Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 21 Maret 2015 | 18.46
Up to 100 bodies, many with their throats slit, have been found in a mass grave on the edge of a town in northeast Nigeria after it was freed from Boko Haram militants.
Soldiers from Chad and Niger who have liberated Damasak from the Islamist group said they discovered the bodies under a bridge on one of the main roads leading out of the town.
Chad's military spokesman Colonel Azem Bermandoa Agouna said: "There are about 100 bodies spread around under the bridge just outside the town... this is the work of Boko Haram."
A Reuters witness said they had counted at least 70 bodies.
Chadian and Nigerian soldiers have retaken the town of Damasak
Col Agouna, who visited the scene himself close to the border with Niger, claimed the massacre probably occurred about two months ago because the bodies were partially mummified by the dry desert air.
He said several of the victims had been decapitated while others had been shot.
Video:Feb 2015: Battling Boko Haram
"There are heads here and bodies there, the mass grave has become like a termite mound," he added.
Damasak was seized by Boko Haram in November but recaptured by troops from Niger and Chad on 9 March as part of a multinational effort to wipe out the militants.
All but around 50 of the town's residents had fled by the time Damasak was recaptured. Those who remained were mostly too old or too sick to leave.
Video:Islamic State's Reach
Damasak resident Mbodou Moussa said: "People were in town when they (Boko Haram) attacked, they fired at us, we ran away to the bushes but they continued to fire and chased some people to kill them."
Boko Haram has killed thousands of people in a six-year insurgency aimed at establishing an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria.
The regional offensive was launched this year with Chad, Niger and Cameroon as Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and biggest economy, prepares for presidential elections on 28 March.
Video:Boko Haram Align With Islamic State
Nigeria's president Goodluck Jonathan has been criticised for not doing enough to tackle the insurgency.
His challenger Muhammadu Buhari has campaigned on a reputation for toughness gained when he was military ruler of Nigeria in the 1980s.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says he is optimistic that a deal over his country's nuclear programme can be reached during the current round of negotiations.
Mr Rouhani said that recent progress in the talks between Tehran and other world powers, including the UK, could see an agreement.
Iranian state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying: "In this round of talks, shared points of view emerged in some of the areas where there had been a difference of opinion, which can be a foundation for a final agreement."
"I believe it is possible to reach an agreement and there is nothing that cannot be resolved."
Earlier he said those negotiating with his country have realised that "threats and sanctions are ineffective".
Video:Barack Obama's Message To Iran
Iran and world powers - US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - ended their latest nuclear talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Friday and will resume negotiations later next week.
They are aiming towards a 31 March deadline for a framework agreement.
France has been demanding more stringent restrictions on the Iranians under any deal than the other Western delegations and at one point during the talks French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius phoned his team to ensure it made no more concessions, officials said.
Video:2012: Netanyahu UN Speech on Iran
He said: "France wants an agreement, but a robust one that really guarantees that Iran can have access to civilian nuclear power, but not the atomic bomb."
Iran wants UN sanctions to be lifted immediately and denies that it harbours nuclear weapons ambitions.
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 20 Maret 2015 | 18.46
By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent
North Korean defectors are "scum" and "animals" the country's ambassador to the UK has told Sky News.
In a rare interview, the senior official hit out at allegations made against his country days after the United Nations launched yet another investigation into North Korea's human rights record.
The diplomat was asked about allegations made to Sky News last year by North Koreans living in the South Korean capital Seoul. They claim to have been tortured and beaten in their own country.
"Those allegations are based on fabricated stories by the defectors from the North," said Hyun Hak-bong.
"Do you know the difference between human beings and animals? Human beings have a conscience and morality. If they do not have a conscience and a morality the are like nothing.
Hyun Hak-bong speaking to Sky News
"They're animals. That is why we call the defectors animals. They are no better than animals. They're human scum."
The UN will investigate reports that up to 20,000 North Koreans have been sent to Qatar to help build the 2022 World Cup facilities under inhumane conditions.
Video:The North Korean Defectors
Sky News was invited to interview the Ambassador for a second year running. Like 12 months ago, the interview coincided with annual US/South Korean military exercises.
The exercises are called Foal Eagle and Key Resolve, and last a number of weeks. They involve hundreds of thousands of troops on land, sea and in the air.
America says the manoeuvres are defensive but Pyongyang believes they are a preparation for an invasion.
The ambassador claims America is "softening" North Korea before conducting "a pre-emptive strike".
Video:Feb: Surviving N Korea Prison Camps
The exercises raise tensions on the peninsula but so far have not led to war. The worry is one misunderstanding could turn the situation very serious.
The ambassador told us North Korea has nuclear weapons and is ready to use them.
"We are prepared," he said. "That is why I say if a sparkle of a fire is made on the Korean peninsula, it will lead to a nuclear war.
"We don't say empty words. We mean what we mean. It is not the United States that has a monopoly on nuclear weapons strikes."
Video:Woman Exposes North Korea Horrors
"So can I just be clear: you are telling me that the North Korea has the ability now to fire a nuclear missile?" I clarified.
