Written By Unknown on Rabu, 31 Desember 2014 | 18.46
A resolution demanding Israel ends its occupation of the Palestinian territories in three years has been rejected by the UN Security Council.
The draft, put forward by the Palestinians, was one vote short of being adopted.
However, if the resolution had won enough support, the US would have exercised its right to veto, preventing the plan from being taken further.
Of the 15 nations in the council, eight voted "yes" - including China, France and Russia.
The US and Australia voted "no", while the five remaining countries - Britain among them - abstained.
Israel's closest ally, the US, had objected to the timetable imposed by the resolution - and warned the draft did not take Israel's security concerns into account.
"We voted against it because… peace must come from hard compromises that occur at the negotiating table," US ambassador Samantha Power added.
The Palestinians now have two options - to submit another resolution after five new member states join the UN Security Council on 1 January, or try and join the International Criminal Court, where they could accuse Israel of war crimes.
There have been months of tension between Israel and the Palestinians, who are seeking to become an independent state.
A 50-day war between militants from both sides broke out in the summer, killing more than 2,200 people, most of them Gaza residents.
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has been detained by police after tweeting he was breaking his house arrest to join a protest.
The opposition activist - who ran for mayor of Moscow in 2013 - had been convicted of fraud alongside his brother Oleg earlier on Tuesday.
Although Alexei Navalny received a three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence, Oleg Navalny, a father-of-two who has no role in the opposition movement, was jailed for the same period.
Navalny said on Twitter that he planned to join protesters in Moscow and posted a picture of himself on what appeared to be a metro train.
Navalny posted a picture of himself apparently on a metro train
"I may be under house arrest, but today I really want to be with you. That's why I am going too," he wrote.
The blogger's supporters called for a mass protest near the Kremlin, with at least 18,000 pledging on Facebook to attend.
Video:Kremlin Critic Navalny Sentenced
Moscow officials warned that "all unsanctioned actions will be prevented by the security forces".
TV footage showed several thousand anti-Kremlin demonstrators gathered in the dark near Red Square and ringed by police or soldiers with riot shields.
Navalny was taken into custody as he approached the rally, but he tweeted urging others to stay and protest.
"I was detained, but they won't be able to detain everyone," he wrote.
He was then driven home and prevented from leaving his apartment again.
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The protesters who gathered on the square chanted: "We are the power!" and "You won't be able to jail us all!"
About 100 other people were arrested but the rally was allowed to continue for two hours before it was broken up by security forces.
The verdict in the brothers' case was scheduled for next month, but was abruptly moved forward to the day before New Year's Eve, the main holiday in Russia, leading to speculation that authorities wanted to head off planned protests.
The trial - which saw the pair accused of stealing 30 million roubles, around $500,000 (£372,000) at the current exchange rate, from two firms - was viewed by many critics as part of a campaign to stifle dissent.
Alexei Navalny reacted angrily to the jailing of his brother, shouting out: "Aren't you ashamed of what you're doing? You want to punish me even harder?"
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He briefly entered the metal cage that his brother was put into after the verdict and appeared to be holding back tears.
The European Union said the verdict appeared to be "politically motivated" but called for protesters to show restraint.
The US State Department said it was a "disturbing development designed to punish and deter political activism".
Pushing the UN Security Council to vote on a resolution demanding a strict timetable for the end of Israel's occupation was supposed to be a win-win move for the Palestinians.
At least, that's what one of those close to the Palestinian negotiating team told me recently.
In the unlikely event the resolution passed, he said, they would have set the clock running against Israel in the international arena.
In the almost inevitable event the US was forced to veto, he said, it would "expose" what the Palestinians see as the "true positions" of countries that they say favour a two-state solution, but only on Israel's terms.
If it was a move that the US and Israel deemed unhelpful, unilateral and counter to the spirit of negotiations, at least the majority of the Security Council would disagree.
But that's not what transpired on Monday evening in New York.
Failing to achieve nine votes meant the draft did not receive the necessary majority.
The US did not need to wield its veto, and the UK was able to fudge its reasons for abstention.
If this was Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' big play, it was a diplomatic screw-up.
Just the night before, the Jordanians, who put the Palestinian draft forward on behalf of the Arab group at the UN, voiced their uneasiness with pushing for a vote within 24 hours.
If it had been delayed until 1 January, there may have been a different outcome - not in terms of avoiding a US veto, but in getting the nine-vote majority required for the 'symbolic victory'.
Changing seats on the council would have seen Malaysia, Angola and New Zealand replace South Korea, Rwanda and Australia, who either abstained or voted against.
It could have made a difference.
Now the Palestinians must decide whether to try for a second vote with the new Council formation, or push ahead with their threat to sign the Rome Statute and join the International Criminal Court - allowing them to bring war crimes charges against Israel.
Mr Abbas has made joining the ICC one of the key cards he holds politically, and ironically for that reason he may refrain from playing the hand right now.
Not only would it likely draw fierce condemnation from the US, but also possible financial sanctions against the Palestinian Authority.
Israel welcomed the UNSC rejection, and slammed the Palestinian effort as a "march of folly" and a "violation of all understandings".
Yet if there was one message that came clearly from the Security Council, it was this - many world powers now believe the so-called "internationalisation" of the conflict is necessary and the failures of bilateral negotiations are impossible to deny.
France, Russia, in fact all of the countries on the Council apart from the US, voiced such opinions - with China going so far as saying the UNSC should "effectively assume responsibility" for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
It is perhaps those sentiments, rather than the Palestinian draft resolution, that may set the tone for 2015.
