Archbishops Split Over Right-To-Die Debate

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has made an extraordinary U-turn by announcing he is backing laws to legalise assisted dying.

His support for Labour peer Lord Falconer's Bill, which will be debated in the House of Lords next week, goes against the Church of England's official line that the law on assisted suicide should not change.

Lord Carey said it would not be "anti-Christian" to legalise assisted suicide and that by opposing reform the Church risked "promoting anguish and pain".

Tony Nicklinson died two years ago

He said the case of Tony Nicklinson - the locked-in syndrome sufferer who died after being refused the legal right to die - had the "deepest influence" on his change of heart.

"Here was a dignified man making a simple appeal for mercy, begging that the law allow him to die in peace, supported by his family," he wrote in the Daily Mail.

"His distress made me question my motives in previous debates. Had I been putting doctrine before compassion, dogma before human dignity?"

Assisted suicide is already legal at clinics like this in Switzerland

Mr Nicklinson's widow Jane said she was "amazed and thrilled" at Lord Carey's U-turn.

His comments come as a surprise because he was part of a coalition that helped stop Lord Joffe's Assisting Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill in 2006 in the House of Lords.

But while the former Archbishop has come out in favour of a change in the law, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, has condemned the Bill as "mistaken and dangerous".

Writing in the Times, Archbishop Welby warned the "deep personal demands" of individuals should not blind people to the pressures others could be put under should the practice become legal.

Lord Falconer's Bill would allow adults to ask for help to die

"It would be very naive to think that many of the elderly people who are abused and neglected each year, as well as many severely disabled individuals, would not be put under pressure to end their lives if assisted suicide were permitted by law," he wrote.

Archbishop Welby said a law that permitted assisted suicide would be "bound" to lead to some people feeling they ought to stop "being a burden to others".

Under the 1961 Suicide Act, it remains a criminal offence carrying up to 14 years in jail to help take someone's life.

If successful, Lord Falconer's Bill would allow mentally capable adults in England and Wales to ask for help to die if they were suffering from a terminal illness and had less than six months to live.

Modelled on a system in place in the US state of Oregon, patients would be able to administer a fatal dose of drugs to themselves, but would not be able to be given help if they could not lift it or swallow it.

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Croc On A Plane: Reptile 'May Have Caused Crash'

An escaped crocodile may have caused a plane crash which killed a British pilot and 18 others, an inquest has heard.

Chris Wilson died when the jet he was co-piloting plunged to the ground during a routine flight across the Congo in August 2010.

No cause for the crash has ever been established but an inquest was told a crocodile may have sparked a stampede by roaming around the aisles moments before the aircraft came down.

It is thought the plane, which was travelling from Kinshasa to Bandundu, may have nosedived as passengers and crew members ran from the reptile.

Assistant Coroner David Dooley said it was "apparently quite normal" for animals to be carried on the plane, adding: "It was used like a taxi in this regard."

"There is apparently a video of the crocodile being taken out of the plane," he told the hearing at Gloucester Coroner's Court.

"(Investigators) think it may have frightened the cabin crew member and she ran forward, with the other passengers following.

"The weight shift caused by the panic may have affected the plane, causing it to nosedive or stall."

Mr Wilson moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2010 after giving up his job as a cabin crew member to follow his dream of becoming a commercial pilot.

The 39-year-old worked for local company Filair but is said to have become increasingly concerned about the flying ability of co-pilot Danny Philemotte, who owned the firm.

In a statement read to the court, his brother, Martin, said:  "Every time he flew with Mr Philemotte, there was always one incident or another.

"He said he didn't want to fly with him anymore.

"He said if it wasn't for the fact they could see where they were going, they wouldn't ever get anywhere because Mr Philemotte couldn't read the instruments.

"He said he didn't know how Mr Philemotte was still alive (because) his flying was so bad."

Timothy Atkinson, an air accident investigator, said he had reviewed evidence from the Congolese authorities but was unable to draw any definitive conclusions because they were not given the plane's black box data recorder.

"There is no evidence suggesting an engine failure or a nose dive, although I cannot be sure without looking at the plane," he told the court.

"The accident appears to have the hallmarks of a stall and spin, which may have been from a variety of causes.

"Essentially, it fell out of the sky."

Mr Dooley recorded an open conclusion, saying a lack of witnesses and data from the black box "have only resulted in vague guesses as to what happened".

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Israeli Airstrikes: Death Toll 'Reaches 120'

A Complex Web Of Friends And Enemies

Updated: 5:06pm UK, Friday 11 July 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel at dawn. The opening of a new front for Israel already engaged in an escalating air campaign in the Gaza Strip? No.

Neither the Israelis nor Hezbollah, which has an arsenal of 100,000 rockets and controls southern Lebanon, are that stupid.

The missile attack on Israel's north was an attempt by Sunni militants to spark a confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel that both know would be a zero sum.

Why would Sunnis, in all probability descendants of Palestinian refugees from what is now Israel, want to do that?

It's Hezbollah, a Shia movement, after all, that has been a major conduit of experts, funding and modern rockets to Hamas, a Sunni organisation, in Gaza. Hamas and Hezbollah are allies.

But only when it comes to fighting Israel.

In Syria, Hamas has condemned the Assad regime, which like Hezbollah is backed by Iran.

Sunnis of Palestinian descent are among volunteers who have joined rebel groups fighting Damascus, while Hezbollah has sent thousands of its best fighters to the frontlines to defend the regime of Bashar al Assad.

There is a logic at work here.

If Sunni groups in south Lebanon can sucker the Israelis into a war with Hezbollah they could enjoy the double whammy of reduced pressure on Gaza, and the use of Israel's devastating air power against Hezbollah, the Sunni's enemies in Syria.

No better example of an attempt to kill two birds with one stone.

It won't happen because both Hezbollah and Israel, foes who have the greatest respect for one another, saw through the plot some time back. It's not the first time it has been tried.

