Air Algerie: Briton Among Plane Crash Victims

A British man was among those killed when an Air Algerie flight crashed in Africa, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

A statement from the F said: "It is with deep regret that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirms the death of a British man onboard Air Algerie flight AH5107.

"We are providing consular support to his family at this tragic time, and we ask that the media respect the privacy of those grieving."

A 10-year-old girl perished along with her entire family in the tragedy

The death of the Briton - who is understood to be named David Morgan - was announced as the first photos emerged of the crash site.

Flight AH5017 came down in southern Mali, killing 118 people, including 54 French nationals.

Debris from the plane can be seen scattered over an area of desert south of Gao.

Flight AH5017 had been heading to Algiers when it crashed in southern Mali

Burnt-out wreckage and parts of the fuselage can just be made out against the charred sand.

Meanwhile, a 10-year-old French girl is reported to have spoken of her fears before the flight.

The girl, called Chloe, perished in the tragedy along with her parents, Bruno Cailleret and Caroline Boisnard, as well as her elder brother and grandmother.

French President Francois Hollande said no one survived the crash

The loss of the entire family in the disaster has left the small town of Menet in central France "devastated", according to Denise Labbe of the town hall.

The five had been returning from a trip to Burkina Faso, where Ms Boisnard's uncle lived.

They had been due to land in the southern city of Marseille after flying via Algiers, which is where the doomed aircraft was heading.

The plane was owned by Spanish private airline Swiftair and operated by Air Algerie.

It vanished from radar over West Africa and no one survived the crash, French President Francois Hollande said.

Ms Labbe said: "Everyone is devastated in the town. We all know the family, who live in front of the town hall.

"No one can quite believe it. It's like having a bad dream."

Chloe had been excited about the trip to Burkina Faso, she said, adding: "She had confided in her teacher before leaving about her fear of taking the plane, which she was doing for the first time".

Ms Boisnard's brother had gone to meet them at the airport and became aware of the tragedy when the family failed to appear at the arrivals gate.

A family of 10, including four children, from the Rhone-Alpes region of France were also killed in the crash.

The number of people killed was increased from 116 to 118 after the final passenger manifest was released.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

US Says Putin 'Culpable' In MH17 Plane Crash

The White House has said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "culpable" in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine.

In his strongest comments yet since the plane was shot down - killing all 298 people aboard, White House spokesman Josh Earnest linked the crash to Russia, which the US has criticised for providing arms to Ukrainian separatists.

Mr Earnest told reporters: "What we also know is that the Malaysia Airlines jet was brought down by a missile that was fired from the ground.

"It was fired from the ground in an area that was controlled by separatists, and in an area where the Ukrainians themselves were not actually operating anti-aircraft weapons at that time.

"So that is why we have concluded that Vladimir Putin and the Russians are culpable to this tragedy."

Mr Earnest also confirmed reports that Russian troops are firing heavy artillery on Ukrainian military across the border, describing it as an escalation of the conflict.

The US has previously accused Russia of providing arms to Ukrainian pro-Russian separatists.

Russia, however, has called the latest US accusations of Moscow's involvement in the Ukrainian conflict a baseless "smear campaign".

The US has accused Russia of arming Ukrainian separatists

Meanwhile, European Union ambassadors have reached a preliminary deal on stepped-up sanctions against Russia, targeting its defence and technology sectors and its access to European capital.

EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said EU member states must decide whether the measures need to be approved by a summit meeting of the trade bloc's 28 member countries to go into effect.

The ambassadors also ordered asset freezes and travel bans against more Russians and pro-Russian Ukrainians accused of undermining Ukraine.

Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB, and Mikhail Fradkov, head of the foreign intelligence service, were among 15 Russians and Ukrainians, and 18 companies and other organisations named in the latest sanctions list published in the EU's Official Journal.

Russia increased its economic pressure on Ukraine when its agency in charge of agricultural products announced that it is banning imports of Ukrainian dairy.

Russia is the biggest export market for Ukrainian milk and cheese.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gaza: 12-Hour 'Humanitarian Truce' Under Way

A 12-hour ceasefire is under way in Gaza after Israel and Hamas agreed a temporary truce on humanitarian grounds.

Parts of Gaza came under heavy bombardment, with explosions and black smoke rising above Gaza City, minutes before the break in hostilities.

Israeli tank shelling killed 18 members of the same Palestinian family in the southern Gaza Strip, said Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al Qidra.

The Al Najar family had been trapped inside their house in Khuzaa village, east of Khan Younis, for two days when the shells hit, he said.

A Palestinian woman stands outside destroyed homes in Shejaia, Gaza

Doctors in Gaza said 35 bodies have been pulled from rubble since the ceasefire started at 8am (6am UK time).

Israel has warned it will keep targeting tunnels and fight back if its troops or civilians are attacked during the brief respite from 18 days of violence.

The ceasefire, which appears to be holding, comes after Israel suggested it is preparing to "broaden" its ground assault on Gaza after reportedly rejecting an international plan for a week-long truce.

US Secretary of State John Kerry remains "confident progress can be made" on a seven-day truce that would "bring people together to create a more durable plan".

Smoke billows from Gaza City after Israeli airstrikes

However, on Friday evening Israel's defence minister told troops: "You need to be ready for the possibility that very soon we will instruct the military to significantly broaden the ground operation in Gaza."

Ahead of the truce, eight Palestinians were killed by an airstrike in Gaza and Israeli troops shot dead two teenagers in continuing West Bank protests in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Nasri Mahmud Paqatqa, 16, was killed and five others wounded in a clash at the village of Beit Fajar, south of Bethlehem, and 18-year-old Bassem Abu Rub died in a protest at the Jalama military checkpoint in the northern West Bank, Palestinian officials told AFP.

In Gaza, two Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting on Friday evening, the army confirmed.

A map showing the areas of conflict and violence

Mr Kerry is now heading to Paris for international talks on a ceasefire, with Britain, Germany, Turkey and Qatar among those attending.

He told a news conference in Cairo a "fundamental framework" for peace was in place and that it would "ultimately succeed".

"The world is watching tragic moment after tragic moment unfold and is wondering when everybody is going to come to their senses," said Mr Kerry.

An unnamed source from the Israeli government said they were seeking modifications as the truce proposal "leans too much towards Hamas demands".

John Kerry speaks with Qatar's Foreign Minister about the truce

Speaking alongside Mr Kerry, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there had been "tireless efforts" to bring both sides to the table, and that the people of Gaza have "bled enough".

"They are trapped… living under constant fear of rocket attacks," he said. "Surely now, all parties must realise it's time to act."

Some 140,000 people have fled Gaza since the latest conflict began on July 8.

