in Belo Horizonte:

BRAZIL COACH LUIZ FELIPE SCOLARI

"If I were to think of my life as a footballer, as a coach, as a physical education teacher, I think it was the worst day of my life.

"I'm going to be remembered probably because I lost 7-1, the worst defeat in Brazil's history, but that was a risk I knew I was running when I walked into this position.

"My message for the Brazilian people and fans is that we tried to do what we could, we lost to a great team who had the skill to end the game in just six or seven minutes with four goals."

BRAZIL STAND-IN CAPTAIN DAVID LUIZ

"I just wanted to make my people happy. Unfortunately, we couldn't. I'm sorry, I'm sorry to all Brazilians, I just wanted to see them smile, everyone knows how important it was."

BRAZIL GOALKEEPER JULIO CESAR

"It's very hard to explain the unexplainable."

BRAZIL PRESIDENT DILMA ROUSSEFF

"Like every Brazilian, I am very, very sad about this defeat. I am immensely sorry for all of us. But we won't let ourselves stay down. Brazil, get up, dust yourself off and move forward."

BRAZIL FAN RIBEIRO FRANCA AFTER GERMANY'S FIFTH GOAL

"Five-nil is so embarassing, we're not going to stay any longer. One-nil is fine, one-one, two-one, two-two, but five-nil is shameful for a country that has a tradition of football. Bye. Bye."

GERMAN COACH JOACHIM LOEW

"They were shocked and didn't expect to fall behind. And after that it was an easy match for us. I feel sorry for him (Scolari). I think I know how he feels."

ARGENTINA COACH ALEJANDRO SABELLA

"Seven-one is not a normal result between two world footballing powers. (But) football can be like that. Sometimes things happen that you don't expect, and that is why it is beautiful."

FORMER BRAZIL MIDFIELDER JUNINHO PAULISTA

"It will be difficult to recover. Some players I don't think will be back to wear the Brazilian shirt. It is wrong now to criticise the players. On the field, Germany taught us how to play football."

FORMER ENGLAND STRIKER GARY LINEKER

"In nigh on half a century of watching football, that's the most extraordinary, staggering, bewildering game I've ever witnessed."

FORMER GERMANY MIDFIELDER DIETMAR HAMANN

"Master class from Germany. Clinical, organised, hard-working, unselfish and humble. Very proud of the team. One to go."

FORMER ENGLAND DEFENDER RIO FERDINAND                           

"I would worry that the Brazilian players might never recover from this. Some might not be able to come back."

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Iraq PM Claims Kurds Harbouring ISIS Militants

Iraq's Prime Minister has accused the autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region of being a haven for the Islamic extremists and other Sunni militants.

Nouri al Maliki said the Kurdish capital of Arbil was being used as a headquarters for ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), the group that overran swathes of territory north and west of Baghdad last month.

He also claimed Iraqi Kurdistan was being used as a base for al Qaeda and the group that used to run the country when Saddam Hussein was in power, the Baaths.

Mr al Maliki's comments came as the bodies of 53 men were found near the central Iraqi province of Babil, near the city of Hilla.

Several attacks took place in Babil during the offensive by ISIS but the area where the bodies were found was not close to sites of recent violence and it is not known who killed the men.

Thousands of refugees from northern Iraq have fled to Iraqi Kurdistan

His claims are likely to inflame an already unstable situation in Iraq as Kurdish security forces are among those who have been battling ISIS fighters.

The Prime Minister did not elaborate on his allegations or provide any evidence to back them up.

In his weekly TV address, he said: "Honestly, we cannot be silent over this and we cannot be silent over Arbil being a headquarters for Daash, Baath, al Qaeda and terrorist operations."

"They (militant groups) will lose and so will their hosts because they failed to provide an example of patriotic partnership," he added.

Daash is the former Arabic acronym for ISIS, which is now referring to itself in English as Islamic State.

Kurds have held protests calling for independence

Tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians have fled to Kurdish-controlled areas to escape the militant onslaught.