But it does signal just how the Middle East's tectonic plates of conflict have shifted and can overlap.

The explosion of sectarian Muslim war between Sunni and Shia in Syria, which has spread into Iraq and has destabilised Lebanon, has become the defining clash in a new age of chaos.

Rival regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran use proxies to vie for influence and control.

The Saudis have become increasingly nervous of the spread of a Shia crescent from Tehran through Baghdad to Damascus and south Lebanon.

But Tehran has also used enemy forces to bolster the positions of its allies.

According to intelligence sources Muhsin al Fadhli, once a senior al Qaeda figure based in Iraq has taken up an operational roles inside Syria - at the instigation of the Iranian government.

Why would Tehran release someone to fight a key client an ally in Damascus?

Because radical groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have fought harder against fellow rebel groups than they have against the Assad regime.

Tehran has split the rebels.

But now ISIS threatens Iran's client government in Baghdad showing that an enemy's enemy may be a friend from time to time, but will remain an enemy.

This may be complicated but there is no excuse for stupidity in the Middle East. Failure to comprehend this can be fatal.

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Huge Blaze As Rocket Hits Israeli Petrol Station

A rocket fired from Gaza has hit a petrol station in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, triggering a major blaze as four days of Israeli airstrikes leave an estimated 100 Palestinians dead.

The Israeli fire service said several people were injured in the attack, including one man who is in a critical condition after he was unable to escape his car in time. 

One witness told Sky News' Alex Rossi he was filling up his car when air raid sirens went off. 

Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 80 people, most of them civilians

He said: "We heard a huge explosion and after (that) a big ball of fire and (there were) a lot of people injured.

"We are lucky to be alive."

More than 550 rockets have been fired into Israel since Tuesday when the Israeli army launched an operation targeting Hamas militants who control Gaza.

News agency AFP has quoted health ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qudra as saying 100 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes.

Soldiers inspect a shell thought to have been launched from Lebanon

With the death toll rising hourly, Hamas' armed wing has threatened to target Israel's main airport.

The Islamist group's Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades released a statement warning airlines not to fly into Ben Gurion International Airport.

"In the light of Israel's ... attacks on the residents of Gaza Strip ... The armed wing of Hamas movement has decided to respond to the Israeli aggression and we warn you against carrying out flights to Ben Gurion airport, which will be one of our targets today because it also hosts a military air base," it said.

Most rockets fired from Gaza, including three spotted over Tel Aviv on Friday, have been intercepted by Israel's partly US-funded Iron Dome missile defence system and no Israeli fatalities have been reported.

Five Palestinians were killed overnight in a strike on a home in Rafah

For the first time two rockets were also reportedly launched from southern Lebanon which, according to Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, struck Israel's northern border, prompting the military to respond with artillery fire.

There were no reports of injuries on either side.

Lt Col. Lerner said it was unclear whether the attack was "symbolic or something more substantial."

It is not yet known who was responsible for the attack, although fire from Lebanon has previously been blamed on radical Palestinian factions. 

Southern Lebanon is also a stronghold of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah which has battled Israel on numerous occasions.

In Gaza meanwhile, two men were killed in the Bureij area, hours after the military bombarded the city of Rafah, killing six people.

Five of them, including a seven-year-old child, died in a strike on the home of an apparent Islamist militant.

Rocket fire from Gaza aimed at Israel has increased in recent days

Palestinian officials say most of the victims over the past four days have been civilians, many of them children.

The exchange of fire marks the heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas since an eight-day battle in November 2012.

The Israeli cabinet has said it may now send in ground troops and has authorised the call-up of as many as 40,000 reservists.

With no end to the violence in sight, US President Barack Obama has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the US would be willing to help negotiate a truce.

Obama said he was concerned the fighting could escalate and "called for all sides to do everything they can to protect the lives of civilians", the White House said.

"The United States remains prepared to facilitate a cessation of hostilities, including a return to the November 2012 ceasefire agreement."

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Teenager Admits Killing Teacher Ann Maguire

A 16-year-old accused of murdering teacher Ann Maguire in her classroom has accepted responsibility for her killing.

Mrs Maguire, 61, was fatally stabbed at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Halton Moor, Leeds, on April 28.

Defence QC Richard Wright told Leeds Crown Court: "He accepts responsibility for unlawful killing. He is not entering a plea. He does accept manslaughter.

"The issue in the case will be whether or not a partial defence is available to him."

Ann Maguire was the first teacher to be fatally stabbed in a British school

The boy, who appeared via video link wearing an orange T-shirt with blue trousers, spoke only to confirm his name and that he understood what was happening.

He was remanded in custody until the pre-trial hearing on September 28.

Mrs Maguire's family were among those inside a packed courtroom.

A note left among the tributes to Ann Maguire by a pupil

Psychiatric reports will now be prepared before the trial, which is due to start on November 3.

Judge Peter Collier QC warned the public not to write anything on the internet that could prejudice a trial - saying others had already been jailed for doing so.

Mrs Maguire was the first teacher killed in a British school since the 1996 Dunblane massacre.

Flowers laid outside Corpus Christi Catholic College in April

She first went to Corpus Christi as a student teacher and last year the school held a celebration of her 40 years of service.

A head of Year 11, she had moved to a four-day week ahead of her planned retirement.

Mrs Maguire lived in the Moortown area of Leeds with her husband, Don, who is a former maths teacher.

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World Cup Ticket Scam: Briton On The Run

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent, in Rio de Janeiro

Ray Whelan, the British executive at the heart of a ticket-touting investigation, is considered to be "on the run" after he left his hotel "in a hurried manner" before police arrived to arrest him.

Mr Whelan, a director of Match Services, a subsidiary of the Byrom Group which owns Fifa's ticket and hospitality rights, is suspected of supplying tickets to a ticket-touting gang working at the World Cup.