More than 880 Palestinians, many of them civilians, have lost their lives.

Three civilians have died in Israel from rocket fire, while 37 Israeli soldiers have been killed during combat.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Russia's Putin Clamps Down Amid MH17 Dissent

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

They're laying flowers outside the Dutch embassy in Moscow, and with them they're leaving notes.

Again and again you see the words: "Please forgive us." One says: "It's our fault".

There are people here who are genuinely concerned about the direction Russia is heading under Vladimir Putin, but it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to make their voices heard.

On the same day as he promised to do everything to help the MH17 investigation, the Russian president passed a new anti-protest law, increasing the penalty for repeat breaches to up to five years forced labour or imprisonment, or a one million ruble fine.

Some Russians have asked for 'forgiveness' over the MH17 disaster

Another law targeting "extremist language" makes retweeting information deemed "offensive" punishable by up to five years in jail. 

The vast majority of people here, more than 90%, get their information from TV news - and Russian media is increasingly subject to heavy state control.

Despite international outcry, Mr Putin has overwhelming support in Russia

For the last week it has been broadcasting a steady stream of "questions Kiev must answer" and Russia's theories about the Malaysian airliner crash.

"We are always right, I mean Putin, we trust him," one middle-aged woman told us, "and whatever America or Ukraine are trying to blame him for, they are not right."

Vladimir Putin has rarely been more popular in Russia.

The latest polls put his personal approval rating at 83% - up 29% from last year, boosted by his annexation of Crimea, which was a wildly popular move at home.

His presidency has coincided with a massive increase in the price of oil, and for many a tangible increase in their standard of living, especially when compared to the chaos and economic turmoil of the 90s.

The Russian president has cracked down on protests

But despite the fast cars, huge oil and gas revenues and the perception of wealth, Russia's economy is beginning to look increasingly fragile.

The IMF has estimated Russia's growth this year will slow to 0.2% and the value of the ruble has fallen.

Capital flight for the first seven months of this year has reached $75bn (£44bn) - one and a half times the cost of the Sochi Olympics.

Russian economist Alexander Orlov explained: "Previously the growth of wages, of real income, was positive, but now that the economy is slowing down to almost zero, there is no real growth in income, in wages, but inflation is still going up."

"And with the ruble depreciation, we could see much higher inflation going forward."

Mr Putin and his supporters are concerned by Nato influence in the region

Fifteen new names and 18 entities are to be added to the EU's sanctions list this week, while German officials have warned sanctions on sectors of the Russian economy could follow by the end of the month unless Russia acts quickly to defuse the crisis in eastern Ukraine.

Russia doesn't want more sanctions, but neither is it likely to reverse its mistrust of Petro Poroshenko's government in Kiev, or "the Kiev junta" as it is known in Moscow.

Russia fears that Ukraine, under its new pro-Europe government, will move towards the EU, and maybe one day NATO.

Mr Putin said himself this week: "No matter what our foreign colleagues are saying, we see what is really going on."

"The number of Nato troops on the territory of eastern European states is being demonstratively reinforced."

For all that Mr Putin knows he needs to be seen to be co-operating with the investigation into flight MH17, that doesn't mean he will abandon his long-term ambitions in Ukraine.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Air Algerie Plane Wreckage Found In Mali

The wreckage of an Air Algerie flight which vanished from radar in West Africa has been discovered in southern Mali - but no survivors have yet been found, authorities have said.

Burkina Faso's commander in chief Gilbert Diendere said the burnt-out wreckage of flight AH5017 was found south of the Mali town of Gao.

Local Malian authorities in the nearby town of Gossi also told Reuters the wreckage had been located there.

General Diendere said the search team had gone from Burkina Faso to Mali to follow up on information they had received about the possible crash location.

Families of the 116 people onboard wait for news

He said: "The team went to meet, first of all, our informers and bring our informers on the crash site. And indeed, the mission found, on the site, pieces of the plane, this team found on the site, sadly, remains of dead bodies.

"We were not able to evaluate exactly what is the situation as night began to fall and this team has confirmed that it has seen the remains of the plane, totally burned out and scattered on the ground."

Minister of communications Alain Edouard Traore described the accident as the greatest tragedy in the country's air history.

AH5017 left Ouagadougou airport at 1.17am local time. Pic: Sputniktilt

He said President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who has declared two days of national mourning, is due to visit the crash site today.

The Air Algerie jet, which was carrying 110 passengers and six crew, was travelling from Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou to the Algerian capital Algiers when it disappeared around 50 minutes into the flight.

Earlier, France's foreign minister Laurent Fabius said authorities believed the aircraft may have encountered bad weather after the pilot requested to change direction shortly after take-off due to a storm.

However, he said no theories had been excluded.

The twin-engined MD-83 carries 168 people

Burkina Faso's transport minister Jean Bertin Ouedrago said the plane's passenger list included 51 French citizens.

Also on the jet were 27 Burkina Faso nationals, eight Lebanese, six Algerians, five Canadians, four Germans, two Luxemburg nationals, one Swiss, one Belgian, one Egyptian, one Ukrainian, one Nigerian, one Cameroonian and one Malian.

The six crew members were Spanish, according to the Spanish pilots' union.

Flight AH5017 is owned by Spanish private airline Swiftair and operated by Air Algerie.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 had been missing for hours before news of its disappearance was made public.

Ouagadougou is in almost a straight line south of Algiers, separated by Mali where unrest continues in the north of the country.

Airlines had been warned not to fly over Mali in recent days, Sky News understands.

However, a senior French official said it is unlikely that fighters in Mali could shoot down a plane.

They are known to have shoulder-fired weapons which could not hit an aircraft travelling at a cruising altitude of some 33,000ft.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel On Alert After Deadly West Bank Clashes

Key Dates In The Gaza-Israel Conflict

Updated: 11:43am UK, Thursday 24 July 2014

Israel's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip continues with forces attempting to destroy Hamas' weapons arsenal and rocketing-firing capabilities.

Here are the key events from the fighting that preceded and have followed Israel's operation:

July 8 - Israel launches "Operation Protective Edge" in a bid to quell near-daily militant rocket attacks in the aftermath of the abduction and killing of a Palestinian teenager in what appeared to be a revenge attack for the seizure and slaying of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank in June.

July 9 - Hamas rockets rain deep into Israel as the military pummels Palestinian targets. The military says 74 rockets landed in Israel, including in the northern city of Hadera, the deepest rocket strike ever from Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas will pay a "heavy price".

July 10 - Israel intensifies its bombardment. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges an immediate ceasefire but neither side shows much interest in halting the fighting.

