'Rivers Of Hail' As Freak Storm Sweeps Coast

A freak summer storm has brought chaos to the south coast of England and parts of London with lightning, floods and hailstones and a power cut on the railway lines.

Forecasters warned a "deeply unstable airmass" had brought the risk of heavy thundery showers across East Anglia, the South East and London throughout the day.

London Fire Brigade rescued two women from a car which was overcome with flood water in South Ruislip, north-west London.

Lighting strikes Hove, Sussex, taken from the bedroom of Jon Hughes

Firefighters also rescued five people from three neighbouring houses which were flooded in Thaxted, Essex.

One family remained on the first floor of their home while crews pumped water from the property after flood water affected the electrics.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for the south-east of England as nearly half a month's worth of rain fell in an hour in some areas.

Commuters were left stranded after the south-coast line was closed

Commuters in West Sussex braved torrential rain and hailstones as they struggled to work, though the main Brighton to London line was not affected.

Residents of Brighton, Hove and Worthing who posted pictures of the storm on social-media websites described seeing cars submerged and people taking shelter in the town hall.  

Network Rail said in a statement: "Electrical supply problems caused by a lightning strike, near Hove, are causing delays of up to 30 minutes to trains between Worthing and Hove/Brighton.

"There is no firm estimate yet of how long disruption will last but it is likely to continue until at least 09.00."

A street in Worthing which became impassable

South West Trains said Woking-bound trains would not be calling at Esher, Hersham or Walton-on-Thames because of flooding.

A spokesman for East Sussex Fire and Rescue told Sky News they have already received some 300 calls from the public.

Richard Fowler said: "The control room started receiving calls at six o'clock this morning. We have had 300 calls so far in the south coast area from Brighton and Hove.

Worthing Station was closed after flood water poured into the underpass

"The power to the track has had to be isolated because the tracks are flooded, and we have sent one of our high pumps over to assist with that.

"People are phoning and saying they have flooded basements which are affecting electrics. We did not expect this kind of extreme weather this morning. There are large hailstones on the ground. It is almost like winter."

Hove resident Adam Batchelor emailed a picture in to Sky News of the road outside his home in Hove.

"The basement flats flooded and people evacuated to the town hall," he said. "Thankfully I stayed away last night!"

Laurence Hill wrote on Twitter: "Used to be roads. Now rivers of hail. Never seen anything like it."

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Gaza Strikes Resume As UN Calls For Ceasefire

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

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

It came as the UN Security Council called for "an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza following an emergency session in New York.

The council adopted a presidential statement - one step below a legally-binding resolution - urging Israel and Hamas "to accept and fully implement the humanitarian ceasefire".

The present conflict between Israel and Hamas began on July 8

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

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

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

Several temporary truces have been observed and broken on a weekend when the Palestinian death toll topped 1,000.

Some 43 Israeli soldiers have also been killed since their military operation began on July 8, while three civilians have died from rocket fire into Israel.

As well as calling for an immediate truce, the Security Council statement set out a longer-term aim of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, "with secure and recognised borders".

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian representative to the UN, said he was "disappointed" a formal resolution demanding Israel withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip had not been agreed.

"They should have adopted a resolution a long time ago to condemn this aggression and to call for this aggression to be stopped immediately," he said.

Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor added: "Miraculously (the statement) doesn't mention Hamas. It doesn't mention the firing of rockets.

"You don't have to have the IQ of a rocket scientist to understand that if rockets are falling on you, you are allowed to defend yourself."

On Sunday, Barack Obama called Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to press for an immediate truce.

The US President said Israel had a right to defend itself but reiterated his country's "serious and growing concern" about the loss of life on both sides and the "worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza".

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

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

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MH17 Black Boxes: Plane 'Hit By Shrapnel'

Black box data from the downed Malaysia Airlines plane reveals the jet crashed due to a "massive explosive decompression" after being hit by shrapnel from a missile, claims a Ukrainian security official.

Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's Security Council, said the information came from experts analysing the flight recorders from MH17, which was shot down in a rebel-held area of eastern Ukraine killing all 298 people on board.

The plane's black boxes are being examined by UK air accident investigators

Air accident experts in Farnborough, Hampshire, had been tasked with downloading the data from the two black boxes and passing the information on to international investigators.

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

Meanwhile, a team of Dutch and Australian police making a fresh attempt to reach the crash site were again forced to turn back after "explosions" in the area.

A previous attempt had also been halted by fierce fighting.