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:North Korea: Defectors 'Human Scum'
North Korea's ambassador to the UK has told Sky News that his country could fire a nuclear missile "anytime".
This is a big deal and a frightening prospect - if it's true.
North Korea ambassador Hyun Hak-bong
Ambassador Hyun Hak-bong made the claim in an interview with Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall from the country's London embassy.
"We are prepared," the ambassador said. "That is why I say if a sparkle of a fire is made on the Korean peninsula, it will lead to a nuclear war.
1/5
Gallery: Kim Jong-Un Guides Artillery Fire And Landing Exercises
A view of artillery fire exercises guided by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un
The set of photos was released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang. Continue through for more pictures
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"We don't say empty words. We mean what we mean. It is not the United States that has a monopoly on nuclear weapons strikes."
Bunkall sought clarification: "So can I just be clear: you are telling me that the North Korea has the ability now to fire a nuclear missile?
"Anytime, anytime, yes." the ambassador said.
It is widely accepted that North Korea has "the bomb". But possessing a nuclear bomb is one thing; having the ability to deploy it on a missile is quite another. That is what the ambassador seems to be claiming North Korea can now do.
For years, North Korea has been trying to marry two distinct technologies: it wants to bring together its ballistic missile programme (which it often claims is part of its project to put satellites into orbit) with its nuclear weapon programme.
To deploy a nuclear weapon, North Korea needs to make its nuclear devices "small" enough to fit in the tip of its ballistic missiles - it needs to "miniaturise" them. That's the tricky bit.
Video:Sony Hack Timeline
The country's nuclear weapons programme itself appears to be successful. It carried out apparently successful underground nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. Analysts believe that the country could have enough weapons-grade plutonium for at least six bombs.
Shortly after the 2013 test, North Korea claimed its scientists had used a miniaturised nuclear device. No proof was provided but, nonetheless, it prompted the alarm bells in Washington DC and Seoul, South Korea.
Recently, American military sources have said North Korea has probably managed some form of miniaturisation. Sources have told Sky News that China, the country with the closest ties to North Korea, holds similar views.
The ambassador's comments to Sky News would, on the face of it, confirm that they have successfully miniaturised their weapons. However, they come at a time when North Korean nuclear or missile tests have been unnervingly absent.
The last flight test of a long range rocket was in December 2012. In July 2013, Sky News was in Pyongyang to see the country's Musudan and KN-08 missiles being paraded through the streets. They have not been seen since.
But a lack of a headline grabbing fourth nuclear test or missile launch could mask quiet activity. Those who study satellite images of North Korea's known missile launch sites have reported expansion and infrastructure construction.
Video:Woman Exposes North Korea Horrors
"I'd say there is a consensus forming that North Korea has miniaturised and weaponised at some basic level," Professor John Delury, senior fellow at the US-China Centre in Seoul, told Sky News.
"There's always room for improvement, of course," he said.
And that's the point: whether or not the ambassador was telling the truth about the ability to fire a nuclear missile, we know that they are trying desperately hard to achieve the capability to do so. The Korean peninsula is already a dangerous place.
Unless North Korea can be brought back to the "Six Party" denuclearisation talks, things could be about to become far less predictable and considerably more dangerous.
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North Korea: Defectors Are 'Human Scum'
North Korea 'Could Fire Nuclear Missile'
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:North Korea: Defectors 'Human Scum'
North Korea's ambassador to the UK has told Sky News that his country could fire a nuclear missile "anytime".
This is a big deal and a frightening prospect - if it's true.
North Korea ambassador Hyun Hak-bong
Ambassador Hyun Hak-bong made the claim in an interview with Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall from the country's London embassy.
"We are prepared," the ambassador said. "That is why I say if a sparkle of a fire is made on the Korean peninsula, it will lead to a nuclear war.
1/5
Gallery: Kim Jong-Un Guides Artillery Fire And Landing Exercises
A view of artillery fire exercises guided by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un
The set of photos was released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang. Continue through for more pictures
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"We don't say empty words. We mean what we mean. It is not the United States that has a monopoly on nuclear weapons strikes."
Bunkall sought clarification: "So can I just be clear: you are telling me that the North Korea has the ability now to fire a nuclear missile?
"Anytime, anytime, yes." the ambassador said.
It is widely accepted that North Korea has "the bomb". But possessing a nuclear bomb is one thing; having the ability to deploy it on a missile is quite another. That is what the ambassador seems to be claiming North Korea can now do.
For years, North Korea has been trying to marry two distinct technologies: it wants to bring together its ballistic missile programme (which it often claims is part of its project to put satellites into orbit) with its nuclear weapon programme.
To deploy a nuclear weapon, North Korea needs to make its nuclear devices "small" enough to fit in the tip of its ballistic missiles - it needs to "miniaturise" them. That's the tricky bit.
Video:Sony Hack Timeline
The country's nuclear weapons programme itself appears to be successful. It carried out apparently successful underground nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. Analysts believe that the country could have enough weapons-grade plutonium for at least six bombs.
