Gaza 'Is Living In A Disaster Situation'

By Katie Stallard, Sky News Correspondent, in Gaza

The first ambulance came in at speed, tyres squealing.

Inside, was a 10-year-old boy.

They rushed him to the emergency ward, but there was nothing they could do to save his life.

We saw other children being brought in - a little girl, maybe five years old, carried in a paramedic's arms.

An ambulance brings a child to Gaza's Shifa Hospital

She looked absolutely terrified.

The doctors told us they treated a six-month-old baby for shrapnel wounds to the head.

We saw an 80-year-old woman, clearly very frail and confused and clearly seriously injured.

"Gaza is living in a disaster situation," said Dr Sobhi Skaik at Shifa Hospital.

"Again the war is coming to kill and kill and kill.

"Today is the 33rd day of this massacre in Gaza. This is inhuman and it has to be stopped."

Dr Sobhu Skaik tends to an injured 80-year-old woman

He said they need basic supplies now - surgical instruments, drugs, medication, and expertise - specifically vascular, orthopaedic and neurosurgeons.

One of the ambulances pulling up outside had blast damage to the windscreen and a bullet hole in the side.

Six medics have been killed in Gaza so far.

Paramedic Ahmed Abu-Ali said: "We feel we are targeted in any minute.

"All medical teams are now afraid they are targeted, it's very hard now.

"We wake up every day and we don't know if we are coming back to our homes or not."

We saw outgoing rockets too.

Although Hamas has not admitted firing any rockets since the ceasefire ended, Islamic Jihad and other smaller militant groups have said they fired on Israel.

But Israel says Hamas violated the ceasefire, and therefore Hamas is responsible for any resulting harm to the residents Gaza, who, it says, are being used as human shields.

But it's difficult to explain that argument to a parent carrying their child into the emergency ward.

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Reagan Press Chief's Death Ruled 'Homicide'

Former White House Press Secretary James Brady's death this week has been ruled a homicide.

A Virginia medical examiner said on Friday that Brady had died as a result of the injuries he suffered 33 years ago when he was wounded during the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.

It is not clear whether the gunman, John Hinckley, could now be charged with Brady's murder.

Brady pictured behind the president just before John Hinckley opened fire

District of Columbia police say they have been notified of Friday's homicide ruling.

Hinckley - who is a patient at a psychiatric hospital in Washington DC - was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the attempted murder of Reagan.

Brady died on Monday aged 73 from a series of health issues, his family said.

The White House press briefing room was renamed for Mr Brady in 2000

He was one of four people wounded, including Reagan, in the shooting by Hinckley outside the Washington Hilton Hotel on March 30, 1981.

A bullet struck Brady in the head, causing brain damage, partial paralysis, short-term memory impairment, slurred speech and constant pain for the rest of his life.

He endured a series of brain operations in the years after the shooting.

Brady devoted his life to the pursuit of stronger gun laws after he was left permanently disabled in the shooting.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is named in his honour.

Despite being unable to perform as press secretary after the shooting, Reagan allowed Brady to keep his title until his second term in office ended in 1989.

In 2000, the White House press briefing room was renamed in honour of Brady.

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Israeli Shells Pound Gaza As Fighting Resumes

The Israeli military has has launched more than 30 airstrikes on Gaza - killing five Palestinians - as talks to extend the temporary ceasefire stalled.

Militants have also fired into Israel since the truce between the Jewish state and Hamas ended on Friday morning.

Three Palestinians were killed in an attack on a mosque and two people travelling on a motorcycle died when they were struck by a bomb.

Another two Palestinians were shot dead by soldiers and dozens wounded in clashes with Israeli forces amid violent protests in occupied West Bank.

Palestinians pray over the bodies of three members of the same family

The deaths bring the number of dead in the month-long conflict to nearly 1,900. The United Nations, which has condemned Israel's actions, say 1,354 of those killed have been civilians.

Israel has lost 64 soldiers during the conflict, while three civilians have died from rocket fire into the country.