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

Australia's Deputy Commissioner of National Security Andrew Colvin said evidence risked being lost amid the continuing clashes, and the chances of finding the remains of all the dead grew slimmer as time went on.

The claims about data from the flight recorders came as the UN said the shooting down of the airliner may amount to a war crime.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay condemned the "horrendous shooting down" of flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, and demanded a "thorough, effective, independent and impartial investigation".

She said in a statement: "This violation of international law, given the prevailing circumstances, may amount to a war crime.

"Every effort will be made to ensure that anyone committing serious violations of international law including war crimes will be brought to justice, no matter who they are."

Some 100,000 people have fled the violence in eastern Ukraine, says the UN

The UN also said latest figures showed more than 1,100 people had been killed and nearly 3,500 wounded in fighting in eastern Ukraine since April, with both sides using heavy weapons in built-up areas, including artillery, tanks, rockets and missiles.

"Both sides must take great care to prevent more civilians from being killed or injured," Ms Pillay said.

A further 100,000 people have fled the violence.

The UN report also accused the rebels of conducting a brutal "reign of intimidation and terror" in the areas they controlled, including the abduction, torture and killing of civilians.

The US has released satellite images it claims show rockets have been fired at Ukraine from within Russia.

Casualty numbers are rising with the use of heavy weapons in built-up areas

The images, which come from the US Director of National Intelligence and have not been independently verified, also purport to show that heavy artillery for pro-Russian separatists has crossed the border.

Their release appears to be a part of Barack Obama's push to hold Russia accountable for its activities in Ukraine - and persuade European allies to apply harsher sanctions on Moscow.

Moscow has denied allegations of involvement in eastern Ukraine, claiming the US is conducting "an unrelenting campaign of slander against Russia, ever more relying on open lies".

More follows...

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Clegg: Russia Should Be Stripped Of World Cup

Russia should be stripped of the 2018 World Cup in the wake of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine, says Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

He said it was "unthinkable" at present that the tournament could go ahead in the country blamed by the West for supplying arms to pro-Russian separatists suspected of shooting down the jet.

Football's world governing body Fifa this week ruled out calls from some German politicians for Russia to be boycotted, insisting the tournament could be "a force for good".

But Mr Clegg told The Sunday Times that allowing it to go ahead without a change of course by Russian President Vladimir Putin would make the world look "so weak and so insincere" in its condemnation of Moscow's annexation of Crimea and support for the rebels.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg

"If there's one thing that Vladimir Putin cares about, as far as I can see, it's his sense of status," he said.

"Maybe reminding him that you can't retain the same status in the world if you ignore the rest of the world, maybe that will have some effect on his thinking."

Russia has reacted angrily to additional sanctions imposed by the EU, saying they would hamper co-operation on security issues and undermine the fight against terrorism and organised crime.

Russia's foreign ministry also accused the US of contributing to the conflict in Ukraine through its support for the pro-Western government in Kiev.

Part of the fuselage from the plane

It comes as 30 Dutch forensic experts head to the crash site in eastern Ukraine, despite intensifying fighting in the area between Ukrainian government forces and the rebels.

Malaysia says it has secured an agreement with the separatists to allow international police to enter the site.

Officers would be allowed access to the area to provide protection for international crash investigators to recover human remains and establish the cause of the disaster.

Meanwhile, a Malaysia Airlines official has called for the creation of a new body to decide which flight paths are safe following the downing of the Boeing 777-200 in which all 298 people on board died.

Hugh Dunleavy, the company's commercial director, said airlines could no longer rely on decisions made by existing industry bodies on which volatile regions are secure to fly over.

This map shows the flight path of MH17 before it crashed

Despite flying over a conflict zone, MH17's flight path had been approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the Ukrainian authorities and the European airspace service provider Eurocontrol, Mr Dunleavy said.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he called for airlines and existing aviation bodies to "review existing processes and set more stringent standards".

"Ultimately, we need one body to be the arbiter of where we can fly," he said.

"This tragedy has taught us that despite following the guidelines and advice set out by the governing bodies, the skies above certain territories are simply not safe.

"For the sake of passenger and crew safety we need to insist on a higher level of authority."

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American Doctor Infected With Deadly Ebola

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

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

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

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

Sky's Thomas Moore shows where the virus has spread

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

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

But he died in hospital from the virus on Friday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Hamas Agrees To New 24-Hour Truce In Gaza

Hamas has agreed to a new 24-hour humanitarian truce in Gaza to coincide with the Muslim festival of Eid, marking the end of Ramadan.

The ceasefire was due to start at noon UK time.

