Brazil President Condemns Gaza 'Massacre'

Israel's military offensive in Gaza has been condemned as a "massacre" by Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, adding to international pressure for an end to the bloodshed.

She branded the Israeli campaign against rocket-firing Hamas militants in the coastal enclave, which has left more than a thousand Palestinians dead, as "disproportionate", and backed the United Nations' call for an immediate ceasefire.

Her comments echo those of the foreign ministry, which led an Israel spokesman to dismiss Brazil as a "diplomatic dwarf".

The Israeli offensive has been condemned as 'a massacre'

Israel has defended its campaign arguing it needs to defend itself attacks from Gaza by Hamas rockets and militant tunnels that criss-cross the border area.

Ms Rousseff said: "What's happening in Gaza is dangerous. I don't think it's a genocide, but I think it's a massacre.

Brazil's President argues the Gaza violence is 'disproportionate'

"It's a humanitarian issue. This can't be done in such a small strip (of territory), with people who are in a situation of great insecurity, very threatened, with many women and children.

"We know that in a war like this, the ones who pay are the civilians."

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We will continue to act aggressively and responsibly until the mission is completed to protect our citizens, soldiers and children."

Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei branded Israel a "rabid dog", and called on Muslims to arm Palestinians fighting "the Zionist regime", who he accused of "genocide".

In a speech marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Mr Khamenei said of Israel: "This rabid dog, this rapacious wolf, has attacked innocent people and humanity must show a reaction. This is genocide, a catastrophe of historical scale."

He added: "Everyone, whoever has the means, especially in the Islamic world, they should do what they can to arm the Palestinian nation ... the Zionist regime deeply regrets starting this (war) but has no way out."

The smoke trail of a rocket launched from Gaza towards Israel

Israel launched its offensive on July 8 aimed at halting rockets being fired by Hamas and later sent in ground forces tasked with destroying tunnels used by Hamas fighters.

Though international pressure has been mounting for a stop to the fighting, there is no end in sight to the 22-day conflict in which 1,116 Palestinians, many of them civilians, and 53 Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: "In the name of humanity, the violence must stop."

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China Investigates Former Security Chief

One of China's most feared and powerful men is being investigated in a suspected corruption probe.

Former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang is being investigated for "serious disciplinary violation", the ruling party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection - its internal watchdog - said in a statement.

The term is usually used to refer to corruption.

Analysts have said the move indicates party chief Xi Jinping has now amassed enough power to break even longstanding taboos in his much-publicised anti-corruption sweep.

It is highly unusual for a man of his position to be investigated

"There is an unwritten rule that they will not go after former members of the politburo standing committee," said Willy Lam, a politics specialist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"The party elders like Jiang Zemin and Li Peng and so forth were opposed to incriminating Zhou Yongkang," he said, referring to China's former president and premier.

"It shows that Xi Jinping is powerful enough or resourceful enough to convince the party elders," he added.

Mr Xi has vowed to crack down on endemic corruption among top party members, or "tigers", as well as low-ranking members, or "flies", but critics say he is unlikely to succeed without more fundamental reforms such as greater press freedoms and independent courts.

Zhou was, until his retirement in 2012 from the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee, one of nine leaders in the party's ruling inner circle.

He was a supporter of fallen political star Bo Xilai, whom he is said to have backed for a slot on the country's all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee, but who fell from grace following the death of British businessman Neil Heywood, for which Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted of murder.

The last person of such importance to go on trial was founding leader Mao Zedong's widow, Jian Qing,  who went on trial in 1980 as a member of the Gang of Four and was sentenced to life in prison.

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Beheading Teen 'Wanted To Dissect Someone'

A 15-year-old Japanese schoolgirl who confessed to beheading her classmate is reported to have told investigators she "wanted to dissect" a body.

Police are said to have discovered tools, including hammers and a saw, at the suspect's apartment in the city of Sasebo, southwest Japan, where the dismembered body of 15-year-old Aiwa Matsuo was discovered.

The teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, is also reported to have been in trouble at school previously for lacing the food of two fellow pupils with bleach.

Police examine the scene of the murder where the victim was dismembered

Police found the victim's body on a bed.

The suspect told police she hit her classmate over the head with a metal object and strangled her, before severing her head and left hand.

An investigator said: "The victim was found decapitated, with her left hand chopped off."