Shortly after the 2013 test, North Korea claimed its scientists had used a miniaturised nuclear device. No proof was provided but, nonetheless, it prompted the alarm bells in Washington DC and Seoul, South Korea.
Recently, American military sources have said North Korea has probably managed some form of miniaturisation. Sources have told Sky News that China, the country with the closest ties to North Korea, holds similar views.
The ambassador's comments to Sky News would, on the face of it, confirm that they have successfully miniaturised their weapons. However, they come at a time when North Korean nuclear or missile tests have been unnervingly absent.
The last flight test of a long range rocket was in December 2012. In July 2013, Sky News was in Pyongyang to see the country's Musudan and KN-08 missiles being paraded through the streets. They have not been seen since.
But a lack of a headline grabbing fourth nuclear test or missile launch could mask quiet activity. Those who study satellite images of North Korea's known missile launch sites have reported expansion and infrastructure construction.
Video:Woman Exposes North Korea Horrors
"I'd say there is a consensus forming that North Korea has miniaturised and weaponised at some basic level," Professor John Delury, senior fellow at the US-China Centre in Seoul, told Sky News.
"There's always room for improvement, of course," he said.
And that's the point: whether or not the ambassador was telling the truth about the ability to fire a nuclear missile, we know that they are trying desperately hard to achieve the capability to do so. The Korean peninsula is already a dangerous place.
Unless North Korea can be brought back to the "Six Party" denuclearisation talks, things could be about to become far less predictable and considerably more dangerous.
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Federal authorities are investigating the death of an African-American man who was found hanged in woodland in Mississippi.
FBI spokesman Jason Pack said that the man had not been seen since 2 March.
He had gone missing in a wooded area in Claiborne County in western Mississippi. His body was found during a search by local law enforcement officers.
The body was found in woodland in western Mississippi
The Mississippi chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) identified the dead man as Otis Byrd, 54, and called for a swift and thorough federal investigation into his death.
"Mr Byrd was found hung in a tree, and because of that we want to ensure it was not in fact a racial hate crime," said Derrick Johnson, president of the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP.
A cause of death has not been determined and authorities are unclear whether the man was killed or took his own life.
The investigation is being carried out by the FBI, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the US Attorney's office.
Johnie Baker, 87, owns the land where the body was found - about 200 yards from Mr Byrd's house.
Mr Baker, who did not accompany authorities on the search, described it as an area of pecan and black walnut trees, frequented by hunters and home to several wild hogs.
Lynching, or extrajudicial public execution by hanging, was once a common practice in parts of the US in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. By one estimate, some 3,500 African Americans and 1,300 whites were lynched from 1882 to 1968.
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 19 Maret 2015 | 18.46
British Woman Killed In 'Brutal' Tunisia Attack
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Tunisian security forces secure the area after gunmen attacked
A British woman was killed in the terror attack in Tunis that left 23 people dead, it has emerged.
News of the British victim - named as Sally Adey - came after Tunisia's health minister said the number of people who died in the attack had risen to 23, including the two gunmen.
Prime Minister David Cameron described the killings as an "appalling and brutal outrage".
Witnesses say the gunmen behind the attack opened fire on tourists arriving at the capital's Bardo Museum, renowned for its collection of Roman mosaics, before chasing them inside.
The victims, who also included Japanese, Italians, Colombians, Spaniards, Australians, Poles and French, were passengers on two cruise liners which had recently arrived in Tunis.
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Gallery: Gallery
Police officers stand outside the parliament
A tourist injured after an attack by gunmen on Tunisia's national museum is wheeled on a stretcher
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Police lead their dogs during the attack by gunmen
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Police officers and a journalist run outside the parliament
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A tourist injured after an attack by gunmen on Tunisia's national museum
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Moncef Hamdoun, an official with the Charles Nicolle hospital where many victims were taken, said seven of the dead remain unidentified.
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: "Sadly, I can confirm the death of a British woman in yesterday's terrorist attack in Tunisia. Consular staff are providing assistance to her family. My thoughts are with them at this very difficult time.
"The Tunisian people are rightly proud of their democratic transition.
Video:Tunisians Unite Against Terror
"Cowardly attacks, such as the one we saw yesterday, must not be allowed to undermine what they have achieved.
"I spoke to Prime Minister Habib Essid yesterday to offer my condolences to all those affected by this despicable act and to assure him we stand together against terrorism."
Meanwhile, Mr Essid said one of the two gunmen was known to intelligence services. Authorities are searching for two or three other possible accomplices.
Video:Terrified Hostages Flee Museum
In an interview with France's RTL radio, Mr Essid said Tunisia was working with other countries to learn more about the attackers, identified as Yassine Laabidi and Hatem Khachnaoui.
The pair were killed by security services in a raid after the attack.
Mr Essid said Laabidi had been flagged to intelligence, although not for "anything special." No formal links to a particular terrorist group have been established following the attack.
Video:Tunisia's Deadly Exports
Spain's foreign minister, Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo, also revealed a Spanish tourist couple - including a pregnant woman - were found safe after hiding out in the Tunis museum all night after the attack.