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

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

Israel had resumed its offensive in Gaza after a fragile truce

Air raid sirens sounded in southern and central Israel this morning as militants in Gaza fired a salvo of rockets across the border.

In a statement the Israeli military said: "Following Hamas' incessant rocket fire throughout the humanitarian window, which was agreed upon for the welfare of the civilian population in Gaza, the (army) will now resume its aerial, naval and ground activity in the Gaza Strip."

Israel signalled the end to its unilateral truce with tanks and artillery pounding targets in Gaza, sending plumes of thick black smoke into the sky.

At least three people were reported killed in separate strikes.

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

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

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

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

It also said it would retaliate if attacked.

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

Israelis demonstrated against their government's military operation

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

Late Saturday the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on Israel immediately after the expiration the initial 12-hour ceasefire.

The resumption of rocket fire led police to clear a protest in Tel Aviv, where thousands of Israelis were demonstrating against their government's military operation.

Anti-war protests also took place in London, Paris, Frankfurt and other cities.

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

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

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

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

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US Says Putin 'Culpable' In MH17 Plane Crash

The White House has said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "culpable" in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine.

In his strongest comments yet since the plane was shot down - killing all 298 people aboard, White House spokesman Josh Earnest linked the crash to Russia, which the US has criticised for providing arms to Ukrainian separatists.

Mr Earnest told reporters: "What we also know is that the Malaysia Airlines jet was brought down by a missile that was fired from the ground.

"It was fired from the ground in an area that was controlled by separatists, and in an area where the Ukrainians themselves were not actually operating anti-aircraft weapons at that time.

"So that is why we have concluded that Vladimir Putin and the Russians are culpable to this tragedy."

Mr Earnest also confirmed reports that Russian troops are firing heavy artillery on Ukrainian military across the border, describing it as an escalation of the conflict.

The US has previously accused Russia of providing arms to Ukrainian pro-Russian separatists.

Russia, however, has called the latest US accusations of Moscow's involvement in the Ukrainian conflict a baseless "smear campaign".

The US has accused Russia of arming Ukrainian separatists

Meanwhile, European Union ambassadors have reached a preliminary deal on stepped-up sanctions against Russia, targeting its defence and technology sectors and its access to European capital.

EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said EU member states must decide whether the measures need to be approved by a summit meeting of the trade bloc's 28 member countries to go into effect.

The ambassadors also ordered asset freezes and travel bans against more Russians and pro-Russian Ukrainians accused of undermining Ukraine.

Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB, and Mikhail Fradkov, head of the foreign intelligence service, were among 15 Russians and Ukrainians, and 18 companies and other organisations named in the latest sanctions list published in the EU's Official Journal.

The Russian foreign ministry said the additional sanctions would hamper co-operation over international and regional security issues.

Also, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will travel to the Netherlands on Wednesday to discuss the downed jet with his Dutch counterpart.

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Gaza: 12-Hour Ceasefire As Peace Talks Begin

A 12-hour "humanitarian" truce is under way in Gaza as world leaders hold peace talks in Paris to push for a permanent ceasefire.

Parts of Gaza came under heavy bombardment, with explosions and black smoke rising above Gaza City, minutes before the break in hostilities.

Israeli tank shelling killed 18 members of the same Palestinian family in the southern Gaza Strip, said Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al Qidra.

The Al Najar family had been trapped in their house in Khuzaa village, east of Khan Younis, for two days when the shells hit, he said.

A Palestinian woman stands outside destroyed homes in Shejaia, Gaza

Doctors in Gaza said 85 bodies have been pulled from rubble since the ceasefire started at 8am (6am UK time).

Israel has warned it will keep targeting tunnels and fight back if its troops or civilians are attacked during the brief respite from 18 days of violence.

The ceasefire, which appears to be holding, comes after Israel suggested it is preparing to "broaden" its ground assault on Gaza after reportedly rejecting an international plan for a week-long truce.

US Secretary of State John Kerry remains "confident progress can be made" on a seven-day truce that would "bring people together to create a more durable plan".

Smoke billows from Gaza City after Israeli airstrikes

However, on Friday evening Israel's defence minister told troops: "You need to be ready for the possibility that very soon we will instruct the military to significantly broaden the ground operation in Gaza."

Ahead of the truce, eight Palestinians were killed by an airstrike in Gaza and Israeli troops shot dead two teenagers in continuing West Bank protests in the early hours of Saturday morning.

In Gaza, two Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting on Friday evening, the army confirmed.

Mr Kerry is in Paris for talks with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and other counterparts from Europe, Turkey and Qatar on the escalating violence in Gaza.

