Super Typhoon Neoguri Barrels Towards Japan

A super typhoon that is barrelling towards Japan has prompted the country's weather agency to issue its highest alert.

Neoguri is on its way towards the southern Okinawa island where violent winds and high waves are expected.

It is currently east of Taiwan, but is expected to head northwest and then turn northeast towards mainland Japan.

The typhoon warning - the first since a new system began last August - means that the storm poses a threat to life.

Another image taken by satellites of Neoguri

It is feared it could inflict massive damage as it gusts up to 160mph (270kph).

Government leaders held emergency meetings and warned local governments and residents to be prepared.

Satoshi Ebihara, the head of the Japan's weather forecast division, told reporters: "This typhoon could be the strongest typhoon in history, for the month of July."

"There is a risk of unprecedentedly strong winds and torrential rains. Please refrain from non-essential outdoor activities," he said.

The approximate route that Super Typhoon Neoguri is expected to take

There are no nuclear plants on Okinawa but there are two on nearby Kyushu and one on Shikoku island, which borders Kyushu and could also be affected.

The power plants have been shut down in line with national policy.

A large number of US military personnel are based on Okinawa.

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Football Legend Alfredo Di Stefano Dies

Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano, considered one of football's all-time greats, has died after suffering a heart attack.

During an 11-year spell with the Spanish club he scored 216 goals in 282 league games and was the league's top scorer on five occasions.

The Argentinian-born player, 88, was also key to Real Madrid winning the European Cup five years in a row, from 1956-60.

On their website, the club describe Di Stefano as the "best footballer of all time" and he was also their honorary president.

Di Stefano suffered a heart attack on Saturday.

In a statement, Real Madrid said he passed away in hospital at 5.15pm local time.

"The President of Real Madrid Florentino Perez and club Board would like to express its deepest condolences and all their love and affection to their children, their families and friends.

"The Real Madrid CF extends condolences to those Madridistas around the world and those who feel emotion loss best player of all time (sic)."

More follows...

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Lifeguard Drowns Trying To Save Swimmer

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

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

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

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

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

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

The swimmer he was saving made it to shore safely.

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

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

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

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Pistorius Witness 'Too Close' To Be Credible

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pistorius waits for the final defence witness to resume his evidence

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Israelis 'Confess To Killing Palestinian Teen'

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

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

Their confession has not been independently verified.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Murdered Israeli teens Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another 25 rockets hit Israel on Sunday.

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Rogen And Franco's Kim Jong-Un Film Is 'War'

North Korea has said the release of a Hollywood comedy about an assassination bid on leader Kim Jong-Un is an "act of war".

Pyongyang has threatened the US with a "resolute and merciless response" unless the authorities move to ban the film, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.

The Interview - released in the US on October 14 - sees the actors playing two tabloid TV journalists who land an interview with Mr Kim in Pyongyang but are then tasked by the CIA with killing him.

In a statement carried by North Korea's official KCNA news agency, a foreign ministry spokesman said the film was the work of "gangster moviemakers" and should never be shown.

Seth Rogen (L) and director Evan Goldberg promote The Interview

The spokesman said: "The act of making and screening such a movie that portrays an attack on our top leadership ... is a most wanton act of terror and act of war, and is absolutely intolerable."

It is not the first time Hollywood has poked fun at a North Korean leader.

In 2004 satirical action comedy Team America, a puppet version of Mr Kim's father, Kim Jong-Il, was depicted as a speech-impaired, isolated despot.

In the official trailer for The Interview, a CIA officer calls North Korea the "most dangerous country on earth", and briefs the Rogen and Franco characters on the cult of personality surrounding the Kim family dynasty.

Kim Jong-Un's regime has threatened a "merciless" response

"Kim Jong-Un's people believe everything he tells them, including that he can speak to dolphins, or that he doesn't urinate or defecate," the officer says.

Played by Korean-American actor Randall Park, Mr Kim appears in the trailer as an overweight, cigar-chomping dictator, surrounded by security guards.

The scenes set in Pyongyang were filmed in Vancouver.

In a recent interview with Yahoo Movies, Rogen, who co-wrote the script, said the idea for the film came from a discussion over how journalists with access to world leaders might have the opportunity to act as assassins.

He said: "We read as much as we could that was available on the subject ... We talked to people in the government whose job it is to associate with North Korea, or be experts on it."

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US Troops Arrive In Baghdad On ISIS Mission

The first team of American military advisers has arrived in Iraq to help the country tackle the threat from Islamist insurgents.

About 40 of the 300 expected to be deployed to the Middle Eastern country were described by the Pentagon as having "started their mission".

Admiral John Kirby told reporters that two "initial assessment teams" have been deployed in Baghdad.

He said their role would be to assess the Iraqi army and not to engage in attacks on militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), who have seized several towns north of Baghdad.

Admiral Kirby said: "This isn't about rushing to the rescue.

"These teams will assess the cohesiveness and readiness of the Iraqi security forces ... and examine the most effective and efficient way to introduce follow-on advisers."

Pentagon spokesman Admiral John Kirby

In addition to the first 40, about 90 troops are thought to have arrived to set up a joint operations centre. Another 50 are expected to join them shortly.

It came as Iraqi air strikes killed at least 38 people in their battle to hold off the advancing ISIS forces.

Militants had launched a push to seize Iraq's largest oil refinery, located near Baiji, but the attack was repelled.

The refinery provides up to 50% of Iraq's demand for petroleum products until it stopped production as Sunni fighters launched attacks on the site.

Jihadists from ISIS have overrun several towns and cities in the north of the country.

Security forces, who turned and ran when the invasion started, are struggling to hold ground.