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 30 Desember 2014 | 18.46
Australian officials are hunting a shark that killed a teenager off Australia's southwest coast in the nation's second deadly attack in as many weeks.
Jay Muscat, 17, was spearfishing with a friend on Monday off Cheynes Beach, on the south coast of Western Australia (WA), when he was attacked.
The shark is believed to be a great white measuring between 4m and 5m (13ft and 16 ft) long, said Carlo Vittiglia, spokesman for the state fisheries department.
There is a chance the animal was injured, Vittiglia said, as Mr Muscat's friend is thought to have fired a spear at the shark during the attack.
Cheynes Beach remains closed while experts try to catch the shark
His friend Matt Pullella wrote on Facebook that "the shark hit me first then attacked Jay", The West Australian reported.
"The shark turned and came for me, I pushed the speargun down its throat and fired the gun!" he wrote.
Video:Great White Shark 'Stalks' Fish
"This is something no one should ever have to see."
Friends and relatives left tributes to the victim, including on social media.
Rae Batten wrote on Facebook: "So very sad and so hard to believe. Highly respected young man by so many. Thoughts and prayers for the Muscat family."
WA's Department of Fisheries said Cheynes Beach would remained closed while equipment was deployed from boats to try and catch the shark.
If the shark is caught, it will be destroyed.
Video:Great White Shark Caught Off Beach
"One of them (boats) will be setting (drum) lines, the other will be doing patrols in the nearby regions," Department of Fisheries spokesman Rick Fletcher told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The attack comes two weeks after an 18-year-old man was killed by a shark while spearfishing on the Great Barrier Reef off Australia's east coast.
Sharks are common off Australia's beaches, but fatal attacks are rare.
The country has averaged fewer than two deadly attacks per year in recent decades, but experts say attacks are becoming more common as water sports increase in popularity.
The US military has targeted a senior leader of the al Shabaab Islamist militant group in Somalia.
"The strike took place in the vicinity of Saakow, Somalia," Defense Department spokesman Mark Wright said in a statement.
"At this time, we do not assess there to be any civilian or bystander casualties. We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information, when appropriate, as details become available."
The airstrike came after a man identified as a senior intelligence official in the group, which is seeking to overthrow the Somali government, surrendered.
Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi - the subject of a $3m bounty as part of the US State Department "Rewards for Justice" programme - reportedly handed himself over to Somali government and African Union troops on Saturday.
Video:Al Shabaab Kills Dozens in Kenya
He was said to have been hiding out in the Gedo region, which borders Kenya and Ethiopia.
But al Shabaab claimed he had left the group more than a year ago.
"All the information on military set up or plans he knew has been changed since he left, and therefore the so-called defector has no intelligence value to offer to our enemies,"a senior militant was quoted as telling AFP.
Hersi was said to have been close to al Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed in a US airstrike
Al Shabaab - meaning The Youth - grew out of the Islamic Courts Union which controlled Mogadishu and much of Somalia in 2006 before being forced out by Ethiopian forces.
It has since been fighting a bitter war with government troops and the African Union forces. It has also been blamed for attacks in Kenya and Uganda.
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Video:AirAsia Search: Bodies Spotted
At least 40 bodies and wreckage including a plane door and oxygen tanks have been recovered in the search for missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501.
The bodies - which were not wearing life jackets - have been brought on board a navy ship, said Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Director SB Supriyadi.
Local television broadcast pictures of the bodies floating in the sea.
Search teams have been focussing on an area in the Java Sea
"The warship Bung Tomo has retrieved 40 bodies and the number is growing. They are very busy now," said a navy spokesman.
They were found in the Java Sea about six miles (10km) from where the plane last communicated with air traffic control.
1/18
Gallery: The Search For Missing AirAsia Plane
Relatives at Surabaya airport weep as they receive news that bodies have been found in the hunt for the missing plane
There were 162 passengers on board, including one British man, Chi Man Choi, and his two-year-old daughter
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The search had included 30 ships and 21 aircraft from South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia
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A search and rescue worker loads body bags onto a flight to Kalimantan in Pangkal Pinang, Bangka
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A crew member of an Indonesian Maritime Surveillance plane says a prayer. Officials have confirmed debris spotted in the sea was from the plane
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Search chief SB Supriyadi also said an air force Hercules had "found an object described as a shadow at the bottom of the sea in the form of a plane".
Objects spotted earlier have also been confirmed as wreckage from the plane and some have been taken away by helicopter for testing.
AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes said he was rushing to the scene and wrote on Twitter: "My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501.
"On behalf of AirAsia my condolences to all. Words cannot express how sorry I am."
The Airbus A320-200 disappeared from radar on Sunday morning, on its way from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore.
There were 162 people on board, including one British man, Hull-born Chi Man Choi, and his two-year-old daughter.
1/11
Gallery: History Of The Low-Cost Asian Airline
AirAsia was founded in 1993 by a Malaysian government-owned conglomerate called DRB-Hicom, which is involved in automotive manufacturing
AirAsia Malaysia was established in Malaysia in 2001. It expanded into Thailand in 2003 and Indonesia in 2004. It has also since launched subsidiaries in the Philippines and India
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The aircraft's last request - to climb higher to avoid a storm - was turned down.
Minutes later it fell off the radar without giving any distress call.
Geoffrey Thomas, editor of AirlineRatings.com, told Sky News: "We have a radar plot which shows the plane actually climbing through 36,300ft - it wasn't given permission to do that.