July 11 - Mr Netanyahu vows to press forward with a broad military offensive. The Israeli military says it has hit more than 1,100 targets, mostly rocket-launching sites, while Palestinian militants fired more than 600 rockets at Israel. The Lebanese military says militants there fired three rockets toward Israel and the Israelis retaliated with about 25 artillery shells.

July 12 - Gaza City becomes a virtual ghost town as streets empty, shops close and hundreds of thousands of people keep close to home. The death toll rises to more than 156 Palestinians after more than 1,200 Israeli air strikes.

July 13 - Israel widens its campaign, targeting civilian institutions with suspected Hamas ties, and briefly deploys ground troops inside Gaza to raid a rocket launching site. Four Israeli soldiers are hurt during the brief incursion. Egypt, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, continues to work behind the scenes.

July 14 - Israel says it's downed an unmanned drone along its southern coastline. Egypt presents a cease-fire plan that is praised by President Barack Obama at a White House dinner celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

July 15 - Israeli Cabinet accepts Egypt's truce plan, halting fire for six hours but Hamas rejects the proposal, instead unleashing more rockets at Israel and prompting Israel to resume heavy bombardment. Rocket fire kills an Israeli man delivering food to soldiers, the first Israeli fatality in the fighting. Four Gaza boys, all cousins, are killed on a beach by shells fired from a navy ship.

July 16 - Hamas fires dozens of rockets into Israel, vowing not to agree to a ceasefire until its demands are met. The Gaza Interior Ministry's website says Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of airstrikes, targeting 30 houses, including those of four senior Hamas leaders. Later, both Israel and Hamas agree to a five-hour UN brokered "humanitarian" pause to start the following day.

July 17 - Both sides trade fire in run-up to the brief truce, which Gazans use to restock on food and other supplies. Israel says it foiled an attack by 13 Gaza militants who infiltrated through a tunnel. Fierce fighting resumes after the truce expires, including an airstrike that kills three Palestinian children. After nightfall, the Israeli military launches a ground invasion into Gaza Strip.

July 18 - Eight members of the same Palestinian family - two men, two women and four children - are killed by Israeli tank fire as the ground offensive to date claims the lives of 51 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier.

July 19 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he wants to meet both sides to try to secure a truce as Israel pledges to step up its ground offensive. Hamas says its fighters are "behind enemy lines" as security alerts are triggered in southern Israel.

July 20 - Fresh airstrikes, artillery shelling and gun battles overnight kill 12 Palestinians and two more Israeli soldiers, as Israel intensifies its ground offensive in Gaza. Israeli minister Naftali Bennett defends the ground offensive in Gaza and accuses Hamas of "self-genocide" by using women and children as human shields.

July 21 - Another airstrike kills 26 members of the same family, while seven more Israeli soldiers die in gun battles with Hamas fighters. Thirty of those wounded in the attack are reportedly medical staff.

July 22 - The Palestinian leadership proposes a ceasefire plan to mediators in Egypt which would be followed by five days of negotiations to stop the fighting which has claimed the lives of more than 600 Palestinians, many of them women and children, and 29 Israelis, including 27 soldiers.

July 23 - An international inquiry into Israel's actions in Gaza is launched, after the UN's Human Rights Commissioner says there is a "strong possibility" the country is guilty of war crimes. Several major airlines from the US, Europe and Canada suspend flights to and from Israel after a rocket fired from Gaza lands near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport.

July 24 - British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond warns Benjamin Netanyahu the West is losing sympathy for Israel amid the rising number of civilian deaths during its offensive in Gaza, as international efforts to end the conflict intensify. However, hopes of an effective ceasefire quickly diminish after Israel vows to continue hunting Palestinian cross-border tunnels under any humanitarian truce, while Hamas also rejects a truce without the lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade of Gaza.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rockets Stored In Gaza School Are 'Missing'

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his "alarm" after rockets were stored in a UN-run school in Gaza, and then went "missing".

A spokesman for Mr Ban said the UN chief was "outraged" at the placement of the weapons and says this has happened at least twice so far in the current fighting.

"Those responsible are turning schools into potential military targets, and endangering the lives of innocent children, UN staff and anyone seeking shelter," the spokesman said in a statement.

The rockets had been placed at one of the schools run by the UN refugee agency for Palestinians, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is "outraged" over the weapons

Mr Ban's deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, said that once they were found, "in accordance with standard practice, UNRWA handed them over to the local authorities. Since then, they have gone missing".

Mr Ban has ordered a full review into the incidents.

Last week, the UNRWA said it discovered around 20 rockets hidden in an empty school during a routine check and called on Hamas militants to respect the "sanctity and integrity" of UN property.

It said the incident was "the first of its kind in Gaza".

A second incident was reported on Tuesday, with the UNRWA saying it found rockets hidden at a vacant school during another regular inspection.

The UN was unable to confirm exactly how many rockets were placed there.

The organisation said on Monday that more than 83,000 people are now taking refuge in its schools in Gaza and the numbers are growing.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

US Lifts Ban On Airlines Flying To Tel Aviv

A ban on US airlines flying to Israel's Tel Aviv airport amid rocket fire from Gaza has been lifted.

The Federal Aviation Administration said: "The FAA's primary mission and interest are the protection of people travelling on US airlines.

"The agency will continue to closely monitor the very fluid situation around Ben Gurion Airport and will take additional actions, as necessary."

The FAA said it worked with US government officials to evaluate the security situation and "carefully reviewed both significant new information and measures the government of Israel is taking to mitigate potential risks to civil aviation."

Israel insists Tel Aviv airport is safe

The ban, which was criticised by the Israeli government, was imposed on Tuesday in response to a rocket strike that landed about a mile from the airport.

A Delta Air Lines flight bound for Israel's busiest air hub had to be diverted to Paris because of the incident.

Speaking before the ban was lifted, Delta Air Lines chief executive Richard Anderson said the airline would not necessarily resume flights even if authorities declared the area safe.

Carriers from Europe and Canada also grounded services in light of the attack.

EasyJet has extended the suspension of its services into Thursday, confirming it would not operate flights from airports including Luton, Gatwick and Manchester.

Tensions remain high at the border with Gaza

The European safety regulator EASA also strongly recommended European airlines against flying to Tel Aviv "until further notice".

Israel's Transportation Ministry insisted earlier this week Tel Aviv airport is safe and said the FAA ban would "hand terror a prize".

Islamist militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, said the flights suspension was a "great victory".

The flight cancellations came as Israel continues its offensive in Gaza, which it launched on July 8 to stop Hamas firing rockets over the border.

Palestinian militants have shot more than 2,000 rockets at Israel, but many have been intercepted by its US-funded Iron Dome defence system.

