Video: Woman Is Catcalled 100 Times In A Day

A 24-year-old actress has recorded a secret video documenting the catcalls and harassment she received during a 10-hour walk through New York.

Shoshana Roberts was miked up by friend and filmmaker Rob Bliss and the footage captured the reactions of men as she makes her way around the city.

At one stage, the actor was accompanied by one man for five minutes

Wearing jeans, a T-shirt and trainers, the graduate of Kutztown University, Pennsylvania, said she was subjected to more than 100 unsolicited catcalls during her experiment.

Walking silent and unsmiling through the streets, Ms Roberts attracted attention from men sitting outside stores or moving past her.

At one stage, one man makes a remark and then proceeded to silently walk alongside her for more than five minutes.

Ms Roberts is even urged to acknowledge the comments or to "say thank you more" as the men make supposedly flattering remarks as she walks by.

One man told her: "Somebody's acknowledging your for being beautiful. You should say thank you more."

The film was made for Hollaback!, an international non-profit making group dedicated to ending street harassment.

It was filmed by Rob Bliss, who installed a GoPro camera on his backpack and walked in front of Ms Roberts during the filming.

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Rocket Explosion: 'Hazardous Materials' Warning

People have been warned to keep away from any hazardous debris they might find after an unmanned rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station exploded seconds after lift-off.

NASA footage showed the Antares rocket, built and launched by Orbital Sciences Corp, bolting off its coastal launch pad at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia and exploding in a huge fireball seconds later.

Enveloped in flames, the rocket collapsed to the ground, as a cloud of dark grey smoke rose from the wreckage.

No one was injured and the damage so far appears to be limited to the facilities, according to the company.

Ronda Miller, manager of the Ocean Deli in Wallops Island, told the Reuters news agency she felt the force of the blast from five miles (8km) away.

Video: 'Holy Cow': Plane Captures Fireball

Investigators quickly secured the perimeter of the area and blocked any outside interviews of witnesses or staff, citing classified equipment that had been aboard.

The cause is not yet known, and NASA mission control in Houston, Texas, called it a "catastrophic anomaly".

Engineers said the countdown had gone according to plan and there were no issues apparent with the machinery.

Video: Beware 'Hazardous' Rocket Debris

Speaking at a news conference, Orbital Sciences executive vice president Frank Culbertson warned of the dangers of debris around the site.

He said: "I do want to caution the public…This is an accident site and it is a rocket. It had a lot of hazardous equipment, hazardous materials on board, that people should not be looking for or wanting to collect souvenirs over."

Anyone who finds anything should not touch it, keep others away from it and contact the local authorities, Mr Culbertson added.

Video: 'Launch Failures Do Happen'

The rocket was carrying a Cygnus spacecraft packed with nearly 5,000lb (2,200kg) of food, supplies and materials for space experiments.

One of the items on board was a nitrogen tank to manage the ISS' air supply, said Tariq Malik, managing editor of Space.com, who also added that some scientists had been waiting years to get their hardware on board.

Also among its payload were some Maryland crab cakes for the space station crew.

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1. Gallery: Antares Rocket Explodes In Huge Fireball

   These images capture the moment a rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station exploded seconds after lift-off from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia

2. The rocket was unmanned and no one is thought to have been injured

3. The cause of the explosion is unknown but authorities have warned people not to touch any of the debris as it could be "hazardous"

4. NASA confirmed that the crew of the ISS is not in danger because of the failed mission

5. The Cygnus spacecraft was carrying nearly 5,000lb (2,200kg) of food, supplies and materials for space experiments

6. A picture of the craft docking with the International Space Station on a previous mission. Continue through for more pictures

12. A map showing where the launch could be viewed from on the US east coast

The launch was postponed on Monday after a boat ventured into a restricted zone within 10 minutes of take-off.

NASA is paying Virginia-based Orbital Sciences and California-based SpaceX to keep the space station stocked after the space agency retired its own space shuttles.

Orbital has a $1.9bn (£1.1bn) contract with NASA for a total of eight supply missions. The rocket itself and the cargo ship were valued at $200m (£123m).