He was first arrested on Monday on the basis of telephone taps in which he was heard discussing $25,000 (£14,500) cash deals for ticket packages with Lamine Fofana, an Algerian suspected of being the conduit for hundreds of tickets.

Match have described Whelan's arrest as 'arbitrary and illegal'

Mr Whelan was released on bail on Tuesday morning but on Thursday a judge approved an arrest warrant, a precursor to his being formally charged. Under the order he was to be taken into custody along with 10 other suspects.

Police went to his hotel, the Copacabana Palace, on Wednesday afternoon but found he had left by a staff entrance an hour earlier, at around 3pm local time.

His fugitive status came as Match Services promised to do all it could to assist the authorities in Brazil.

Police said in a statement: "Teams from the 18 Precinct (Flag Square), coordinated by the delegate Fabio Barucke, were at the Copacabana Palace Hotel on the afternoon of Thursday, to comply with probation warrant issued by the court against Raymond Whelan. According to the delegate, the English fled out the back door of the hotel and is now considered a fugitive."

Marcos Kac, the Rio de Janeiro investigating magistrate in charge of the inquiry, said they may ask for help from federal police in case Mr Whelan is considering leaving the city by private jet.

He surrendered his passport as a condition of his bail and is not permitted to leave the country.

Match has described the arrest of Mr Whelan as "arbitrary and illegal" and accuse the police of failing to understand the ticket and hospitality market.

In a statement Jaime Byrom, the chairman and founder of the Byrom Group, said: "Notwithstanding our belief that the action taken against Mr Whelan was illegal and baseless, Match Services and I personally remain totally committed to assist the authorities from the 18th Precinct or any other jurisdiction in Fifa's fight against illegal ticket sales."

As well as owning the rights to Fifa's hospitality operation, Match also supply ticketing and accommodations services, and run a ticket enforcement programme, effectively working with local authorities to clamp down on touts or unlicensed hospitality providers working in opposition to them.

Under Fifa rules it is illegal for anyone to sell an ordinary match ticket for above its cover price. Tickets provided by Match as part of corporate packages, however, can be sold at any price, as long as they are accompanied by an element of hospitality or accommodation.

Match say that in the telephone conversations with Fofana released to the media Mr Whelan is discussing unsold hospitality packages for all seven games at the Maracana in Rio, which have an approved price of $24,750.

While Fofana was banned from buying products from Match, they say Mr Whelan could not be expected to know that. They acknowledge that while cash deals are unusual it is not a breach of the rules.

Fofana and 10 other suspects were arrested with hundreds of tickets, including some in the name of former players and the son of a senior Fifa executive committee member.

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Who Am I? Man With Amnesia In Public Appeal

A hospital in Cambridgeshire has launched an appeal for help identifying an amnesia sufferer who is unable to remember any details about his life, including his name and age.

The man, believed to be in his early 20s, was found in a park near Peterborough bus station at 6am on May 18.

He told police he had no memory of who he was or how he came to be there.

He was not carrying any personal documents, a phone or a wallet.

Experts at the Cavell Centre at Peterborough City Hospital say the man, who they have named Robert, is suffering from a very severe case of amnesia.

Robert said: "The last few weeks have been truly horrible. I go through so many different emotions.

"At times I am angry, frustrated, depressed, lost and confused. I just need to find out my name and I hope someone out there will recognise me and help."

Robert is 5ft 9ins tall, weighs 13st and has dark hair and blue eyes.

His accent is thought to be eastern European, although he speaks English. He also understands some Lithuanian and Russian.

Despite efforts to help him regain his memory, doctors say he has made little improvement over the last two months and are now calling for help.

Dr Manaan Kar Ray, clinical director of acute care at the Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Clearly this is very upsetting for him as he cannot recall any details of his life including his own name, age, where he is from, or what he does for a job.

"We have made strenuous efforts to help him with his memory - including taking him back to where he was found - but nothing has been successful so far.

"Our staff have spent a lot of time with him, helping him to recall day-to-day activities, and he can use a computer and play football and basketball, but we are still no closer to finding out who he is.

"Understandably, he is now getting very frustrated and I hope this appeal will mean someone will recognise him and come forward."

Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust on 01733 776014 between 8am and 8pm.

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GoPro Dad Films Son's Birth At Hospital Doors

Footage shot by a dad-to-be shows his dramatic rush to the hospital with his wife in labour and her delivery of a baby boy outside the hospital entrance.

Kristin Dickerson of Rosenberg, Texas, went into labour at 42 weeks pregnant in the middle of the night on June 28.

Her husband, Troy Dickerson, was wearing a GoPro camera on his head throughout the entire ordeal as he sped 95mph (150kph) toward the hospital.

Mr Dickerson thought he could make it to the hospital. Pic: YouTube

"I can't make it! I can't make it," Ms Dickerson says between screams in the 10-minute video.

"We need to stop!"

The couple eventually do make it to the hospital but before Ms Dickerson can sit on a wheelchair and go inside, the baby is born.

Ms Dickerson minutes before delivering the baby. Pic: YouTube

Ms Dickerson, who works as a childbirth educator, delivered the baby kerbside, with nurses rushing to assist and her husband comforting her and trying to calm her down.

"She had gotten out of the car and she had just frozen, like stood there. And me and the valet guy were like, 'Sit down! Sit down in the wheelchair!'" Mr Dickerson told local TV KPRC.

The baby boy was named Truett.

Truett was born before MS Dickerson got into a wheelchair. Pic: YouTube

"I'm thrilled to have the footage," Ms Dickerson later told ABC News.

"I'm more hesitant to send it to people, because it's such an intimate moment for us, but as a birth educator, it's really cool to let people see that our bodies know what to do."

It is the third baby for the Texas couple and Mr Dickerson also filmed the births of the first two children, ABC said.