The resumption of violence came as Britain announced it would send a team of NHS experts to help victims wounded in Gaza.

Smoke rises from what witnesses said was an Israeli strike on Gaza City

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "The conflict in Gaza has taken a terrible toll.

"The NHS has always stepped up to the plate to help those in need and this expert team will play a crucial role in helping hundreds caught up in this conflict."

The UK team consists of doctors, nurses, surgeons, anaesthetists and paramedics - and their specialities include trauma and plastic surgery.

Mr Cameron is under increasing pressure to suspend arms exports from British manufacturers to Israeli forces following the resignation of foreign minister Baroness Warsi over the Government's line on Gaza this week.

Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli border guards in West Bank

Lady Warsi said the Government's approach had been "morally indefensible" and has stepped up her call for action to be taken.

"For me at that moment the concern that I had was that even if the ceasefire had held, and I sincerely hoped it had, there was still no clear language from the Government in relation to the condemnation of what had happened," she said.

"There was no clear commitment that we would lead the international effort on accountability on both sides for what had happened.

A Palestinian boy sleeps in a UN-organised shelter

"Our language was not there. It was lagging behind. I don't think it was just words that would have stopped me from doing what I did.

"I think it was a combination of issues. It was the language that we were using, I think it was our lack of support for international justice and accountability for the crimes that had been committed."

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has urged the coalition to halt arms export licences for ammunition, drone parts and armoured vehicles, which are being used in Operation Protective Edge. He had indicated on Thursday an announcement would be imminent.

Baroness Warsi's resiganation has placed pressure on David Cameron

The United States said it still hoped the three-day ceasefire could be revived and Egypt, which attempting to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians with US and European mediators, insisted negotiations were making progress.

However, little movement seems to have been achieved and the two sides are still far apart on meeting terms of agreement.

In an interview with the New York Times on Friday, Barack Obama urged Israel to recognise Palestinians had a right to land and space to live.

He said: "It has consistently been my belief that you have to find a way to live side by side in peace with Palestinians ... You have to recognise that they have legitimate claims, and this is their land and neighbourhood as well."

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Iraq: A Quarter Century Of US Intervention

As Barack Obama threatens airstrikes in Iraq, Sky News looks at a quarter century of US military intervention in the country.

In his announcement, Mr Obama said the airstrikes, if needed, would stop the advance of Islamist militants and prevent what he called a "genocide" of minorities.

He became the fourth consecutive US President to authorise military action in the Middle East country. Here is what his predecessors did:

:: DESERT STORM

Coalition troops moved within 150 miles of Baghdad before withdrawing

The first Iraq war was launched by the US in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, which began on August 2, 1990.

Saddam Hussein's move brought economic sanctions by the UN Security Council and widespread international condemnation.

George HW Bush put together a wide coalition and launched Operation Desert Storm in January 1991 to expel Iraqi troops from Kuwait.

The coalition troops also entered Iraqi territory but declared a ceasefire before entering Baghdad or toppling Saddam Hussein.

The ceasefire took effect in April.

:: DESERT FOX

Bill Clinton said Iraq failed to comply with international obligations

In 1998 President Bill Clinton ordered the bombing of specific targets to reduce Saddam's capability to make and use weapons of mass destruction.

The US accused Iraq of failing to comply with UN resolutions and obstructing the work of UN weapons inspectors.

Operation Desert Fox, supported by Britain, began on December 6 and lasted three days.

:: IRAQI FREEDOM

George W Bush's decision to invade Iraq split the international community

The US-led invasion of Iraq was ordered by George W Bush in March 2003 in one of the most controversial moves in recent history.

Mr Bush, who had already launched a war in Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11, said Saddam had weapons of mass destruction – a claim that was subsequently discredited. British prime minister Tony Blair emerged as Mr Bush's main ally.

Baghdad fell in April 2003 and in May that year Mr Bush famously announced the end of major combat operations from a US aircraft carrier in front of a banner that said "Mission Accomplished". Saddam was captured on December 13, 2003.