More follows...
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British Woman Killed In 'Brutal' Tunisia Attack
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Tunisian security forces secure the area after gunmen attacked
A British woman was killed in the terror attack in Tunis that left 23 people dead, it has emerged.
News of the British victim - named as Sally Adey - came after Tunisia's health minister said the number of people who died in the attack had risen to 23, including the two gunmen.
Prime Minister David Cameron described the killings as an "appalling and brutal outrage".
Witnesses say the gunmen behind the attack opened fire on tourists arriving at the capital's Bardo Museum, renowned for its collection of Roman mosaics, before chasing them inside.
The victims, who also included Japanese, Italians, Colombians, Spaniards, Australians, Poles and French, were passengers on two cruise liners which had recently arrived in Tunis.
1/14
Gallery: Gallery
Police officers stand outside the parliament
A tourist injured after an attack by gunmen on Tunisia's national museum is wheeled on a stretcher
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Police lead their dogs during the attack by gunmen
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Police officers and a journalist run outside the parliament
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A tourist injured after an attack by gunmen on Tunisia's national museum
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Moncef Hamdoun, an official with the Charles Nicolle hospital where many victims were taken, said seven of the dead remain unidentified.
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: "Sadly, I can confirm the death of a British woman in yesterday's terrorist attack in Tunisia. Consular staff are providing assistance to her family. My thoughts are with them at this very difficult time.
"The Tunisian people are rightly proud of their democratic transition.
Video:Tunisians Unite Against Terror
"Cowardly attacks, such as the one we saw yesterday, must not be allowed to undermine what they have achieved.
"I spoke to Prime Minister Habib Essid yesterday to offer my condolences to all those affected by this despicable act and to assure him we stand together against terrorism."
Meanwhile, Mr Essid said one of the two gunmen was known to intelligence services. Authorities are searching for two or three other possible accomplices.
Video:Terrified Hostages Flee Museum
In an interview with France's RTL radio, Mr Essid said Tunisia was working with other countries to learn more about the attackers, identified as Yassine Laabidi and Hatem Khachnaoui.
The pair were killed by security services in a raid after the attack.
Mr Essid said Laabidi had been flagged to intelligence, although not for "anything special." No formal links to a particular terrorist group have been established following the attack.
Video:Tunisia's Deadly Exports
Spain's foreign minister, Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo, also revealed a Spanish tourist couple - including a pregnant woman - were found safe after hiding out in the Tunis museum all night after the attack.
More follows...
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Breaking News: Anger As Lib Dems Deliver 'Yellow Budget'
An al Shabaab leader thought to be a mastermind of the Nairobi shopping mall attack was killed in a US drone strike last week, the Pentagon says.
Adnan Garaar was targeted while in a car near the town of Dinsoor, 150 miles west of the Somalian capital Mogadishu, on 12 March.
Residents said the car contained three al Shabaab members and the vehicle was completely destroyed.
Confirming Garaar's death, the US military said in a statement: "He posed a major threat to the region and the international community and was connected to the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya.
"His death has dealt another significant blow to the al Shabaab terrorist organisation in Somalia."
Video:Kenya Names Shopping Mall Attackers
Some 67 people, including six Britons, were killed in the Westgate Mall attack in September 2013.
The attack was the largest in Kenya since al Qaeda bombed the US embassy in Nairobi in 1998.
Al Shabaab has vowed to carry out attacks in Kenya and Uganda in retaliation for the countries' contribution to the African Union force supporting Somalia's government.
Two men were killed and more than a dozen wounded after gunmen armed with automatic weapons opened fire in a Swedish pub.
Police said the death toll is expected to rise after the attack, which took place as drinkers were watching football on television in the bar in Gothenburg.
A witness told the Aftonbladet newspaper that two people entered the pub in the Biskopsgaarden suburb in western Sweden armed with weapons that looked like Kalashnikovs and started shooting.
"We were sitting watching the football game when the shooters came in," the witness said.
The shootings took place in an area plagued by gang violence
Another witness said the shootings were over quickly.
"I didn't have time to think what was happening. Then I saw that my friend was bleeding. I tried to stop the flow of blood as well as I could with my hands," a man who gave his name as "Rocky" told public broadcaster SVT.
"Several attackers opened fire with automatic weapons," police said in a statement.
"Two men aged 20 to 25 were killed. Ten to 15 people were shot and wounded in varying degrees."
A police spokeswoman added: "There is absolutely nothing that indicates terrorism."
Police rushed to the bar, where drinkers had been watching football
The gunmen fled the scene by car and police are still hunting for them.
The shootings are believed to be gang-related.
Gothenburg has seen dozens of criminal gang-linked shootings in recent years, many of them in Biskopsgaarden, a housing estate with high unemployment and a large immigrant population.
A man was shot dead in an apartment in the area in May 2014, while in January a man was shot in the leg in a square near the scene of the latest killings.
Sweden and neighbouring Denmark have grappled for years with criminal gangs, including Hells Angels, Bandidos and immigrant groups battling for control of the drugs trade.
