PM Warns Nato 'Russia Could Be A Threat'

Nato must bolster its military presence in eastern Europe so it could respond quickly to any threat from Russia, David Cameron has warned.

The Prime Minister has written to his Nato counterparts urging a rethink on relations with Moscow following its "illegal" actions in Ukraine, including the annexation of Crimea earlier this year.

He wrote: "We must review our long-term relationship with Russia. While Nato has only ever sought to be a partner to Russia, not a threat, it is clear that Russia views Nato as an adversary.

"We must accept that the co-operation of recent years is not currently possible because of Russia's own illegal actions in Nato's neighbourhood and revisit the principles that guide our relationship with Russia."

Measures should include sustaining a "robust" defensive presence in eastern Europe, adopting a new schedule of military exercises, positioning equipment and supplies in key locations and boosting Nato's Response Force.

The letter comes days after a report from the House of Commons Defence Committee warned that transatlantic defence forces were not prepared for any threat from Russia.

A Russian tank rolls outside a former Ukrainian military base in Crimea

Mr Cameron wants to use next month's Nato summit in south Wales to agree "long-term measures to strengthen our ability to respond quickly to any threat, to reassure those allies who fear for their own country's security and to deter any Russian aggression".

He believes the summit comes at a "pivotal" time in the organisation's history.

"In 2014, the world is more unpredictable than ever," the Prime Minister said. "To the East, Russia has ripped up the rulebook with its illegal annexation of Crimea and aggressive destabilisation of Ukraine. To the South, an arc of instability spreads from North Africa and the Sahel, to Syria, Iraq and the wider Middle East.

"So we must use the summit to agree how Nato should adapt to respond to and deter such threats; and to ensure the continued collective defence of all its members."

Meanwhile, Russia's Foreign Ministry has accused the European Union of withdrawing a ban on supplying Ukraine with military equipment "on the quiet".

Its statement also urged Europe not to be "goaded" by Washington over events in east Ukraine.

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Obama: 'We Tortured Some Folks After 9/11'

President Barack Obama has said the US "tortured some folks" in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

He was speaking on Friday at the White House about a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation into CIA interrogation procedures under president George W Bush.

"In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 we did some things that were wrong," he said.

"We did a whole lot of things that were right, but we tortured some folks.

"We did things that were contrary to our values."

There are calls for the CIA's director to resign

The Senate investigation focused on tactics such as waterboarding and secret prisons for terrorism suspects after 9/11.

Officials familiar with the report say it concludes the use of coercive interrogations did not produce any significant counter-terrorism breakthrough in the years after the al Qaeda attacks.

The findings are to be released in the coming weeks.

Mr Obama said he believed the methods were used because US security officials were under pressure at the time to prevent another attack.

The CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia

Americans should not be too "sanctimonious" in retrospect, he added.

Mr Obama also said on Friday that he had full confidence in CIA director John Brennan.

His comments came a day after Mr Brennan apologised after admitting his staff had spied on the Senate investigation into his agency.

The CIA's inspector general found the agency had improperly searched the computers of congressional staff.

There have been calls for Mr Brennan to resign because only months ago he strenuously denied his employees had snooped on the Senate inquiry, in a rare public spat with the committee chairwoman.

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Death Toll Surges As Israel Hunts For Soldier

Why Obama's Hands Are Tied Over Gaza

Updated: 4:38am UK, Friday 01 August 2014

By Dominic Waghorn, US Correspondent

On the day the White House said the Israeli military should do more to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the US confirmed it had agreed to supply the same military with more ammunition.

The Obama administration has hardened its criticism of the shelling of a UN school in Gaza calling it "indefensible" and saying there is little doubt the Israelis were responsible.

"We need our allies in Israel," said administration press secretary Josh Earnest "to live up to the high standards they have set themselves". Meanwhile those same allies were being invited to help themselves to more of the US arms stockpiles in Israel.

Duplicitous double standards or another sign of the complexity of US-Israeli relations? Depends on your point of view.

There is no doubt the Obama administration is concerned and frustrated by Israel's conduct. There is also no doubt the administration will continue to support it to the hilt for as long as required.

Frustrated not least because of the trashing of the US Secretary of State John Kerry by Israeli cabinet ministers and media after his efforts to broker a ceasefire.

The Obama administration has not hidden its fury at the personal attacks on America's chief diplomat by senior members of the Netanyahu government.

The mounting civilian suffering is a concern to the US, for humanitarian and diplomatic reasons.

What's left of America's standing in the Arab world is further undermined by gruesome pictures of slaughter caused by US-supplied weaponry being fired into Gaza.  

A lot has been made of the dysfunctional relationship of the two countries' leaders. 

Bibi and Barack have had more than their share of differences, and none of the political intimacy of George W Bush and Ariel Sharon. 

But these days Israel can take US support for granted far more than it could back then.

When Ariel Sharon wanted to send his military into Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank in 2002 he personally asked Bush to let him do so and give him enough time to finish the job.

The destruction in Jenin is nothing compared to what Israel has wrought in Gaza and it has done so without needing to ask for American permission. 