But since then, violent conflict between Iraqi insurgents and US forces, and among different factions within Iraq, have claimed thousands of lives.

The last US troops left Iraq in 2011.

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Ebola An International Health Emergency - WHO

Ebola Cure 'A Long Way Off': Facts About Virus

Updated: 12:08am UK, Thursday 07 August 2014

A cure for the deadly ebola virus, which has killed hundreds of people in West Africa, is "a very long way off", an expert has told Sky News.

David Evans, a professor of virology at Warwick University, said ebola is the latest disease to be transmitted "very efficiently" because of international travel.

More than 670 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria have fallen victim to the viral illness, which has a fatality rate of up to 90%.

Those with ebola will often be overcome by a sudden onset of fever, as well as weakness, muscle pain and headaches.

The body is then gripped by vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes, kidney and liver problems and bleeding.

The time between infection and symptoms appearing is anything from two days to three weeks.

Ebola is spread through the direct contact with the blood, organs or other bodily fluids of those infected.

The liquid that bathes the eye and semen can transmit the disease, Prof Evans said.

Horseshoe bats are believed to be the natural host of the viral disease, he said.

"These bats transmit the virus between themselves, but periodically it then ends up in probably primates or other types of bushmeat which are then hunted by villagers and the virus is then transmitted from the sick animals to humans," he said.

Transmission has also been documented through the handling of chimpanzees, gorillas and porcupines.

One of the reasons for the disease's rapid spread is a tradition at burial ceremonies for mourners to have direct contact with the body of the deceased.

"Therefore barrier methods that prevent that direct contact, including things like washing of hands and things like that provide a reasonable level of protection," he said.

Healthcare workers treating patients are particularly at risk.

Public Health England said in a risk assessment published earlier this month said that the current outbreak could increase the risk for Britons working in humanitarian and healthcare delivery.

But the threat to tourists, visitors and expatriates is still considered "very low if elementary precautions are followed".

Prof Evans said there had been "periodic outbreaks" of ebola since the first recorded instances in 1976, but this is the deadliest so far.

There were two simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan and Yambuku, a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo located near the Ebola River.

Data from the World Health Organisation shows the previous deadliest outbreak was the one in the DRC, when 280 out of 315 people infected died.

In the same country in 1995 another outbreak claimed 254 lives, with 315 patients infected.

In 2000, there were 425 cases in Uganda and 224 people died.

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US Threatens Strikes To Stop Iraq 'Genocide'

President Barack Obama has authorised airstrikes against Islamist militants in northern Iraq and ordered airdrops of supplies to besieged religious minorities.

Three aircraft delivered food and water to thousands of Iraqis trapped on a mountain, and left the drop zone after 15 minutes, according to the Pentagon.

In a late-night televised address, Mr Obama said targeted strikes would be launched - if needed - to stop the advance on Irbil by the Islamic State - the group previously known as ISIS or ISIL.

The President said the action would be aimed at defending Americans and protect civilians under siege, preventing a "potential act of genocide".

Thousands of Yezidis who fled their homes risk starvation

"Earlier this week, one Iraqi in the area cried to the world, 'There is no one coming to help,'" said Mr Obama.

"Well, today America is coming to help."

However, he stressed there was no intention of sending in any troops.

Prime Minister David Cameron called the attacks by IS "barbaric" and said he was "extremely concerned by the appalling situation in Iraq and the desperate situation facing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis".

However, Downing Street said there would be no UK military action in Iraq.

Some 40,000 residents from the ancient Yezidi community have been forced to leave the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar after the Sunni fighters overwhelmed Kurdish forces.

Some Yedizis took refuge in Dohuk province in northern Iraq

Many Yezidis are trapped on Mount Sinjar without food or water and are at risk of starvation as the militants surround the base.

"Children are dying of thirst, meanwhile ISIL forces have called for the destruction of the entire Yezidi people, which would constitute genocide," Mr Obama said.