"It also shows that its speed had decayed by 134mph and dropped dramatically to a level where it couldn't sustain flight."
Some 30 ships and 21 aircraft from South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia have been involved in searching 10,000 nautical miles of ocean.
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Bodies Found In AirAsia Missing Plane Search
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Video:AirAsia Search: Bodies Spotted
At least 40 bodies and wreckage including a plane door and oxygen tanks have been recovered in the search for missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501.
The bodies - which were not wearing life jackets - have been brought on board a navy ship, said Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Director SB Supriyadi.
Local television broadcast pictures of the bodies floating in the sea.
Search teams have been focussing on an area in the Java Sea
"The warship Bung Tomo has retrieved 40 bodies and the number is growing. They are very busy now," said a navy spokesman.
They were found in the Java Sea about six miles (10km) from where the plane last communicated with air traffic control.
1/18
Gallery: The Search For Missing AirAsia Plane
Relatives at Surabaya airport weep as they receive news that bodies have been found in the hunt for the missing plane
There were 162 passengers on board, including one British man, Chi Man Choi, and his two-year-old daughter
]]>
The search had included 30 ships and 21 aircraft from South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia
]]>
A search and rescue worker loads body bags onto a flight to Kalimantan in Pangkal Pinang, Bangka
]]>
A crew member of an Indonesian Maritime Surveillance plane says a prayer. Officials have confirmed debris spotted in the sea was from the plane
]]>
Search chief SB Supriyadi also said an air force Hercules had "found an object described as a shadow at the bottom of the sea in the form of a plane".
Objects spotted earlier have also been confirmed as wreckage from the plane and some have been taken away by helicopter for testing.
AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes said he was rushing to the scene and wrote on Twitter: "My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501.
"On behalf of AirAsia my condolences to all. Words cannot express how sorry I am."
The Airbus A320-200 disappeared from radar on Sunday morning, on its way from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore.
There were 162 people on board, including one British man, Hull-born Chi Man Choi, and his two-year-old daughter.
1/11
Gallery: History Of The Low-Cost Asian Airline
AirAsia was founded in 1993 by a Malaysian government-owned conglomerate called DRB-Hicom, which is involved in automotive manufacturing
AirAsia Malaysia was established in Malaysia in 2001. It expanded into Thailand in 2003 and Indonesia in 2004. It has also since launched subsidiaries in the Philippines and India
]]>
The aircraft's last request - to climb higher to avoid a storm - was turned down.
Minutes later it fell off the radar without giving any distress call.
Geoffrey Thomas, editor of AirlineRatings.com, told Sky News: "We have a radar plot which shows the plane actually climbing through 36,300ft - it wasn't given permission to do that.
"It also shows that its speed had decayed by 134mph and dropped dramatically to a level where it couldn't sustain flight."
Some 30 ships and 21 aircraft from South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia have been involved in searching 10,000 nautical miles of ocean.
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Written By Unknown on Senin, 29 Desember 2014 | 18.46
By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent
One year ago today Egyptian police burst in and raided the hotel room Al Jazeera English were using as an office.
Acting bureau chief Mohamed Fahmy and Australian correspondent Peter Greste were questioned for an hour before being taken to a police station.
Hours after the hotel raid, dozens of officers wearing masks and holding guns turned up at the house of Baher Mohamed, a freelance producer who at the time was working for AJE.
Marwa Omara is determined to marry Fahmy - even if it is behind bars
Mohamed's wife Jehan says special forces came in over the walls of the house while others created a human chain around the premises.
It was 3am and they were sleeping, but woke up when they heard a shot being fired - one of the officers shot their dog Gatsby in the leg as they entered.
Video:Pain Of Jailed Reporter's Parents
Jehan, who was pregnant at the time, saw the dog lying on the floor in a pool of blood as officers broke down the front door.
She grabbed her two young children who were lying frozen with fear in their beds.
The officers raided the house, flipping over mattresses and breaking cupboards and drawers.
After an hour, the officers took Mohamed, put a hood over his head and threw him in the back of a police van.
She didn't hear from him for a day and a half after that.
Mohamed and Fahmy were kept in solitary confinement in Tora Prison for weeks after their arrest.
Video:June: Al Jazeera Journalists Jailed
"We've spent a year in sadness and we don't know why he's in prison. The whole household is sad in a way I can't describe," said Jehan.
"We are adults, we can take it and understand, but what have the children done to deserve this?" she told us, unable to hold back the tears.
The three journalists were charged with spreading false news and belonging to or aiding the Muslim Brotherhood, deemed a terrorist organisation.
After a four-month trial, the judge handed the three men seven-year sentences, and Mohamed an additional three years for having a spent bullet in his possession.
His family told us he had picked it up when he was covering the uprising in Libya in 2011.
Greste's parents say being in the courtroom was one of the hardest moments in this nightmare year.
Video:Journalist Appeals Egypt Conviction
"Seeing Peter in handcuffs, dressed in white inside a cage, like a caged animal, it was just shock and horror," his mother Lois told Sky News.
Rights organisations called the trial a "show trial" that was politically motivated and had no legal merit.
The prosecution showed irrelevant evidence - holiday photos and even reports produced by other networks including Sky News Arabia.
At the time of the arrests, the Egyptian military had successfully ousted Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi in a popular coup.
That sparked a major government crackdown on all forms of opposition and media seen as unfriendly to the new military rulers, especially any with links to the Brotherhood.
