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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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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Israeli Airstrikes: Five Palestinians Killed

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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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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China Bus Crash Kills Eight Schoolchildren

A school bus has crashed into a reservoir in central China, killing eight children, two teachers and the driver.

The accident in the country's Hunan Province reportedly happened at around 5pm but the bus was not discovered for several hours afterwards.

The bus had been taking children home from the Lelewang kindergarten in Xiangtan City, when it crashed into the reservoir in a mountainous area just outside Changsha City.

According to villagers the reservoir is about six square kilometres in size and about seven metres deep and is used to farm fish and irrigate farmland.

A local fisherman spotted flashing lights on the sunken bus and reported it to the police.

It was raised to the surface at around 4am on Friday morning and the bodies were recovered.

There are fears the bus had been overloaded with passengers - a common cause of fatalities on China's roads.

A series of accidents in recent years involving vehicles carrying schoolchildren have made such incidents a sensitive issue in China.

Eight children died in a bus crash on China's southern island province of Hainan in April on their way to a school outing.

In 2011 another school bus crash in China's Gansu Province killed 20 people and injured 44 others.

The tragedy prompted then-premier Wen Jiabao to promise more government funds to improve school bus services.

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Huge Blaze As Rocket Hits Israeli Petrol Station

A rocket fired from Gaza has hit a petrol station in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, triggering a major blaze after Israeli airstrikes overnight killed six Palestinians, including one child.

The Israeli ambulance service said at least three people were seriously wounded in the attack.

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

Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 80 people, most of them civilians

He said: "We heard a huge explosion and after (that) a big ball of fire and (there were) a lot of people injured.

"We were afraid the whole gas station would explode.

"We are lucky to be alive."

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

Soldiers inspect a shell thought to have been launched from Lebanon

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

For the first time two rockets were 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.

There were no reports of injuries on either side.

Lt Col. Lerner said it was unclear whether the attack was "symbolic or something more substantial."

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

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

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

Meanwhile Israeli airstrikes killed a further six Palestinians in the early hours of Friday morning as Operation Protective Edge entered its fourth day.

Five of them, including a seven-year-old child, died in a strike on the home of an apparent Islamist militant in Rafah.

The latest fatalities bring the total death toll to more than 80.

Israel says the operation is a defensive measure designed to halt persistent rocket attacks launched by Hamas militants who control Gaza.

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

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

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

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

Obama said he was concerned the fighting could escalate and "called for all sides to do everything they can to protect the lives of civilians", the White House said.

"The United States remains prepared to facilitate a cessation of hostilities, including a return to the November 2012 ceasefire agreement."

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Israel Airstrike On Gaza 'Kills Five Children'

An Israeli airstrike into Gaza has killed seven civilians, including five children, according to Palestinian authorities who say it was the deadliest single bombing so far.

Residents claim two houses were hit in the attack in a densely populated area near Khan Younis.

According to Palestinian officials another 16 people were injured in the attack.

It comes as Prime Minister David Cameron voiced his support for Israel and its response to what he calls "appalling" rocket strikes from Hamas militants.

Locals search through rubble after the attack near Khan Younis

The Israeli army has stepped up its offensive on the Gaza Strip in an effort to hit Hamas targets, as militants continue to fire rockets at Israeli cities.

Mr Cameron phoned Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to offer his support.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "(He) spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier this evening about the situation in Israel.

"The Prime Minister strongly condemned the appalling attacks being carried out by Hamas against Israeli civilians.

"The Prime Minister reiterated the UK's staunch support for Israel in the face of such attacks, and underlined Israel's right to defend itself from them."

In response to the escalating conflict, the United Nations Security Council is set to convene in New York on Thursday.

"Gaza is on a knife-edge," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

"The deteriorating situation is leading to a downward spiral which could quickly get out of control. The risk of violence expanding further still is real."

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

More than three million Israeli citizens are under threat of rocket attack

The IDF launched the major air campaign above Gaza on Tuesday, targeting the homes of suspected militants and concealed rocket launch locations.

More than 400 airstrikes have taken place, with 50 people killed in Gaza.

Israel said it had hit more than 300 targets and Hamas positions throughout Gaza.

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) said "at least 82 rockets hit Israel" on Wednesday, and 21 were intercepted.

Hamas said it fired three rockets on Wednesday at Dimona, targeting what Israel claimed was its highly secure nuclear reactor site.

