Ukraine Rebels 'Getting More Powerful Weapons'

The US has accused Russia of preparing to give "even more powerful rocket launchers" to Ukrainian separatists blamed for shooting down a Malaysia Airlines plane.

The rebels are said to have used a BUK missile, supplied by Moscow, to hit flight MH17 over the east of the country, mistaking it for a Ukrainian plane.

The US has warned of a significant build-up of Russian troops along the border amid fears of a possible "peacekeeping" incursion to support the increasingly embattled separatists fighting government forces.

It comes as President Barack Obama and leaders from Britain, Germany, France and Italy agreed to impose a wider set of sanctions against Russia's financial, defence and energy sectors.

Fighting is continuing in eastern Ukraine

Until now, the EU sanctions have not been as tough as the American ones as Europe is more reliant on deals with Russia.

The new penalties are aimed at putting more pressure on President Vladimir Putin.

Tony Blinken, a national security adviser to Mr Obama, said: "We've seen convoys of tanks, multiple rocket launchers, artillery, and armoured vehicles.

"There's evidence it's preparing to deliver even more powerful multiple rocket launchers."

Armed pro-Russian separatists stand guard in Shakhtarsk, Donetsk

He added: "We've seen a significant rebuild up of Russian forces along the border, potentially positioning Russia for a so-called humanitarian or peacekeeping intervention in Ukraine."

The US earlier released satellite images it claimed show rockets have been fired at Ukraine from within Russia.

The images, which come from the US Director of National Intelligence and have not been independently verified, also purport to show that heavy artillery for pro-Russian separatists has crossed the border.

Flight MH17 suffered a massive explosive decompression, says Ukraine

The rebels deny they were responsible for the July 17 downing of the airliner, which killed all 298 people on board, including 10 Britons, whose families are set to meet Prime Minister David Cameron.

Moscow has also denied allegations of involvement in eastern Ukraine, claiming the US is conducting "an unrelenting campaign of slander against Russia, ever more relying on open lies".

Black box data from the plane reveals it crashed due to a "massive explosive decompression" after being hit by shrapnel from a missile, claims a Ukrainian security official.

And the UN has said the shooting down of the airliner may amount to a war crime.

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Russia Accused As Ossetia 'Fenced Off'

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

As the crisis in Ukraine continues, Russia has been accused of attempting to exert pressure elsewhere in its former sphere of influence.

Russian border guards are constructing a vast "security fence" across disputed territory in the former Soviet state of Georgia, establishing a de facto border around the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Georgia says the move is a creeping annexation of its territory and a violation of its sovereignty.

Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war over the region in 2008.

Russia is one of the few countries to recognise South Ossetia as an independent state and supports it both economically and militarily - most other countries and the government in Tbilisi consider it to be part of Georgia.

Amiran Gugutishvili whose orchard has been fenced off

Construction of the fence has accelerated over the last twelve months, as Georgia moved towards signing a free trade deal with the European Union.

The fence divides villages, and in some cases houses, separating families from their livelihoods and neighbours.

We met 66-year-old Amerin Gugutishvili in the village of Gugutiankari, where he has lived all his life.

He showed us his beloved home, which was burned out in the 2008 war.

"Every time I come here I lose five years of my life," he said, wiping tears from his eyes with his cap.

But after the war, came the fence.

One day he found Russian troops fencing off the orchard which had been his main source of income for the last three decades.

They told him the land was in South Ossetia now, and that he would be arrested if he tried to cross.

"They were with automatic weapons," he told us.

"What could I say? I don't have an automatic rifle.

"I am just an ordinary person, they are with rifles."

So now he has no choice but to watch the fruit rot on the trees.

David Vanishvili, 80, who finds himself in South Ossetia

It's too dangerous to rebuild the house so close to the fence, you can be detained for going too close, so they're living in an old school with three other families.

It is immaculately tidy and Amiran's wife, Tina, has tried to make it as nice as she can, but she is ashamed that they are living like this.

"We worked a lot and now we are trapped," he explained. "They left us without the house, they burned it."