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Strike Protests: Thousands Take To Streets

Unions: Workers Can't Feed Their Families

Updated: 8:59am UK, Thursday 10 July 2014

Unions say they are angry at 'abysmal pay', working conditions and pensions. Here is a snapshot of each union's main complaints.

:: Unite

Members: 1.4 million from various sectors, ranging from industry and manufacturing to education and agriculture - 70,000 of them are in local government and are directly affected by Thursday's strike.

Unite national officer for local government Fiona Farmer said: "Our members have endured four years of pay cuts in real terms and they voted overwhelmingly to strike on July 10 to drive home the message to ministers that poverty pay in local government must end.

"The depth of feeling on the pay issue is reinforced by the fact that local government unions, GMB and Unison, and members of the National Union of Teachers are all taking action on tomorrow.

"Poverty pay is widespread across local councils. Household bills continue to soar, but our members' buying power is constantly being eroded. The national minimum wage will soon overtake local government pay scales; members are choosing between heating and eating."

:: NUT

Members: 300,000 qualified teachers

Christine Blower, General Secretary National Union of Teachers, said: "Despite months in talks with Government officials, the real issues of our dispute have not been addressed. Teacher morale is at a low ebb.

"Changes to pay, pensions and a workload of 60 hours are unacceptable and unsustainable. Thousands of good, experienced teachers are leaving or considering leaving their job and a teacher shortage crisis is looming.

"The fact that teachers are prepared to take strike action is an indication of the strength of feeling and anger about the Government's imposed changes. Strike action is a last resort but, due to the intransigence of the coalition Government, it is one which we cannot avoid."

:: Unison

Members: 1.3 million workers from a range of roles within all public service areas, including people employed by public service authorities, private companies and community organisations.

Dave Prentis, Unison General Secretary, said: "Unison's local government and school members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland hold their first one day strike over an abysmal 1% pay offer. Faced with soaring food, fuel and housing costs, they have had to put up with three years of frozen pay, and now yet another below inflation offer.

"They have seen the value of their pay fall by nearly 20% since the coalition came to power and many struggle to make ends meet, to feed their families and pay their bills. Our charity is seeing more and more people asking for help and we know that many have had to resort to food banks to put food on the table.

"This is a national disgrace that these workers, who keep vital services running for their communities should be paid so badly, that they can't pay all their bills. And the lowest paid are still waiting for £250 promised by the Chancellor for two years' running. They have now voted to take strike action; that is not something they do lightly. But they are saying enough is enough. Work should pay enough for people to be able to live on."

:: GMB

Members: 617,000 workers, including school meal servers, street cleaners, binmen and carers.

GMB National Secretary, Brian Strutton, said: "We have tried sensible discussions, we've sought to negotiate reasonably, we've said we are willing to accept ACAS arbitration rather than go on strike - but to everything we've tried the employers have said 'no'. So we have no choice.

"GMB members serving school meals, cleaning streets, emptying bins, looking after the elderly, helping children in classrooms and in all the other vital roles serving our communities are fed up with being ignored and undervalued.

"Their pay has gone up only 1% since 2010 and in October even the national minimum wage will overtake local authority pay scales. Their case is reasonable, the employers won't listen and don't care, no wonder they have turned to strike action as the only way of making their voices heard."

:: PCS

Members: 270,000 civil servants.

A PCS spokesman said: "We're striking because, as well as tens of thousands of job being cut from the civil service since 2010 and the ongoing threat of more of the civil service being privatised, wages have been frozen and capped to such an extent that by next year incomes for many civil servants will be 20% lower than they would have been if they'd kept pace with increases in the cost of living. That is a huge hit in salary to take.

"There are other endemic issues, such as unequal pay. For example, staff in the Passport Office - in the eye of the storm at the moment - can be paid £3,000 less than their colleagues doing similar work elsewhere in the Home Office.

"Across the civil service, women are paid 10% less than men, 14% less for part-time workers. We've tried to negotiate but the Government refuses. Faced with this, it's inevitable that people will want to take industrial action."

:: RMT

Members: 80,000, of whom 361 TfL (Transport for London) backroom staff will be on strike.

RMT's Acting general secretary Mick Cash said: "While the political class, the bankers and the idle rich have all got their snouts in the trough, of course we are right to stand up and fight for the millions of workers told to take a hit despite the fact that they had no part in creating the financial crisis.

"We would be foolish not to maximise the unity of the trade union movement in the face of an aggressive, anti-union government that is mired in its own cesspit of scandal. We will take no lectures in morality from them.

"The front line of defence against cuts and austerity is the organised working class and that is why the Tories and big business want to tighten the legal noose around our necks. They will have a fight on their hands."

:: FBU

Members: 44,000 firefighters

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: "The government must realise that firefighters cannot accept proposals that would have such devastating consequences for their futures, their families' futures  - and the future of the fire and rescue service itself.

"We have tried every route available to us to make the government see sense over their attacks.

"Three years of negotiations have come to nothing because the government is simply unwilling to compromise or even listen to reason despite a huge amount of evidence showing their planned scheme is unworkable."

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Syria Fighter Admits Training British Teens

By Jason Farrell, Sky News Correspondent

A jihadi fighter in Syria has told Sky News he has been training British teenagers as young as 16 to fight in the war.

Yilmaz, a Dutch national who has been in the region for two years, said: "It's extremely easy to get here … People go on holiday, they end up in Syria."

Speaking via Skype, from the Idlib province of the war-torn country, the fighter insisted the majority of Britons did not pose a threat to their home country.

But he added: "There is always the chance of a loose cannon doing something stupid, doing something crazy."

Asked how young his trainees from Britain were he replied: "16, 17 ... Most are in their 20s."

Security services in the UK estimate 400 to 500 British jihadists are involved in the conflict in Syria or Iraq, and there are concerns some may wish to return and commit terrorist acts when they return.

Three Muslims from Cardiff have appeared in an ISIS video from Syria and last week a social media account in the name of one of them posted pictures of homemade bombs.