Mr al Maliki's comments are thought to have been prompted by a Kurdish announcement last week that plans were being sped up to hold a referendum on self-determination.

Kurdish forces have recently moved into areas on the edge of their autonomous region that have been disputed by both sides.

As ISIS fighters swept east and south from Mosul, the Kurds took control of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, creating a buffer zone against the militants.

Observers have claimed the developments of the past month have brought the break-up of the country nearer.

Although Iraqi Kurdistan is considered a sovereign part of Iraq, it has its own government and is not protected by Iraq's internal security forces.

However, it is not officially responsible for dealing with international affairs.

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Pistorius Trial Adjourned As Defence Closes Case

Pistorius Witness 'Too Close' To Be Credible

Updated: 2:01pm UK, Monday 07 July 2014

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".

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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North Korea's Kim Jong-Un Caught Off Balance

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

The North Korean leader appears to have sustained an injury to his leg.

Footage of Kim Jong-Un limping onto a stage in the country's parliament building was broadcast on North Korean state television.

The young leader was attending a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the death of his grandfather, Kim Il-Sung, who died 20 years ago.

The North Korean leader seems to be favouring his right leg

In the footage, Mr Kim walks briskly onto an empty stage clearly limping. Another camera angle shows him sitting on the stage looking particularly stern.

The limp has not been acknowledged by the North Korean authorities. It is unusual for the regime to show the country's leader displaying anything other than perfect health.

Mr Kim's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, developed a tennis-ball-sized growth on the back of his neck in his latter years. State media was banned from filming or photographing him from certain angles. 

Kim Jong-Un inspects sharks at the Songdowon International Children's Camp

The Supreme Leader was not filmed leaving the ceremony which was broadcast live. He did not speak at the event but listened to the country's nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam who hailed the late Kim Il-Sung as "the greatest leader in human history".

Kim Il-Sung, the founding leader of North Korea, ruled the county from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.

He was succeeded by Kim Jong-Un's father, Kim Jong-Il - he died in December 2011 and power was transferred to the youngest Kim.

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'Dangerous' Typhoon Races Towards Japan Islands

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

A warning of significant damage to property has been issued in coastal regions of western Japan as Typhoon Neoguri continues its path across the country.

Half a million people in Okinawa Prefecture have been urged to evacuate, with Japan's main broadcaster NHK warning of possible "extensive damage" caused by a storm surge.

The storm was downgraded from its super-typhoon status overnight and its core appears to have missed the southern Japanese islands.

But even its periphery has brought strong winds, with a speed of 107mph recorded on Okinawa Island.

Airports and schools have been closed in Okinawa and fishermen have been told to return to port.

Typhoon Neoguri's predicted path across Japan. Source: JTWC

Residents in some areas have been told to remain in their homes and others living in low-lying areas told to evacuate.

On Ishigaki island, south of Okinawa and approximately 75 miles west of the eye of the storm, residents took precautions in an effort to protect their property.

Cars were secured to the ground using ropes and loose debris cleared away.

According to NHK, one woman sustained a head injury and one fisherman is missing after he was swept from his boat.

There are no reports of any other casualties.

Trees are blasted by strong winds in Naha on Japan's Okinawa island

Japan is used to storms and many people appear to have heeded the advice of the authorities.

Keiji Furuya, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, urged residents to "take refuge as early as possible".

Although the storm has been downgraded and will lose much of its power once it makes landfall, the rain levels are a significant concern.

The storm is unusually early in the typhoon season and comes just at the end of the rainy season.

Saturated ground will be unable to absorb much of the rain due to fall in the coming hours.

Typhoon Neoguri has brought powerful winds and heavy rain

The speed and wide area of the storm are both further concerns.

It is moving slowly in a northerly direction and is due to turn eastwards overnight into Wednesday, taking it straight over the Japanese mainland.

It is expected to reach Tokyo later this week.

Okinawa is home to the American Air Force base Kadena.

Aircraft have been flown to other bases in the Pacific to avoid any damage to them, after the commander of the base warned of the dangers posed by the storm.

