Written By Unknown on Jumat, 27 Februari 2015 | 16.15
Protesters have clashed with riot police in Greece in the first display of anti-government sentiment since the leftist Syriza party took power a month ago.
Around 450 people took to the streets of Athens on Friday to demonstrate against the newly elected left-right coalition government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, which agreed a deal with EU partners last week to extend an EU aid programme to Athens.
The deal has triggered dissent within Mr Tsipras' own party and accusations by some on the hard left that the government is going back on pre-election promises.
After the march, around 50 activists in hooded tops hurled petrol bombs and stones at police in the city's Exarchia district.
A small number of shop windows and bus stops were also smashed or damaged during the violence.
Video:Does Germany Trust Greece?
The leftist government was elected on 25 January on a promise to write off a chunk of the country's debt and end tough austerity measures which are blamed for pushing one in four Greeks out of work.
Meanwhile, Greece's four-month bailout extension is expected to get wide support in the German Parliament after a large majority of lawmakers in Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc signalled their backing on Thursday.
Parliament will vote today on the deal hammered out by eurozone finance ministers.
Video:Tsipras: We Won Battle, Not The War
Volker Kauder, caucus leader of Mrs Merkel's bloc, said an "overwhelming majority" of his lawmakers will back the agreement.
In a test vote among the 311 conservative lawmakers, 22 opposed the bailout extension and five abstained. A minority of conservative lawmakers has consistently voted against bailouts over the five years of Europe's debt crisis.
The UK's second Ebola vaccine is being fast-tracked to start testing in Africa in the coming weeks.
The trial, at the Oxford Vaccine Group, consists of two different vaccines given weeks apart.
The first injection "primes" the immune system with the second "boosting", or enhancing, the immune response.
Human trials started in Oxford in January and are expected to begin in Ghana, Tanzania and Kenya soon.
The vaccine has already undergone human testing in the UK
Large-scale testing, on tens of thousands of people in Africa, is planned for later this year.
It is one of only two Ebola vaccines to undergo clinical trials in the UK, and one of four "leading candidate Ebola vaccines" around the world, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Video:Ebola: Schools Reopen In Liberia
The first UK vaccine, also developed at Oxford University last year, is currently undergoing testing in Africa.
Professor Matthew Snape, from the Oxford Vaccine Group, says the fact that several companies are developing vaccines is useful for the future.
"The more vaccines that are in development the more that are likely to get through development.
Video:Nurse Ebola Infection Due To Visor
"If there were to be another large Ebola outbreak or a mass immunisation campaign planned for Ebola the more manufacturers you have the better.
"They may be making different vaccines and there may be different vaccines used in different situations."
The double-dose vaccine has been developed by Johnson & Johnson with EU funding at the Oxford Vaccine Group.
Video:Jan: Tour Of British Ebola Clinic
Dr Neil Walker, a statistician at Churchill Hospital, volunteered to take part in human testing.
"There is a very small element of risk involved but I put my trust in the science," he said.
"It would be nice to know at the end of the study that I've contributed in a very small way to getting this vaccine out into the real world."
The family of Steven Sotloff, the US journalist beheaded in an Islamic State video, have said they have "full faith" that his alleged killer "Jihadi John" will be brought to justice - a day after he was identified as a Londoner called Mohammed Emwazi.
Speaking to Sky News, the family's spokesman Barak Barfi said: "They hope that he will be caught by American intelligence officials, brought to trial in the United States, and convicted for the crime of beheading their son.
"There's going to be no closure until these people are brought to justice. This is just one step in a long path. The Taliban were toppled in Afghanistan, al Qaeda was eradicated in Afghanistan, and we believe that one day, Islamic State's end will come.
"When that comes, people like Jihadi John will have nowhere to run."
Since the 27-year-old was unmasked as the frontman of IS, reaction from the families of the Western hostages killed in cold blood has been mixed.
Video:Who Is 'Jihadi John'?
The mother of James Foley, the first US journalist murdered by the militant group, has said she forgives "Jihadi John" - and described Emwazi's apparent involvement with the terror organisation as "an ongoing tragedy".
Diane Foley told The Times: "It saddens me, his continued hatred. He felt wronged, now we hate him - now that just prolongs the hatred. We need to end it."