Police have launched a murder investigation and are questioning "a large number of people".
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Video:Netanyahu Wins Israeli Election
Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party has scored a resounding victory in Israel's election, final results show.
With nearly all the votes counted, Likud appeared to have earned 30 of parliament's 120 seats.
Exit polls had shown a tight race with Isaac Herzog's Zionist Union, but the centre-left party ended up with just 24 seats.
Mr Herzog told reporters: "A few minutes ago I spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and congratulated him on his achievement and wished him luck."
Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni, his co-leader of the Zionist Union party
Mr Netanyahu will now set about putting together a coalition government with right-wing and religious allies.
The win comes after he moved to the right in the final days of campaigning, including abandoning a commitment to negotiate a Palestinian state.
1/17
Gallery: Israel Goes To The Polls In Tight Election
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his vote in Jerusalem
An Israeli soldier choosing a ballot from behind a voting booth near Ofakim
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Isaac Herzog, co-leader of centre-left Zionist Union party, poses for a photograph at his party's headquarters in Tel Aviv
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Mr Herzog places a note in the Western Wall, the holiest prayer site for Jews in Jerusalem
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A supporter of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party holds a campaign poster in Bnei Brak
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In a four-day pre-election blitz, he made a series of promises designed to shore up his Likud base and draw voters from other right-wing and nationalist parties.
As well as ruling out a Palestinian state, he also pledged to continue building settlements on occupied land.
His victory is likely to mean continued tensions with the United States, which has had an increasingly fraught relationship with Mr Netanyahu.
The win was unexpected as the last opinion polls published four days before the vote showed the Zionist Union with a four-seat advantage over Likud.
In a statement, Likud said Mr Netanyahu intended to form a new government within weeks, with negotiations already under way with the pro-settler Jewish Home party led by Naftali Bennett, and with religious groups.
The critical party to get on side will be centrist Kulanu, led by former Likud member Moshe Kahlon, who won 10 seats, making him a kingmaker given his ability to side with either Mr Netanyahu or the centre-left opposition.
"Against all odds, we achieved a great victory for the Likud," Mr Netanyahu said.
"I am proud of the people of Israel, who in the moment of truth knew how to distinguish between what is important and what is peripheral, and to insist on what is important.
"Reality is not waiting for us. The citizens of Israel expect us to quickly put together a leadership that will work for them regarding security, economy and society as we committed to do - and we will do so."
If he manages to form a workable coalition, it would give Mr Netanyahu a fourth term in office after the six years he has already spent in power.
It puts him on track to become Israel's longest-serving prime minister, a position currently held by the country's founding father and first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, who served between from 1948 to 1954 and from 1955 to 1963.
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Netanyahu's Likud Party Wins Israeli Election
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:Netanyahu Wins Israeli Election
Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party has scored a resounding victory in Israel's election, final results show.
With nearly all the votes counted, Likud appeared to have earned 30 of parliament's 120 seats.
Exit polls had shown a tight race with Isaac Herzog's Zionist Union, but the centre-left party ended up with just 24 seats.
Mr Herzog told reporters: "A few minutes ago I spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and congratulated him on his achievement and wished him luck."
Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni, his co-leader of the Zionist Union party
Mr Netanyahu will now set about putting together a coalition government with right-wing and religious allies.
The win comes after he moved to the right in the final days of campaigning, including abandoning a commitment to negotiate a Palestinian state.
1/17
Gallery: Israel Goes To The Polls In Tight Election
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his vote in Jerusalem
An Israeli soldier choosing a ballot from behind a voting booth near Ofakim
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Isaac Herzog, co-leader of centre-left Zionist Union party, poses for a photograph at his party's headquarters in Tel Aviv
]]>
Mr Herzog places a note in the Western Wall, the holiest prayer site for Jews in Jerusalem
]]>
A supporter of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party holds a campaign poster in Bnei Brak
]]>
In a four-day pre-election blitz, he made a series of promises designed to shore up his Likud base and draw voters from other right-wing and nationalist parties.
As well as ruling out a Palestinian state, he also pledged to continue building settlements on occupied land.
His victory is likely to mean continued tensions with the United States, which has had an increasingly fraught relationship with Mr Netanyahu.
The win was unexpected as the last opinion polls published four days before the vote showed the Zionist Union with a four-seat advantage over Likud.
In a statement, Likud said Mr Netanyahu intended to form a new government within weeks, with negotiations already under way with the pro-settler Jewish Home party led by Naftali Bennett, and with religious groups.
The critical party to get on side will be centrist Kulanu, led by former Likud member Moshe Kahlon, who won 10 seats, making him a kingmaker given his ability to side with either Mr Netanyahu or the centre-left opposition.
"Against all odds, we achieved a great victory for the Likud," Mr Netanyahu said.
"I am proud of the people of Israel, who in the moment of truth knew how to distinguish between what is important and what is peripheral, and to insist on what is important.
"Reality is not waiting for us. The citizens of Israel expect us to quickly put together a leadership that will work for them regarding security, economy and society as we committed to do - and we will do so."