More than 700 Palestinians, many of them women and children, as well as 32 Israeli soldiers and two civilians, have been killed in the conflict.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hammond: West 'Losing Sympathy For Israel'

The British Foreign Secretary has told Sky News he will tell Israel's prime minister the West is becoming less sympathetic to its cause.

Philip Hammond is visiting Israel as international efforts to broker a ceasefire continue.

At a joint news conference with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday morning, he said Britain was "gravely concerned" by the heavy number of casualties in Gaza.

"We want to see a ceasefire quickly agreed," he said.

Mr Hammond at a news conference with Mr Netanyahu in Jerusalem, earlier

Israel has said it will continue hunting Palestinian cross-border tunnels under any humanitarian truce.

Israeli cabinet minister Yaakov Peri told the Walla news website: "I can say authoritatively that two or three days will not be enough to finish tackling the tunnels."

Hamas has meanwhile rejected any truce without the lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade of Gaza.

"We will not accept any initiative that does not lift the blockade on our people and that does not respect their sacrifices," said Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal.

Earlier, Mr Hammond warned an international inquiry into Israel's actions in Gaza will not help efforts to achieve a ceasefire.

Philip Hammond during his meeting with Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah

The UN Human Rights Council has voted to back a Palestinian resolution to begin an investigation, as Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay said there was a "strong possibility" Israel was guilty of war crimes.

Ms Pillay also condemned the indiscriminate firing of rockets and mortars by the Islamist movement Hamas, which controls Gaza, into Israel.

But Mr Hammond said the resolution was "fundamentally unbalanced" and would "complicate the process by introducing unnecessary new mechanisms".

Mr Hammond, who held late night talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, said a ceasefire "is not enough", and added he would push for a "stable solution" that allows Palestinians and Israelis to "live in peace together".

Israel launched a ground offensive in Gaza on July 17 after more than a week of strikes aimed at stopping rocket fire into the country.

Smoke rises from a building in Gaza City

Some 715 Palestinians have now died - 165 of these children, according to Palestinian medics.

The number of Israeli casualties now stands at 34.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is also in the region as international efforts continue to end the conflict.

Mr Kerry said after meeting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that "some steps forward" have been made, but added "there is still work to be done".

The continued fighting has caused flights into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport to be affected after a rocket struck close to the runways on Tuesday.

EasyJet has extended the suspension of its services into Thursday, confirming it would not operate flights from Luton, Gatwick, Basel, Berlin Schoenefeld, Geneva, Manchester and Milan Malpensa.

The European safety regulator EASA also strongly recommended European airlines against flying there "until further notice".

A ban on US airlines flying to Tel Aviv has however been lifted by the Federal Aviation Administration.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Major Airlines Suspend Flights To Israel

Major airlines from the US, Europe and Canada are refusing to fly to and from Israel after a rocket fired from Gaza landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have suspended services between the US and Israel for at least 24 hours, while Germany's Lufthansa and Air France also suspended flights.

Low-fare airline EasyJet is also scrapping its scheduled services for today. The airline said it will "review its operations to and from Israel on a day-by-day basis".

The US flight bans followed advice from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which stopped American flights from travelling to Tel Aviv, citing the "potentially hazardous situation" caused by the ongoing conflict in the region.

However, Secretary of State John Kerry flew into Israel's main airport as he continues to push a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

An Israeli military excavator searches for tunnels on the border with Gaza

Israel's military has confirmed two of its soldiers died overnight in further fighting, raising the Israeli death toll to 29 soldiers and two civilians.

The European Aviation Safety Agency has recommended that all European airlines avoid Tel Aviv "until further notice".

Greece's Aegean Airlines and Air Canada have also grounded flights to Tel Aviv.

But a spokeswoman for British Airways said the airline's twice-daily service from London to Tel Aviv would continue.

"We are continuing to operate to Israel as normal," the spokeswoman said.

Israel's Transportation Ministry has urged the airlines to reconsider their decision, insisting that the nation's busiest air hub was secure.

"Ben Gurion Airport is safe and completely guarded and there is no reason whatsoever that American companies would stop their flights and hand terror a prize," it said in a statement.

And former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was planning to fly into Tel Aviv with El Al as the ban was handing "Hamas an undeserved victory".

United Airlines planes seen at Newark International Airport

The flight cancellations came as Israel continued its offensive in Gaza, where the death toll has passed 620 people.

Israel launched a major offensive on July 8 in Gaza to stop Hamas militants firing rockets over the border.

Palestinian militants have fired more than 2,000 rockets towards Israel, but many have been intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defence system.

More than 600 Palestinians, many of them women and children, have been killed in the conflict.

Mr Kerry held talks in Egypt before arriving in Israel.

"The Egyptians have provided a framework and a forum for them to be able to come to the table to have a serious discussion together with other factions of the Palestinians," the top US diplomat said.

"Hamas has a fundamental choice to make and it is a choice that will have a profound impact for the people of Gaza."

Today he plans to meet with Israel's prime minister, the Palestinian Authority's president and the United Nations chief in a day-long visit to Jerusalem and Ramallah.

The Palestinian leadership says it has proposed a ceasefire plan to mediators aimed at halting the violence.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Costa Concordia Cruise Ship Makes Last Voyage

The wreck of the Costa Concordia is due to be towed away from the Italian island of Giglio, more than two and half years after it capsized killing 32 people on board.

The cruise liner is to be moved to a scrapyard in the port of Genoa where it will be broken up.

The ship, twice the size of the Titanic, will make its final voyage after salvage crews refloated the ship with giant air tanks in a $2bn (£1.17bn) operation that was one of the biggest of its kind ever carried out.

The 114,500-tonne vessel will be towed by two tugs, while another 12 boats will sail in convoy alongside, carrying divers, engineers and environmental experts.

Giant air tanks were used to refloat the 114,500-tonne vessel

South African salvage master Nick Sloane, who has described removing the ship as the "biggest challenge" of his career, said he was ready to "wave goodbye to Giglio".

A 17-strong team of salvage workers will be on Concordia during its journey.

Sensors attached to the sides of the ship will monitor for possible cracks in the crippled hull, while underwater cameras will watch for debris being washed out of the vessel amid fears toxic waste could spill into the sea.

Mr Rebello, second left, is the only victim whose body is still missing

Objects floating free such as suitcases, clothes and furniture will be caught in a huge net, while infrared sensors will be used to detect possible oil leaks at night.

The doomed vessel hit rocks off the Italian island in January 2012, tearing a massive gash in the ship's 290-metre-long hull and causing it to keel over.