Loved ones of David Haines, the British aid worker believed to have died at the hands of Emwazi, are also divided on what would bring closure to victims' families.
Video:Sotloff Family Spokesman
Whereas his wife, Dragana, told the BBC that Emwazi's death was "the last thing I would want for someone like him", Mr Haines' daughter, Bethany, told ITV News that she would only feel closure "once there's a bullet between his eyes".
Scrutiny is mounting over claims that Emwazi, a graduate from the University of Westminster, was already known to MI5 before he joined the ranks of IS in 2013.
But Mr Barfi, speaking to Sky News on behalf of the Sotloffs, rejected claims that British intelligence services had "dropped the ball".
Video:How Was He Able To Travel?
He added: "The British have long been vigilant and have stopped a number of plans. This is not a replay of the Kouachi brothers, who were responsible for the Charlie Hebdo attacks.
"This is a completely different situation, and British intelligence has done as much as it could have, given the constraints of the democratic environment it works in."
Sir Menzies Campbell has said the Intelligence and Security Committee will likely seek answers about what information had been held on Emwazi - but this process will not take place until after the General Election.
Video:'He Was Such A Beautiful Man'
According to Asim Qureshi, a director of the CAGE campaign group, Emwazi had been continually harassed by security agencies before he joined IS - and described the now-infamous militant as "extremely kind and gentle" and "the most beautiful young man".
Both Scotland Yard and Downing Street have refused to confirm reports of Emwazi's identity.
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 26 Februari 2015 | 16.15
Lawyers for a British grandmother on death row in Texas claim prosecutors coerced or blackmailed witnesses into giving false evidence at her trial.
Linda Carty was convicted of the murder of her neighbour Joana Rodriguez and the abduction of her four-day-old son in 2001 and sentenced to death.
British-based human rights organisation Reprieve has unearthed new evidence which alleges that key witness Christopher Robinson, who claimed to have seen Carty kill Ms Rodriguez, has now admitted that he lied.
Mr Robinson, in a September 2014 affidavit, said the Texan district attorneys "threatened and intimidated" him into identifying her as the murderer, Reprieve said, and "[told] me I would get the death penalty myself if Linda Carty did not get the death penalty".
Other witnesses have also admitted they were "blackmailed" by prosecutors and lied or omitted evidence as a result.
Lawyers for the 56-year-old, who is originally from the British Virgin Islands but had lived in Houston for nearly 20 years prior to her conviction, argue that prosecutors arranged for a deal with a co-defendant which was never disclosed to her defence team and that four jurors now say they would either have acquitted her or not given her a death sentence.
Charles Mathis, a former Drugs Enforcement Agency (DEA) officer who was Carty's "handler" while she worked as an informer, has said the district attorneys threatened to reveal an invented affair if he did not testify against her.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is now considering the evidence.
Celia Ouellette, a lawyer at Reprieve, said: "This is a wonderful day for Linda - and for justice.
"That a prosecutor can threaten witnesses to lie under oath and testify against a woman, who ends up being convicted of murder and sentenced to death as a direct result, is truly devastating.
"We look forward to giving Linda a day in court that is not rigged against her from the start."
Letters between Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda commanders about terror plots in the West have been revealed for the first time.
The correspondence between the group's leader and his senior operatives were presented during the New York trial of a Pakistani student accused of planning multiple attacks in Britain.
Prosecutors claim Abid Naseer plotted attacks on targets in Manchester, as well as in New York and Copenhagen.
Sky's Hannah Thomas-Peter in New York said the evidence revealed on Wednesday was part of a "treasure trove" of al Qaeda material seized during the US special forces raid on Bin Laden's Abbottabad compound in May 2011.
Abid Naseer denies plotting terrorist attacks in New York and Manchester
Letters between the terror leader and his external operations chiefs provided updates on plots against the West and its allies.
One letter provided details on a plan to send attackers to the UK and Russia, which prosecutors said refers directly to Naseer.
More broadly, the letters revealed new insight into the way senior al Qaeda leaders were thinking and communicating with the organisation's chief before he was killed in the raid on his Pakistani hideout.
One message in particular reflected the vitriol the terror group reserved specifically for the US.
The evidence was seized during the SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden's hideout
It said: "Here we are praise be to God, watching the faltering of the United States and its allies.