If he manages to form a workable coalition, it would give Mr Netanyahu a fourth term in office after the six years he has already spent in power.
It puts him on track to become Israel's longest-serving prime minister, a position currently held by the country's founding father and first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, who served between from 1948 to 1954 and from 1955 to 1963.
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Video:Anti-Capitalist Rally Turns Violent
Violent clashes have broken out in Germany's financial capital ahead of the opening of the European Central Bank's new headquarters.
Police in Frankfurt say they have arrested about 350 people after anti-austerity demonstrators became "aggressive and violent" in the early hours of the morning.
Almost 90 officers were reportedly injured after police and firefighters came under attack from activists throwing stones and hurling "unidentified liquids".
A 'capitalism kills' banner has been erected near the ECB Pic: @khusain
Meanwhile, reports of cars being torched across the city continued to emerge, including three police patrol vehicles which were set alight during an attack on a central police station.
The police and fire departments both issued appeals on Twitter, urging protesters to remain calm.
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Gallery: Frankfurt In Flames As ECB Building Protests Turn Violent
Members of the so-called "Blockupy alliance" have staged protests against austerity and the authority of the European Central Bank ahead of its new headquarters officially opening in Frankfurt, Germany
A policeman stops an anti-capitalist protester near the ECB building
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Protesters climb one of the Frankfurt towers. Pic@ @khusain
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Four German police cars set on fire by protesters burn near the ECB building
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Riot police clash with protesters dressed as clowns. Continue through for more pictures
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"Our firefighters are being attacked. Please stop doing that!" Frankfurt Fire Department tweeted.
Shortly before the ECB building's inauguration, police deployed water cannon to disperse groups of protesters gathered outside the security zone around the 185-metre (605ft) new skyscraper.
There is a massive police presence across the city, with up to 10,000 anti-austerity protesters, marching under the "Blockupy" banner, expected to take part in the rally.
"It is one of the biggest deployments ever in the city," a police spokeswoman told news agency AFP.
Blockupy, which brings together an alliance of anti-capitalist and anti-austerity groups from across Europe, has repeatedly organised protests in Frankfurt's banking district since 2012.
The organisation is targeting the ECB over its role in imposing austerity measures on financially troubled countries like Greece.
On its official Twitter page, the group accused police of brutality, claiming several people had been injured.
"Stop police violence," it wrote.
Activists have erected a banner reading "capitalism kills" in view of the new building.
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Frankfurt In Flames Amid Anti-Capitalist Rally
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Video:Anti-Capitalist Rally Turns Violent
Violent clashes have broken out in Germany's financial capital ahead of the opening of the European Central Bank's new headquarters.
Police in Frankfurt say they have arrested about 350 people after anti-austerity demonstrators became "aggressive and violent" in the early hours of the morning.
Almost 90 officers were reportedly injured after police and firefighters came under attack from activists throwing stones and hurling "unidentified liquids".
A 'capitalism kills' banner has been erected near the ECB Pic: @khusain
Meanwhile, reports of cars being torched across the city continued to emerge, including three police patrol vehicles which were set alight during an attack on a central police station.
The police and fire departments both issued appeals on Twitter, urging protesters to remain calm.
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Gallery: Frankfurt In Flames As ECB Building Protests Turn Violent
Members of the so-called "Blockupy alliance" have staged protests against austerity and the authority of the European Central Bank ahead of its new headquarters officially opening in Frankfurt, Germany
A policeman stops an anti-capitalist protester near the ECB building
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Protesters climb one of the Frankfurt towers. Pic@ @khusain
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Four German police cars set on fire by protesters burn near the ECB building
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Riot police clash with protesters dressed as clowns. Continue through for more pictures
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"Our firefighters are being attacked. Please stop doing that!" Frankfurt Fire Department tweeted.
Shortly before the ECB building's inauguration, police deployed water cannon to disperse groups of protesters gathered outside the security zone around the 185-metre (605ft) new skyscraper.
There is a massive police presence across the city, with up to 10,000 anti-austerity protesters, marching under the "Blockupy" banner, expected to take part in the rally.
"It is one of the biggest deployments ever in the city," a police spokeswoman told news agency AFP.
Blockupy, which brings together an alliance of anti-capitalist and anti-austerity groups from across Europe, has repeatedly organised protests in Frankfurt's banking district since 2012.
The organisation is targeting the ECB over its role in imposing austerity measures on financially troubled countries like Greece.
On its official Twitter page, the group accused police of brutality, claiming several people had been injured.
"Stop police violence," it wrote.
Activists have erected a banner reading "capitalism kills" in view of the new building.
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Breaking News: Budget Will Deliver 'Truly National Recovery'
Seven men have been arrested in connection with the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia, in which up to 8,000 men and boys were killed.
The most high-profile arrest is reportedly of Nedeljko Milidragovic, the commander known as "Nedjo the Butcher," who went on to become a successful businessman.
Bosnian Muslims pray during a mass funeral for newly identified victims
The men, who were held in various locations across Serbia, are accused of murdering more than 1,000 Bosnian Muslims at a warehouse just outside Srebrenica.