"These innocent families are faced with a horrible choice: Descend the mountain and be slaughtered, or stay and slowly die of thirst and hunger."

Two F-18 fighter jets kept watch over the three cargo aircraft - one C-17 and two C-130s - during the Mount Sinjar aid mission.

Obama in discussion with his national security team

The planes dropped 72 bundles, containing more than 20,000 litres of drinking water and 8,000 pre-packaged meals.

Militants have been surging across the north of Iraq towards Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish region.

The US has a consulate in the city, where civilian and military staff work.

Mr Obama said airstrikes would target IS convoys "should they move toward the city".

The announcement was Mr Obama's most significant response yet to the crisis. The President had been reluctant to deepen US military re-engagement in Iraq after the last troops left in 2011.

ISIS issued an ultimatum toYezidis to convert to Islam

But he said the strikes had been approved to help Iraqi forces and stop a "massacre" of the Yezidis.

IS has issued the Yezidi people an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, flee their homes or face death.

The group sees the Yezidis, who are followers of a religion derived from Zoroastrianism, as "devil worshippers".

Attacks on minorities in Iraq could constitute a crime against humanity, said the UN Security Council at an emergency meeting on Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Christians, are fleeing from the jihadists who have swept through more than a dozen towns in recent days.

Militants have been surging across the north of Iraq towards Irbil

Among them, the militants captured Iraq's biggest Christian town, Qaraqosh, prompting many residents to leave, fearing for their lives.

The group has declared a caliphate - an Islamic state - across much of Iraq and Syria and wants to bring in a strict version of Islamic law.

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Khmer Rouge Leaders Sentenced To Life In Prison

Two former Khmer Rouge leaders have been sentenced to life in prison for their involvement in the genocide of an estimated two milllion people in Cambodia.

The UN-backed tribunal's verdicts were announced against Khieu Samphan, 83, the Maoist regime's former head of state, and Nuon Chea, 88, who was leader Pol Pot's deputy.

The charges centred on the forced exodus of millions of people from Cambodia's cities into the countryside, where they were starved or worked to death.

The case also involved an execution site in the northwest where thousands of people were shot and buried in mass graves.

Nuon Chea (L) and Khieu Samphan remained impassive as they were sentenced

Nuon Chea, wearing his trademark sunglasses, sat in a wheelchair in the dock as the verdict was read in the capital Phnom Penh, while Khieu Samphan stood next to him.

A man whose father and siblings died during the regime cries outside court

Survivors of the brutal regime - which oversaw the torture and execution of tens of thousands of Khmer people - cried and applauded as they were jailed following the two-year trial.

Skulls at a memorial at the Killing Fields where thousands were butchered

"This is the justice that I have been waiting for these last 35 years," said 70-year-old survivor Khieu Pheatarak.

"I will never forget the suffering but this is a great relief for me. It is a victory and an historic day for all Cambodians."

Cambodian and international journalists watch the trial

She was among tens of thousands of Cambodians taken from their homes at gunpoint in 1975 by the Khmer Rouge's peasant army.

A woman holds a traditional Khmer scarf as she awaits the sentencing

They were forced into agricultural work in an attempt to create a totally self-sufficient and classless agrarian society.

The men's lawyers said they would appeal the verdict.

Torture instruments used by Khmer Rouge activists displayed at Tuol Sleng

"It is unjust for my client. He did not know or commit many of these crimes," Son Arun, a lawyer for Nuon Chea, told reporters.

Despite both defendants denying any knowledge of the Khmer Rouge's crimes, they both eventually expressed remorse for the suffering inflicted.

Former Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary died while facing trial

Survivors fear the ageing men will not live long enough to serve more than a year or two of their sentence.

Former foreign minister Ieng Sary died aged 87 last year while on trial on charges of genocide.

An undated photo of Pol Pot (left) with Ieng Sary (centre)

His wife Ieng Thirith was released in 2012 after it was ruled she was too ill to stand trial.

Pol Pot was arrested by former Khmer Rouge colleagues and sentenced to life under house arrest in 1997. He died a year later.