There are many reasons for US support for Israel, some historic, others more current.

The US-Israeli relationship is one of the fundamental constants of American foreign policy in the Middle East. With a region in ferment and in a state of flux, that is more important to Washington than ever.

The Israeli lobby is also hugely powerful in the US. 

Capitol Hill has been called Israeli-occupied territory; such is the sway the Jewish state holds over US politicians.

Multifarious pro-Israel organisations, millions given to Israel supporters at election time and masterful use of the media all mean that is unlikely to change.

Israel has the same hold on everyday Americans as it has on politicians.

US public opinion has been overwhelmingly sympathetic to Israel since the second intifada when the Palestinians began blowing up women and children on buses and since 9/11, which hardened US attitudes to violent Muslims of any description.

More often than not the US media is inclined to accept the Israeli narrative. 

Coverage of tunnels out of Gaza is a case in point.

When Israeli military PR shifted the focus from rockets to tunnels, US coverage followed.

Too much talk of rockets is a threat to Israel economically now the country's main airport is within range.

Israel now claims Hamas tunnels are their main casus belli.

There has been little questioning of Israeli claims they are a terrorist threat to women and children, when thus far they have only been used by Hamas militants for military purposes to target Israeli soldiers. 

US support of Israel is mirrored by the attitude of some Arab nations in the region.

Egypt's recent ceasefire plan angered Hamas by including many of Israel's demands and few of the Palestinians'.

The Saudis and Jordanians are also quietly cheering the Jewish state from the sidelines. 

Since the last major Israeli operation in Gaza the faultlines have shifted in the Middle East because of the deepening chasm among Muslims, between Sunnis and Shia. 

On one side, Iran and its allies, the Assad regime in Damascus, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

On the other Tehran's enemies in the Gulf and Egypt who are in no mood to help out Iran's Sunni allies, Hamas in Gaza. 

While much of the Middle East remains silent as the carnage continues in Gaza, Israel will assume it is carrying out the wishes of at least some of its neighbours.

Washington will continue dishing out carefully worded criticism if Israel keeps facing claims it has shelled children sleeping in UN buildings.

But it is not going to be reducing its support for its closest ally in an increasingly troubled region.

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Athlete Tested For Ebola At Commonwealth Games

An athlete competing for Sierra Leone at the Commonwealth Games has revealed he spent four days in isolation over fears he had brought the deadly ebola disease into the UK.

Moses Sesay, who came to Scotland to compete in the cycling time trial, fell ill last week and was admitted to hospital.

"I felt tired and listless," he said. "All the doctors were in special suits to treat me. They dressed like I had ebola. I was very scared."

Tests eventually gave Sesay the all-clear and he was allowed to compete in the event, ultimately finishing last.

Medical staff treating ebola patients have to wear special protective suits

But the 32-year-old said he and his team-mates are worried about returning to their homeland once the Games are over.

More than 220 people have died in Sierra Leone after contracting the disease - more than any other country.

"All of us are scared about going back," Sesay told the Mirror.

"We have a three-month visa in our passports and, if I have the opportunity, I will stay here until this ends."

More than 700 people have died after contracting the disease in Africa

Health officials have been warned to be on the lookout for any unexplained illness in people returning from countries where ebola is present.

One union leader said British border, customs and immigration staff feel unprepared to deal with potential cases of the disease, although the Home Office said there was a "well-established plan to deal with different scenarios".

Dr Colin Ramsay, from Health Protection Scotland, said patients could be screened for ebola if they show symptoms including a fever, headache or sore throat, especially if they have travelled from an affected area within the last three weeks.

Putting such patients in isolation is a "standard precaution" and not unusual, he added.

Games organisers stressed the athletes' village has not been affected

A spokesman for Glasgow 2014 stressed there is "no ebola in the athletes' village", while Dr Ramsay said there is nothing to suggest there is any risk to sports stars competing in Glasgow.

"People have a misconception about ebola," he said.

"It is spread, primarily, through contact with bodily fluids, not casual conflict, so it wouldn't be sufficient just to share a house with someone.

"There has to have been close contact to have a substantial risk of being infected with the disease."

Meanwhile, a US doctor infected with ebola has insisted the only available dose of an experimental serum go to a fellow American patient in Liberia.

Dr Kent Brantly asked for the unit of blood to go to missionary Nancy Writebol, as the World Health Organisation announced a $100m (£59.2m) plan to tackle the outbreak.

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US Ebola Doctor Gives Serum To Fellow Patient

A US doctor infected with ebola has insisted the only available dose of an experimental serum go to a fellow American patient in Liberia, as one of the countries worst hit by the disease declared a state of emergency.

Dr Kent Brantly and missionary Nancy Writebol are both in a "stable but grave condition", according to an aid organisation, although his condition deteriorated slightly overnight.

The North Carolina-based Samaritan's Purse charity said in a statement: "Yesterday, an experimental serum arrived in the country, but there was only enough for one person. Dr Brantly asked that it be given to Nancy Writebol."

The charity also said Dr Brantly, 33, had been given a unit of blood from a 14-year-old boy who survived ebola because of the American's medical care.