Three UK Muslims in Syria made a video calling for others to join them

Nasser Muthana, 20, appeared to warn that Britain should be afraid to allow him to return.

But Yilmaz, who was in the Dutch army and also worked in an old people's home in Holland, told Sky News: "We see this jihad in Syria as something holy.

"When I speak to the British fighters and the foreign fighters here, I just can't see them risking everything, coming home and committing crimes.

"It's funny, the British Government itself is funding and training, be it in Jordan or Syria, the Free Syrian Army. So the British Government is helping and I'm helping in my own way."

A video image purportedly showing Muslims forced to pray to President Assad

Yilmaz says he supports the goal of ISIS to overthrow the Syrian regime - but believes Iraq is a distraction.

On Sunday, it emerged that two 16-year-old twin sisters from Manchester had fled to Syria where it is feared they may have joined the ISIS fight.

Giving an insight into women's roles among his fighters, Yilmaz said: "Some brothers brought their wives or their sisters - but it's a supporting role, housework, washing, fixing clothes … there's no need for female fighters."

A British-born Londoner in the UK who converted to Islam six years ago told Sky News he believes it is his duty to go to Syria.

Londoner Suliman would like to go to Syria after being inspired by videos

Suliman, who says he has not gone for family reasons, said: "It is the best death. If you are to die out there on the battlefield, it is the best death - if I did die - I'd have done something good for people, and that would surely be written down as a good deed."

Both Suliman and Yilmaz say they were influenced in their views about Syria by YouTube videos and by social media.

Haras Rariq, of the anti-extremist organisation the Quilliam Foundation, said: "The overwhelming majority of Muslims will reject going out to fight ISIS and rightly so, they shouldn't go. It's not Islamic, it's not what the Prophet talked about.

"But the problem is a small number will go and they're the people that we need to worry about."

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Israel Pounds Gaza As Hamas Fires Across Border

The Israeli military says it has shot down more rockets sent by Palestinian militants as Israel's major air offensive over the Gaza Strip enters its second day.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said the military intercepted a total of eight rockets sent from Gaza on Wednesday.

Two were intercepted over Tel Aviv, three over Ashdod and three over the city Ashkelon.

In Gaza, meanwhile, news agency AFP is reporting that a further 11 Palestinians have been killed in fresh Israeli strikes. 

A wounded Palestinian is stretchered into hospital

The fatalities come after at least 23 people, including children, were killed overnight in the biggest Israeli assault on Gaza in nearly two years.

The Israeli military said it targeted 160 sites, bringing the total number of targets hit as part of "Operation Protective Edge" to 440.

It says the operation is a defensive measure, taken in response to scores of rockets fired across the border by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

The exchange of fire marks the heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza, since an eight-day battle in November 2012.

The Israeli cabinet has warned it may now send ground troops into Gaza, and has authorised the call-up of as many as 40,000 reservists.

A house in Gaza destroyed by an Israeli attack

Hamas has targeted numerous cities including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in recent days.

IDF confirmed that one rocket landed as far away as Hadera, which is 60 miles from the Gaza Strip.

In Holon, in central Israel, wedding guests were forced to run to shelter after sirens alerted them to incoming missiles. 

Video footage shows the Iron Dome defence system intercept an incoming rocket.

IDF also posted an image on Twitter which it said shows rockets being sent from civilian areas in Gaza.

The IDF says Hamas is firing from civilian areas. Pic: IDF/Twitter

It captioned the picture: "PROOF: #Hamas fires at Israel from populated areas and uses Palestinians in #Gaza as human shields."

Announcing the start of "Operation Protective Edge", Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said continued rocket attacks on Israeli communities would not be tolerated.

"Therefore I have ordered the military to significantly broaden its operation against Hamas terrorists and against the other terrorist groups inside Gaza," he said on national TV.

Israeli tanks at the southern border with the Gaza Strip

"I call on you to display patience because this operation could take time."

Israel and Hamas had, until recently, been observing a truce that ended the 2012 hostilities.

Tensions have increased since the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank on June 12.

Israel blamed Hamas and launched a crackdown on the group's members and arrested hundreds of people.

The situation deteriorated last week after the bodies of the Israeli youths were found and a Palestinian teenager in Jerusalem was abducted and burned to death in what was viewed as a revenge attack.

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Polar Bear Attack: I Heard Growls And Screams

A teenager has told of the moment she heard a fellow student being fatally attacked by a polar bear during an adventure holiday.

Lauren Beech, from Ilford in Essex, has been telling the inquest into the death of Horatio Chapple that she saw the white fur of the bear from her tent.

"I heard growls of the bear along with other shouts and screams," she said at the inquest in Salisbury. "I was very distressed and I do not think I had any idea of the timescale."

Scott Bennell-Smith, from St Mellion in Cornwall, was lying asleep in the same tent as Horatio when the bear attacked.

He said: "I felt as if we all woke up at the same time, initially when the tent was shaking I felt someone may have been shaking it to wake us up.

"The material of the tent roof collapsed over all three of us and I could feel the presence of the bear over all of us. I could feel the size of it and see its paws.

"When the material collapsed over me I couldn't see what was happening.

"From what I remember I think we were all shouting the same thing ... shouting for help."

Mr Bennell-Smith, who is now 20 but was 16 at the time, added: "The material had all ripped, it had fallen about either side of us. I saw the bear attacking someone.

"I think it was right in the centre of the camp, biting (him) in the head.

"I just put my head down again and tried to stay still basically then I could just hear the bear moving around the camp, just heard commotion."

More follows...

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Norwich Toddler Killed By Falling Fireplace

A two-year-old girl has died after suffering serious injuries when a fire surround fell on her at her home in Norwich.

Trinity Coward, from Lakenham, was taken to hospital in the early evening of Sunday but died shortly afterwards.