"Without the house and without the orchard," Tina continued. "They fenced off our orchard."

"In winter it's very cold, there's no wood."

She showed us a picture of her five-year-old grandchild, Andriy.

"He's a lovely boy," she said, "My happy light, my star, everything, the only happiness, the rest is war."

In another village, on the far side of the fence, we found an 80-year-old man.

David Vanishvili was born in what he thought was Georgia in 1934, he doesn't understand how he's ended up in South Ossetia, behind layers of razor wire.

"I'm like a prisoner here," he told us through the fence, "Can't go here, can't go there."

"They said it's South Ossetia now."

He told us his pension is paid in the Georgian currency, lari, but the shops over there only take Russian rubles.

"I can't buy bread, salt, they don't accept Georgian money - how can I live like that?"

The EU has a monitoring mission here, deployed as part of the ceasefire agreement in 2008.

Georgia and South Ossetia (borders are approximate and some are disputed)

They patrol and record the ongoing construction of the fence, and the impact it's having on the lives of people here, but their powers are strictly limited.

The monitors are unarmed and have no access to the breakaway region so cannot travel to the far side of the fence.

Both the US and Nato have condemned the construction of the fence, but Russia says South Ossetia has the "unassailable right" to take such measures to "ensure the security of its borders and its citizens."

South Ossetia delegated control of its border to Russia in 2009, citing the absence of its own border force.

Georgia says all this has little to do with the sovereignty or otherwise of South Ossetia, and everything to do with Russia projecting its power, and maintaining a military presence on its border.

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Hamas Leader's House 'Hit By Israeli Missile'

The home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been hit by an Israeli missile, during the heaviest night of bombardment in three weeks of fighting.

An Israeli aircraft struck at Mr Haniyeh's house early this morning causing damage but no casualties, Gaza's Interior Ministry said.

Mr Haniyeh's son confirmed the strike on his Facebook page but added that the house of the former Hamas Gaza prime minister was empty.

A Palestinian girl at the scene of an explosion that killed nine children

Haniyeh said in a statement. "My house is not more valuable than the houses of other people. Destroying stones will not break our determination."

Israeli aircraft, tanks and gunboats pounded targets in Gaza City that were symbols of Hamas government control, including the headquarters of the Hamas satellite TV station Al Aqsa and Al Aqsa radio. 

The Al Aqsa TV headquaters after being hit by an Israeli shell

Hamas said that despite the attack the stations continued to broadcast. 

As night fell over Gaza City, Israeli flares illuminated the sky to the sound of intense shelling.

A number of rockets fired from Gaza were launched toward various regions in southern and central Israel, including the Tel Aviv area.

An Israeli soldier hurt in a mortar attack is stretchered away by comrades

At least one of the rockets was intercepted by the Iron Dome system. 

The Israeli military warned thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes in areas around Gaza City - usually the prelude to major army strikes.

A building within Gaza port is seen on fire after several missile strikes

In two separate incidents, 10 Israeli soldiers were killed following attacks by Hamas on the border during firefights with Hamas militants who infiltrated Israel through tunnels near the community of Nahal Oz.

Israeli Army Radio said the Hamas gunmen fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the soldiers who were in a watchtower and then tried to drag one of the soldiers' bodies into the tunnel back to Gaza, but failed when troops fired at them, killing one militant.

Hamas said nine of its fighters carried out the attack.

Israeli soldiers with the coffin of their comrade Liad Lavi

Two rockets struck Gaza's main hospital and the other a refugee camp, killing nine children. Palestinians said the rockets were fired by Israel, while Israel said the rockets were misfired by Hamas.

A Palestinian official said at least 10 people were killed in the strike on the camp, and a further 46 injured.

However, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) denied responsibility for the attacks and said it had not been operating in the area.

Lavi died from wounds sustained last week while fighting in Gaza

Israeli army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerne said claims the IDF was responsible were "ridiculous".

The IDF also tweeted: "Since the beginning of the operation #IDF has documented approximately 200 rockets & mortars that landed short within #Gaza."