Video footage shot by divers and released by police earlier this month showed twisted metalwork, broken furniture and discarded belongings left by the 4,200 people who were on board the ship when it crashed.

The ship's captain Francesco Schettino is accused of fleeing the vessel

The body of Indian waiter Russel Rebello is still missing and there will be a search for his remains when the ship is dismantled.

Francesco Schettino, the ship's captain, is on trial on several counts, including manslaughter.

The 53-year-old, who is fighting the charges, is accused of deliberately altering the course of the Concordia in order to carry out a sail-by salute of the island to impress local residents and passengers.

Schettino, who was allegedly on the bridge with his Moldovan lover Domnica Cemortan, claimed it was ''too dark to see anything'' and told investigators he had not fled but had ''tripped and fell into a lifeboat".

He was dubbed "Captain Coward" by some tabloid newspapers after reportedly refusing orders from the coastguard to return to the ship to help with the rescue operation.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

UN Chief: 'Israel Could Be Guilty Of War Crimes'

Gaza Conflict: Palestinians Propose Truce Plan

Updated: 3:00am UK, Wednesday 23 July 2014

The Palestinian leadership says it has proposed a ceasefire plan to mediators in Egypt aimed at halting the Gaza conflict between Hamas and Israel.

A truce would be followed by five days of negotiations to stop the fighting which has claimed the lives of more than 600 Palestinians, many of them women and children, and 29 Israelis, including 27 soldiers.

Fatah official Azzam al Ahmed said: "The Palestinian leadership offered a new suggestion in the framework of the Egyptian initiative for a ceasefire followed immediately by negotiations lasting five days."

UN chief Ban Ki-Moon has held talks in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has also met Palestinian officials in the West Bank.

Israel is trying to stop rockets being fired from Gaza by the ruling militant group Hamas which wants Israeli restrictions eased around Gaza.

Mr Netanyahu said the international community should hold Hamas accountable for the latest violence, accusing it of rejecting ceasefire moves, and comparing it to other terror organisations including Isis, al Qaeda, and Boko Haram.

He insisted Israel was targeting "terrorist targets" in Gaza, and accused the fighters of hiding behind civilians in the 15-day conflict.

"We will do what we need to do to defend ourselves," Mr Netanyahu said.

Mr Ban said: "We condemn strongly the rocket attacks. They must stop immediately." He also condemned the use of civilian sites by Hamas militants.

He called on both sides to "stop fighting, start talking" and he also urged Israel to exercise restraint.

A four-year-old girl and three women, one of them pregnant, were among several people killed in the latest Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, according to medics.

And a UN school sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza came under Israeli fire as a team was inspecting damage from a day earlier, a UN official said.

It comes as the Israeli military confirmed one of its soldiers was missing, presumed dead.

Sergeant Oron Shaul was one of seven personnel who had been inside an armoured vehicle hit by an anti-tank missile on Sunday.

The military has only been able to identify six of the dead, but a spokesman denied any possibility the unaccounted for soldier was still alive.

Hamas had claimed it captured a soldier - an allegation which was denied at the time by Israel's ambassador to the UN.

Militants displayed a photo ID and army serial number raising fears they had seized his remains, which could be used to exchange for prisoners.

Meanwhile, Sky News has spoken to an activist who claims to have witnessed the moment a Palestinian civilian was shot by a sniper in eastern Gaza.

Members of the International Solidarity Movement, which witnessed the shooting, say he was killed by an Israeli sniper - but the Israel Defence Force says there is no evidence supporting their claims.

The continued violence comes as diplomatic efforts intensify in Cairo, where US Secretary of State John Kerry has met Egyptian leaders including the country's president Abdel Fattah al Sisi.

As Mr Kerry arrived in Cairo, the US confirmed it would provide $47m (£27m) in humanitarian aid for Gaza and urged Hamas to seek peace talks.

Israel's aerial bombardment has so far resulted in an exodus of more than 100,000 Palestinian civilians, according to the United Nations.

:: All US airlines including Delta and US Airways have been banned from flying to Israel by the Federal Aviation Administration after a Hamas rocket exploded near Tel Aviv airport. Other airlines including Air France, Lufthansa and easyJet have also suspended flights to the country.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Russia Faces 'Hard-Hitting' Sanctions Over MH17

Europe's Russia Sanctions Avoid Self-Harm

Updated: 9:49am UK, Tuesday 22 July 2014

By Ed Conway, Economics Editor

Sanctions against Russia have now been in place since its annexation of Crimea in March - but following the flight MH17 disaster, all the signs are that they will soon be reinforced.

So what, precisely, do the current sanctions consist of, have they been at all successful, and what might they be followed up with?

In short, the current set of restrictions are, in the jargon, referred to as "stage-two" sanctions.

Rather than affecting the entire economy, or entire sectors, they are forensically focused restrictions on a few individuals and smallish companies.

Both the US and Europe have imposed visa restrictions and asset freezes on a number of influential Russians. The US list is longer and includes a number of President Vladimir Putin's most senior advisers.

Neither jurisdiction has yet added the president to the sanctions list, as was done with Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, for instance.

The US has also imposed financial blocks on two small banks, one of which Putin claimed never to have heard of.

The day before the crash last week, it also extended the restrictions to a couple of oil companies, including Rosneft, the country's biggest oil producer.

However, it's worth noting that these are purely financial restrictions, preventing the companies from raising cash in the US, rather than stopping them from pumping oil out of the ground and around the world.

While the EU has signalled it will stop European Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development programmes in Russia, it has stopped short of more severe sanctions.

Why? In large part because of its reliance on Russia for trade. A full 15% of Russia's gas exports end up in Germany. Some 17% of its trade goes to the Netherlands, though this is probably an over-estimate because much of that is merely passing through the port of Antwerp.

While Mediterranean parts of the continent have less direct economic exposure to Russia, save for Italy, which sucks in 9% of Russia's gas, they are also desperate not to upend any chances of an economic recovery following the euro crisis.

It's very difficult indeed to find any evidence that the sanctions themselves have made much difference.

The Russian economy is in a recession, but it was already heading in that direction before the Ukraine crisis.

And while investment and share prices have both fallen in Moscow, that seems due to fear of "proper" sanctions rather than the semi-sanctions now in place.

So what more can be done? The short answer is to extend the sanctions to some sectors, or some mega-companies, and individuals.

Open Europe's Raoul Ruparel thinks a three-pronged approach, involving roughly equal sacrifice from the continent's biggest players, would be most reasonable: Some financial sanctions (which would hurt Britain); some arms sanctions (which would hurt France) and some manufacturing and technology sanctions (which would hurt Germany).

But such system-wide sanctions - "stage three" measures, as they are called - are far from decided.