Video: What Was On Board Rocket?

The mission, known as CRS-3, was to be Orbital's fourth trip to the ISS.

After the launch, Cygnus was meant to remain in orbit until 2 November, then fly itself to the station so astronauts could use a robotic crane to snare the capsule and attach it to a berthing port.

NASA spokesman Rob Navias said there was nothing on the rocket that was urgently needed by the six people living on the station.

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President Sata Of Zambia Dies In London

Zambian president Michael Sata has died in hospital in London, the country's government has announced.

The 77-year-old died shortly after 11pm on Tuesday at the King Edward VII hospital where he was being treated.

His wife, Christine Kaseba, and his son, Mulenga Sata, the mayor of the Zambian capital Lusaka, were at his side.

In a statement Zambian cabinet secretary Roland Msiska urged Zambians "to remain calm, united and peaceful during this very difficult period".

The cabinet has already discussed plans for a political handover, it has been reported.

Rumours that Mr Sata was terminally ill have abounded since he disappeared from public view some time ago, fuelled by the government's refusal to discuss his health.

To scotch the rumours he joked about his health in an address at the opening of parliament on 9 September, saying: "I haven't died yet."

Earlier this year Mr Sata flew to Israel on what officials called a "working holiday" although many believed it was to receive medical treatment.

On 20 October the Zambian government revealed he had left for a "medical check-up abroad" without mentioning he had gone to London.

Mr Sata was elected president in 2011 and was nicknamed 'Mr King Cobra' for his sharp tongue.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he was saddened to hear of Mr Sata's death, adding: "He played a commanding role in the public life of his country over three decades.

"I would like to offer my condolences to his family and to the Zambian people at this time."

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Netanyahu Dismisses 'Coward' Claims From US

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, in Jerusalem

Israel's Prime Minister has vowed not to bow to "pressure" from Washington, after US administration officials reportedly labelled him a "coward".

An article in The Atlantic magazine quoted unnamed White House officials condemning Benjamin Netanyahu for lacking political courage, his posturing over the Iranian nuclear issue, and for his commitment to the continued construction of illegal settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The article is the latest sign of the apparently deteriorating relationship between the Israeli and US leaderships.

Officials in Mr Netanyahu's office said the Prime Minister would "continue to meet the security interests of Israel's citizens and the rights of the Jewish people in Jerusalem".

Ties between traditional allies US and Israel are increasingly strained

"No pressure will change that."

Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, the leader of pro-settler Jewish Home party, called on the Obama administration to reject the criticisms, which also described Mr Netanyahu as being "chickens***".

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1. Gallery: September 2014: West Bank Clashes

   A Palestinian protester uses a sling to throw stones towards Israeli border policemen during clashes following a protest against the near-by Jewish settlement of Qadomem, in the West Bank village of Kofr Qadom near Nablus

3. A Palestinian protester uses a sling to throw stones towards Israeli border policemen

4. A Palestinian protester throws back a gas canister towards Israeli border policemen

6. Israeli soldiers and border policemen run towards Palestinian protesters

7. Mourners chant slogans during the funeral of Palestinian prisoner Raed al-Jaabari in the West Bank city of Hebron

8. A Palestinian protester pushes a burring tyre towards Israeli troops during clashes following funeral of Palestinian prisoner Raed al-Jaabari in the West Bank city of Hebron

"Serious curses such as these towards the Prime Minister of Israel are hurtful to millions of Israeli citizens and Jews around the world," said Mr Bennett.

"If what was written is true, the current government is planning to throw Israel under the wheels of the bus. I call for the US government to renounce these provocative insults and reject them out of hand."

The article in The Atlantic come days after reports the Israeli government is forwarding plans for the construction of a further 1,000 housing units in settlements in East Jerusalem.

Some 600 new units were penned for the Ramat Sholmo settlement in North East Jerusalem, and 400 in the Har Homa settlement, on the southern edge of the city.

Israeli settlements beyond the so-called "green line", which represents Israel's pre-1967 borders, are considered illegal under international law.