"By God we shall not stop by His will except at the doors of the White House and to raise the banner of monotheism on their so called Statue of Liberty."
Another letter said "striking America in its heartland has the most significance".
The correspondence provided updates on the importance of maintaining better communications, using better code and discussed the types of personalities best suited to plan and carry out attacks.
The Arndale Centre was to be targeted around Easter under the alleged plan
They also revealed a discussion about the need to develop new ways of carrying out attacks, including the use of household items that were less likely to draw attention.
The striking evidence was revealed as the prosecution finished submitting its case against Naseer, who they allege plotted to blow up the Arndale shopping centre in Manchester.
The 28-year-old, who was extradited to the US in 2013, has denied being part of a global al Qaeda conspiracy.
Naseer was initially arrested after 2009 terror raids in Manchester, but released without charge.
He is representing himself in court.
"I chose to represent myself on personal grounds," Naseer said on Wednesday.
"I wanted people to hear my voice and my story."
He said he was interested in non-political religion, and that "terrorism is not compatible with Islam".
The first human head transplant could take place in just two years, according to a radical proposal by an Italian surgeon.
Sergio Canavero, from the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group, wants the surgery to be used to help extend the lives of people who have suffered degeneration of the muscles and nerves or those who have advanced cancer.
The surgeon plans to announce the project at the American Academy of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons (AANOS) conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in June, the New Scientist reported.
Mr Canavero published a paper on the technique he would use in the Surgical Neurology International journal this month.
The recipient's head and the donor body would be cooled at the start of the procedure to extend the time that cells can survive without oxygen.
Tissue around the neck would be dissected and major blood vessels would be joined using tiny tubes.
The spinal cords would then be cut and the recipient's head moved on to the donor body. The ends of the spinal cord would be fused together using a chemical called polyethylene glycol, which encourages fat within cell membranes to mesh.
After this, the person would be put into a coma for around four weeks to prevent them moving while they heal.
Mr Canavero said he would expect the patient to be able to move and feel their face when they awoke, they would speak with the same voice and they should be able to walk within a year.
He first proposed the idea of the surgery in 2013.
He told the New Scientist: "If society doesn't want it, I won't do it. But if people don't want it, in the US or Europe, that doesn't mean it won't be done somewhere else.
"I'm trying to go about this the right way, but before going to the moon, you want to make sure people will follow you."
The first successful head transplant - involving moving the head of one monkey on to another - was carried out in 1970 at the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, US.
The monkey lived for nine days, but its immune system rejected the head.
Written By Unknown on Rabu, 25 Februari 2015 | 16.15
European foreign ministers have called for those involved in the fighting to the east of Ukraine to abide by the ceasefire.
The ministers of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany issued a joint statement at the end of the talks in Paris, calling for parties to "start with a total ceasefire and complete withdrawal of heavy weapons".
The ministers were meeting to consider the situation in the town of Debaltseve where fighting has continued despite the ceasefire coming into effect on 15 February.
Ukraine's foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin
There have also been attacks on the port city of Mariupol.
"Unfortunately there was no political agreement on how to condemn what happened in Debaltseve," said Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin after the talks.
1/15
Gallery: Ukraine Crisis: Latest Pictures
People stand on top of burnt Ukrainian army tanks destroyed during fighting with the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic army in the town of Debaltseve
Kiev accused pro-Russian rebels of opening fire with rockets and artillery at villages in southeastern Ukraine on Monday, all but burying a week-old European-brokered ceasefire deal
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Members of the Ukrainian armed forces ride an armoured personnel carrier
British infantry will take part in a training mission in Ukraine, David Cameron has announced.
The military personnel will help train the Ukrainian army and supply tactical intelligence, the Prime Minister told MPs on the Liaison Committee.
Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall reports that around 75 British soldiers will go from the beginning of March and will be based in the west of the country, some of them for up to six months.
He said: "We are talking about medical training, infantry training, intelligence logistics and the like.
"So this is not arming them with weapons, it is arming them with knowledge and it is another aspect to Britain's help for the Ukrainian government to help them repel the Russian rebels."