Qatar, the owners of Al Jazeera, were well-known supporters of the Brotherhood and were offering refuge to senior leaders escaping the crackdown in Egypt.
Video:World Condemns Reporters' Jailing
Mohamed, Fahmy and Greste may have been used as pawns in a larger battle between Egypt and Qatar.
In recent months, relations between the two countries have improved, which may help their case.
Fahmy's fiancee Marwa Omara says she knows there have been positive signs with the Qatar-Egypt reconciliation, but she's afraid to get her hopes up.
They were planning on getting married in April but had to postpone their plans after his arrest.
Now she insists they're getting married, even if has to be behind bars: "It's a message to the whole world that he is innocent and I believe in his innocence.
"Even if he has to spend the next seven years in prison I want to be his wife."
Video:'They're Wrong To Jail My Brother'
The three men are appealing their sentence on 1 January but if a retrial is granted it could take months for another verdict.
Timeline of Events:
29 December 2013: Three Al Jazeera English journalists were arrested. Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed were charged with spreading false news, aiding or belonging to a terrorist organisation and operating without a permit.
Al Jazeera denied all of the charges against its journalists.
20 February 2014: Trial begins of the "Marriott Cell" - the name Egyptian authorities gave the case after the journalists were found working at the Marriot Hotel in Cairo.
Alongside the journalists, students who were protesting against the ousting of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi were also put on trial.
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In total, 20 people were involved in the Al Jazeera trial, 11 were tried in absentia.
23 June 2014: The three journalists were convicted of terrorism in Egypt, as a result of their reporting.
Fahmy and Greste were sentenced to seven years in prison, while Mohamed got an additional three years for possession of a spent bullet he picked up at a protest in Libya when he was covering the uprising there.
Six other AJ staff were sentenced in absentia to ten years - the maximum penalty. Only two of the group of 20 were acquitted - students Anas Mohamed El Beltagy and Shady Abdelhamid.
1 January 2015: The appeal process for the three journalists is due to start. At this point they will have spent just over a year in prison.
An Australian plane has spotted debris in the sea during the hunt for the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501, authorities have said.
Jakarta's Air Force base commander Rear Marshal Dwi Putranto said an Australian Orion aircraft had detected "suspicious" objects near Nangka island, between Sumatra and Borneo and close to Belitung island.
The AP news agency said the spot is about 700 miles (1,120km) from the location where the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers over the Java Sea in the early hours of Sunday morning.
But it is well within the area currently being searched.
The flight had been on its way from Surabaya on the Indonesian island of Java to Singapore at the time.
Video:Search For Plane Continues
The pilot had asked for permission to fly higher to avoid bad weather but was refused because other aircraft were in the area, officials told Reuters.
One Briton was among the 162 on board, with the rest from Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and France.
Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla confirmed debris had been found but added that it needed to be clarified that it was from the missing plane.
Searchers have also been looking at an oil slick off the east coast of Belitung island.
Video:A Shocking Year For Aviation Safety
Earlier, the chief of Indonesia's search effort Bambang Soelistyo said that the missing AirAsia passenger plane "is likely at the bottom of the sea".
More than a dozen ships have been sent to the area to try to find the aircraft.
Australia, Singapore and Malaysia have deployed planes to assist in the Indonesian-led search.
The UK, France and the US have offered technology to assist in the search for debris, much of which may not be on the surface.
Video:Thunder Clouds Can Damage Planes
Search teams are currently scouring an area where the sea is 40-50 metres (130-160 feet) deep, Mr Soelistyo told journalists.
Distraught relatives spent the night in the Indonesian city of Surabaya hoping for news of loved ones.
One, who called herself Intan, called on Indonesia to ask for help from other countries, rather than try to carry out the search alone.
She said: "My hope is Indonesia seeks as much help as possible from other countries. Don't claim 'We have sophisticated technology', just ask other countries because they are better equipped."
Video:A320 Aircraft Have Good Record
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott pledged his country would do "whatever it humanly can to assist", but said what had happened was very different to the mystery surrounding the disappearance earlier this year of Malaysian Airlines plane MH370.
Several storm clouds were along the route of the flight, and Sunday's search for the Airbus A320 was hampered by heavy rain.
Four bodies have been recovered from a burning ferry off the coast of Corfu, Greek authorities have said.
A Greek passenger was already known to have died after falling into the water during the rescue operation, which is being carried out amid stormy seas and winds of up to 46mph.
Some 391 people have already been rescued from the Norman Atlantic car ferry, leaving 82 on board.
Among those saved by Italian and Greek rescuers are four Britons, including showjumper Nick Channing-Williams, who has been taken to an Italian hospital for a check-up along with his fiancee Regina Theofilli.
The 422 passengers and 56 crew members were forced to spend hours being lashed by driving rain, hail and high winds as they huddled on the top deck while trying to avoid the flames and smoke coming from one of the car decks.
Italy has opened a criminal investigation into the disaster. It will focus on how the fire started and how it was able to spread.
Video:Mum's Relief At Son's Ferry Rescue
The Italian owner of the ferry has reportedly said the boat was in full working order and had passed technical tests - including on its fire doors - as recently as December 19.
A cargo ship carrying 49 of those rescued has arrived in the Italian port of Bari.
The ship, The Spirit Of Piraeus, had previously tried to dock in Brindisi but was forced back by rough seas.
Some of those disembarking in Bari had to be given assistance as they made their way down a gangway.