The virus has been fatal in 60% of cases in this outbreak

It is hoped the boy may have developed antibodies that could help Dr Brantly fight off the infection, which has no vaccine or specific treatment.

The ebola outbreak is the worst in history and has killed 729 people in West Africa, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), which announced a $100m plan to tackle the disease.

In Sierra Leone, which accounts for around a third of all deaths from the disease, President Ernest Bai Koroma declared a state of emergency, saying ebola "poses as an extraordinary challenge".

Officials at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, said they expected one of the ill Americans to be transferred to its facility in the coming days, though they declined to say which one.

Health workers' clothing and equipment must be sterilised

Dr Brantly's wife and two children returned to their home in Texas before he displayed symptoms of the disease in the Liberian capital Monrovia.

The husband and fellow missionary of 59-year-old Ms Writebol is only allowed to visit her through a window, or while wearing a protective suit.

US health authorities on Thursday recommended against non-essential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the three African nations worst affected by the outbreak.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan plans to meet the presidents of the affected nations on Friday in Conakry, Guinea.

Sierra Leone health workers carry the body of an ebola victim

She said they need to take the response "to a new level".

On Thursday, Sierra Leone declared a state of emergency and called in troops to quarantine ebola victims, a day after Liberia also introduced sweeping measures.

The Sierra Leone football squad has been barred from travelling to the Seychelles for an African Cup of Nations qualifier because of fears over the virus.

So far, one US citizen has died from ebola, in Nigeria, after he took a flight from Liberia.

Hospitals in the UK are taking precautions for any ebola outbreak

That case is prompting the International Civil Aviation Organization to consider introducing passenger screenings for the disease.

Two other American volunteers remain in isolation in West Africa after coming into contact with an ebola sufferer, who later died.

The pair - working for America's Peace Corps movement - have not displayed symptoms but are under observation.

The Peace Corps said on Wednesday it was evacuating 340 volunteers from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

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Amazon Tribe Makes Contact With Outside World

A group of indigenous Amazon people has been filmed emerging from the Brazilian rainforest and making contact with the outside world.

Pictures and video released by Brazil's indigenous authority show the small group carrying bows and arrows walking along the banks of the Envira River, near the Peruvian border.

Experts said the indigenous people probably crossed the border from Peru because of increasing pressure from illegal logging and drug trafficking in their home area.

The people from the Amazon are from the Panoan linguistic group, and made contact with members of the Ashaninka native people.

They have been identified as members of a group known as the Rio Xinane.

The men accepted the offer of bananas

In one scene, an ethnic Ashaninka gives bananas to two of the tribe who come forward towards him. 

They take the fruit, communicate a little and then return to their bank.

The native people initially made contact with the Ashaninka on June 26 and were subsequently filmed four days later by a team from Brazil's Indian Foundation, Funai.

Two Panoan indigenous interpreters were brought in to communicate with them on the visit.

"They were whistling and making animal sounds," said one interpreter.

"They speak our language. I was so happy we could talk to each other."                  

The group was first spotted on June 26 and filmed on June 30

He said the group had come in search of weapons and allies.

"They described being attacked by non-native people and many died after coming down with the flu and diphtheria," he said.

Anthropologist Terri Aquino said the group had probably come in search of axes, knives and pots.

"This is a people looking for technology. It's important in their lives because there's an internal war among them and because of contact with non-indigenous groups," he said.

Funai said the group had come back out of the forest after their initial visit because they had contracted flu - a government medical team was sent to treat seven of them.

Rights group Survival International said the episode was extremely worrying, since influenza epidemics have wiped out entire tribes in the past.

The Brazilian Amazon has the largest number of uncontacted tribes in the world, estimated at 77.

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International Experts Reach MH17 Crash Site

International observers have reached the crash site of the downed Malaysia Airlines plane in eastern Ukraine.

It is the first time experts have been able to visit the scene in almost a week due to fierce fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels.

Observers used a new route to gain access to the area

Police and forensic experts from the Netherlands and Australia are expected to initially focus their efforts on retrieving bodies still at the site and collecting victims' belongings.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's monitoring mission tweeted: "Monitors reach MH17 crash site for first time in almost week, accompanied by four Dutch, Australian experts. Used new route to access."

However, there are reports of loud explosions close to the crash site with black smoke seen coming from a nearby village.

Earlier, Ukraine claimed it had suspended military operations to allow monitors to reach the site, but separatists were continuing to attack its troops.

But the rebels have accused Ukraine forces of violating a ceasefire in the crash area, and so preventing monitors from carrying out their work.

More follows...

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Ebola Crisis: Two US Volunteers In Isolation

Two American volunteers have been placed in isolation amid fears they could have contracted the virus in West Africa.

The pair - working for America's Peace Corps movement  - have not displayed symptoms but are under observation after coming into contact with an ebola sufferer, who later died.

The Peace Corps said it was evacuating 340 volunteers from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the three countries worst affected in the outbreak.

The virus - which has no vaccine, no specific treatment and a fatality rate of up to 90% - has now killed more than 670 in west Africa.