A police spokesman said: "The circumstances surrounding the infant's death will be subject to a coroner's enquiry although early indications are that this was an unforeseen and tragic event in a family home."

The toddler was taken to hospital but died there

Trinity's parents, Shaun and Kelly Coward, issued a statement.

"Our little princess. Your gorgeous smile and those dimples forever etched on our hearts.

Trinity's parents talked of her "gorgeous smile and dimples"

"Daddy's little baby girl shine bright like a diamond in the sky. Mummy's little angel so loving and cuddly. Can't wait to have snuggles xxx

"Till we see you again all our love from Mummy, Daddy and your brothers and sisters xx"

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'Ten Politicians Named' In Calls To Abuse Line

Sex Abuse Inquiries: The Unanswered Questions

Updated: 7:52pm UK, Monday 07 July 2014

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Theresa May went a long way to satisfying MPs' demands for a wide-ranging inquiry into child sex abuse allegations.

But there are still plenty of unanswered questions arising out of the affair and the so-called "Dickens dossier" presented to then-home secretary Lord Brittan in 1983.

In fact, the Home Secretary told MPs there was no such thing as a "single Dickens dossier", despite Lord Brittan confirming last week that the late Tory MP went to him with a "substantial bundle of papers".

Mrs May has set up two inquiries, the first a "review of a review", as she put it, to look into an investigation carried out by her permanent secretary, Mark Sedwill, last year.

The second is a much wider inquiry carried out by a panel of experts into allegations of abuse which the Home Secretary said could become a full public inquiry like that into the Hillsborough disaster.

According to Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary, Mrs May had "changed her position" by bowing to the demands from MPs led by the Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk, who exposed the activities of Cyril Smith.

The Government denies charges of a U-turn, of course. But it's significant that her widely welcomed announcement followed talks with the Prime Minister on Sunday.

All the signs are that David Cameron ordered her to agree to a wide-ranging investigation. It was Number 10, after all, that announced on Sunday evening that the Home Secretary would make a Commons statement.

The unanswered questions will now be put to Mr Sedwill when he gives evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee, exactly a week after Mr Danczuk challenged Leon Brittan's handling of the Geoffrey Dickens allegations.

"The Committee will be interested to hear what has happened to the missing files, understand further details of the review Mr Sedwill has set up, including how this fits into the Home Secretary's inquiry, and why the Committee were not directly informed about the original investigation beforehand," said Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee.

Let's take those one by one:

:: The missing files

This was the issue that most exercised MPs of all parties during questions following Mrs May's Commons statement.

Mr Sedwill has admitted 114 files are missing. Until he provides satisfactory answers about what happened to them, conspiracy theorists will cry, "cover-up!"

:: The Home Office review

Presumably Mr Vaz is referring to the review which will now be carried out by Peter Wanless, the NSPCC chief, into what happened when Mr Sedwill carried out a review last year in response to parliamentary questions from Labour MP Tom Watson.

:: The Home Secretary's inquiry

This is all a bit vague so far. We don't yet know who will lead it and what form it will take.

It sounded from her statement as though the Home Secretary hasn't decided this yet and may not even have found a chairman or chairwoman yet.

:: Why was the Home Affairs Select Committee not told in advance about the original inquiry?

This sounds a bit like Mr Vaz being self-important. But he may have a good point if the Home Secretary was trying to hush up the inquiry or keep it secret from MPs.

But let's ask a fifth question, not posed by Mr Vaz, but by Labour MP Lisa Nandy and Tory MP Mark Reckless in the Commons earlier:

:: How much did Government and Opposition whips know about the sex abuse allegations? 

Whips often boast about their "little black book", containing colourful details of MPs' sexual exploits.

Will they be asked to spill the beans? Almost certainly not.

John Wakeham, Margaret Thatcher's great fixer and now in the Lords, was Tory Chief Whip from 1983-87 and Derek Foster, also now in the Lords, was Labour's Chief Whip.

Knowing the inscrutable Lord Wakeham as I do, I'd be very surprised if he were to reveal the secrets of the "little black book".

But whether or not Theresa May was ordered by the PM to bow to pressure from MPs, with her skilful and adept handling of the rapidly escalating child abuse crisis she has defused the tension for now.

But the allegations won't go away and if either inquiry uncovers some explosive discoveries, the Home Secretary - and her Tory predecessor Leon Brittan - will have more uncomfortable questions to answer.

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McCanns' Son 'Asked About Madeleine Claims'

Kate McCann has told a libel hearing her son asked her about allegations linking her to the disappearance of Madeleine, which were published in a book by former police chief Goncalo Amaral.

Mrs McCann told a court in Portugal her son Sean had heard about the claims on the radio while travelling on a school bus.

She said: "Sean asked me in October 'Mr Amaral said you hid Madeleine.'

"I just said he said a lot of silly things."

The McCanns are suing over claims made in Mr Amaral's book, The Truth Of The Lie, including suggestions they hid Madeleine's body after she died in an accident and faked an abduction.

They say the allegations damaged the hunt for their daughter and exacerbated their anguish.

Sky News' Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said she testified for almost an hour at Lisbon's Palace of Justice.

Madeleine has been missing for seven years

Both Kate and Gerry McCann had said they were eager to deliver personal statements at today's hearing after the case was adjourned last month.

It happened when Mr Amaral sacked his lawyer in what the McCanns claimed was a "blatant and cynical" attempt to hold up proceedings.

They had travelled to Lisbon on what was due to be the last day of the long-running trial.

Afterwards they accused him of trying to wear them down and delaying justice for their missing daughter.

Madeleine, who was then nearly four, disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007 as her parents dined at a nearby restaurant with friends.

Police searching for clues in Praia da Luz

If successful, the couple could receive around £1m in damages. A judgement is not expected until later this year.

Their latest visit to Portugal comes after Scotland Yard detectives returned to the country last week to help interview suspects in the case.