It is also claimed the victim's belly was cut open.

Local media reports the suspect's mother died of cancer last year, and had begun to live on her own after her father remarried about three months ago.

She had only been to school a few times since then.

The Yomiuri newspaper quoted the girl as telling police: "I wanted to kill someone. I bought tools by myself."

A source at the local education board told the paper: "The death of her mother and the father remarrying would have a big impact on her at this stage - but I don't know if this explains what happened."

The Sports Nippon newspaper reported the accused had told police she "wanted to dissect" a body.

A police official declined to confirm the reports, saying: "We are investigating her motive for the crime, and we're not going to disclose other information".

The victim, who graduated from the same junior high school as the suspect, had reportedly gone to meet friends on Saturday afternoon.

Her parents called police when she failed to return home that evening.

The killing comes 10 years after Sasebo was rocked by the murder of a primary school girl, who was stabbed to death by a classmate.

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Gaza: '100 Palestinians Killed In One Day'

Israel has stepped up its military campaign in Gaza, where more than 100 Palestinians have been killed today alone and the only power plant has been destroyed.

The Israeli military targeted dozens of additional sites across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a "prolonged campaign" against Hamas.

Palestinian health officials said the latest fatalities include ten members of the same family who were killed during an Israeli airstrike.

Hamas has fired over 2,500 rockets at Israel, many have been intercepted

The total Palestinian death toll now stands at more than 1,150.

Israel has lost 53 soldiers, along with two civilians and a Thai national.

Mr Netanyahu launched an aerial offensive against Gaza on July 8, declaring the aim was to halt rockets fired by Hamas and its allies into Israel.

A Palestinian girl at the scene of an explosion that killed nine children

It launched a ground invasion shortly afterwards, primarily aimed at destroying a network of cross-border tunnels which Hamas is accused of using to infiltrate Israel.

The US has reiterated that it supports Israel's right to defend itself, but is working towards deescalating the conflict.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters: "We are working very carefully with our Israeli friends in order to reduce the civilian loss of life, to prevent this from spiralling downwards into a place from which both sides have difficulty finding a way forward in order to address the underlying issues".

Dozens of Israeli soldiers have been killed while fighting in Gaza

Earlier on Tuesday a senior official of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) said the Palestinian leadership, along with Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group, were willing to observe a humanitarian truce of 24 hours.

But the statement was contradicted by a Hamas spokesman in Gaza who said the PLO official was not speaking on behalf of the group.

The destroyed plant supplies two thirds of the territory's energy needs

Israel rejected the offer saying that until it heard from Hamas directly, it was "not serious".

The proposal came after the fuel depot at Gaza's only power plant was practically destroyed on Tuesday morning, cutting electricity to a large proportion of the enclave's 1.8 million residents and causing further disruption to the water supply.

The power plant supplies two thirds of the territory's energy needs and was engulfed in flames sending a column of black smoke into the air.

The plant's director said the facility was 'finished'

According to a spokesman for Gaza's electricity distribution company, the power plant was hit by shells fired from an Israeli tank, a claim which could not be verified.

The power station was hit last week and had been operating on a reduced capacity providing only a few hours of electricity per day to Gaza's residents.

The Al Aqsa TV headquarters were hit by an Israeli shell

"The power plant is finished," said its director, Mohammed al Sharif, who added the local fire brigade was not equipped to extinguish the blaze.

Other symbols of Hamas government control, including the headquarters of the Hamas satellite TV station Al Aqsa and Al Aqsa radio were also targeted.

Hamas said that despite the attack the stations continued to broadcast.

The home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was also hit by a missile early this morning causing damage but no casualties, Gaza's Interior Ministry said.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza and called on the Islamic world to arm Palestinians fighting "the Zionist regime".

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US Doctor Stricken With Ebola 'Is Terrified'

Africa Battles To Stop Deadly Spread Of Ebola

Updated: 9:34pm UK, Wednesday 02 July 2014

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, In Liberia

The worst Ebola outbreak ever is spreading and will almost certainly extend across West Africa unless there is cross-country co-operation and urgent international assistance.

The porous borders between Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone has meant the disease is not being contained and now risks spreading even further.

Health workers at the epicentre, where the borders of the three countries meet, have made an urgent appeal through Sky News for immediate international help to try to control the virus.