Israel seized east Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it - a move which has never been recognised by the international community.

The latest announcement prompted stern criticism from EU governments and the US.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: "We continue to make our position absolutely clear that we view settlement activity as illegitimate and unequivocally oppose unilateral steps that prejudge the future of Jerusalem."

But, speaking at the Israeli Parliament on Tuesday, Mr Netanyahu said: "I've heard the claim that our construction in Jewish neighbourhoods in Jerusalem distances peace."

"It's this criticism that distances peace. These statements are detached from reality, they foster false statements by Palestinians."

Later on Wednesday the UN Security Council will discuss Israel's settlement announcements, following a request by Jordan.

Palestinian officials have warned the announcement of further settlement construction will fuel rising tensions in Jerusalem and the West Bank, where protests and violent incidents have been on the increase.

On Friday a Palestinian teenager was shot dead during protests.

Last week a three-month-old Israeli baby was killed and several other people injured when a Palestinian man drove his car into a crowd waiting at a tram station.

Days earlier a five-year-old Palestinian girl was run over and killed by an Israeli settler in the West Bank.

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Free Syrian Army Rebels Join Fight For Kobani

Rebels from the Free Syrian Army have joined Kurdish fighters in their battle to defend Kobani from Islamic State militants, officials have confirmed.

As many as 150 men travelled to the embattled town, on the Turkey-Syria border, in the early hours of Wednesday. They were escorted in an eight-vehicle convoy.

But the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it believed just 50 Free Syrian Army fighters have been deployed to the town.

US and allied airstrikes have continued to target IS positions near Kobani

Their arrival came at the same time as that of Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga troops, who were sent to Kobani with the blessing of the Turkish and Iraqi governments.

It is thought that the group are equipped with anti-armour and anti-tank weapons to help defend themselves from IS fighters.

Video: I.S. Hostage Appears In New Video

The US State Department has said it "certainly encourages" the deployment of Iraqi Kurds to the embattled region.

Since IS launched its assault on Kobani and surrounding villages, more than 800 people have died, with an estimated 200,000 people fleeing across the border into Turkey for refuge.

On Tuesday, a video purporting to show British hostage John Cantlie in Kobani was released by IS.

Video: US Airdrops Allegedly Intercepted

In the footage, Mr Cantlie discounted claims that IS militants had been driven out of the town and said US-led airstrikes were not halting their advances.

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Nigeria Girls Detail Horrific Boko Haram Abuse

Girls who escaped Nigerian terror group Boko Haram have described the physical torture, rape and forced marriage that many endure in their secret forest camps.

Some victims are also forced to take part in attacks and carry ammunition for fighters during battle. Others have been used as 'bait' to lure Christian men to their deaths.

The abuse is detailed in a Human Rights Watch report, which includes first-hand accounts from some of the schoolgirls who escaped after April's Chibok kidnappings.

The group has waged war with a long-running bombing campaign

More than 270 were taken from a boarding school in the north-east of the country, prompting a high-profile political and social media campaign using the hashtag #Bring Back Our Girls.

It comes after a weekend during which another 30 youngsters - some of them girls aged as young as 11 - were abducted in northeast Nigeria by suspected Boko Haram rebels, according to a local village chief.

Video: 12 May, 2014: Taken Girls On Show

In a video released after the abduction the group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, said the girls were "slaves" and threatened to "sell them in the market".

The Nigerian government has said a ceasefire deal with the militant Islamist group is on the verge of freeing the group, but last week more were kidnapped.

Human Rights Watch says new "shocking details" emerged from its interviews.

It reports that the group targets students and Christians, threatening them with whipping, beating, or death unless they convert to Islam, stop attending school, and wear the veil or hijab.

Forced marriage, forced labour, physical torture and rape are also common.

Video: 20 June 2014: Fighting Boko Haram

A 19-year-old student, from Borno State, described how militants ambushed her and five friends and threatened to kill them for going to school.

One of the men shouted: "Aha! These are the people we are looking for, so you are the ones with strong heads who insist on attending school when we have said 'boko' is 'haram.' We will kill you here today."