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Gallery: More Than 100 People Saved From Vessel Near Corfu
Passengers among 49 survivors evacuated from the burning ferry "Norman Atlantic arrive aboard the Singapore-flagged cargo container ship "Siprit of Piraeus" to the harbor of Bari
Passengers arrive on the Italian Navy's vessel San Giorgio
An AirAsia flight carrying 162 people from Indonesia to Singapore has lost contact with air traffic controllers.
Indonesian Transport Ministry official Hadi Mustofa said Flight QZ8501 stopped communicating with the Jakarta air traffic control tower at 7.24am local time.
One of those on board is a British national, who according to Channel News Asia was travelling with his two-year-old daughter and Singaporean wife.
He said the plane had asked for an unusual route before contact was lost with Indonesia's Juanda International Airport in Surabaya.
The flight was expected to arrive in Singapore at 8.30am local time (12.30am UK time).
The aircraft was reportedly travelling at 32,000 ft when contact was lost
:: Follow live updates with Sky News here
An AirAsia statement said there are 155 passengers on board; 138 adults, 16 children and one infant. Also on board are two pilots and five crew members.
Video:Pilot Analyses QZ8501's Flight Path
Most of those on board - 149 - are from Indonesia, with six from Indonesia, three from South Korea, and one each from Malaysia, France, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
The Foreign Office says the Briton's next of kin have been informed.
According to air traffic control website Flight Radar, the aircraft was travelling at 32,000-feet over the Java Sea when contact was lost.
Pilot Rakam Singh told Sky News: "As you climb higher the temperature gets lower ... if you hit turbulence you've got more chance of stalling an aircraft if you hit this kind of weather."
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Gallery: In Pictures: Missing Flight QZ 8501
The A320-200 took off from Juanda International Airport in Surabaya. There are 155 passengers on board the flight. This includes 138 adults, 16 children and one infant
The passengers and crew include one Singaporean, one Malaysian, one French and three South Koreans and 156 Indonesians
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 26 Desember 2014 | 18.46
Mourners Remember Boxing Day Tsunami Victims
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Video:Tsunami Victims Remembered
Survivors and families of victims have gathered across Asia for memorials to mark 10 years since the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
Around 230,000 people died after a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's western coast triggered a series of huge waves in the Indian Ocean.
The rising waters caused devastation across the region, striking countries as far apart as Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Somalia.
A man looks at the names of victims at the Aceh Tsunami Museum
The wave swept the whole of the Indian Ocean's shoreline, also hitting the coasts of India, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Maldives and Bangladesh.
Around six hours after the start of the disaster the coasts of east Africa - Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya - were struck by the wave.
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Gallery: Sri Lanka Marks 10th Anniversary of Indian Ocean Tsunami
Tsunami survivors offer flowers as they pray at a graveyard to commemorate the victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami on December 26, 2014 in Peraliya, Sri Lanka
A Sri Lankan local dancer stands in a graveyard in Peraliya commemorating victims
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Sri Lankan Buddhist monks attend the Alms Giving Ceremony for remembrance and prayer for the victims
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A young Buddhist monk prays for the victims at the Alms Ceremony
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Sri Lanka was one of the worst hit countries of the 9.1 magnitude quake with around 35,000 deaths
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The tsunami caused widespread destruction to many coastal communities.
Thousands of foreign holiday-makers were also killed.
The vast majority of Indonesia's 170,000 victims perished in Aceh province, among them tens of thousands of children.
Some 7,000 mourners gathered on Christmas Day in Banda Aceh for the first of several memorials.
Aceh governor Zaini Abdullah led the event at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque.
Video:Charity To Help Tsunami Victims
He thanked Indonesians and the international community for their support in the aftermath of the tsunami, which he said had helped the area recover.
Teuku Ahmad Salman, who joined thousands at the service, said: "I cannot forget the smell of the air, the water at that time ... even after 10 years."
Indonesia's Vice President, Jusuf Kalla, led a prayer ceremony where he and other officials placed flowers at a mass grave where thousands of unknown victims were buried.
In a statement released to mark the anniversary, Prime Minister David Cameron praised the "real resilience" of those who have rebuilt their lives.
He said the UK Government had provided almost £300m to support the reconstruction of affected areas.
Video:Archive Report On The '04 Tsunami
Some 151 British nationals killed in the tsunami.
"Today we think of all those for whom Boxing Day is no longer a happy festive celebration but the day they lost a loved one in the Indian Ocean tsunami," he said.
"At this poignant time, my prayers are with all those remembering people who were caught up in the disaster, including the 151 British nationals who lost their lives.
"In the face of tragedy and adversity, hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated real resilience to rebuild their lives and millions more have shown extraordinary generosity to help those affected."
More than 100 survivors, along with bereaved relatives, held a memorial service on a beach in Khao Lak, Thailand.
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Gallery: Photos Taken In Indonesia After The Tsunami
Indonesian rescue workers remove a body from the fence of the Grand Mosque in the city of Banda Aceh
Refugees cover their noses from the stench of bodies
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They walked into the waves and laid flowers in the sea, while diplomats placed wreaths on the sand.
Crowds also gathered and laid wreaths at the country's tsunami memorial park in Ban Nam Khem, a southern fishing village which was decimated.
More than 5,000 people were killed in Thailand, about half of them tourists.
In Indonesia, staff members at the German, Austrian and Swiss embassies will hold a minute's silence to remember the victims.