"This is the first such case involving people directly suspected of taking part in the Srebrenica massacre," said Serbia's deputy war crimes prosecutor Bruno Vekaric.
"There are other suspects in Serbia and neighbouring countries and we are after them as well," he said.
Mejra Cakanovic holds up pictures of her late husband and two sons
He went on: "It is important to stress that this is the first time that our prosecutor's office is dealing with the mass killings of civilians and war prisoners in Srebrenica.
"We have never dealt with a crime of such proportions. It is very important for Serbia to take a clear position toward Srebrenica through a court process."
A dutch peacekeeper in the nearby village of Potocari in 1995
The men are likely to stand trial in Serbia, rather than the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, where Serbia's late President Slobodan Milosevic was on trial when he died.
The arrests are the first in the ex-Yugoslav republic in connection with what was Europe's worst atrocity since World War II. The United Nations has since ruled the murders constituted a genocide.
The men and boys were killed over a number of days following the fall of a UN "safe haven" under the protection of Dutch peacekeepers.
Some 100,000 people died in the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which lasted from 1992 until 1995 and was part of a wider conflict that led to the collapse of the former Yugoslavia.
A man walks past a plaque with the estimated number of those killed
Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, captured in 2008 and military commander Ratko Mladic, captured in 2011, are currently on trial for war crimes, including Srebrenica.
But the latest arrests are the first time that Serbia has targeted the men who actually did the killing.
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 17 Maret 2015 | 18.46
Polls Open In Closely-Fought Israel Election
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Video:Support Waning For Netanyahu
Polls have opened in Israel's election as Benjamin Netanyahu fights to remain the country's prime minister.
More than 5.8 million people are eligible to vote up until 8pm GMT in 10,372 polling stations nationwide.
Voters will elect the 120-member parliament, casting ballots for a party list, rather than individual candidates.
After voting closes, it typically takes weeks of negotiations for a governing coalition to be formed.
Isaac Herzog's Zionist Union has been polling slightly ahead of Mr Netanyahu's Likud party - a majority of three or four seats, according to the latest polls, but neither political camp has a clear majority.
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Gallery: Israel Goes To The Polls In Tight Election
Isaac Herzog, co-leader of centre-left Zionist Union party, poses for a photograph at his party's headquarters in Tel Aviv
Mr Herzog places a note in the Western Wall, the holiest prayer site for Jews in Jerusalem
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A supporter of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party holds a campaign poster in Bnei Brak
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Moshe Kahlon is head of the new centrist party Kulanu (All of Us) and sits with supporters at a Tel Aviv shopping centre
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An Israeli soldier choosing a ballot from behind a voting booth near Ofakim
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Much will depend on which candidate the smaller, centrist parties choose to back, and the leaning of a joint list uniting Israel's four Arab parties, which is expected to come in third.
Mr Netanyahu is seeking a fourth term in office and has cast the threat to his reign as a foreign-orchestrated bid to install a leader who might agree to Palestinian statehood or nuclear diplomacy with Iran.
In a last-minute appeal to his hardline base, the 65-year-old reiterated that a Palestinian state would not be created on his watch.
Video:Israeli Elections In 60 Seconds
He told a news website that turning over captured territory to the Palestinians would clear the way for Islamic extremists to take control and attack Israel.
"Whoever ignores that is burying his head in the sand," he said.
"The left is doing that, burying its head in the sand time after time."
Video:Israel Prepares To Go To The Polls
His vow not to allow a Palestinian state goes back on a long-standing promise to the US, something that could strain troubled ties with Washington.
Mr Netanyahu brought the election on himself, calling the snap vote after firing centrist ministers from his fractious coalition just two years into its term.
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Polls Open In Closely-Fought Israel Election
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:Support Waning For Netanyahu
Polls have opened in Israel's election as Benjamin Netanyahu fights to remain the country's prime minister.
More than 5.8 million people are eligible to vote up until 8pm GMT in 10,372 polling stations nationwide.
Voters will elect the 120-member parliament, casting ballots for a party list, rather than individual candidates.
After voting closes, it typically takes weeks of negotiations for a governing coalition to be formed.
Isaac Herzog's Zionist Union has been polling slightly ahead of Mr Netanyahu's Likud party - a majority of three or four seats, according to the latest polls, but neither political camp has a clear majority.
1/11
Gallery: Israel Goes To The Polls In Tight Election
Isaac Herzog, co-leader of centre-left Zionist Union party, poses for a photograph at his party's headquarters in Tel Aviv
Mr Herzog places a note in the Western Wall, the holiest prayer site for Jews in Jerusalem
]]>
A supporter of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party holds a campaign poster in Bnei Brak
]]>
Moshe Kahlon is head of the new centrist party Kulanu (All of Us) and sits with supporters at a Tel Aviv shopping centre
]]>
An Israeli soldier choosing a ballot from behind a voting booth near Ofakim
]]>
Much will depend on which candidate the smaller, centrist parties choose to back, and the leaning of a joint list uniting Israel's four Arab parties, which is expected to come in third.