Philip Azumah, the Foya district health officer, said: "We need help now, or the virus will spread and kill more people."

It is difficult to determine exactly how many people have already died from the disease given the cross-border contamination and lack of accounting.

But it is already clear there are many more deaths than any previous outbreak.

Aid organisation Doctors Without Borders has already said it is the largest outbreak on record, with the highest number of deaths.

Across the three countries, more than 400 have died in this latest outbreak, with no sign of the disease being halted.

And for the first time the disease has spread to highly populated areas including cities such as Guinea's capital, Conakry.

At one of the high-risk infection centres set up in Foya, in Liberia, the medics insisted we, like them, took extreme precautions.

This included wearing two layers of protective head-to-toe clothing featuring one waterproof all-in-one outfit, face and head masks, double gloves, thick plastic aprons, sturdy goggles and rubber boots.

Among the victims was a nurse who contracted Ebola after caring for a person who later died from the virus.

Nurse Elizabeth Smith was lying on a bed next to another nurse who had contracted Ebola from the same patient they had both treated.

But Ms Smith was significantly weaker than her co-worker. She did not raise her head as we entered and her bed was soaked in blood.

Neither woman had realised they were treating a patient with Ebola, so had taken none of the precautions their colleagues were now taking.

Two of them sprayed Ms Smith with disinfectant, down her legs, her feet, her hands and arms as they stood arms-length away in their head-to-toe protective clothing and visors. Gingerly, they took her arms and helped her to her feet, before escorting her down the tent corridor to the high-risk area.

Here, every patient is a confirmed Ebola case and the odds are that 90% of them will die.

The frightening deadliness of Ebola, plus the ignorance around it and the lack of a cure, has thrown the medical staff in this area into a panic.

Francis Forndia, administrator for Foya-Borma Hospital, where medical staff have died after treating victims, told us his workers simply fled after nurses began dying.

"It is hard to get them to return, but we have managed to persuade some to come back by explaining to them how needed they are," he said.

Mr Azumah is co-ordinating the health battle against Ebola in this area. He tells me the first recent outbreak in Liberia was in March, when an infected woman travelled to Foya from Guinea.

She died two days after being admitted to the sole and tiny hospital in Foya. By the time of her death, she had infected eleven people in hospital alone.

Two of them were nurses who went on to die. The remaining nine somehow managed to survive.

Then Liberia went a solid three weeks without an incident and believed they were clear - until the end of May.

This time, a woman from Sierra Leone, probably out of fear, gave misleading information about where she had come from.

She told investigators she was local, which was true, but did not mention she had in fact spent some time in an infected area of Sierra Leone.

This time the consequences were much more widespread. She had infected a stream of people, six of whom died.

They are still trying to trace all those she may have been in contact with.

There have since been other outbreaks in Voinjamma and the Liberian capital, Monrovia, while Guinea and Sierra Leone continue to register deaths, too.

Mr Azumah said: "In our culture, it is the habit to wash the dead body, look after it for a week in the home, kiss and touch it, even eat meals with the dead body - and we believe this has led to the virus spreading.

"Also people are keeping the illnesses and deaths secret if they suspect Ebola."

By alerting the authorities to possible Ebola, people risk being ostracised by their communities.

There is even a fear among these poverty stricken communities that the visiting health workers are spreading the virus.

But what seems significant is that, in Liberia at least, one of the poorest countries in the world, they are largely coping with this virulent disease on their own - with very little outside help evident.

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No Peace With Israeli PM's Short-Term Tactics

Charismatic, enigmatic, he's Israel's longest serving prime minister and faces no serious political challenger.

Yet Benjamin Netanyahu has rarely shown any signs that he has strategic vision.

Rather, his longevity at the top of Israeli politics can be put down to his focus on short term tactical issues.

The latest sign of this is his announcement that Israel should prepare itself for a longer running conflict in Gaza.

He has been told by his generals that they need more time, and more depth of penetration into Gaza's landscape, to find and destroy Hamas' network of tunnels which reach into Israeli territory, and have been used to deadly effect.

They will also have told him that they need more time to destroy Hamas rocket stockpiles and production warehouses.

Mr Netanyahu says Israel should prepare for a longer running conflict

So a push will most likely go ahead.

The Israeli Prime Minister has weathered international condemnation of both his leadership and that of Hamas over the huge civilian death toll.