Israel has launched repeated airstrikes to thwart militants in Gaza

There have been no Israeli deaths, but the barrages have paralysed business in southern communities.

Mr Netanyahu has warned Hamas that it will pay a "heavy price" for the rocket attacks, many of which have targeted populated areas of Israel.

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

Israel has started to amass troops around the Gaza Strip

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has accused Israel of committing atrocities in Gaza.

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

The US State Department said it has called for all sides to deescalate, but reiterated Israel's right of self-defence.

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Obama Backs Troops To Tackle Child Migrants

Barack Obama is supporting calls to mobilise National Guard troops to deal with thousands of Central American children trying to cross the border.

The President met with Texas Governor Rick Perry to discuss a growing humanitarian problem, with 57,000 children caught crossing the border since October 1, 2013.

Most of the children are from Central American countries such as Guatemala and Honduras and cross without their parents.

Thousands of children are being held at detention centres in the US

During the same time, immigration officials have arrested more than 39,000 immigrants, mostly mothers and children, travelling as family groups.

The sheer number of children has overwhelmed the government's ability to respond and thousands of children are now being held at US detention centres.

After meeting Mr Perry, the President said he was open to suggestions from the governor and others that he dispatch National Guard troops to the border.

Many of the children head over the border without their parents

But he warned such a solution would only work temporarily.

And he said any such action was being held up by Congress' delay in approving his request for extra funding - the White House has asked for $3.7bn (£2.2bn).

"Congress has the capacity to work with all parties concerned to directly address this situation," Mr Obama told reporters.

Mr Obama resisted calls to visit the border during his Texas trip, prompting criticism from Republicans and even some Democrats.

However, White House spokesman Josh Earnest defended Mr Obama's decision, saying the president has "sufficient visibility to the problems".

Some Republicans made it clear that Mr Obama's budget request would be a hard sell.

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Father Kills Four Children Before Surrendering

A father has shot dead four of his children after opening fire at a house in Texas.

The suspect also killed two adults and critically wounded his 15-year-old daughter before armed officers chased and cornered his silver car in Spring, a Houston suburb.

The suspected gunman eventually surrendered after a nearly three-hour stand-off with police.

The suspect was in the car for about three hours

First, he led police on a nearly half-hour pursuit, then his car was sandwiched between two police trucks in a residential cul-de-sac a few miles from the scene of the killings.

Despite being surrounded by marksmen, the suspect remained "cool as a cucumber", Sergeant Thomas Gilliland said.

There were "two hours of constant talking with a man armed with a pistol to his head and who had just killed six people", he said.

Police stopped the car about three miles from the scene of the shooting

After lengthy negotiations the suspect emerged from the vehicle with his hands raised, sinking to his knees before being arrested and detained.

When police arrived at the scene at around 6pm, they found two adults and three children dead.

Another child later died at a hospital.

The victims were two boys, aged four and 14, and two girls, aged seven and nine. The dead adults were a 39-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman.

The car was eventually cornered by an armoured truck

The gunman and his wife are estranged, and she was out of state at the time of the killings. Two of the dead children were adopted.

Assistant Chief Deputy Constable Mark Herman said: "It appears this stems from a domestic issue with a breakup in the family from what our witness has told us."

Talks continued into the night and the suspect eventually surrendered

Authorities did not release the victims' identities and did not say whether the adults who were killed were related to the children or their father.

The wounded teenager was able to call 911 and later warned deputies that her father planned to go to her grandparents' home to kill them, Sgt Gilliland said.

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World Cup: Brazil Defeat Sparks 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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Brazil In Hell But Germany In Seventh Heaven

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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Israel Intercepts Rockets After Gaza Strikes

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

An army spokesman said at least two further rockets sent from Gaza were intercepted over Tel Aviv on Wednesday, as air raid sirens sent residents running for cover.

The military said its Iron Dome rocket defence system intercepted another three rockets over the city of Ashkelon.

In Gaza, meanwhile, medics claimed an Israeli drone strike killed a motorcyclist and injured one other.

Israeli tanks at the southern border with the Gaza Strip

Other reports suggest another seven people, including a Palestinian militant, were killed in separate strikes.

The fatalities come hours after at least 25 people, including children, were killed in the biggest Israeli assault on Gaza in nearly two years.

The Israeli military said it targeted 160 sites, bringing the total number of targets hit to 440.