Mr Netanyahu is seeking a fourth term in office and has cast the threat to his reign as a foreign-orchestrated bid to install a leader who might agree to Palestinian statehood or nuclear diplomacy with Iran.
In a last-minute appeal to his hardline base, the 65-year-old reiterated that a Palestinian state would not be created on his watch.
Video:Israeli Elections In 60 Seconds
He told a news website that turning over captured territory to the Palestinians would clear the way for Islamic extremists to take control and attack Israel.
"Whoever ignores that is burying his head in the sand," he said.
"The left is doing that, burying its head in the sand time after time."
Video:Israel Prepares To Go To The Polls
His vow not to allow a Palestinian state goes back on a long-standing promise to the US, something that could strain troubled ties with Washington.
Mr Netanyahu brought the election on himself, calling the snap vote after firing centrist ministers from his fractious coalition just two years into its term.
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Israel's latest general election is not, as one wag put it, going to be a walk over for Mr Combover. But he may escape a haircut.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the incumbent Prime Minister, has been rattled as his Likud party has been showing signs of weakening in the polls.
The last and final pre-election polls suggest his party will only get 20 seats in the 120 seat Knesset.
The newly formed Zionist Union, led by former Labour stalwarts Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni, may garner 26 seats – a better showing than in polls ahead of the 2013 elections.
Campaigning has been intense. Voter turnout is expected to top 70%.
Video:March 3: Netanyahu On Iran Threat
But what is likely is weeks of grinding coalition talks because, as things stand now, neither the right nor the left blocs can guarantee they'll be able to stitch together the 61 seats required to form a majority.
Israeli Arab voters, who number about 20% of the population, are likely to turn out for the United List of former rival mainly Arab parties. They could get 13 seats which would make them the third largest party in the legislature.
So far their leaders have ruled out joining a ruling coalition. This is a blow to the left because Arab seats would have brought them closer to dominating the Knesset.
Video:Israeli Elections In 60 Seconds
Both the left and the right will have to get into bed with religious parties if they are going to form a government which means inevitable trading in the political souk.
Mr Netanyahu has been preening himself for a large turnout of supporters, like the one he got on Sunday night at a rally in Tel Aviv.
Likud grandee Zalman Shoval, a two-time former Israeli ambassador to the US, told Sky News that there was an "awareness that they need to turn out to avoid the sort of result they don't want" – a centre-left coalition.
Video:Israel Prepares To Go To The Polls
But many or even most of those at the rally wore the white and blue kippa of the religious right and settlement movement. Mr Netanyahu has solid support among those who were always going to vote for the right. He may be losing those in the centre though.
This may be due to the rapid increase in the cost of living in Israel and perceptions among many that the wealth gap in a traditionally egalitarian Israel is widening to unacceptable levels.
It may also be partly due to dismay at the atrocious relationship that he has with US President Barack Obama and the wider Democratic Party in Washington where he addressed both houses of Congress against the wishes of the White House.
Video:'Hard To Guess'
But even if "Mr Security" is seen as a liability abroad, a right-wing coalition looks marginally more likely than a left-wing government. This is assuming Mr Netanyahu can appeal to the religious parties over the heads of Mr Herzog and only if the polls are correct.
In 2013, opinion polls hugely underestimated the success of the centrist Yesh Atid party. Mr Combover will be hoping that they have been accurate in their assessment of the Zionist Union and that it won't see a surge. If not it's off to the barber.
Irish prime minister Enda Kenny has responded angrily to remarks made by his Australian counterpart appearing to criticise Ireland's fondness for alcohol.
Tony Abbott released a video message last week to mark St Patrick's Day where he said the 17 March was the "one day where it was good to be green".
The PM, wearing a green tie, then awkwardly joked about sharing a pint of Guinness, "or two, or maybe even three" with emigrants in Australia.
Speaking in Washington DC, Mr Kenny dismissed Mr Abbott's comments: "I've heard the prime minister's comments. He made them. I don't agree with that.
"I think that it is perfectly in order for so many Irish people in Australia to have an enjoyable celebration of St Patrick's Day and St Patrick's week, and to do so in a thoroughly responsible fashion," he said in quotes reported by the Irish Independent.
"There has been a long-term view of a 'stage Irish' perception. I reject that. I think it's really important that we understand that we have a national day that can be celebrated worldwide, St Patrick's Day."
After Mr Abbott's video was released, two St Patrick's Day events decided not to screen the message after critics described it as "patronising".
Australia's defence minister Kevin Andrews also appeared to make a link between the Irish and alcohol by tweeting a photo of himself holding a can of Guinness.
This is not the first time high-profile Irish figures have hit out at reported stereotyping.
Last year the Irish ambassador to Australia attacked a national newspaper for the demeaning way it reported a court case involving an Irish man who, he said, "expressed remorse and shame for his actions".
Noel White said: "The Irish do well in Australia. They work hard. And if nationalities can be characterised, they live life to the full, often with high spirits and good humour, characteristics they share with many others.
"Also, like others, the Irish are not immune to the effect of offensive and insulting language."