Residents cross a precarious-looking suspension bridge in eastern Taiwan

Brigadier-General James Heckler said: "I can't stress enough how dangerous this typhoon may be when it hits Okinawa.

"This is the most powerful typhoon forecast to hit the island in 15 years. This is not just another typhoon.

"If we all follow the typhoon procedures and take care of each other, we will all make it through this typhoon safely."

Authorities in Philippines, which was hit by the world's strongest ever recorded typhoon in November, have said the storm did not make landfall, passing 300 miles east of the country.

The Chinese, Taiwanese and South Korean governments have all warned their ships to stay clear of the storm.

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Drone Causes Police Chopper To Change Course

Two people have been held for allegedly operating a drone that was on a possible collision course with a police helicopter in New York.

The helicopter pilot spotted the small unmanned aircraft near George Washington Bridge on Monday.

The drone continued to circle the bridge, coming within 800ft (240m) of the helicopter and forcing it to change course to avoid a collision.

Police tracked the drone and arrested Wilkins Mendoza and Remy Castro, both of Manhattan, on reckless endangerment charges.

The police also recovered another drone at the scene.

The New York Post, which first reported the story, said Castro and Mendoza bought the drones within the last two weeks for $500 (£290) to $700 (£400) each.

The newspaper cited a friend of the two.

The Federal Aviation Administration has yet to set standards for certifying the safety of civilian drones.

Efforts to provide them regular access to US skies face significant hurdles.

In addition to safety concerns, some human rights group fear that drones might be a danger to the privacy of US citizens.

Civilian drones are typically smaller than the ones used for military strikes.

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Israel Bombs Gaza After Hamas Rocket Fire

Israel has launched air and sea strikes on more than 50 targets in the Gaza Strip to quell the rocket and mortar attacks over the border by Hamas militants.

The Israeli military said the campaign - dubbed Operation Protective Edge - could form part of an extended offensive on the Hamas-ruled territory and is in retaliation for the attacks against it.

"They chose the direction of escalation," said army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner.

"So the mission will go on as long as we feel it is necessary to carry it out. We don't expect it to be a short mission on our behalf."

A Palestinian man wounded in an Israeli airstrike receives treatment

He added that additional reservists were being recruited for a possible ground invasion of Gaza.

Among the sites targeted by the aerial and naval assaults were four homes of alleged Hamas operatives, concealed rocket launchers, militant compounds and training bases.

Palestinian media reported at least 15 people, including a child, had been injured. An emergency services spokesman said four people had been killed, including a man in an area close to the Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

A Palestinian boy carries belongings from a bombed house

There was also a suggestion one of the houses targeted was of a senior Hamas military-wing figure.

Sky's Middle East Reporter Tom Rayner, on the Israel-Gaza border, said: "Israel says it has also intercepted rockets. This morning we have seen about four or five rockets fired from northern Gaza towards southern Israeli cities."

Hamas warned Israel had "crossed a red line" and would pay the price, threatening an "earthquake" in response to the attacks.

An Israeli airstrike on Gaza International Airport in Rafah on Monday

"If this policy does not stop, we will respond by enlarging the radius of our targets to the point where the enemy will be surprised," the group's military wing said in a statement.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas demanded Israel end its assault and called on the international community "to immediately intervene to halt this dangerous escalation which would lead the region to more destruction and instability".

The Israeli military said close to 100 rockets had been fired at southern Israel on Monday alone.

A map of Israel and the Gaza Strip

Israel responded with dozens of airstrikes and eight Palestinian militants were killed.

Tensions in the region have been inflamed following the kidnap and murder of three Israeli teenagers - Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach - and the suspected revenge killing of 16-year-old Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khadair.

The bodies of the three young Israelis were discovered in shallow graves on June 30, nearly three weeks after they disappeared while hitchhiking home.

Mohammed was burned alive, according to a preliminary post-mortem examination. He was found in the Jerusalem Forest last week.

Three of the six people arrested over his death have reportedly confessed but charges are yet to be brought.

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