Liberia has closed schools and is considering quarantining some communities and closing markets in areas bordering Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Health workers' clothing and equipment have to be sterilised

Many civil servants have also been told to stay at home for 30 days.

The measures were announced after an isolation unit treating people in the capital Monrovia was revealed to be overrun with cases.

It has forced health workers to treat up to 20 new patients in their homes.

Liberia's Information minister Lewis Brown told Reuters: "This is a major public health emergency.

"It's fierce, deadly and many of our countrymen are dying and we need to act to stop the spread

"We need the support of the international community now more than ever. We desperately need all the help we can get."

Dozens of flights come into Europe from the affected countries

A lack of effective communication has led to misinformation about the virus spreading in Liberia, with rural communities accusing foreign aid workers of bringing in the deadly virus.

Others blamed the government with one man setting fire to the health ministry building in Monrovia after his teenage brother reportedly died of ebola.

The concerns prompted Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to issue an urgent warning.

She said: "My fellow Liberians, ebola is real, ebola is contagious and ebola kills.

"Denying that the disease exists is not doing your part, so keep yourselves and your loved ones safe."

Two airlines have suspended flights to some of the affected countries.

Dr Kent Brantly is said to be improving after being in a serious condition

So far, one US citizen has died from ebola, in Nigeria, after he took a flight from Liberia.

Two other American aid workers infected with ebola, Dr Kent Brantly and missionary Nancy Writebol, are in a serious condition but are said to have improved overnight.

Dozens of health workers are said to have died while treating patients.

The EU allocated an additional €2m (£1.58m) to fight the outbreak on Wednesday, bringing total funding to €3.9m (£3.08m).

Hong Kong said it was quarantining all people from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia who showed ebola-like symptoms arriving in the city.

In Britain, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said "precautionary measures" had been put in place amid fears the virus could spread globally.

Doctors have been put on alert to spot symptoms of the deadly disease.

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Israel's PM 'To Finish Job' As Troops Boosted

Thousands more Israeli troops are to join the fight in Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promising to destroy Hamas tunnels "with or without a ceasefire".

Some 16,000 additional troops are joining the operation in Gaza "to allow troops on the ground to rest", said an army spokeswoman.

The boost takes the number reservists involved to 86,000.

Israel has ordered its ground forces to locate and destroy a warren of cross-border tunnels that Hamas has used to menace southern towns and army bases.

Israel says it is close to destroying all Hamas cross-border attack tunnels

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting he was determined to finish the job "with or without a ceasefire".

He said: "I wont agree to any proposal that will not enable the Israeli military to complete this important task for the sake of Israel's security."

Strikes on Gaza continued on Thursday

The army said 32 secret passages had been found so far and half of them blown up, with the end of the operation apparently just days away.

Three Israeli soldiers were killed on Wednesday by a booby trap detonated as they uncovered a tunnel shaft, the army said.

The Israeli military said it would also continue to target Hamas and the aerial bombardment of Gaza City continued on Thursday.

The school where Palestine officials say at least 17 died in shelling

Hamas' military leader Mohammed Deif has said the militants will not cease firing until their demands are met.

The group wants Israel and Egypt to lift a border blockade they imposed on Gaza after Hamas seized the territory in 2007.

Nearly 1,300 Palestinians have died in three weeks of fighting, according to the UN's office for humanitarian affairs (OCHA). Gaza officials put the figure at more than 1,360.

Civilians make up two thirds of the dead and most of the wounded.

Condemnation also continues over Wednesday's shelling of a market and a UN-run school housing more than 3,000 refugees, in a day when 116 Palestinians were killed.

The locations of refugee camps in the Gaza Strip

The United Nations' 80 camps are meant to be safe zones for the estimated 245,000 people who have fled their homes.

Furious UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the school shelling "outrageous" and "unjustifiable".

"Nothing is more shameful than attacking sleeping children," said the UN chief.

A carefully-worded White House statement said it "condemned the shelling" - which killed at least 16 - but did not mention Israel explicitly.

The Pentagon later confirmed it had agreed to an "emergency" Israeli request to stock up on grenades and mortar rounds from a store it has kept in the country for several years.

Pentagon spokesman Admiral John Kirby said the request was received on July 20 and approved three days later, without needing White House approval.

The strike on the Shejaiza market is said to have killed at least 17 people

Israel, meanwhile, has said it is investigating the school shelling incident and repeated it does not have a policy of targeting civilians.

Foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor described the incident as "tragic" but blamed Hamas' "criminal entrenchment within civilian populations".

Fifty-six Israeli soldiers and three civilians have died in total on the Israeli side since the violence began at the start of July.

Hamas rocket attacks on Israel also continue but are far less damaging, with many intercepted by the country's missile shield.

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Strikes Kill 43 In Gaza As UN School Hit

At least 43 people have been killed in Gaza, including many at a UN school, during another night of heavy shelling, medics have said.

The building in Jebalya refugee camp, which is used as a shelter by some of the 200,000 people who have been displaced by the war, was hit around dawn.

At least 19 people, including a young child, were killed, many of them as they slept.

An Israeli military spokesman said militants close to the school fired mortars at soldiers before the attack.