He has endured an increasingly bitter relationship with Israel's main ally and aid Sugar Daddy, the USA.

And he may even be risking a fully-fledged third intifada on the West Bank.

These are tactical problems with long-term effects on Israel's strategic alliances with the US, but also with the tougher talking Europeans, and risk plunging Israel back into the mire of a full-scale occupation of the Palestinian territories.

'Bibi', as he is usually known even to his opponents, had until mid-July publicly supported the idea of a two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians.

His ministers were part of talks with the Palestinians brokered by John Kerry, the US Secretary of State.

But they went nowhere and collapsed in the first quarter of this year.

He'd never shown much actual enthusiasm for a final settlement.

He'd preferred to manage the tactical problem of expanding illegal Jewish settlements into Palestinians lands and maintaining a status quo.

The Europeans warned that this was unsustainable - occasionally suggesting Israel risked being labelled an "apartheid state", and spelling out that it cannot claim to be a democracy while occupying another nation for almost 50 years.

On July 12, Mr Netanyahu said: "There cannot be a situation, under any agreement in which we relinquish security control of the territory west of the River Jordan."

Meaning that while he's the PM there cannot be an end to Israel military control of the West Bank - therefore no two-state solution.

It proves his preference for managing tactical problems rather than solving strategic issues.

So Israel's operation in Gaza should be seen through the same lens.

It's officially aimed at destroying the military capabilities of Hamas. It doesn't have any grander end game than that.

It may succeed in its short-term tactical mission. That would suit Mr Netanyahu.

But it won't do anything to advance peace and therefore make the region safer for Israelis and guarantee their country's strategic longevity.

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MH17 Families Want Dignity For Loved Ones

Where And Why Are Flights Banned?

Updated: 12:21pm UK, Tuesday 29 July 2014

The shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 has increased debate about whether aircraft should be allowed to fly over battlegrounds.

As aviation industry chiefs from around the world meet in Montreal to discuss how to avoid a repeat of the disaster, Sky News looks at where no-fly zones exist and why they were introduced.

:: Ukraine

All aircraft are banned from the part of Ukrainian airspace immediately over Donetsk, unless the pilot has been given special permission.

The shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 indicates "the potential for continued hazardous activities", the Federal Aviation Authority warns.

Pilots who are forced to fly over Donetsk because of an emergency must explain why they took the route they did within 10 days.

:: North Korea

All aircraft are banned from flying over North Korea, unless the pilot has been given special permission.

In its latest advice to pilots, the Federal Aviation Authority says: "North Korea has a history of launching short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles with no warning."

Pilots who are forced to fly over North Korea because of an emergency must explain why they took the route they did within 10 days.

:: Iraq

All US aircraft must fly at a height of 18,000ft (5,486m) or above over Iraq, unless the pilot has been given special permission.

The Federal Aviation Authority says heightened tensions and instability in the country "have increased the threat to civil aircraft" and warns the Iraqi military has a "wide range of sophisticated weapons", including surface-to-air missiles, which could be used to attack planes.

Pilots who are forced to fly over Iraq because of an emergency must explain why they took the route they did within 10 days.

:: Libya

All US aircraft are banned from the area of airspace known as the Tripoli Flight Information Region (FIR), which covers Libya, as well as sections of Niger and Chad, unless the pilot has been given special permission.

The Federal Aviation Authority has "safety and national security concerns" regarding flights in the area and warns airports may be damaged and navigation systems unavailable.

It also says the "proliferation of air defence weapons ... and the presence of military operations, including aerial bombardments and unplanned flights" pose a potential hazard.

Pilots who are forced to fly through the Tripoli FIR because of an emergency must tell the FAA why they took the route they did.

:: Ethiopia

All US aircraft are banned from flying over Ethiopia and the region of airspace immediately to the north, unless the pilot has been given special permission.

Aircraft which cross into Ethiopian airspace while taking off or landing at Mandera, Kenya, "may be fired upon by Ethiopian forces", according to the Federal Aviation Authority.

"Operators considering flights to northeastern Kenya should familiarise themselves with the current situation," it adds.

Pilots who are forced to fly over Ethiopia because of an emergency must explain why they took the route they did within 10 days.

:: Somalia

All US aircraft must fly at a height of 18,000ft (5,486m) or above over Somalia, unless the pilot has been given special permission from the Federal Aviation Authority.