Officers from the force's Operation Grange joined their Portuguese counterparts in Faro as they questioned "people of interest".

The suspects were believed to include three workers from the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz who have been linked to a string of burglaries in the area before Madeleine vanished.

Last month the British detectives teamed up with their Portuguese counterparts in searches of three areas of land near the Ocean Club.

Afterwards police said it was the "first phase of this major investigation which has been agreed with the Portuguese".

They added there was "still a substantial amount of work yet to be completed in the coming weeks and months".

Mr and Mrs McCann previously said the fact police found no evidence relating to Madeleine had reinforced their belief she could still be alive.

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'No Stone Unturned' In Child Sex Ring Inquiry

Claims politicians and high profile public figures were at the centre of a powerful paedophile ring in the 1980s will be investigated, the Prime Minister has said.

David Cameron has said there would be "no stone unturned" in an independent inquiry into how public bodies had handled child abuse allegations mainly dating back to the 1980s.

At the centre of those claims have been that a powerful paedophile ring was operating at the heart of Westminster.

Mr Cameron said:  "I am absolutely determined that we are going to get to the bottom of these allegations and we're going to leave no stone unturned to find out the truth about what happened - that is vital.

"It is also vital we learn the lessons right across the board from these things that have gone wrong.

The allegations include claims of abuse by late Liberal MP Sir Cyril Smith

"And it's also important that the police feel that they can go wherever the evidence leads and they can make all the appropriate arrangements to investigate these things properly."

A Downing Street spokesman said the speed of the inquiry would be of importance.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We want to make sure that answers are achieved as quickly as possible. Clearly it needs to be a process that commands confidence and credibility as well."

The Home Secretary will on Monday afternoon announce the full details of the inquiry, which the Chancellor, George Osborne, has said will be "independent and authoritative".

Theresa May is expected to say the investigation will examine who knew what and when and why allegations were missed, overlooked or ignored by public bodies.

Lord Tebbit believes an establishment cover-up is possible

It has been suggested that a panel of experts will take evidence from members of the public as part of the investigation but it will stop short of a full public inquiry.

Labour has said it want a full public inquiry by child abuse experts and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said there were claims of child sex abuse by politicians that were more recent than the 1980s claims.

She said: "We need a wide-ranging review that can look at how all the allegations put to the Home Office in the 80s and 90s were handled. Any stones left unturned will leave concerns of institutional malaise, or worse a cover-up, unaddressed."

It comes after former Conservative cabinet minister Lord Tebbit said there may have been a political cover-up of allegations in the 1980s to "protect the establishment".

A Home Office investigation found that 114 official files relating to claims of child abuse by politicians have been lost or destroyed.

These files are in addition to a missing dossier alleging child abuse involving around eight powerful and famous figures at Westminster in the 1980s, handed to the Home Office by the late Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens in 1983.

The allegations include claims of abuse by the late Liberal MP Sir Cyril Smith and alleged paedophile activity at parties attended by politicians at the Elm Guest House in Barnes, southwest London.

Lord Tebbit, who served in a series of senior ministerial posts under Margaret Thatcher, said the instinct at the time was to protect "the system" and not delve too deeply into uncomfortable allegations.

"At that time I think most people would have thought that the establishment, the system, was to be protected and if a few things had gone wrong here and there that it was more important to protect the system than to delve too far into it.

"That view, I think, was wrong then and it is spectacularly shown to be wrong because the abuses have grown," he told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show.

Asked if he thought there had been a "big political cover-up" at the time, he said: "I think there may well have been."

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Lord Brittan: 'Rape Claim Without Foundation'

Former Tory Home Secretary Lord Brittan has said the allegation of rape made against him was "wholly without foundation".

The 74-year-old was questioned last month over an allegation he sexually assaulted a woman in 1967 - before he became an MP.

Lord Brittan released a statement through his lawyers on Monday morning in which he said: "It is true that I have been questioned by the police about a serious allegation made against me. This allegation is wholly without foundation."

Lord Brittan has denied mishandling child sex abuse claims

News of the claims emerged at the weekend as he was under fire for his handling of a dossier detailing the activities of a paedophile ring in Westminster in the 1980s.

The claims were laid out in a 40-page dossier, understood to relate to the activities of a number of MPs and high profile figures, and passed to Lord Brittan, who was then Home Secretary, in 1983 by the Conservative MP Geoffrey Dickens.

Labour MP for Rochdale, Simon Danczuk, last week raised the questions over the claims raised in the dossier, which has been misplaced by the Home Office, and asked Lord Brittan what he knew about the allegations.

In his statement Lord Brittan denied that he had failed to deal properly with Mr Dickens' allegations and said he had passed them to Home Office officials and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Geoffrey Dickens pass a 40-page dossier to Lord Brittan

He included a statement made by Mr Dickens in the House of Commons in 1987 in which the MP, who died in 1995, thanked Lord Brittan and the Home Office for their response to the matters raised in the dossier.

In his statement he said: "I would like to put on record that I welcome the fact that there is now to be an independent review to look at the missing files belonging to the Home Office.

"It has been alleged that when I was Home Secretary I failed to deal adequately with the bundle of papers containing allegations of serious sexual impropriety that I received from the late Geoff Dickens MP. This... is completely without foundation - as evidence from the Home Office's own report supports."

The dossier is among 114 files relating to claims of child sex abuse by politicians between 1979 and 1999 that have misplaced or destroyed by the Home Office, it was disclosed at the weekend.

The Home Secretary, Theresa May, will later on Monday announce an "independent and authoritative" investigation into the claims of child sex abuse by politicians and public figures in the 1980s.

It is expected a panel of experts will look at who knew what and when, and what was overlooked or ignored at a number of public bodies to see if they failed in their duty to protect children.

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Channel Tunnel Passengers Evacuated From Train

Hundreds of passengers have been evacuated from a broken-down train inside the Channel Tunnel, causing delays of up to four hours for other services.