The girls were held for several days in the Sambisa forest and only released after they promised to convert to Islam and give up school.

Boko Haram translates roughly from the Hausa language as "Western education is forbidden" and has carried out a campaign of bombings in Nigeria over the past five years, killing 7,000 people, according to Human Rights Watch.

More than 500 girls and woman are said to have been been kidnapped by the group since 2009.

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1. Gallery: Profile: Boko Haram Leader

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Girls who escape the group's clutches are often ignored despite having vital intelligence about Boko Haram's inner workings, says the report.

For example, they often have information on chain of command, ammunition, and how the fighters keep tabs on Nigeria's military.

But Human Rights Watch claims the government "rarely, if ever" interviews the girls.

The report - called Those Terrible Weeks in Their Camp: Boko Haram Violence against Women and Girls in Northeast Nigeria - includes evidence from 46 witnesses and victims of the group.

Daniel Bekele, Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, says the Nigerian government must do more to protect and rehabilitate the girls, and also to track down those behind the abuse.

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Ebola: New York Boy, 5, Under Observation

By Sky News US Team

A five-year-old boy is under observation at a New York hospital for possible Ebola symptoms.

The boy had returned to the US from Guinea at the weekend and had a low-grade fever, according to City Health Commissioner Dr Mary Travis.

The child has "travelled to one of the three affected countries and has a fever, and that's what triggers an assessment," Dr Travis said.

The New York Post reported that the boy had been vomiting and was transported from his home in the Bronx by emergency medical workers.

He is being kept in isolation at New York's Bellevue Hospital, and esults of his test will be available later on Monday.

Video: Ebola Cases Diagnosed In The US

If confirmed, it would be the second case to be diagnosed in America's largest city, after doctor Craig Spencer tested positive last week after returning home from treating Ebola patients in Guinea.

Dr Spencer, who went to the African country with the Doctors Without Borders humanitarian group, is also being kept in isolation at Bellevue Hospital.

In New Jersey, an American nurse who treated Ebola patients in Sierra Leone is being released after being quarantined despite testing negative for the disease.

Kaci Hickox threatened to sue, claiming her treatment had put her under physical and psychological stress, and violated her human rights.

Video: Ebola Response: Science Not Fear

She wrote: "The US must treat returning health care workers with dignity and humanity."

So far, four people have been diagnosed with Ebola in the US, including Dr Spencer. The first diagnosis, a Liberian visitor to Texas in September who died, was riddled with missteps.

Two nurses who treated the man contracted the disease but have recovered.

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Prosecutors To Appeal Oscar Pistorius Verdict

South Africa's state prosecutors say they will appeal against the conviction and sentence handed to Oscar Pistorius.

They say they are not happy with the five-year jail term that he was handed last Wednesday, or the manslaughter offence for which he was convicted.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Nathi Mncube said on his Twitter feed: "Oscar Pistorius judgement, NPA will be appealing both the conviction and sentence."

Mr Mncube said the next step was to file papers in court.

Pistorius started serving his prison sentence on October 21 after a seven-month trial.

Video: Pistorius Trial: The Sentence

Judge Thokozile Masipa acquitted him of murder and found him guilty of a lesser charge of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, for shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet door in his home.

As things stand, the Olympic runner is eligible for release after 10 months so he can complete his sentence under house arrest.

Sentencing options available to the judge in a culpable homicide case included up to 15 years in jail, a suspended sentence, a correctional supervision or a fine.

Pistorius' legal team argued during the trial that he mistook Ms Steenkamp for an intruder and believed they were both in danger.

Video: ANC Women's League Reaction

During the trial, state prosecutor Gerrie Nel had argued that only 10 years' imprisonment would satisfy the public.

He said that any lesser sentence could result in a widespread loss of faith in the justice system.

Reeva Steenkamp's family initially said that the "verdict is not justice", but later welcomed the five-year term.

But the decision drew criticism from some legal experts who said the judge had made an error in her interpretation of a legal concept that holds a person accountable for the foreseeable consequences of their actions.