A map showing the areas of conflict and violence

Earlier, he told a news conference in Cairo a "fundamental framework" for peace was in place and that it would "ultimately succeed".

"The world is watching tragic moment after tragic moment unfold and is wondering when everybody is going to come to their senses," said Mr Kerry.

An unnamed source from the Israeli government said they were seeking modifications as the truce proposal "leans too much towards Hamas demands".

Speaking alongside Mr Kerry, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there had been "tireless efforts" to bring both sides to the table, and that the people of Gaza have "bled enough".

John Kerry speaks with Qatar's Foreign Minister about the truce

"They are trapped… living under constant fear of rocket attacks," he said. "Surely now, all parties must realise it's time to act."

Some 140,000 people have fled Gaza since the latest conflict began on July 8.

More than 900 Palestinians, many of them civilians, have lost their lives.

Three civilians have died in Israel from rocket fire, while 37 Israeli soldiers have been killed during combat.

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F16 Jets Escort Plane After Passenger 'Threat'

A plane bound for Panama City was escorted by two US fighter jets back to Toronto, Canada, after a passenger allegedly threatened to blow up the jet.

The aircraft, carrying 189 people, turned around over West Virginia about 45 minutes into the flight as the F16s were dispatched.

Once Sunwing Airlines flight 772, with 183 passengers and six crew on board, landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport, armed police went on to the airliner and removed the suspect.

Officers have charged Canadian man Ali Shahi,  25, with uttering threats and endangering the safety of an aircraft.

Witness Sharon Ramsay said it was a frightening scene on board the plane.

Armed police at the scene

She said: "The pilot came on and said there was a threat and they had to take it seriously and turn around and we're heading back to Toronto, so that's what happened.

"We came back and waited on the tarmac for about an hour and then the task force came in, they stormed in. It was extremely scary.

"They came in the front and back of the plane and they yelled hands up, heads down, hands up, heads down and it was just awful."

Fellow passenger Manjo Chopra said he thought the altercation began over a purchase.

"I think it was about buying something, he didn't have the right card and that's what triggered it," Mr Chopra said.

North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) said the two fighter jets from Ohio flew with the plane out of US airspace as a "precaution".

Sunwing Airlines said an "agitated passenger directly threatened the aircraft" but did not elaborate on the threat.

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'No Survivors' On Air Algerie Flight AH5017

No one survived an Air Algerie flight which crashed in southern Mali, French President Francois Hollande has said.

The burnt-out wreckage of the plane carrying 116 people, including 51 French nationals, which vanished from radar in West Africa has been discovered south of Gao.

Mr Hollande said the jet's black box flight recorder had also been recovered by the French military and was being taken to the town.

"French soldiers who are on the ground have started the first investigations. Sadly there are no survivors," he said.

Families of the 116 people onboard wait for news

"The plane's debris is concentrated in a small area, but it is too early to draw conclusions."

He said bad weather was the likely cause of the crash, but added: "I'm not excluding any theory."

Burkina Faso's commander in chief, Gilbert Diendere, said a search team had gone from Burkina Faso to Mali to follow up on information they had received about the possible crash location.

He said: "This team has confirmed that it has seen the remains of the plane, totally burnt-out and scattered on the ground."

AH5017 left Ouagadougou airport at 1.17am local time. Pic: Sputniktilt

Minister of communications Alain Edouard Traore described the accident as the greatest tragedy in the country's air history.

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who has declared two days of national mourning, is due to visit the crash site later.

The Air Algerie jet was travelling from Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou to Algerian capital Algiers when it disappeared around 50 minutes into the flight, following a request from the pilot to change course due to poor weather.

The twin-engined MD-83 carries 168 people

Also on the jet were 27 Burkina Faso nationals, eight Lebanese, six Algerians, five Canadians, four Germans, two Luxembourg nationals, one Swiss, one Belgian, one Egyptian, one Ukrainian, one Nigerian, one Cameroonian and one Malian.

The six crew members were Spanish, according to the Spanish pilots' union.

Flight AH5017 was owned by Spanish private airline Swiftair and operated by Air Algerie.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 had been missing for hours before news of its disappearance was made public.

Ouagadougou is in almost a straight line south of Algiers, separated by Mali where unrest continues in the north of the country.

Airlines had been warned not to fly over Mali in recent days, Sky News understands.

However, a senior French official said it was unlikely that fighters in Mali could shoot down a plane.

They are known to have shoulder-fired weapons, which could not hit an aircraft travelling at a cruising altitude of some 33,000ft.

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