They would be deeply controversial, and raise the risk, feared by all in Europe, that Putin could retaliate by cutting off the gas supply to Europe.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

MH17 Crash Victims' Bodies Arrive At Station

A train carrying many of the victims of flight MH17 has arrived in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where the bodies will handed over to Dutch officials.

The refrigerated wagons made the 186-mile (300km) journey from Torez overnight, after armed separatists who had been guarding the carriages allowed them to leave.

Inside were around 200 bodies, which will now be flown to the Netherlands where two-thirds of the victims came from.

Borodai (L) hands over the black boxes to Col Sakri (R)

The train's arrival comes after rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine handed over the black boxes from the downed passenger plane to Malaysian experts.

As the units were placed on a desk, Aleksander Borodai, prime minister of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic, told a packed room at the separatists' headquarters: "Here they are, the black boxes."

Both sides then signed a document, which the rebel leader said was to finalise the handover.

The two flight data recorders from the Malaysia Airlines plane are "in good condition", according to Malaysian Colonel Mohamed Sakri, who received them from Mr Borodai.

The train carrying the bodies of many of the victims arrives in Kharkiv

"I can see that the black boxes are intact, although a bit damaged," he said.

Ukraine's deputy prime minister, Volodymyr Groysman, claimed pro-Russian rebels had tampered with the black boxes.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott also warned evidence had been interfered with on an "industrial scale", saying there is "still a long, long way to go".

"After the crime comes the cover-up," he added.

A satellite image of the wreckage of MH17. Pic: DigitalGlobe

A ceasefire within a six-mile (10km) radius of the crash site will be put in place so international investigators can examine the wreckage of the Boeing 777 that was shot down near Grabovo last week.

It comes after fighting between separatists and pro-Ukrainian groups flared in Donetsk, some 40 miles (60km) from the crash site.

Health officials said four people were killed in Monday's clashes, while rebel military commander Igor Strelkov said up to 12 of his men died in the fighting.

As the diplomatic fallout from the disaster continues, EU foreign ministers will meet on Tuesday to discuss imposing new sanctions on Russia.

Part of the wreckage of flight MH17, which had 298 people on board

Moscow has called for the investigation into the shooting down of the plane to be led by the "international community" and not Ukraine, after yet more accusations were traded between Russia and Ukraine over who is to blame.

Lyudmila Vorobyeva, the Russian ambassador to Ukraine, told a news conference the probe should be led by the United Nation's International Civil Aviation Organisation.

"The reason for that is the rebels, as we understand, do not trust the government of Kiev," said Ms Vorobyeva.

"That's why they were reluctant to hand over anything (including) the black boxes to the Ukrainian side because they are afraid the evidence would be tampered with."

She added that audio recordings of rebels admitting shooting down the plane are "fake" and a "compilation of different conversations".

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israeli Soldier Missing As Offensive Continues

An Israeli soldier taking part in the assault on Gaza has been reported missing, as the number killed in the 15-day conflict passed 560 people, including nearly 100 children.

Three Palestinians have been killed in three separate airstrikes, raising the Palestinian toll to 539 since the assault began on July 8.

Two more Israeli soldiers have also been confirmed dead after fighting on Monday, with another three seriously wounded overnight.

The latest deaths raise the Israeli toll to 29 people.

The missing soldier is understood to be one of seven personnel who had been inside an armoured vehicle hit by an anti-tank missile on Sunday. The Israeli military has only been able to identify six of the dead.

It follows claims by Hamas it had captured a soldier, which was denied by Israel's ambassador to the UN.

Smoke rises during heavy Israeli bombing in Gaza

The continued violence comes as diplomatic efforts intensify in Cairo, where US Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting Egyptian leaders including the country's president Abdel Fattah al Sisi.

He plans to stay in Cairo until Wednesday morning, and currently has no scheduled end for his regional trip, which could include talks with Qatari officials.

As Mr Kerry arrived in Cairo, the US confirmed it would provide $47m (£27m) in humanitarian aid for Gaza.

"We will work to see if there is some way to not only arrive at a ceasefire of some kind, but to get to a discussion about the underlying issues," Mr Kerry said at the start of a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday.

"Nothing will be resolved by any ceasefire, temporary or long, without really getting to those issues at some point, and that's what we need to do."

A senior State Department official said Mr Kerry's diplomatic efforts are aimed at achieving "a cessation of hostilities as soon as possible".

Mr Ban is scheduled to fly to Israel today for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also to meet Palestinian officials in the West Bank.

Israeli tanks stand outside the northern Gaza Strip

But Israel has signalled it is not willing to reach a truce before it knocks out militant infrastructure in Gaza, including networks of tunnels along the Gaza frontier.

"This is not the time to talk of a ceasefire," Israel's communications minister Gilad Erdan said.

"We must complete the mission, and the mission cannot end until the threat of the tunnels is removed."

The Israeli army said four of its soldiers died on Monday during a battle with Hamas fighters trying to sneak into the country through cross-border tunnels.

Four other people were killed and 70 were injured at the al Aqsa hospital when an Israeli tank shell struck the hospital, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.

The International Committee of the Red Cross issued a statement condemning the attack "in the strongest terms".

It said the hospital came under direct fire at least four times and life-saving equipment had been severely damaged.

The Israeli military has accused Hamas militants of firing rockets from the grounds of Gaza hospitals and seeking refuge there.

Israel's aerial bombardment has so far resulted in an exodus of more than 100,000 Palestinian civilians, according to the United Nations.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

No Sign Of A Gaza Truce Despite Bloodshed

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, In Ashkelon, Israel

Despite the extraordinary bloodshed in the Gaza district of Shajai'ya, there is no indication it will be a game-changer.

With at least 100 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers killed over the weekend, the prospect of a truce between Israel and Hamas remains elusive.

A short humanitarian ceasefire in Shajai'ya, to allow emergency workers access, was only partially and sporadically observed, with accusations on both sides that the other had broken fire first.

If progress has been made in Qatar, now acting as the Hamas "communication channel" for meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, it has not been made public.

Gaza residents leaving their homes

The Arab League has condemned the attack on Shajai'ya as a "war crime", the Palestinian Liberation Organisation describing it as "nothing short of a deliberate massacre".

But in the most part, while bemoaning the civilian casualties and calling for an immediate ceasefire, Western leaders have remained supportive of Israel's operation.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said "our hearts go out to the Palestinian people trapped in Gaza, suffering appalling losses" before adding "but the fact is Israel has a right to protect itself against attack and Hamas has been using those areas to launch rocket attacks systematically".

In a Fox News interview, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he backed Israel's right to defend itself, and berated Hamas for "stubbornly" refusing a ceasefire.