Flights above 18,000ft are allowed only with the permission of Somali authorities.

Pilots who are forced to fly over Somalia because of an emergency must explain why they took the route they did within 10 days.

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Face Transplant Patient Is GQ Magazine Star

A man who received the world's most complex face transplant after a gun accident has now been snapped for the pages of magazine GQ.

Richard Norris was injured in a shotgun accident in 1997 at age 22.

In 2012 Mr Norris underwent a 36-hour operation to receive a new face from a donor whose organs saved five other patients' lives on the same day.

Mr Norris is still limited in what he can do and is at risk of the donor tissue being rejected, but has agreed to show the dramatic improvement in his appearance in the August issue of US GQ.

Mr Norris as a young man shortly before the 1997 accident

He told the magazine that he is seeking to raise awareness for organ donation, and that he is grateful to the 21-year-old man who donated his face.

"A drop of hope can create an ocean," Mr Norris, now 39, is quoted as saying.

"But a bucket of faith can create an entire world."

The operation in Maryland is considered the world's most comprehensive face transplant.

It involved 100 doctors, scientists and other university medical staff, ranging from plastic surgeons to craniofacial specialists.

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'Dozens Killed' In China Terror Attack

Dozens of people have been killed or hurt in a terrorist attack in China's Xinjiang region, according to the Xinhua news agency.

A gang armed with knives attacked a police station and government office in Elixku, Shache County.

The gang then attacked civilians and smashed vehicles in nearby town Huangdi.

The news agency, citing local police, said "dozens of Uighur and Han civilians were killed or injured" during the attack on Monday.

It added: "Police officers at the scene shot dead dozens of members of the mob.

"Initial investigation showed that it was a premeditated terror attack."

Shache, also known by its Uighur name Yarkant, is close to the border with Tajikistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Sky's Asia Correspondent Mark Stone said: "It's extremely hard to verify the accuracy of news to emerge from Xinjiang province because the information flow is tightly controlled and foreign journalists' movements there are heavily restricted.

"Xinhua news agency tends to report only a sequence or version of events sanctioned by the central government in Beijing.

"It's not clear why state media took more than 24 hours to report the attack."

Xinjiang has seen violent attacks over the last few years, which the China government blames on Islamist militants and separatists who it says are trying to establish an independent state called East Turkestan.

In May, an attack on a market in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, left 39 people dead and another 29 were killed by a gang armed with knives at a train station in Kunming in March.

Exiled Uighur groups have claimed repressive policies set by the government - including controls on Islam - have sparked unrest.

More than 200 people have died in the unrest in the last year.

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EU Sanctions Target Russian Oil Industry

European governments have agreed new sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis, targeting its oil and defence industries.

Moscow's sensitive technologies and dual-use goods are also being targeted as part of the fresh action which will be reviewed after three months, a diplomat said.

The capitals of all 28 nations will now look at and rubber-stamp what has been agreed.

The move is seen as an extension of existing US and EU sanctions and will focus on 11 individuals and other "entities" - the so-called 'cronies' of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It also comes after the other leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) warned in a statement earlier this week that they were prepared to move to broader sanctions on Russia, including "sectoral measures".

Sky's Europe Correspondent Robert Nisbet said eight of the people to be added to the list by the EU were expected to be much closer to the inner-circle of Mr Putin to "hit right at the centre of the Russian government".

He added: "What you may notice is not in the list is the finance sector which is obviously something that people have been pushing for - trying to restrict state-owned Russian banks from seeking extra capital from within the EU."

Moments after the announcement, US Secretary John Kerry said the US "was in the process of preparing additional sanctions" on "key sections of the Russian economy".

He said Mr Putin still "had a choice going forward, with respect to his ability to be able to have an impact on the separatists".

But Mr Kerry said there was "no shred of evidence" Russia was willing to help end the violence and bloodshed between Moscow-backed rebels and Kiev.

"The Russians and their so-called volunteers are continuing to ship arms and funds and personnel across the border. There is clear evidence of it," he said.

"We now have clear evidence of artillery and rocket fire from Russia into Ukraine.

"And while the Russians say they want to de-escalate the conflict, their actions have not shown a shred of evidence that they really have a legitimate desire to end the violence and end the bloodshed."

More follows...

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