Damage to the school in Jebalya that doubles up as a shelter for refugees

Other schools have been used to store weapons, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said.

Adbel Karim al Masamha, who came to Jebalya with his family to seek refuge, said: "We did not find safety here. People were martyred before our eyes. They were dismembered."

Another of the refugees, Haleema Ghabin, added: "No place is safe, neither homes nor schools. We are defenceless civilians and children."

The school in Jebalya is the second UN-run establishment to be hit in the past week, with a complex in Beit Hanoun struck last Thursday, killing at least 15 people.

Jebalya is one of eight UN refugee camps in Gaza

As the conflict between Israel and Hamas entered its 23rd day, Israeli TV said progress was being made to achieve a deal in Egypt, where a Palestinian delegation was expected to arrive for discussions.

Earlier, thick, black smoke could be seen rising from blazing fuel tanks at Gaza's only power station, which was knocked out on the bloodiest day of the conflict so far.

At least 128 Palestinians were killed as Israel sought to destroy what it called Hamas "terror sites" with heavy fire from the air, land and sea.

Several mosques it claimed were being used by militants were targeted, as ground operations to destroy a sophisticated network of tunnels continued.

Sky's Shirene Tadros saw the aftermath of a rocket attack in Gaza City

Overnight, a family of seven were killed when Israeli tanks fired shells in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Meanwhile, the leader of Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Deif, issued a rare statement, saying there will be no end to the fighting until the blockade of the Gaza Strip is lifted.

According to UNRWA, about 10% of Palestinians - more than 200,000 people - have been displaced by the fighting and are taking refuge in its 85 emergency shelters.

The figure is triple that seen at the peak of the 2008/9 conflict, with the organisation warning it is now at "breaking point".

Hundreds of homes have been razed to the ground in Gaza

Justine Greening, the international development secretary, described the situation as "dire", as the UK pledged an extra £3m to provide emergency food for more than 300,000 people for a month.

More than 1,200 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the start of the offensive on July 8.

On the Israeli side, 53 soldiers and three civilians have died.

A poll by Tel Aviv University found 95% of Israel's Jewish majority feel the conflict is justified, with just 4% saying too much force is being used.

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Top Ebola Doctor Falls Victim To Deadly Virus

A doctor who was hailed as a national hero in Sierra Leone after risking his life to treat dozens of ebola patients has himself died from the disease.

Dr Sheik Humarr Khan had been hospitalised in quarantine but died on Tuesday, officials said.

Health workers are particularly vulnerable to ebola, which has killed more than 670 people since February.

International development organisation Plan International has said the outbreak is a "health crisis with global dimensions", while the European Union has increased its funding to fight the disease to 3.9m euros (£3 million)

Two Americans are currently being treated for the disease in Liberia, where all football activities have been stopped in a bid to halt the spread of the deadly virus.

Texan GP, Kent Brantly, who also contracted ebola while treating patients with the virus, is said to be in a grave condition in Monrovia and "terrified" he will not survive.

The family of Patrick Sawyer, Nigeria's first Ebola virus victim

A Canadian doctor has also put himself in quarantine in Liberia as a precaution after spending several weeks in the region treating ebola patients.

Azaria Marthyman of Victoria, British Columbia, was working with the Christian relief organisation Samaritan's Purse.

Samaritan's Purse and SIM USA have now decided to evacuate all non-essential personnel from Liberia as a result.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level Two travel alert, warning travellers to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to avoid contact with body fluids of people who might be affected.

The symptoms of the severe acute viral illness include sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and a sore throat.

Kent Brantly with his wife Amber and children

This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and internal and external bleeding. 

The major West African carrier, ASKY, has stopped its flights to Liberian capital Monrovia and Freetown, Sierra Leone, because of outbreak.

The airline's decision came after Patrick Sawyer, a 40-year-old American of Liberian descent, died of ebola in Nigeria after taking several ASKY flights, travelling through an international hub.

Mr Sawyer, a top official for Liberia's finance ministry, had travelled to Nigeria from Liberia, via Ghana and Togo. He collapsed on arrival at Lagos airport.

It was the first record case of ebola in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country.

At the ministry where he worked, several senior officials have been placed under observation for three weeks.

Passengers at ASKY's hub in Lome, Togo, will also be screened by medical teams.

Arik Air had already cancelled flights in the region.

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Hamas Leader Defiant Over Gaza In Rare Speech

Gaza Conflict 'Like A Never-Ending Horror Film'

Updated: 2:53pm UK, Tuesday 29 July 2014

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent, in Gaza City

"Stay safe," people keep telling us.

"Where?" I always reply.

One of the harsh realities of this war is that there seem to be no red lines or boundaries.

People here are locked inside a tiny, cramped territory while the Israeli army bombs their homes, businesses, schools and hospitals.

Some 23,160 buildings have been damaged in the past three weeks, including 560 houses that were specifically targeted, according to the Health Ministry.

Most of the time there is no electricity, so at night you can only listen to what's happening around you in the dark.

Parents watch as their children die, children watch as their parents die - it's like a horror film.