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Oscar Pistorius: 'An Appalling, Vague Witness'

The chief prosecutor in the Oscar Pistorius trial has accused the athlete's lawyers of presenting a dishonest defence against his murder charge.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel made the allegation in his closing speech against the athlete who shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet door at his home in February 2013.

Mr Nel said a criminal trial was a "blunt instrument for digging up the truth," adding Pistorius' lawyers argued the athlete acted in self-defence as he feared an intruder was in his house, but also suggested he was not criminally responsible, shooting Ms Steenkamp because he was 'startled'.

Reeva's parents June and Barry Steenkamp arrive for the hearing

"It's two defences you can never reconcile," said Nel, who went on to accuse Pistorius of being an "appalling, vague" and "deceitful" witness.

Pistorius was "more interested in defending his life than telling the truth," Mr Nel said.

"His story is so improbable it's a clear indication of his mendacity."

As Mr Nel summed-up some 100 pages of evidence that were submitted to the court last week, Pistorious occasionally shook his head in disagreement and held his head in his hands.

Sky's Alex Crawford reporting from the court in Pretoria said: "It was like watching flashbacks from a horror film. Gerrie Nel picked up what he believed to be (Pistorius') most devastating moments in court.

"He drew a very ugly picture of Oscar Pistorius, the man and the personality. A hero who had fallen so low, in the view of Gerrie Nel."

Prosecution and defence lawyers will sum up their cases over the next two days in a final attempt to convince judge Thokozile Matilda Masipa before she reaches her verdict.

Pistorius, 27, faces a minimum of 25 years in prison if found guilty of premeditated murder. He could also be convicted on lesser charges, such as culpable homicide or murder without premeditation.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel accused Pistorius of being a 'deceitful' witness

The prosecution says Pistorius intentionally shot Ms Steenkamp in anger after a quarrel. His defence insists he fired by mistake, thinking an intruder was in the toilet cubicle and that Ms Steenkamp was in the bedroom.

Ms Steenkamp's parents are in court listening to the closing speeches which are expected to last two days. It is the first time her father, Barry Steenkamp, has attended court since the trial began.

The hearing in Pretoria was put on hold last month after hearing from 37 witnesses.

More follows...

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Ukraine: Russia Troop Build-Up Invasion Fear

Russia has built up the number of combat ready troops on the Ukrainian border to 20,000, according to Nato.

Officials fear the troop movements are a precursor to an invasion, which could be carried out under the pretext of a humanitarian or peacekeeping mission.

It comes as Russia bans beef, pork, fruit and vegetable produce, poultry, fish, cheese, milk and dairy imports from the EU, US, Australia, Norway and Canada. The move is a response to sanctions against Russia.

Fighting has continued in eastern Ukraine, where some 1,300 people have been killed since April, according to the United Nations.

The rebel leadership in the city of Horlivka, about 22 miles (35km) north of Donetsk, said 33 civilians had been killed and 129 wounded by shelling over the past few days.

The Ukrainian military said 18 of its soldiers had been killed and 54 injured in fighting over the past 24 hours, the highest number killed or injured in weeks.

Refugees fleeing fighting in south eastern Ukraine take shelter in Donetsk

It was also accused of carrying out its first airstrike on the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, as Ukraine said it was getting ready to recapture the city. 

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said: "The threat of a direct intervention (by Russia into Ukraine) is certainly greater than it was even a few days ago."

Nato spokeswoman Oana Lungescu added: "This is a dangerous situation."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to use his influence with the rebels to help stabilise the country.

Moscow said making claims about the movement of its troops was like "selling soap bubbles".

Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenikov said: "Movements of such forces of thousands of troops and equipment are not possible in such a short time."

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is visiting Ukraine to hold talks with President Petro Poroshenko.

A man inspects damage after what Donetsk locals described as an 'airstrike'

Many EU nations and US politicians blame Russia for the continued escalation of fighting in Ukraine, which resulted in Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 being shot down.