Wounded Israeli soldiers receive treatment

But in a moment captured in the studio before the interview, Mr Kerry appeared to be privately critical of the way Israel was conducting its operation.

Talking candidly by phone to an aide, Kerry said sarcastically "it's a hell of a pinpoint operation, a hell of a pinpoint operation ... we've got to get over there ... I think we ought to go tonight, it's crazy to be sitting around".

A similar point was made by former Foreign Minister Alastair Burt MP, who told Sky News: "The more killings of civilians goes on, the more children are injured, the more horrendous it is,  the more difficult it gets for Israel to explain its position, whatever the justification may be."

But if levels of international concern are gradually growing, the Israeli government remains convinced its actions are justified.

Speaking to Sky's Dermot Murnaghan, Israel's economy minister Naftali Bennett said: "Sometimes in wars there is collateral damage, but I'm not going to ask forgiveness for defending my four children that had rockets shot at home this very morning.

Israeli artillery firing into Gaza

"What Hamas is doing is effectively self-genocide.

"They are deliberately sending their women and children to stand next to missile launchers in order for them to get killed."

Hamas refutes such suggestions, saying it is a resistance movement fighting against an oppressor that targets civilian areas to terrify the population into submission.

It is clear neither side will end this on their own.

Until pressure increases from the West on the one hand, and from regional players like Qatar, Turkey and Egypt on the other, hopes of an end to the deepening chaos and bloodshed appear remote.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hamas Militants Shot After 'Infiltrating' Israel

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claims it has captured and killed more than 10 Hamas militants who entered Israel via two tunnels.

The statement was made by IDF spokesman Peter Lerner on his Twitter profile, who wrote: "Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel through two tunnels from north Gaza. IDF intercepted and killed more than 10 terrorists."

A Palestinian man holds a child while fleeing the Shuja'iya district

The claim comes as the death toll among Gaza Palestinians reached 508, according to Gaza health officials, following a weekend of heavy fighting which claimed the lives of at least 100 Palestinians and 13 Israeli troops.

Israel's continued aerial bombardment of Gaza resulted in an exodus of some 35,000 civilians according to officials, while Israel's UN ambassador Ron Prosor denied claims by Hamas that an Israeli soldier had been abducted.

Earlier, the armed wing of the Palestinian Hamas group said it had kidnapped the soldier, saying: "We have captured a Zionist soldier and the occupation has not admitted that."

Officials said 35,000 civilians fled the fighting on Sunday

The UN Security Council has opened urgent talks on the conflict appealed for an immediate ceasefire, as Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas called for an emergency session and described the situation in Gaza as "intolerable" and the Israeli attacks a "crime against humanity".

The 15-member Council met as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held talks with regional leaders and called on Israel to exercise "maximum restraint and do far more to protect civilians".

Israeli soldiers mourn during the funeral of colleague Bnaya Rubel in Holon

French Ambassador Gerard Araud said: "We have to know from the secretary-general the result of his efforts, his travels and whether there is any hope of moving forward to a ceasefire," as he headed into the Council meeting.

People fleeing Israeli shelling in the northeast Gazan neighbourhood of Shaja'iya at the weekend described it as a "massacre", with many women and children among the dead.

The bodies of 16 Palestinians were found in rubble following the continued airstrikes, according to medics.

Rubel, 20, was killed in Gaza on Saturday during Operation Protective Edge

The Israeli army said it had given civilians two days warning to leave the area.

"A heinous massacre has been committed against our people in the Gaza Strip this (Sunday) morning," said the Palestinian representative to the United Nations, Ryad Mansour.

"There is no justification for this massacre committed against our people.

The wife and children of an Israeli soldier mourn during his funeral

"Our people are extremely frustrated and fed up with the Security Council and the international community because they are not doing what they should be doing in order to stop this aggression against our people."

The Israeli government claimed Hamas was hiding behind the civilian population. 

Spokesman Naftali Bennet said: "What Hamas is doing is effectively self genocide.

Pro-Israel supporters rallied at Times Square, New York at the weekend

"They're, in a cowardly and cynical fashion, placing their women and children as shields, killing them, then coming to Sky News and other outlets and saying 'Israel is killing us'."

The Israeli military said it has so far hit more than 2,500 targets in Gaza, including 1,100 rocket launchers, after nearly two weeks of fighting.

It says around 70 militants have been killed and another 13 brought to Israel for questioning after more than 1,760 rockets were fired at Israeli cities since July 8.

Pro-Palestine supporters protested against the conflict in Los Angeles

Last week, Hamas rejected an Egyptian-brokered truce - saying it would only agree if Israel and Egypt significantly eased the border blockade of Gaza.

Since the start of the fighting, more than 447 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,600 wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

MH17: 'Terrorists Blocking Train Of Bodies'

Trains containing bodies from the MH17 crash site are being blocked by "terrorists", the Ukrainian government has said.

"We sent two trains, four carts, which right now are in Torez City," said Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. "These bloody guerrillas do not allow the train to leave the area."

Rescuers have found 251 bodies of the 298 victims in the area where the Malaysia Airlines flight came down in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, a government statement added.

A total of 86 body parts have also been recovered but there are fears some of the bodies were incinerated without a trace during the crash.

"We're looking at the field where the engines have come down," said Michael Bociurkiw, a spokesman for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

"This was the area which was exposed to the most intense heat. We do not see any bodies here. It appears that some have been vaporised."

The have also been accusations that bodies were removed by rebels.

Lyubov Kudryavets, a worker at the Torez morgue, said that on the evening the plane went down, a resident brought in the bloodied body of a child aged seven or eight. On Saturday militiamen came to take away the body away, she said.

"They began to question me: 'Where are the fragments of rocket? Where are the fragments from the plane?'" Kudryavets said. "But I didn't have any wreckage... I swear."

The blocking of the trains comes despite comments from Russian President Vladimir Putin that "we need to do everything to ensure the security and safety of the observers and the experts working at the crash site".

Sky's Katie Stallard, reporting in Moscow, said: "The Ukraine government uses the word terrorists, we would probably use the word rebels or separatists.

"If President Putin's statement was meant to move those people or indicate to them that they should now co-operate, that is plainly not happening."

The destination of the trains - which have refrigerated wagons - is not known.

Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has said he is willing to hand control of the crash investigation to Western partners.

The Netherlands, which lost 192 citizens, could take the lead.

Pro-Russian separatists ride a tank near Donetsk on Sunday

Dutch and Malaysian investigators were due to arrive in Ukraine on Monday.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian government forces are trying to break into the city of Donetsk - which was taken by rebels in April - in the first major outbreak of violence since the crash.