The hardest part is how to convey the emotion and explain the events you are witnessing to people who live thousands of miles away and have likely never been to Gaza.

How do you do the story justice, remaining calm and fair?

Journalists are obsessed with the idea of balance, but what throws us off is that this is not an equal battle.

Israel says it is defending its civilians from rockets indiscriminately fired at them and underground tunnels used to infiltrate and kill soldiers.

Hamas says it is defending their civilians from an Israeli imposed siege that has strangled Gaza and affects every part of daily life.

The sad reality is that this war will likely end with Israel keeping Gaza under a blockade, which means Hamas will continue to resist - if not with rockets then tunnels, if not with tunnels then something else.

And if it's not Hamas it will be another group. The violence will continue as long as there is a cause.

Covering this war has been just as devastating as in 2008/9, the last time Israel launched a ground assault and I was inside Gaza.

Back then, people felt they were paying the price for a battle between Hamas and Israel.

This time, after seven years of living under siege, many sound hopeless and support Hamas (they call it "the resistance") because they feel there is no other way to end the misery they are living in.

My parents tell me stories of going on holiday to Gaza when they were young.

It has a beautiful coastline and when the drones and jets are quiet you can hear the waves crashing on the beach.

But the last few years of the blockade have been especially tough and Gaza is now a ghetto of 1.8 million people with many living in refugee camps surrounded by bombed out buildings.

Yesterday, at a UN school turned shelter, a woman asked me where I was from.

"Egypt," I replied, expecting her to lecture me about the country's complicity in the siege and how much she hates Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi.

But instead she said in a strong, sad voice: "Take me back with you."

It's simple really: people in Gaza, like elsewhere in the world, just want a chance to live with dignity.

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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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BP Warns Of Impact Of Sanctions On Russia

Oil giant BP has voiced fears that any further international sanctions imposed on Russia could have an "adverse impact" on the company.

It said the plan to tighten economic restrictions by the west, over the ongoing Ukraine crisis, may harm its relationship and investments in Russia's state-owned oil firm Rosneft.

The comments from BP come as it released its second quarter results, showing a profit of $3.635bn (£2.14bn).

The 28-member European Union is set to finalise a new raft of measures on Tuesday to block Russian banks' access to its markets. New sanctions have also been imposed by Japan, which Russia's foreign ministry said would harm their bilateral relations.

BP owns 19.75% of Rosneft, which is Russia's largest oil company, and the source for almost 9% of its annual profits.

BP is a top-tier FTSE 100 firm and a key company for UK pension funds to invest in.

In 2011 BP signed an Arctic exploration deal with Rosneft

On Monday, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said his country had no intention of imposing tit-for-tat sanctions.

Mr Lavrov said: "I assure you, we will overcome any difficulties that may arise in certain areas of the economy, and maybe we will become more independent and more confident in our own strength."

His comments came as a panel of judges in The Hague ordered the company to pay $50bn (£29.4bn) in damages to shareholders of the now defunct oil firm Yukos.

They said that officials under President Vladimir Putin manipulated the legal system to bankrupt Yukos, which was formerly owned by Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Yukos, once Russia's largest oil company, was broken up after Mr Khodorkovsky was arrested in 2003.

It was declared bankrupt and auctioned off - with Rosneft buying most of its assets.

Rosneft said that it expected no claims to be made against the company in connection with the Hague court ruling, which Russia contests.

It said it was not a defendant in the case and that the ruling would not have a negative impact on its "commercial activity and assets".

On Tuesday, Russia's foreign ministry announced that new sanctions imposed by Japan would harm their bilateral relations.

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MH17 Crash Investigators Stopped By Fighting

Officials sent to collect the remains of victims of flight MH17 have abandoned plans to access the crash site, as fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine reportedly left 22 people dead.

Investigators from the Netherlands and Australia had also been due to retrieve the belongings of the 298 people who were killed when the Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down earlier this month.

They were forced to call off their visit because of clashes between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian rebels on the road leading to the crash site near Grabovo, according to the Dutch justice ministry.

It is the third day in a row the experts have been unable to carry out their work.

Violence is continuing in the Luhansk region

Around 60km (37 miles) away in Horlivka, 17 people, including three children, were killed by shelling, the mayor's office said.

Further east in Luhansk, five people were reportedly killed when a care home was struck by artillery fire.

Russian TV showed bodies in wheelchairs covered with blankets.

Earlier, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, urging him to halt hostilities in eastern Ukraine.

"We want to get to the crash site as quickly as possible to get to the victims and to bring them home," a spokesman for Mr Rutte said.

"Mr Poroshenko said he will do everything possible to make access possible."

The continuation of fighting comes as EU leaders meet to finalise further sanctions against Russia over its alleged backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The planned move, designed to block Russian banks' access to European banks, was met with trepidation by oil giant BP, which warned economic restrictions could have an "adverse impact" on its own finances.

Moscow denies claims it has supplied military equipment and reinforcements to rebel fighters.

More than 100,000 people have now fled unrest in eastern Ukraine, according to the United Nations.

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Gaza Strikes Resume As UN Calls For Ceasefire

The Israeli military says it has carried out three airstrikes on Gaza, ending a 12-hour lull in fighting at the start of a major Muslim holiday.