Gaza's electricity company has claimed two Israeli tank shells have hit the fuel tank of Gaza main power station.

Firefighters in Gaza battle a fire started after a rocket attack

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei this morning accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza and called on the Islamic world to arm Palestinians fighting "the Zionist regime".

Israel started its offensive against Gaza on July 8, declaring its aim was to halt rockets fired by Hamas and its allies into Israel.

But Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was widening the objectives, adding the only solution would be a complete demilitarisation of the Gaza.

Hamas' media centre is hit by Israeli fire

"We will not finish the operation without neutralising the tunnels, which have the sole purpose of destroying our citizens, killing our children," he said.

A Palestinian health official said the overall Gaza death toll stands at 1,110.

Israel said a total of 53 soldiers have been killed, including two civilians and a Thai national.

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British Embassy Convoy Attacked In Libya

A British Embassy convoy in Libya has been fired at during an attempted carjacking, as UK nationals were urged to leave the country immediately.

All staff escaped unscathed from the attack, which happened on the road between the capital Tripoli and Zawiya, which is en route to the Tunisian border.

Michael Aron, the UK's ambassador to Libya, wrote on Twitter: "There was an attempted carjacking on a British Embassy convoy this morning.

"Shots were fired at our vehicles but all staff safe."

The remains of an explosive device at the airport

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated its travel advice to state: "British nationals in Libya should leave now by commercial means."

The Libyan government said around 150 people have died in the country's two biggest cities during two weeks of fighting.

Rival armed militia groups have clashed in the capital Tripoli trying to control the main airport, leaving nearly 100 dead.

A large plane on the tarmac was destroyed in the violence.

In the eastern city of Benghazi, more than 50 have been killed, including many civilians, as security forces battled Islamist militants.

It has been the deadliest violence since the 2011 war that ousted Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, with the central government unable to impose order.

The United States shut its embassy on Saturday and safely evacuated its diplomats by road to neighbouring Tunisia, escorted by F16 fighter jets.

Shops are damaged in the fighting in Tripoli

The British Embassy remains open but with reduced staff and a limited ability to provide consular assistance.

The FCO has warned about the "greater intensity of fighting" in Tripoli and the likelihood of further attacks on foreigners.

There are believed to be between 100 and 300 Britons in the north African country.

A number of foreign nationals have been shot dead in Libya since December and more attacks are expected.

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Downing Of Flight MH17 'May Be War Crime'

The shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines plane killing all 298 people on board may amount to a war crime, according to the UN.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay condemned the "horrendous shooting down" of flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, and demanded a "thorough, effective, independent and impartial investigation".

She said in a statement: "This violation of international law, given the prevailing circumstances, may amount to a war crime.

Every effort will be made to ensure that anyone committing serious violations of international law including war crimes will be brought to justice, no matter who they are."

More than 1,100 people have been killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine

The UN also said latest figures showed more than 1,100 people had been killed and nearly 3,500 wounded in fighting in eastern Ukraine, with both sides using heavy weapons in built-up areas, including artillery, tanks, rockets and missiles.

"Both sides must take great care to prevent more civilians from being killed or injured," Ms Pillay said.

A further 100,000 people have fled the conflict.

The report also accused rebels of conducting a brutal "reign of terror" in the areas they controlled, including the abduction, torture and killing of civilians as the rule of law has collapsed.

"These groups have taken control of Ukrainian territory and inflicted on the populations a reign of intimidation and terror to maintain their position of control," it said.

The report was published as at least eight civilians were killed by fighting in the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk, which are held by separatist militants.

It came as the US released satellite images that it claims show rockets have been fired at Ukraine from within Russia.

The images, which come from the US Director of National Intelligence and have not been independently verified, also purport to show that heavy artillery for pro-Russian separatists has crossed the border.

Their release appears to be a part of Barack Obama's push to hold Russia accountable for its activities in Ukraine - and persuade European allies to apply harsher sanctions on Moscow.