In Sri Lanka, the water swept a train from its tracks, killing almost 2,000 people.
Video:'We Escaped As The Walls Collapsed'
A symbolic recreation of the journey was planned as part of the country's commemorations.
:: A special documentary, Tsunami: Ten Years After The Wave, can be seen on the Sky News Catch Up service.
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Mourners Remember Boxing Day Tsunami Victims
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Video:Tsunami Victims Remembered
Survivors and families of victims have gathered across Asia for memorials to mark 10 years since the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
Around 230,000 people died after a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's western coast triggered a series of huge waves in the Indian Ocean.
The rising waters caused devastation across the region, striking countries as far apart as Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Somalia.
A man looks at the names of victims at the Aceh Tsunami Museum
The wave swept the whole of the Indian Ocean's shoreline, also hitting the coasts of India, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Maldives and Bangladesh.
Around six hours after the start of the disaster the coasts of east Africa - Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya - were struck by the wave.
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Gallery: Sri Lanka Marks 10th Anniversary of Indian Ocean Tsunami
Tsunami survivors offer flowers as they pray at a graveyard to commemorate the victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami on December 26, 2014 in Peraliya, Sri Lanka
A Sri Lankan local dancer stands in a graveyard in Peraliya commemorating victims
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Sri Lankan Buddhist monks attend the Alms Giving Ceremony for remembrance and prayer for the victims
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A young Buddhist monk prays for the victims at the Alms Ceremony
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Sri Lanka was one of the worst hit countries of the 9.1 magnitude quake with around 35,000 deaths
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The tsunami caused widespread destruction to many coastal communities.
Thousands of foreign holiday-makers were also killed.
The vast majority of Indonesia's 170,000 victims perished in Aceh province, among them tens of thousands of children.
Some 7,000 mourners gathered on Christmas Day in Banda Aceh for the first of several memorials.
Aceh governor Zaini Abdullah led the event at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque.
Video:Charity To Help Tsunami Victims
He thanked Indonesians and the international community for their support in the aftermath of the tsunami, which he said had helped the area recover.
Teuku Ahmad Salman, who joined thousands at the service, said: "I cannot forget the smell of the air, the water at that time ... even after 10 years."
Indonesia's Vice President, Jusuf Kalla, led a prayer ceremony where he and other officials placed flowers at a mass grave where thousands of unknown victims were buried.
In a statement released to mark the anniversary, Prime Minister David Cameron praised the "real resilience" of those who have rebuilt their lives.
He said the UK Government had provided almost £300m to support the reconstruction of affected areas.
Video:Archive Report On The '04 Tsunami
Some 151 British nationals killed in the tsunami.
"Today we think of all those for whom Boxing Day is no longer a happy festive celebration but the day they lost a loved one in the Indian Ocean tsunami," he said.
"At this poignant time, my prayers are with all those remembering people who were caught up in the disaster, including the 151 British nationals who lost their lives.
"In the face of tragedy and adversity, hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated real resilience to rebuild their lives and millions more have shown extraordinary generosity to help those affected."
More than 100 survivors, along with bereaved relatives, held a memorial service on a beach in Khao Lak, Thailand.
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Gallery: Photos Taken In Indonesia After The Tsunami
Indonesian rescue workers remove a body from the fence of the Grand Mosque in the city of Banda Aceh
Refugees cover their noses from the stench of bodies
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They walked into the waves and laid flowers in the sea, while diplomats placed wreaths on the sand.
Crowds also gathered and laid wreaths at the country's tsunami memorial park in Ban Nam Khem, a southern fishing village which was decimated.
More than 5,000 people were killed in Thailand, about half of them tourists.
In Indonesia, staff members at the German, Austrian and Swiss embassies will hold a minute's silence to remember the victims.
In Sri Lanka, the water swept a train from its tracks, killing almost 2,000 people.
Video:'We Escaped As The Walls Collapsed'
A symbolic recreation of the journey was planned as part of the country's commemorations.
:: A special documentary, Tsunami: Ten Years After The Wave, can be seen on the Sky News Catch Up service.
Many survivors of the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 have spent the last decade struggling to deal with grief and trauma, but some chose to channel it into helping others.
In a new documentary to be shown on Sky One this evening, Sky News has spoken to survivors who have set up charities in memory of some of the 230,000 people who died.
Kim and Tristan Peatfield were staying on the south coast of Sri Lanka, in Tangalle, with their five-year-old daughter Isabella when the tsunami hit their hotel bungalow.
Tristan was washed away and Kim was left holding Isabella.
Luke Simon spent five days looking for his brother Piers
"I think I must have been knocked out and I guess that's when I let her go - because I don't remember letting her go. I would never, never have let her go," she said.
Isabella was later found dead.
Video:'It Was Like A Horror Film'
Despite their grief, the couple returned to Sri Lanka a few weeks after Isabella's funeral and set up a charity in her name to help Sri Lankan children.
"Anybody who was there would know children there lost everything, they didn't just lose a sibling or a parent or grandparents or a roof over their head - they lost everything," Kim said.
The charity is still going ten years later. In that time they have helped to rebuild Tangalle Children's Hospital and built 10 playgrounds, among other projects.
"It came out of love, not wanting to let her die, and that's what sustained us, that's what keeps the charity going," the Peatfields said.
Luke Simon works full-time on the charity that he set up after the Boxing Day tragedy.
When the wave hit he was staying with his brother Piers and three friends on the island of Phi Phi in southern Thailand.