Fighter jets reportedly hit two missile launchers and a rocket factory, in what a defence spokesman said was a response to earlier Hamas rockets fired into Israel.

It came as the UN Security Council 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".

The present conflict between Israel and Hamas began on July 8

A 24-hour temporary truce, agreed ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid, had been due to last until 2pm (noon UK time).

However, Sky's Sherine Tadros, in Gaza City, said: "There's an almost constant thud of artillery fire coming from an area of Gaza that's been pounded pretty hard.

"There certainly isn't a ceasefire here. At best, what we have seen is a lull in the violence."

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.

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".

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".

Tadros said more than 160,000 civilians had sought refuge in dozens of temporary shelters and were suffering from major food and water shortages.

"People think the best possible situation is a continuation of this low intensity violence, rather than an escalation, which is what everyone is afraid of in the absence of a ceasefire, permanent or otherwise," she added.

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South Korea Ferry Survivors Describe Horror

Students who survived the South Korea ferry disaster have described how they were told to stay put and witnessed their friends being swept away.

There were 325 pupils from Dawon High School on board the Sewol, but only 75 survived when it sank in April this year.

The captain is among senior crew members on trial over the tragedy and could face the death penalty.

Testifying for the first time, one girl told the court in Ansan City, south of Seoul they had ignored the order to stay where they were on the ship until the boat had listed so badly the cabin door was above their head.

Families said the rescue and recovery effort was too slow

Another student, testifying via video link, described how the tannoy told them repeatedly to put on a life jacket and stay put.

"We were waiting and, when the water started coming in, the class rep told everyone to put on the life vests ... the door was above our heads, so she said we'll float and go through the door and that's how we came out," one of the teenagers said.

"Other kids who got out before us pulled us out."

Another girl said no crew came to their aid and described how she and some friends escaped by climbing horizontally along a staircase and through an escape hatch.

More than 200 pupils from Dawon High School died in the disaster

But - as she jumped out - a sea swell engulfed the corridor.

"There were many classmates in the corridor and most of them were swept back into the ship," said the girl.

Five of the six female students giving evidence on Monday did so in person at a special court session close to the school. Seventeen students have agreed to appear at the two-day session.

The coastguard also waited outside the ferry for people to swim out, rather than venturing in themselves, claimed one witness, while another student told the court there were more fishermen helping than rescuers.

"They (the coastguard) were outside," said the girl. "They pulled us (onto boats) but they didn't come inside to help. We said to ourselves, 'why aren't they coming in?'."

Many pupils sent messages to their loved ones as the ferry went down

The Sewol ferry, overloaded with cargo, sank off the southwest coast on April 16 on a routine journey from Incheon on the mainland to the southern holiday island of Jeju.

The students, who were on a school trip, made up the majority of the 476 people on board. The final death toll was 304, with 172 survivors.

Mobile phone footage emerged in the days after the tragedy which showed students struggling in the badly listing ferry and sending final messages to their loved ones.

Captain Lee Joon-seok was photographed hopping onto a rescue boat while hundreds remained on board - he and three senior crew members are charged with homicide and could be executed.

The students arrived at court in a minibus to a heavy police presence

Two other crew members are also accused of fleeing and abandoning ship, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, while nine have been charged with negligence.

The body of the fugitive billionaire who owned the ferry was found last month, badly decomposed in a plum field.

Yoo Byung-eun had been on the run since April, but police are not year sure whether he was murdered or killed himself.

The vice-principal of Dawon High School also took his own life in the wake of the disaster, with a suicide note saying "surviving alone is too painful ... I take full responsibility. I pushed ahead with the school trip."

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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

Western countries blame rebels for shooting down the airliner with a missile, mistaking it for a Ukrainian plane, but the separatists deny any involvement.

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 since April, 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 violence.

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.

"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 UN's Navi Pillay is demanding a full inquiry into the plane attack

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.

And 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 plane.

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".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) would be deployed at its border checkpoints with eastern Ukraine to see Moscow is not arming the rebels.

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

Both sides accused each other of restricting access to the site.

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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Hamas Agrees To New 24-Hour Truce In Gaza

Hamas has agreed to a new 24-hour humanitarian truce shortly after Israel ended its unilateral ceasefire and began pounding targets in Gaza in response to "incessant" rocket fire.

The ceasefire, which coincides with the Muslim festival of Eid marking the end of Ramadan, was due to start at noon UK time.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said: "In response to UN intervention and considering the situation of our people and the occasion of Eid, it has been agreed among resistance factions to endorse a 24-hour humanitarian calm, starting from 2pm (local time) on Sunday."

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

Israel had resumed its offensive in Gaza after a fragile truce

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."

At least three people were reported killed in separate strikes.

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

The number of Israeli troops to die in combat has risen to 43. Three civilians have also been killed by rocket fire into Israel.

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

Israel had extended a ceasefire until midnight (10pm UK time) on Sunday at the UN's request, on condition its forces could continue to track down and destroy militant tunnels that criss-cross the Gaza border.