Officials say the images prove heavy weapons were fired between July 21 and July 26 - after the July 17 downing of the airliner.

Moscow has denied allegations of involvement in eastern Ukraine, claiming the US is conducting "an unrelenting campaign of slander against Russia, ever more relying on open lies".            

Meanwhile, a 49-strong team of Dutch and Australian police is making a fresh attempt to reach the MH17 crash site after fierce fighting halted a previous attempt.

Australia's Deputy Commissioner of National Security Andrew Colvin said evidence risked being lost if fighting continued, and the chances of finding the remains of all the dead grew slimmer as time went on.

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UN Calls For 'Unconditional' Gaza Ceasefire

The United Nations Security Council has called for "an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza following an emergency session in New York.

The council adopted a presidential statement - one step below a legally-binding resolution - urging Israel and Hamas "to accept and fully implement the humanitarian ceasefire into the Eid period and beyond".

Several temporary truces have been observed and broken on a weekend when the Palestinian death toll topped 1,000.

Some 43 Israeli soldiers have also been killed since their military operation began on July 8, while three civilians have died from rocket fire into Israel.

The present conflict between Israel and Hamas began on July 8

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian representative to the UN, said he was "disappointed" a formal resolution demanding Israel withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip had not been agreed.

"They should have adopted a resolution a long time ago to condemn this aggression and to call for this aggression to be stopped immediately," he said.

Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor added: "Miraculously (the statement) doesn't mention Hamas. It doesn't mention the firing of rockets.

"You don't have to have the IQ of a rocket scientist to understand that if rockets are falling on you, you are allowed to defend yourself."

On Sunday, Barack Obama called Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to press for an immediate truce.

The US President said Israel had a right to defend itself but reiterated his country's "serious and growing concern" about the loss of life on both sides and the "worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza".

Hamas fired more rockets at Israel overnight, despite claims it had accepted a UN request for a 24-hour extension of a humanitarian ceasefire.

The temporary break, which Israel has not formally agreed, started at 2pm (noon UK time) yesterday ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid.

Sky News' Sherine Tadros, reporting from Gaza City, said more than 160,000 civilians had sought refuge in dozens of temporary shelters and were suffering from major food and water shortages.

As well as calling for an immediate truce, the Security Council statement set out a longer-term aim of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, "with secure and recognised borders".

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Clegg: Russia Should Be Stripped Of World Cup

Russia should be stripped of the 2018 World Cup in the wake of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine, says Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

He said it was "unthinkable" at present that the tournament could go ahead in the country blamed by the West for supplying arms to pro-Russian separatists suspected of shooting down the jet.

Football's world governing body Fifa this week ruled out calls from some German politicians for Russia to be boycotted, insisting the tournament could be "a force for good".

President Putin is coming under increasing international pressure

But Mr Clegg told The Sunday Times that allowing it to go ahead without a change of course by Russian President Vladimir Putin would make the world look "so weak and so insincere" in its condemnation of Moscow's annexation of Crimea and support for the rebels.

"If there's one thing that Vladimir Putin cares about, as far as I can see, it's his sense of status," he said.

"Maybe reminding him that you can't retain the same status in the world if you ignore the rest of the world, maybe that will have some effect on his thinking."

Russia has reacted angrily to additional sanctions imposed by the EU, saying they would hamper co-operation on security issues and undermine the fight against terrorism and organised crime.

Russia's foreign ministry also accused the US of contributing to the conflict in Ukraine through its support for the pro-Western government in Kiev.

It comes as 30 Dutch forensic experts head to the crash site in eastern Ukraine, despite intensifying fighting in the area between Ukrainian government forces and the rebels.

This map shows the flight path of MH17 before it crashed

Malaysia says it has secured an agreement with the separatists to allow international police to enter the crash site.

Officers would be allowed access to the area to provide protection for international crash investigators to recover human remains and establish the cause of the disaster.

Meanwhile, a Malaysia Airlines official has called for the creation of a new body to decide which flight paths are safe following the downing of the Boeing 777-200 in which all 298 people on board died.