Phi Phi was hit from both sides simultaneously - and the thin strip of land in between was engulfed.
"The sea beyond was just boiling up in front of me," Luke said.
"The tsunami turned Phi Phi into canals - the little alleyways became two and a half metres of water filled with debris - a lot of people who lost their lives, they didn't drown, they were just hit by debris."
Piers was trapped under the water as he tried to push another friend to safety. It took five days for Luke to find his body.
Video:Archive Report On The '04 Tsunami
Luke launched the charity - the Piers Simon Appeal - at his brother's memorial service and two weeks after the tsunami he was back in Phi Phi with £10,000 to help local people.
"The charity really came about because we had received so much goodness from Thai people who helped me to find Piers," he said.
Ten years on, and the charity has now become School In A Bag, which sends schoolbags to children affected by the disaster.
"It was born out of a natural disaster - the sad circumstances of losing my brother. I always wanted to be able to help disaster-affected children, mainly because of the experience that I had picked up in the tsunami," Luke said.
"I still feel like Piers is with me now - I feel as though he's tagging along with me, except he's the reason we are doing it."
:: A special documentary Tsunami: Ten Years After The Wave can be seen on the Sky News Catch Up service.
:: If you have been affected by any of the issues in the show, the following helplines can offer help and support:
Samaritans - anyone struggling to cope can talk to Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90.
Mind - for mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress, call the confidential information and support line on 0300 123 3393 (charged as a local rate call) open from 9am - 6pm Monday - Friday.
Cruse Bereavement Care - promotes the well-being of bereaved people and enables people to understand grief and cope with their loss - national helpline on 08444 779 400.
A 13-year-old girl has said she was made to wear a bomb belt and taken to a market in Nigeria by Boko Haram extremists but refused to detonate the device.
Zahara'u Adam said her father gave her to the Islamist group, but she told her captors she did not want to be a suicide bomber.
She allowed them to strap the bomb on her because they threatened to bury her alive.
She was taken to a market in Kano, Nigeria's second largest city in the north, with two other girls, who detonated the bombs.
The bomb belt that the girl was forced to wear
Four people were killed in the explosion on 10 December.
Zahara'u said she was too scared to detonate the bomb when she saw the aftermath of what her counterparts had done.
Injured by the blasts, the girl found her way to a hospital where police arrested her while she was receiving treatment.
She was presented to journalists by police and instructed to recount how the militants allegedly forced her to take part in the attack - a move police hope will boost public awareness of the group's tactics.
"My father took us to the bush which was surrounded by gunmen, I was asked if I want to go to heaven, when I answered they said I have to go for a suicide mission and if I attempt to run, they will kill me," she recounted at a press conference.
"So from there we were sent to Kano. When we came to Kano market, one of us said we should go separately, but I refused.
"After my friend detonated her own I was wounded."
There was no way to independently verify her story and she had no lawyer present.
Boko Haram has been fighting for five years to establish an Islamist state in Nigeria's northeast.
The group has increasingly used female suicide bombers.
Written By Unknown on Rabu, 24 Desember 2014 | 18.46
A black teenager has been shot dead by a police officer in the same city where the killing of Michael Brown sparked global protests.
The 18-year-old was killed at a Mobil petrol station in the suburb of Berkeley in St Louis, Missouri, on Tuesday night.
Sergeant Brian Schellman, from St Louis County Police, said a police officer was conducting a routine business check at around 11.15pm when he saw two men and approached them.
He said one of the men pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the officer.
Sgt Schellman said: "Fearing for his life, the Berkeley Officer fired several shots, striking the subject, fatally wounding him."
Police have formed a wall on the forecourt
He added that the second suspect fled.
Detectives said they recovered the dead man's weapon at the scene.
Video:Mother Says Dead Son 'Was Good'
A crowd of around 60 people gathered at the scene, where a police cordon was set up around the forecourt.
Video, which is being live-streamed online, showed a wall of police officers, some wearing riot helmets, guarding the scene with bystanders shouting at them in a tense standoff.
Footage showed fireworks or smoke bombs being let off.
A number of people were arrested and there were also reports of people trying to break into local businesses.
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Gallery: Shooting Is Close To Where The Michael Brown Killing Sparked Protests
Black teenager Antonio Martin is shot by a police officer at a petrol station in Berkeley, St Louis
St Louis Police say during a routine check two males approached officers, one of the men pulled a gun
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Video:Tornadoes Hit Southern U.S.
Four people have been killed and thousands left without power after tornadoes tore across the southern United States.
Heaviest-hit was the state of Mississippi, where the severe weather damaged hundreds of homes and businesses.
Governor Phil Bryant has declared an emergency in Jones and Marion counties where all four victims lost their lives.
Several other people have been injured by the wild weather.
Television footage showed mangled buildings and over-turned vehicles
"We've got whole roofs lying in the road, people trapped in houses, cars flipped over," Marion County Sheriff Berkley Hall said.
County coroner Norma Williamson said two of the victims were killed in Columbia, about 30 miles west of Hattiesburg.
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Gallery: Tornadoes Cause Widespread Devastation In Southern U.S.
Four people are confirmed dead after the tornadoes swept across the south of America Pic: @MS_TeresaM
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The states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama were all hit Pic: @MS_TeresaM
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Thousands have been left without power Pic: @MS_TeresaM
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A state of emergency has been declared in two Mississippi counties
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One woman died in a shopping district, while another was killed in a trailer park.
"It's chaos over here. All the lines are down," Ms Williamson said.