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The Seven Sins Of Bad Boy Striker Luis Suarez

The Liverpool striker is no stranger to controversy - with one incident leading him to be dubbed "the cannibal of Ajax".

Here are just a few of his misdemeanours:

Suarez described the handball as 'save of the tournament'

FEBRUARY 2007: He is sent off late on in his debut for Uruguay against Colombia after picking up a second yellow card for dissent.

Suarez dubbed the 'cannibal of Ajax'

JULY 2010: Suarez stopped a certain goal by Ghana in the World Cup quarter-final. He was sent off but Asamoah Gyan's penalty was saved and the Ghana lost the penalty shootout. After the match the striker said: "I made the save of the tournament."

NOVEMBER 2010:  He was dubbed the "cannibal of Ajax" after he bit PSV Einhoven's Otman Bakkal's shoulder in a Dutch league game. He was banned for seven matches.

Suarez refused to shake Evra's hand

OCTOBER 2011:  Alleged to have racially abused Manchester United's Patrice Evra during a Premier League match. He was later found guilty, banned for eight matches and fined £40,000.

FEBRUARY 2012: The Liverpool striker stirred up tensions after refusing to shake Evra's hand before their Premier League game at Old Trafford.

Liverpool striker munches on Ivanovic's arm

OCTOBER 2012: Celebrates a goal against Everton by diving in front of then manager David Moyes, who had earlier claimed that "divers" such as Suarez were putting fans off the game.

APRIL 2013: Suarez bit Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic's arm in a Premier League clash. He was banned for 10 games.

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Taliban Storms Sangin As US Troops Leave Base

Hundreds of Taliban fighters have reportedly swept into Afghanistan's Sangin district, just weeks after the last US troops left their post there.

More than 800 insurgents are believed to have been locked in a five-day battle with soldiers in the region, with 2,000 families forced to flee their homes.

Siddiq Siddiqi, a spokesman for Afghanistan's interior ministry, told the AFP news agency: "There was a major attack by the Taliban and their supporters.

"We're reinforcing Afghan national security forces and have suffered no major loss of territory.

"About 100 Taliban have been killed so far."

The number of dead was corroborated by the Iranian news agency Fars, which said 35 civilians had also been killed.

Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the Helmand provincial government, told AFP extra soldiers and police had been sent to restore security in Sangin, which has been a hotbed of violence throughout the 13-year battle in Afghanistan.

British forces suffered some of their heaviest losses of the entire war during a four-year mission in the region, with at least 100 soldiers killed during operations there.

An economic and transport hub, Sangin is strategically important for both the Taliban and the Afghan government.

It is home to vital power lines and some of Afghanistan's most fertile farmland.

The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force, known as Isaf, has fewer than 50,000 troops left in Afghanistan, including 32,800 from the US and 5,200 from the UK.

The last remaining British troops will leave within months, with Afghan authorities due to assume full responsibility for security by the end of the year.

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Fifa: Suarez 'Must Face Severe Sanction'

Luis Suarez "must face a severe sanction" if he is found to have bitten an Italian player during a World Cup match, a senior Fifa official has told Sky News.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior official from international football's governing body said the Liverpool star "must face a severe sanction. If we allow this where will it stop?"

Fifa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Luis Suarez after he was accused of biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.

The striker and the Uruguayan FA have until 9pm UK time to "provide their position and any documentary evidence they deem relevant".

Uruguay trained in Natal on Wednesday morning, but Suarez and his teammates who played against Italy were given a day off to rest.

Suarez has already commented on the incident, declaring: "These things happen on the pitch."

The Uruguay striker has previous after biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic

The striker clashed with Chiellini in the 79th minute of his country's Group D match, a game they won 1-0 to advance to the last 16.

Television replays show Suarez moving his head towards Chiellini and apparently sinking his teeth into his shoulder, with Chiellini responding by swinging his arm.

Defending the alleged attack, Suarez said: "We were both just inside the area, he struck me in the chest with his shoulder and he hit me in the eye as well.

"These are things that happen on the pitch and you shouldn't attach so much importance to them.

"I'm very happy to have qualified. We are taking each game as it comes, we know that we're in a difficult situation, we're at our limits now."

Speaking to Rai TV after the game, Chiellini said: "It was ridiculous not to send Suarez off.

Suarez was sent off for a notorious handball in South Africa in 2010

"It is clear, clear-cut and then there was the obvious dive afterwards because he knew very well that he did something that he shouldn't have done."

Article 77 of Fifa's disciplinary code allows it to hit players with retrospective bans of up to two years if it decides there is a case to answer.

Daily Mirror football writer Darren Lewis told Sky News' Sunrise programme he believes Suarez faces a lengthy international ban, but is likely to escape punishment that would prevent him from playing for Liverpool.

Both Adidas and betting firm 888poker - two of Suarez's key sponsors - have announced they are reviewing their relationship with the player following the alleged bite.

Suarez served a 10-match ban last year for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

Before his move to Liverpool in 2011, Suarez was suspended for seven matches by the Netherlands football federation after biting PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal when he played for Ajax.

He also received a eight-match ban in 2011 after the Football Association found he had racially abused Patrice Evra seven times during a game against Manchester United. He has never apologised to Evra.

Professor Cary Cooper from Lancaster University told Sky News that if the forward is found guilty in this latest incident, he should get professional help.

He said: "For anyone in a job who's behaved in an anti-social way, they should be helped - you go to a clinical psychologist, a counselling psychologist and they would try to unwrap why you do that, and then channel that in a more positive way."

He said any ban should also include an order or encouragement for Suarez to get help for his behaviour.

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