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

Israel says the offensive is in response to scores of rockets fired across the border by the Islamist militant group Hamas in recent days.

Hamas says it has targeted cities including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, with one rocket reported to have landed as far away as Hadera, which is 60 miles from the Gaza Strip.

It also claims to have fired rockets at the northern city of Haifa, some 88 miles from Gaza, although there were no reports of any rockets landing.

A wounded Palestinian is stretchered into hospital

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

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) also posted an image on Twitter which it said revealed rockets were being sent from civilian areas in Gaza.

It captioned the picture: "PROOF: #Hamas fires at Israel from populated areas and uses Palestinians in #Gaza as human shields."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said continued rocket attacks on Israeli communities would not be tolerated.

A house in Gaza destroyed by an Israeli attack

"Therefore I have ordered the military to significantly broaden its operation against Hamas terrorists and against the other terrorist groups inside Gaza," he said on national TV.

"I call on you to display patience because this operation could take time."

Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies and have been involved in numerous clashes over the years.

Until recently, however, they had been observing a truce that ended the previous hostilities.

Tensions have increased since the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank on June 12.

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

Hamas, which controls Gaza, responded by stepping up rocket fire.

The situation deteriorated last week after the bodies of the Israeli youths were found and a Palestinian teenager in Jerusalem was abducted and burned to death in what was viewed as a revenge attack.

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Record-Breaking Giant Bird Dwarfs Albatross

Scientists have identified the largest flying bird ever from its fossilised remains.

With a wingspan of 7.3m (24ft) - twice that of the wandering albatross - pelagornis sandersi was an expert glider that could travel vast distances.

The bird's remains were originally unearthed in 1983

"Pelagornis sandersi could have travelled for extreme distances while crossing ocean waters in search of prey," said lead researcher Dr Daniel Ksepka, from the Bruce Museum in Connecticut in the United States.

The bird belonged to an avian family called the Pelagornithids which vanished three million years ago.

"Pelagornithids were like creatures out of a fantasy novel - there is simply nothing like them around today," Dr Ksepka added.

Its wingspan of 24ft is twice that of the wandering albatross

Experts claim the bird was too big to take off from a standing start.

It is thought it ran downhill into a headwind or took advantage of air gusts to get aloft, much like a hang glider.

The bird's remains were originally unearthed in 1983 during excavations for a new terminal at Charleston International Airport in South Carolina.

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Israel Bombs Gaza To Avenge 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. There were no reports of any deaths.

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

A Palestinian boy carries belongings from a bombed house

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.

"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 Mahmud 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".

An Israeli airstrike on Gaza International Airport in Rafah on Monday

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said close to 100 rockets had been fired at southern Israel on Monday alone.

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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'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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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 the final 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.

Mr Nel has yet to mention explicitly the video broadcast on Australian TV that shows Pistorius re-enacting the night he shot Reeva Steenkamp.

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 moving on his stumps - 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".

The witness was then asked if he ever considered the state's case that Oscar Pistorius could be lying.

"Of course I have," he replied.

More follows...

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Ex-Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze Dies

The first president of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze has died at the age of 86, a spokeswoman has revealed.

The groundbreaking politician is lauded for helping to end the Cold War in his capacity as the Soviet Union's last foreign minister to president Mikhail Gorbachev.

Following the break up of the Soviet Union, he went on to head up the country of his birth, which emerged as an independent state.

Speaking in Georgia, his aide Marina Davitashvili said on Monday: "Mr Shevardnadze died today at noon. He was ill for a long time."

More follows...

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US 'Profoundly Troubled' Over Beating Video

The US has said it is "profoundly troubled" by video allegedly showing an American teenager being beaten by Israeli security forces.

The mother of 15-year-old Tariq Abu Khadair told Sky News she is in "a complete state of shock" and Israel's justice ministry has started an investigation.

He is said to have been punched and kicked in a suspected attack by two police officers that was caught on amateur video.

Police say he resisted arrest, attacked officers and was carrying a slingshot for hurling stones when he was held during violent protests.

Tariq has appeared in court where police asked for an extension to his detention.

The boy's family say he is a US citizen and the cousin of 16-year-old Arab teenager Mohammed Abu Khadir who was found dead earlier this week.

Palestinians say Mohammed was killed by Israeli extremists in a revenge attack following the alleged Hamas killing of three Israeli youths. The attack led to four days of violent protests.