The other victims, a man and a woman, were killed in their mobile home in Jones County, where a separate tornado struck, county emergency management spokeswoman Tammy Wells said.
According to the governor's office, more than 7,000 people have been left without power across the two counties.
It is unclear how many people remain trapped in their homes.
The tornados were the result of thunderstorms that originated over Louisiana, a meteorologist for the national Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said.
Tornado warnings have now been issued across parts of southern Alabama, northern Florida and southern Georgia.
Flash flood warnings have also been posted across the Florida panhandle and parts of Georgia after heavy showers hit the region.
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Deadly Tornadoes Strike Southern United States
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:Tornadoes Hit Southern U.S.
Four people have been killed and thousands left without power after tornadoes tore across the southern United States.
Heaviest-hit was the state of Mississippi, where the severe weather damaged hundreds of homes and businesses.
Governor Phil Bryant has declared an emergency in Jones and Marion counties where all four victims lost their lives.
Several other people have been injured by the wild weather.
Television footage showed mangled buildings and over-turned vehicles
"We've got whole roofs lying in the road, people trapped in houses, cars flipped over," Marion County Sheriff Berkley Hall said.
County coroner Norma Williamson said two of the victims were killed in Columbia, about 30 miles west of Hattiesburg.
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Gallery: Tornadoes Cause Widespread Devastation In Southern U.S.
Four people are confirmed dead after the tornadoes swept across the south of America Pic: @MS_TeresaM
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The states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama were all hit Pic: @MS_TeresaM
]]>
Thousands have been left without power Pic: @MS_TeresaM
]]>
A state of emergency has been declared in two Mississippi counties
]]>
One woman died in a shopping district, while another was killed in a trailer park.
"It's chaos over here. All the lines are down," Ms Williamson said.
The other victims, a man and a woman, were killed in their mobile home in Jones County, where a separate tornado struck, county emergency management spokeswoman Tammy Wells said.
According to the governor's office, more than 7,000 people have been left without power across the two counties.
It is unclear how many people remain trapped in their homes.
The tornados were the result of thunderstorms that originated over Louisiana, a meteorologist for the national Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said.
Tornado warnings have now been issued across parts of southern Alabama, northern Florida and southern Georgia.
Flash flood warnings have also been posted across the Florida panhandle and parts of Georgia after heavy showers hit the region.
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Breaking News: Coalition Pilot Shot Down And Captured By IS
A Jordanian pilot has been captured by Islamic State militants after his plane was downed during coalition air raids in Syria, the Jordanian army says.
An army statement read on state television said: "Jordan holds the group and its supporters responsible for the safety of the pilot and his life."
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group quoted pro-IS activists as saying the plane was brought down near Raqqa city, a stronghold of Islamic State fighters in northern Syria.
The IS in Raqqa published photographs on jihadist websites purporting to show its fighters holding the captured pilot, with a caption identifying him as Jordanian and giving his name.
IS militants with the pilot
Several photographs were released, including one showing the pilot, wearing only a white shirt, being carried from water by four men.
Another showed him on land, surrounded by about a dozen armed men.
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Gallery: Militants Claim To Have Captured Jordanian Pilot In Syria
The plane was said to have been brought down near Raqqa city, a stronghold of Islamic State fighters in northern Syria
Several photographs were released, including one showing the pilot, wearing only a white shirt, being carried from water by four men
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 23 Desember 2014 | 18.46
North Korea's limited internet service collapsed for more than nine hours just days after the US vowed to retaliate for a cyber-attack on Sony, which has been blamed on the reclusive state.
A US-based analyst said all internet went down after a period of instability over the weekend before links were eventually restored.
"For the past 24 hours North Korea's connectivity to the outside world has been progressively getting degraded to the point now that they are totally offline," said Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Dyn Research.
"There's either a benign explanation - their routers are perhaps having a software glitch; that's possible. It also seems possible that somebody can be directing some sort of an attack against them and they're having trouble staying online."
Sony pulled The Interview - a comedy about the assassination of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un - after hackers threatened showings of the movie.
Video:N Korea Currency Is 'Worthless'
The group, calling itself Guardians of Peace, had already leaked five unreleased films, the script of the next James Bond movie, embarrassing email exchanges between executives and private individuals' data after attacking Sony's systems.
Pyongyang has repeatedly denied any role in the attack but said it could have been carried out by the country's supporters.
But the FBI blamed North Korea for the devastating attack on the media giant and President Barack Obama said the US would respond "in a place and time and manner that we choose".
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said she could not confirm North Korea had been the target of a cyber-attack.
Video:Doubts Raised Over Hacking Claims
"We aren't going to discuss ... publicly, operational details about the possible response options or comment on those kind of reports in anyway except to say that as we implement our responses, some will be seen, some may not be seen," she said.
However, Ms Harf did respond to Pyongyang's calls for a joint investigation into the attack, saying: "If they want to help here they could admit their culpability and compensate Sony for the damages that they caused."
The internet is only available to trusted government officials in North Korea and its main web presence is through its Uriminzokkiri website, which has Twitter and Flickr feeds best known for sharing propaganda videos attacking the US and South Korea.
Mr Madory said the internet connection had historically been stable, but had come under attack in the past.
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Gallery: Sky News On China's North Korea Border
Sky News has filmed rare pictures across the Chinese border into North Korea. The images demonstrate the poverty inside the country and the degree to which China cooperates with its old ally
At the border town of Ji'an only a narrow river separates China with North Korea