1/15
Gallery: Ukraine Crisis: Latest Pictures
People stand on top of burnt Ukrainian army tanks destroyed during fighting with the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic army in the town of Debaltseve
Kiev accused pro-Russian rebels of opening fire with rockets and artillery at villages in southeastern Ukraine on Monday, all but burying a week-old European-brokered ceasefire deal
]]>
Members of the Ukrainian armed forces near Artemivsk. Ukraine's military said two of its soldiers had been killed and 10 wounded in the past 24 hours, signalling that fighting has not stopped to allow a truce deal to be implemented
]]>
The German government is very concerned that there is still no comprehensive ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, and urged Moscow anew on Monday to use its influence over pro-Russian separatists
]]>
An emptied cluster munitions container is seen stuck in the ground outside apartment blocks in the town of Yenakiieve
]]>
Mr Cameron told MPs Britain would be "the strongest pole in the tent" making the case for harsher sanctions against Russia if pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine fail to observe the ceasefire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin denies arming the rebels in a war that has killed more than 5,600 people and forced over a million to flee their homes.
There would be "deeply damaging" consequences for Europe if the EU fails to stand up to Mr Putin over the crisis, the PM warned.
He added the Russian leader could target the Baltic states or Moldova if he is not reined in.
Mr Cameron told MPs he did not rule out arming Ukraine at some point in the future, but said supplying non-lethal support was the current approach.
It comes as European foreign ministers called for those involved in the fighting in the east of Ukraine to abide by the ceasefire.
Mr Cameron said it would be "miraculous" if the terms of the agreement were met in full.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, has told Sky News Tonight the ceasefire negotiated in Belarus is the only option to achieve peace.
Fighting has continued around the strategically important town of Debaltseve since the ceasefire was negotiated, and Mr Cameron said he feared the rebels would target the port of Mariupol next.
This fear was echoed by Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin, who was speaking after the Paris talks.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has meanwhile accused Russia of repeatedly lying to him over Ukraine.
Mr Kerry told a Senate subcommittee: "Russia is engaged in a rather remarkable period of the most overt and extensive propaganda exercise that I've seen since the very height of the Cold War."
Separatists brought reporters to witness the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line under the ceasefire on Tuesday.
Kiev accuses the rebels of using the cover of the truce to reinforce for another advance.
Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain
Top Stories
American Sniper Trial: Eddie Ray Routh Guilty
SUBC: Speaker Takes Some Blame For Rowdy PMQs
Huge Fines To Tackle 'Menace' Of Cold Callers
Video: Gas Explosion Levels House, Injures 15
Claudia Lawrence: Police Search Alleyway
British Infantry In Ukraine Training Mission
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Members of the Ukrainian armed forces ride an armoured personnel carrier
British infantry will take part in a training mission in Ukraine, David Cameron has announced.
The military personnel will help train the Ukrainian army and supply tactical intelligence, the Prime Minister told MPs on the Liaison Committee.
Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall reports that around 75 British soldiers will go from the beginning of March and will be based in the west of the country, some of them for up to six months.
He said: "We are talking about medical training, infantry training, intelligence logistics and the like.
"So this is not arming them with weapons, it is arming them with knowledge and it is another aspect to Britain's help for the Ukrainian government to help them repel the Russian rebels."
1/15
Gallery: Ukraine Crisis: Latest Pictures
People stand on top of burnt Ukrainian army tanks destroyed during fighting with the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic army in the town of Debaltseve
Kiev accused pro-Russian rebels of opening fire with rockets and artillery at villages in southeastern Ukraine on Monday, all but burying a week-old European-brokered ceasefire deal
]]>
Members of the Ukrainian armed forces near Artemivsk. Ukraine's military said two of its soldiers had been killed and 10 wounded in the past 24 hours, signalling that fighting has not stopped to allow a truce deal to be implemented
]]>
The German government is very concerned that there is still no comprehensive ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, and urged Moscow anew on Monday to use its influence over pro-Russian separatists
]]>
An emptied cluster munitions container is seen stuck in the ground outside apartment blocks in the town of Yenakiieve
]]>
Mr Cameron told MPs Britain would be "the strongest pole in the tent" making the case for harsher sanctions against Russia if pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine fail to observe the ceasefire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin denies arming the rebels in a war that has killed more than 5,600 people and forced over a million to flee their homes.