The Eurotunnel shuttle train, which was heading to France, came to a halt around 7.30am, seven miles into the 30-mile long tunnel.

It stopped after a problem with the overhead power line.

Some 382 passengers and four dogs were taken off the train and then transferred to the French terminal.

Eurotunnel takes passengers in vehicles between Folkestone and Calais.

Services through the tunnel, using the one unblocked tunnel, were able to continue.

But Eurotunnel warned services were being delayed, with hold-ups possibly lasting for the rest of the day.

Passengers were transferred to the French terminal. Pic: Richard Byrom

A spokesman said: "The evacuated passengers are now at the French terminal and are waiting for the affected train to arrive so they can get their cars.

"We are advising people who don't need to travel today to travel on another day. There are queues building up and travellers should expect delays throughout the day."

The company said in a statement: "Our passenger service is currently operating with some timetable disruption. This is due to an incident in the tunnel which is in the process of being resolved.

"There is a waiting time of approximately 60 minutes before check-in and three hours on the terminal. 

"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to your journey."

Eurostar said that if journeys were not essential passengers would be able to exchange tickets, free of charge, to another available service within the next four months.

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Leon Brittan Questioned Over Rape Claim

Former home secretary Leon Brittan was questioned by police last month over a historical allegation of rape, it has emerged.

The 74-year-old Conservative peer was interviewed by detectives under caution about the claim but was not arrested.

Lord Brittan is understood to have strongly denied the claims. His spokesperson said he would not be making a comment on Sunday.

At the time of the alleged incident, Lord Brittan was not an MP after unsuccessfully contesting the North Kensington seat in 1966.

Last night, a Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed an allegation of rape had been made against a man in his seventies over an incident in 1967.

He said: "In late 2012, a woman alleged to the Metropolitan Police Service that she was raped by a man in 1967 at an address in London.

"The woman was over the age of 18 at the time of the incident.

"The allegation is being investigated by officers from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command.

"In June 2014, a man aged in his 70s was interviewed under caution by appointment at a central London location in connection with the allegation.

"He was not arrested. Enquiries continue."

Lord Brittan was home secretary in Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government between 1983 and 1985.

The police interview is said to have taken place at the London offices of law firm Mishcon de Reya.

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Twin Girls Flee UK To 'Join Syria Militants'

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent

Twin sisters have fled their home in the UK and travelled to Syria where it is feared they may have joined ISIS fighters.

The 16-year-old girls from Manchester crept out of their bedroom in the middle of the night and boarded a flight to Istanbul in Turkey.

Police say their parents found their beds empty at 8pm last Thursday. They later found out the pair were on their way to Syria.

Counter-terrorism officers were then alerted after the girls made contact with their family from Syria where their elder brother is believed to be a jihadi fighter.

The girls have been missing for more than ten days, but a spokesman for Greater Manchester police told Sky News there was now "a contact strategy" with the twins.

"The girls flew from Manchester International to Istanbul. They then appear to have phoned home.

"We don't know exactly where they are but their family are obviously very keen to have them returned home.

"We are attempting to locate them and secure the well-being of both girls."

The family, of Somali origin, are believed to have moved to the UK ten years ago.

It is not clear how the two college students were able to afford to pay for the flights.

A spokesman added: "It's unlikely that two 16 year-old girls would be able to afford two expensive flights.

"So we are looking at the possibility that they had a contact there.

"It's definitely a line of enquiry that their trip could have been bankrolled by a third party - that it was pre-planned."

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MPs To Question Top Official Over Abuse Claims

The top Home Office civil servant is to give evidence to MPs after the department admitted more than 100 official files relating to allegations of historical child abuse by politicians have been lost or destroyed.

Permanent secretary Mark Sedwill said the documents - which related to a 20-year period between 1979 and 1999 - were "presumed destroyed, missing or not found".

Home Affairs Select Committee chair Keith Vaz revealed on Sky News he has asked Mr Sedwill to appear before the committee on Tuesday to answer questions about the documents.

The Home Office disclosed that 114 files have vanished without a trace

These files are in addition to a dossier alleging historical child abuse involving powerful and famous figures at Westminster in the 1980s that is also missing.

Mr Sedwill has said he will appoint a senior legal figure to assess the Home Office's handling of the dossier.

The Prime Minister is under pressure to launch a full public inquiry

Prime Minister David Cameron has called for Mr Sedwill to establish what happened to the file which was handed to the then home secretary, Leon (now Lord) Brittan, by Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens in 1983.

Lord Brittan admitted he received the dossier and passed it on to officials, but no action was ever taken.

In a letter to the chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, Mr Sedwill revealed that while the original review had identified 527 potentially relevant files which had been retained, there were a further 114 files which could not be located.

He said that the investigation had not found a single dossier from Mr Dickens, but several sets of correspondence over a number of years to a number of home secretaries containing claims of sexual offences.

However he said that the review had found no record of specific allegations by Mr Dickens of child sex abuse by senior figures.

Mr Cameron has faced criticism for an "inadequate" investigation into what happened to the dossier.

Labour leader Ed Miliband told Sky News that as well as a "thorough review" of what happened at the Home Office, there must also be a wider look at child protection.

But Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude said it was "too soon" for such a move, which could slow down the Home Office inquiry.

"It may well be then that the answer is to have a much broader inquiry but I think it's too soon to come to that conclusion now," he told Sky's Murnaghan programme.

Allegations of sex abuse have been made against the late Cyril Smith

Former Conservative Cabinet minister Lord Tebbit has told the BBC he believes there could have been a cover-up of the allegations.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "We are currently assessing information and conducting a number of investigations under Operation Fairbank.

"Any material submitted to us, historic or current, is reviewed to establish if it is relevant to these."

Calls for more to be done about allegations of child sex abuse by politicians have increased since the death of Liberal Democrat MP Cyril Smith, who was subsequently said to have been a paedophile.

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