Since the jet was shot down, the EU, US and some other Western nations have engaged in a tit for tat exchange of sanctions with Russia.

Ukraine has made major military advances during the last month and says Donetsk has now almost been cut off from the Russian border and the second rebel stronghold of Luhansk.

More than 285,000 people have fled their homes in the last few months because of the fighting, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Luhansk is said to be without power, running water, phone connections or fuel, while food supplies have been running low.

Meanwhile, investigators working on the MH17 crash site were forced to suspend their work on Wednesday due to shooting in the area.

Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott vowed that those responsible for shooting down the Malaysian airliner and killing all 298 people on board would be brought to justice.

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Israel-Hamas Ceasefire As Troops Exit Gaza

A three-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to be holding as Israeli ground troops are withdrawn to "defensive positions" on the border.

Tuesday saw the longest lull in fighting since the almost four-week conflict began, with both sides seemingly observing the terms of an Egyptian-brokered truce.

Some of the 440,000 Palestinians displaced by the fighting were able to make the trek from UN-run shelters back home to survey the damage.

Palestinians crowd into an ice cream shop as the truce comes into effect

Shops and local businesses also gradually reopened as confidence grew that the ceasefire was holding.

The truce began at 8am local time (6am UK time) and follows six previous ceasefire attempts which have all been marked by allegations from both sides of continued attacks.

But aerial assaults were put on hold as Israel's ground offensive, aimed at destroying Hamas' network of cross-border tunnels, also drew to a close.

Civilians could return to the streets of Gaza to enjoy the lull in fighting

Israel says its troops and tanks were redeployed in "defensive positions" near the border.

Israeli army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said the move came after the last of 32 tunnels located inside Gaza was destroyed overnight.

"Today we completed the removal of this threat," he said.

There was a rapid exchange of fire in the minutes leading up to the truce, with Hamas militants launching rockets over the border and Israeli warplanes carrying out airstrikes.

An Israeli soldier carries his gear after returning to Israel from Gaza

Hamas claimed the rockets were launched in retaliation for Israel's "massacres".

Israel's anti-missile system shot down one rocket over Jerusalem, while another struck a house in a town near Bethlehem.

Israeli warplanes also carried out at least five airstrikes before the ceasefire took hold and the skies fell silent.

Tuesday's ceasefire deal followed lengthy negotiations in Cairo attended by a Palestinian delegation, but shunned by Israel.

An Israeli delegation has now arrived in Egypt to join indirect talks aimed at thrashing out a more lasting deal.

Hamas has demanded Israel withdraw from Gaza and end a blockade of the territory.

It has also called for its prisoners to be released and for international assistance in rebuilding Gaza.

Bassam Salhi, a member of the Palestinian delegation, admitted brokering a peace deal which satisfies both sides will prove difficult.

"It's going to be tough negotiations because Israel has demands too," he said.

More than 20 Palestinians were killed on Monday, including an eight-year-old girl who died in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in Gaza City, just minutes into a seven-hour partial truce.

Jerusalem, meanwhile, was rocked by two attacks which appeared to be in retaliation for violence in the Gaza Strip.

The driver of a digger was shot dead after hitting a bus, killing one person, in what Israel described as a "terrorist attack".

Palestinians returned their things to the remains of their destroyed homes

Several hours later a gunman shot and wounded an Israeli soldier before escaping on a motorbike.

Israel launched its military operation on July 8 with the stated intention of ending "persistent" Hamas rocket attacks.

It subsequently launched a ground offensive aimed at destroying cross-border Hamas tunnels, an objective Israel says it has now achieved.

More than 1,880 Palestinians and 64 Israeli soldiers have lost their lives since the conflict began. Two Israeli civilians and a Thai labourer working in Israel have also died.

Meanwhile, Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi has resigned saying she can no longer support the UK Government's stance on Gaza.

Lady Warsi, who is also Minister for Faith and Communities, announced her departure on Twitter, where she has been increasingly vocal in her condemnation of Israel's actions.

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