Fighting is under way near the city's railway station, with reports of four government and two rebel tanks heading to the area.  

A Ukrainian military spokesman said an operation was in an "active phase" but would not comment on reports of troops entering Donetsk.

"It is dangerous near the railway station!" the Donetsk city council said in a statement on its website, asking residents in the area to stay indoors.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gunmen Kill 21 Egyptian Soldiers At Checkpoint

Gunmen have killed 21 Egyptian soldiers at a checkpoint near the border with Libya in one of the biggest assaults on Egypt's security forces in years.

Egyptian security officials described the attackers as "smugglers", but an army spokesman said on his Facebook page that "terrorists" - the term authorities use to describe Islamist militants - were behind the attack.

However, no one has claimed responsibility for the killings.

An ammunitions depot at the El-Farafrah post was blown up by a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) in an exchange of fire, killing the soldiers and wounding four others. Two of the gunmen died during the assault.

The military said two booby-trapped vehicles were used in the attack, and bomb experts have defused the explosives.

The attack took place in Wadi al Gadid, a desert area 390 miles (630km) west of Cairo, which borders both Libya and Sudan.

It was the second assault on the same checkpoint in less than three months.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi has repeatedly expressed concerns about militants who have stepped up attacks, mainly in the Sinai Peninsula bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip, on security forces since Islamist president Mohammed Morsi was toppled in July 2013.

Security officials claim militants operating in Libya, who have ambitions similar to the al Qaeda breakaway group ISIS that has seized large swathes of Iraq, are trying to forge ties with Sinai militants.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Russia 'Arming Thugs' Blamed For MH17 Crash

Britain Warns Putin: World's Eyes Are On You

Updated: 8:48pm UK, Saturday 19 July 2014

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has warned Vladimir Putin the "world's eyes are on Russia to make sure she delivers" on her obligations to the victims killed in the Ukraine plane disaster.

His comments come as David Cameron and Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte called for the European Union to "reconsider its approach to Russia" in light of evidence pro-Moscow separatists brought down the flight on Thursday.

Mr Cameron also spoke to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, while Britain's Russian ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office.

The UK's response follows accusations pro-Russian separatists removed 38 bodies from the crash scene and attempted to destroy evidence at the site.

The Ukraine government said "terrorists, with the help of Russia, are trying to destroy evidence of international crimes," adding it had obtained data which showed bodies had been taken to a morgue in Donetsk.

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said the Netherlands was "angry" and "furious" by allegations bodies were being dragged around the site.

However, Sky's Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay, at the scene, said there were reports rebels had moved bodies on Friday, but body parts were now officially being removed by Ukraine emergency ministry staff.

Mr Hammond, who chaired an emergency Cobra meeting on Saturday, accused Russia of not doing enough to move separatists from the site.

"We're not getting enough support from the Russians, we're not seeing Russia using their influence effectively enough to get the separatists, who are in control of the site, to allow the access that we need," he said.

"This is not about Russia and the West, this is about the whole community demanding that proper access is made available to this site, the victims are properly recovered, and evidence is secured."

Ukraine's Security Council said 18sq km of the 25sq km had been explored and 186 bodies found, while there have been discussions between the two factions over the creation of a "security zone" around the crash scene following allegations of looting and evidence being compromised.

Concerns have been raised by Malaysia about the investigation as a team of international observers complained of being confronted by aggressive armed rebels.

A Ukraine Security Council spokesman said 15 pieces of military equipment were brought over the border from Russia into the eastern Luhansk region overnight.

Critically, the monitors have been unable to speak to anyone about the whereabouts of the jet's two black box voice and data recorders.

However, Alexander Borodai, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, denied rebels had shot down the plane, found the black boxes, or removed bodies. But he said body parts which had fallen into people's homes had been taken away.

British experts are due to join the investigation at the crash site over the weekend.

Some 298 people including 10 Britons and 80 children were killed when flight MH17, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was brought down near Grabovo, Donetsk, where Ukrainian forces have been battling separatists.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed on Saturday that both countries would use their influence on the two sides of the Ukraine conflict to end hostilities

:: The Foreign Office has set up a helpline for anyone concerned.  Text MH17 to +447860010026, or call 020 7008 1500. Malaysia Airlines's emergency line is 00 6 037 884 1234.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rebels Call For Truce To Allow MH17 Probe

Pro-Russian separatists have said they will grant monitors safe access to the Malaysia Airlines crash site if Kiev agrees a truce.

Andrei Purgin, deputy PM of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said his troops would "guarantee the safety of international experts on the scene" as soon as a deal with Ukraine was struck on a ceasefire.

If the offer was rejected by Kiev, he warned it would suggest the government was made up of "dangerous lunatics, bloodthirsty maniacs (who are) dangerous not only for the residents of Donbass but also for the world community".

Rebels have prevented investigators from accessing the plane crash site

The move came as the Ukrainian army said "mortar attacks from the direction of Russia aimed at Ukrainian posts" were recorded just after midnight and again at 2am on Sunday.

Ukraine and separatists also reached a preliminary agreement to remove victims' decaying bodies from the site.

Kiev's emergency officials said 196 bodies have been recovered so far, amid separate reports rebels had taken them all to an undisclosed location, while some had been transferred in refrigerator rail wagons towards Llovaisk, near the border with Russia.

World leaders have piled pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the armed Moscow-backed rebels from preventing investigators from fully accessing the MH17 crash site.

A message left among floral tributes outside the Dutch Embassy in Kiev

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Europe and the West must "fundamentally change our approach" unless Mr Putin alters his stance, amid claims Russia-backed rebels were involved.

The prospect of further sanctions against Russia was raised as public anger and concerns grow over claims of looting and evidence being compromised.

The US has condemned the lack of security at the scene as an "affront to all those who lost loved ones and to the dignity the victims deserve", while Malaysia has attacked the failure to preserve evidence as a "betrayal of the lives lost".

The Ukraine government has accused pro-Russian separatists of removing 38 bodies from the crash scene and debris, and attempting to destroy evidence.

International monitors and journalists are confronted by armed separatists

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said the government was "angry" and "furious" over allegations bodies were being dragged around the site.

Critically, investigators have been unable to speak to anyone about the whereabouts of the jet's two black box voice and data recorders.

Ukraine has said they have not been handed over to Kiev and it has no information about them, while the rebels have denied shooting down the plane, finding the black boxes, and rubbished claims they have removed bodies from the crash site.

All 298 passengers including 10 Britons and 80 children were killed when flight MH17, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was brought down near Grabovo, Donetsk, where Ukrainian forces have been battling separatists.

Kiev and Moscow have blamed each other for the disaster.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More