There would be "deeply damaging" consequences for Europe if the EU fails to stand up to Mr Putin over the crisis, the PM warned.
He added the Russian leader could target the Baltic states or Moldova if he is not reined in.
Mr Cameron told MPs he did not rule out arming Ukraine at some point in the future, but said supplying non-lethal support was the current approach.
It comes as European foreign ministers called for those involved in the fighting in the east of Ukraine to abide by the ceasefire.
Mr Cameron said it would be "miraculous" if the terms of the agreement were met in full.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, has told Sky News Tonight the ceasefire negotiated in Belarus is the only option to achieve peace.
Fighting has continued around the strategically important town of Debaltseve since the ceasefire was negotiated, and Mr Cameron said he feared the rebels would target the port of Mariupol next.
This fear was echoed by Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin, who was speaking after the Paris talks.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has meanwhile accused Russia of repeatedly lying to him over Ukraine.
Mr Kerry told a Senate subcommittee: "Russia is engaged in a rather remarkable period of the most overt and extensive propaganda exercise that I've seen since the very height of the Cold War."
Separatists brought reporters to witness the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line under the ceasefire on Tuesday.
Kiev accuses the rebels of using the cover of the truce to reinforce for another advance.
Eddie Ray Routh has been found guilty of murdering American Sniper author Chris Kyle and another man at a Texas shooting range.
Jurors returned the verdict against the former Marine, whose lawyers had mounted an insanity defence and argued he suffered from psychosis.
The 27-year-old was given an automatic life sentence without parole at a court in Stephenville, Texas, for the deaths of the Navy SEAL and his friend Chad Littlefield.
Chris Kyle in his military fatigues
They had taken Routh out shooting at the Rough Creek Lodge and Resort on 2 February 2013 after the defendant's mother asked Kyle to help him.
Kyle had been helping to counsel troubled veterans with shooting trips and talks.
Video:American Sniper Trial Verdict
Family members say Routh suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq and Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
Dr Randall Price, a forensic psychologist, testified during the trial that Routh was not legally insane, and said he may have got some of his ideas from watching television.
He said Routh had a paranoid disorder which was exacerbated by his use of alcohol and marijuana.
Defence lawyers said Mr Kyle described Routh as "straight-up nuts" in a text message to his friend as they drove to the shooting range.
They added that the defendant, who had been prescribed anti-psychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia, believed the men were planning to kill him.
In a phone call between Routh and a reporter from The New Yorker magazine, he said he became annoyed because Mr Littlefield was not shooting, but appeared to be watching him instead.
During the call, he said: "Are you gonna shoot? Are you gonna shoot? It's a shooting sport. You shoot. That's what got me all riled up.
"I had to take care of business. I took care of business, and then I got in the truck and left."
A forensics expert said both men were shot in the back at close range and were hit by 12 or 13 bullets.
The bodies of the two men were found at around 5pm. Both had been shot several times.
Routh was arrested outside his home and a police video showed officers trying to coax him out of his truck as he made comments including: "Is this about hell walking on Earth right now?"
Speaking in court after the sentence was handed down, Mr Littlefield's brother-in-law Jerry Richardson said: "You took the lives of two heroes, men that tried to be a friend to you.
"You became an American disgrace."
The trial has drawn huge interest because of the blockbuster Oscar-nominated film based on the former Navy SEAL's memoir about his four tours in Iraq.
Kyle is credited with the most confirmed kills of any US military sniper.
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 24 Februari 2015 | 16.15
Two Australian men are set to be executed for drug smuggling after their latest appeal was rejected in Indonesia.
Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan were found guilty in 2005 of being the ringleaders of the so-called "Bali Nine" drug smuggling gang.
They were sentenced to death the following year.
Australia has been pursuing a campaign to save the men - but the Indonesian president has refused to grant them clemency.
President Joko Widodo said: "The first thing I need to say firmly is that there shouldn't be any intervention towards the death penalty because it is our sovereign right to exercise our law."
1/14
Gallery: Australian Prisoners Convicted Over Drug Smuggling
The Bali Nine are a group of Australians jailed for attempting to smuggle over £2m of heroin out of Indonesia. Their sentences vary: some face life - the ringleaders face the firing squad
Named as one of the ringleaders of the heroin smuggling operation, Andrew Chan was 21 years old when he was arrested