Video: Pistorius Faces First Night In Jail

Known as Blade Runner because of his carbon-fibre prosthetics, Pistorius achieved global recognition at the London 2012 Olympics when he reached the semi-finals of the 400m against able-bodied athletes.

Mr Mncube had previously refused to be drawn over whether prosecutors would appeal, saying only that: "The matter is under serious consideration and the announcement will be made in due course."

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Ebola: Quarantined Nurse To Leave Hospital

By Sky News US Team

A nurse who had protested against being quarantined can leave a New Jersey hospital and go home, officials said.

Kaci Hickox, who treated Ebola patients in West Africa, does not have any symptoms and had threatened to sue over being kept in isolation.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said she would be released and taken by private carrier to her home in Maine.

Kaci Hickox has been in isolation since Friday

Once there, it will be up to local health officials to decide how to monitor her health for the duration of the incubation period, which lasts 21 days.

The Doctors Without Borders worker had no symptoms when she arrived in Newark on Friday, but developed a fever that prompted putting her in isolation, he New Jersey Department of Health said in a statement.

Video: Ebola Nurse To Sue Over Quarantine

She is now symptom-free, it said.

Writing in The Dallas Morning News, Ms Hickox said: "This is not a situation I would wish on anyone, and I am scared for those who will follow me."

"Will they be made to feel like criminals and prisoners?" Ms Hickox said.

"The US must treat returning health care workers with dignity and humanity," said the nurse, who has a bed, a portable toilet and a sink, but no shower.

Her lawyer said the quarantine order violated her constitutional rights and threatened a lawsuit. But legal actions seems unlikely after Mr Christie announced she would be released.

"She was quietly happy," said lawyer Steven Hyman, who said he had spoken to the nurse by telephone.

"She wants this part of her ordeal to be over. She wants to return to her life."

Three states - New York, New Jersey and Illinois - introduced the mandatory 21-day quarantine period for anyone who has been involved in treating victims in West Africa.

Video: Ebola: The Politics Of Quarantine

Other states, including Virginia and Georgia, are also considering whether to impose the same regime.

However, the quarantine police have come under criticism that they may discourage health care workers from travelling to West Africa to help in the fight against Ebola.

Under mounting pressure, the governors of New York and New Jersey said on Sunday evening that quarantined medical workers who did not show symptoms could be allowed to remain at home.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said: "We're doing everything possible. Some people say we're being too cautious - I'll take that criticism."

Under the protocols, New York state will also pay compensation if quarantined workers are not paid by a volunteer organisation.

The US quarantines followed the positive diagnosis of doctor Craig Spencer, who fell ill days after returning to his New York City home from treating Ebola patients in Guinea.

He rode the subway and went bowling the night before he was admitted to hospital.

On Monday, a five-year-old boy was being kept under observation for possible Ebola symptoms.

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Russia: We'll Recognise Ukraine Election Result

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says his country will recognise the results of Ukraine's parliamentary election.

He was quoted by Russian news agency RIA as saying: "Taking everything into account, this election took place, though not on all of Ukraine's territory.

"I think we will recognise this election because it is very important for us that Ukraine finally will have authorities which do not fight one another, do not drag Ukraine to the West or to the East, but which will deal with the real problems facing the country."

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk's Popular Front is leading

With more than half of the votes counted, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk's Popular Front is leading with 21.6% of the vote while President Petro Poroshenko's party has 21.5%.

The two parties have campaigned for reforms to battle corruption.

Video: 'Darth Vader' Stopped From Voting

The recently formed pro-European party based in western Ukraine, Samopomich, is sitting in third place with around 11% of the vote.

Negotiations to form a broad coalition are due to begin straight away.

The Parliament was once dominated by loyalists of former President Viktor Yanukovych, whose decision to deepen ties with Russia in February led to his ousting.

Video: Poroshenko Makes Election Day Visit

Anti-Russian sentiment has increased in Ukraine as the country struggles with separatists in the east, who many believe are supported by Moscow.

The Opposition Bloc won around one-tenth of the vote.

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