It also said it would retaliate if attacked.

But Hamas had immediately rejected the truce saying its forces would continue fighting while Israeli troops remained in Gaza.

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

Israelis demonstrated against their government's military operation

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, international efforts are continuing to try and thrash out a wider ceasefire.

And the Pope made an emotional plea for peace in his weekly address in St Peter's Square.

In unscripted remarks, and with his voice appearing to crack with emotion, Pope Francis made a direct appeal for the fighting to end.

He said: "Please stop, I ask you with all my heart, it's time to stop. Stop, please"

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American Doctor Infected With Deadly Ebola

An American doctor working with Ebola patients in Liberia has tested positive for the deadly virus.

Kent Brantly, 33, recognised his own symptoms and confined himself to an isolation ward.

The medic, who is married and has children, is being treated at a hospital in the capital Monrovia.

The disease has killed at least 672 people in four West African countries since the outbreak began earlier this year in Guinea and spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Sky's Thomas Moore shows where the virus has spread

Nigeria's airports and ports are on red alert following the death of a man from Liberia who was carrying the virus. It was the first case in Africa's most populous country.

He vomited and had a high fever on board a passenger plane, and was immediately quarantined upon arrival in the capital Lagos.

But he died in hospital from the virus on Friday.

His flight had had a stopover in Togo which is also on high alert as it may have spread there too.

Dr Brantly is a medical director at an Ebola case management centre run by aid organisation Samaritan's Purse.

Photos show him working in white overalls made of a synthetic material that he wore for several hours each day while treating Ebola patients.

Earlier this year, he was quoted on the organisation's website about efforts to maintain an isolation ward for patients.

Ebola is highly contagious and kills up to 90% of people infected

"The hospital is taking great effort to be prepared," Dr Brantly said.

"In past Ebola outbreaks, many of the casualties have been healthcare workers who contracted the disease through their work caring for infected individuals."

Dr Brantly, a family practice physician from Fort Worth, Texas, began working in Africa as part of a post-residency programme before the Ebola outbreak began.

His family had been living with him in Africa but they are currently in the US.

Ebola is highly contagious and kills up to 90% of people infected.

It is passed by touching bodily fluids of patients even after they die, said Dr Unni Krishnan from Plan International.

Traditional burials that include rubbing the bodies of the dead contribute to the spread of the disease, he added.

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Chinese Millionaire Bets On Horse Racing

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

Ren Ningning is a man from Beijing with a passion, a fortune and a dream.

The multimillionaire, who made his fortune in the concrete industry, is leading a drive to transform China into a global horse-racing centre.

"I want to breed the best horses, best jockeys, and have the best races in China," he says.

We meet at his stables in the Chinese city of Wuhan. There are racehorses all around from some of the best stock in the world.

Ren Ningning hopes a future Royal Ascot winner is among his horses

He shows me stallions from Australia, Japan and Ireland. Last year, he bought 94 horses at auction in Australia, chartered a plane and flew them all to China.

In 2013, a total of 1,730 horses were imported to China, a 64% increase from 2010.

Mr Ren introduces us to Sai Ba, his favourite five-year-old stallion, bought in Australia for £30,000. "Maybe tomorrow, number one!" he says.

We meet Ma Liankai, who Mr Ren describes as "the best jockey in China!"

The racecourse at Wuhan is a world class facility

Tiny and lean, he has just spent three months training in Newmarket, England.

"When I first went to England, I found that they are more passionate about horses than we are. They have deeper feelings for horses than they do for people!" Mr Ma says.

"I met a top-class teacher, who trained me how to build up a relationship with the horse, how to train a horse from a young age until it becomes an excellent racehorse."

In terms of scale and facilities, Wuhan rivals the world's top racecourses. It was built for a capacity crowd of 30,000. There are perhaps 3,000 here today but they are enthusiastic and noisy.

There is just one thing missing because the queues of excited punters are not gambling; there are no bookies here. Gambling is illegal in China.

Backers of the sport hope it will gain popularity in China

Racegoers are only allowed to participate in a lottery. They choose a number corresponding to a horse. If it wins, they get a prize - a bottle of Chinese wine. No money changes hands but it doesn't seem to matter.

China's ruling Communist Party frowns on horse racing and has outlawed gambling. It considers the sport to be a symbol of Western decadence - even though it thrives in Hong Kong and Macau, both semi-autonomous Chinese territories.

Underneath the grandstand we see a remarkable sight and a clear statement of intent. There is a huge, empty gambling hall, complete with unused counters.

Race day crowds are modest - but the arena could hold 30,000 punters

The people who run this racecourse quietly believe that China will change the laws and allow gambling. If they happens, Wuhan is ready.

The final race is key for Mr Ren. He hasn't won yet today and this is his big chance. He has four horses running.

They pass the finishing post, first, second and third: the perfect result for Mr Ren and for his three winning jockeys who stand, proud, on the podium.

The crowds flock to the faux-bookies to collect their bottles of wine and we have a final word with Mr Ren.

"Ten years. Ten years!" he tells me. In ten years, he says he, his jockeys and his horses will be winning at Royal Ascot.

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