Hugh Dunleavy, the company's commercial director, said airlines could no longer rely on decisions made by existing industry bodies on which volatile regions are secure to fly over.

Despite flying over a conflict zone, MH17's flight path had been approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the Ukrainian authorities and the European airspace service provider Eurocontrol, Mr Dunleavy said.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he called for airlines and existing aviation bodies to "review existing processes and set more stringent standards".

"Ultimately, we need one body to be the arbiter of where we can fly," he said.

"This tragedy has taught us that despite following the guidelines and advice set out by the governing bodies, the skies above certain territories are simply not safe.

"For the sake of passenger and crew safety we need to insist on a higher level of authority."

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Israel Resumes Gaza Fighting After Rocket Fire

The Israeli military has resumed fighting in Gaza after accusing Hamas of violating a humanitarian truce, which had been extended by Israel.

Air raid sirens sounded in southern and central Israel this morning as militants in Gaza fired a salvo of rockets across the border. 

In a statement the Israeli military said: "Following Hamas' incessant rocket fire throughout the humanitarian window, which was agreed upon for the welfare of the civilian population in Gaza, the (army) will now resume its aerial, naval and ground activity in the Gaza Strip."

Residents in Gaza reported hearing heavy shelling east of Gaza City shortly after the announcement.

Israel has resumed its offensive in Gaza after a fragile truce

The Israeli army this morning said a soldier had been killed yesterday by a shell fired from Gaza, taking to 43 the number of Israeli troops to die in combat. Three civilians have also been killed by rocket fire into Israel.

Israel had extended a ceasefire until midnight (10pm UK time) on Sunday at the UN's request, but said it would retaliate if attacked. 

Hamas had immediately rejected the truce.

"No humanitarian ceasefire is valid without Israeli tanks withdrawing from the Gaza Strip and without residents being able to return to their homes and ambulances carrying bodies being able to freely move around in Gaza," spokesman Fawzi Barhum said.

Some 132 bodies were reportedly pulled from the rubble in Gaza during the lull, while the pause allowed Palestinians to stock up on supplies.

Some 132 bodies were pulled from rubble in Gaza during Saturday's truce

More than 1,000 Palestinians have died since Israel launched a military operation more than two weeks ago.

Late Saturday the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on Israel immediately after the expiration the initial 12-hour ceasefire.

The resumption of rocket fire led police to clear a protest in Tel Aviv, where thousands of Israelis were demonstrating against their government's military operation.

Anti-war protests also took place in London, Paris, Frankfurt and other cities.

Meanwhile, world leaders continue their attempt to thrash out a wider ceasefire in Paris.

On Friday Israel rejected a seven-day ceasefire backed by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Israelis demonstrated against their government's military operation

A top Pentagon intelligence official has warned that the destruction of Hamas would only lead to something more dangerous taking its place, as he offered a grim portrait of a period of enduring regional conflict.

The remarks by Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, the outgoing head of the Defence Intelligence Agency, came as Israeli ministers signalled that a comprehensive deal to end the 20-day-old conflict in the Gaza Strip appeared remote.

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Video Of Armed Police Storming Passenger Plane

Video footage has emerged of the moment armed police stormed a plane to arrest a passenger who allegedly threatened to blow it up.

The jet, which was bound for Panama City, had taken off from Toronto in Canada with 189 people on board.

Sunwing Airlines flight 772 was turned around over West Virginia around 45 minutes into the flight and escorted back to Toronto Pearson International Airport by two F16 fighter jets.

In the video, the police are heard shouting "heads down, hands up" as they move through the aircraft.

Ali Shahi is then bundled off the jet with his hands held behind his back by one of the officers.

The 25-year-old Canadian has been charged with uttering threats and endangering the safety of an aircraft.

North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) said the two fighter jets from Ohio flew with the plane out of US airspace as a "precaution".

Sunwing Airlines said an "agitated passenger directly threatened the aircraft" but did not elaborate.

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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.

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