Tariq Abu Khadair was allegedly beaten by Israeli police

Initial results of a post-mortem examination on Saturday showed he was burned alive, according to Palestinian Attorney General Abdelghani al-Owaiwi.

The mobile phone footage - said to have been recorded in East Jerusalem - was released by a human rights group that described it as state sanctioned violence against children.

Tariq's mother, Sohair Abu Khadair, told Sky News that at least one officer did not want her to see her son at the hospital.

She said: "I was in a complete state of shock. I couldn't believe it.

"There was a police officer in front of his room door that didn't want to let me in to see him until my husband had spoke to him.

"And then he finally said 'you can go in, just don't touch him, don't speak to him, don't get near him'. He was handcuffed. His ankles were handcuffed to the bed."

The family claim the teenager will be visited by American officials.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said America was "profoundly troubled" by the reports and "strongly condemn(s) any excessive use of force".

"We are calling for a speedy, transparent and credible investigation and full accountability for any excessive use of force," she said.

Micky Rosenfeld, national spokesperson for the Israeli police, told Sky News the video was "edited" and "biased".

Mr Rosenfeld said: "It does not represent the events that took place before the actual arrest."

He added: "Throughout the day in east Jerusalem there were hundreds of rioters, many of them masked, that hurled pipe bombs, Molotov cocktails, fireworks and stones at our police officers.

"And as a result of that, 15 police officers were injured during clashes by Palestinians.

"The suspect himself was one of six masked Palestinians that were arrested by undercover police officers. Three of them were armed at the time."

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Israel Makes Arrest Over Murdered Teenagers

Missing Teens: Timeline Of Events

Updated: 5:24pm UK, Tuesday 01 July 2014

Israel launched a major military operation in attempt to find three teenagers after they disappeared in the West Bank. Here's how the situation unfolded:

June 12: Israeli students Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Shaar, both aged 16, and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach disappear in the West Bank. They were last seen hitch-hiking near Hebron.

June 15: Israel blames Hamas militants for abducting them and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatens "serious consequences" unless the trio are found safe.

June 16: Dozens of Palestinians are arrested as part of the search, including the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

A Palestinian man is reportedly killed when the Israeli army opens fire after unrest broke out during an operation to find the youngsters outside Ramallah.

A vigil is held in New York for the three teenagers, including Mr Frenkel who had dual Israeli-US citizenship.

June 17: Mr Netanyahu meets the families of the youths, telling their relatives that Israel is doing everything possible to find the boys.

June 19: British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Twitter: "My thoughts are with the families of the three kidnapped Israeli teenagers. Praying for their early and safe return home."

June 20: A Palestinian youth is killed by Israeli forces amid tensions over raids in the West Bank.

June 22: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reiterates his opposition to the alleged kidnapping of the three Israeli youths and says he is working to return them to their families.

June 26: Israel's security agency, Shin Bet, reveals the identity of two of the main suspects in the apparent kidnapping. They are alleged Hamas members Marwan Quasma and Amar Abu Eisha, both from Hebron.

June 29: A rally is held in Tel Aviv in support of the missing youths.

June 30: The bodies of the three teenagers are found near the village of Halhul, north of Hebron.

Hundreds of mourners hold a vigil in Tel Aviv to remember the trio.

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Kenya Attacks: Dozens Killed In Two Shootings

At least 29 people have been killed in two separate shootings on the coast of Kenya, according to the interior ministry.

One of the attacks happened at a shopping centre in Hindi, Lamu county, where a group of 10-15 men opened fire.

Nine people were killed in the overnight raid.

The other assault was in the Gamba area of Tana River county, where 20 people lost their lives.

Security forces are investigating the deadly raids

Lamu commissioner Miiri Njenga said the attackers targeted government offices and some properties were burnt down.

"They went around shooting at people and villages indiscriminately," said the area chief Abdallah Shahasi.

Militants from the al Qaeda-linked Somalian group al Shabaab have reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Lamu county was the same area where 60 people were killed in a massacre last month.

In September 2013, the rebels raided the upmarket Westgate shopping mall in the capital Nairobi, killing 67 people.

There has been a wave of gun and grenade attacks along the coast and in Nairobi since Kenyan troops went into Somalia in October 2011 to fight al Shabaab.

The Kenyan tourism business has been badly hit by the rebel assaults.

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