Video: Moments After The Ferguson Shooting

New video has emerged showing the tense moments that followed the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson.

The video shows the 18-year-old's body lying on the ground on a street in the Missouri town where he was shot on August 9.

Police had cordoned off the street and people in the neighbourhood are seen gathering at the edges of the street. Police cars patrol the scene.

Ten days after the shooting, which has sparked violent protests on the streets of Ferguson, the parties agree only on one thing: Mr Brown was shot multiple times by a police officer.

But what exactly happened remains contentious.

:: What Police Say

Police say the shooting was the result of a confrontation between Mr Brown, his friend and officer Darren Wilson.

Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson

Mr Wilson was pushed into his squad car, then physically assaulted during a struggle over his weapon. At least one shot was fired inside the car.

The struggle then spilled on to the street, where Mr Brown, who was unarmed, was shot repeatedly.

Police have said that Mr Wilson, a veteran with no previous complaints during his six-year career, is "devastated" by what happened.

They have described Mr Brown as a suspect in a "strong-arm" robbery that took place shortly before the shooting. But the scuffle was not related to that incident.

:: What A Witness Says

Mr Brown's friend, Dorian Johnson, said the officer ordered him and Mr Brown out of the street, then tried to open his door so close to the pair that it "ricocheted" back.

Residents gathering after the shooting

This apparently upset the officer.

Mr Johnson said Mr Wilson grabbed Mr Brown's neck and tried to pull him into the car before brandishing his weapon.

He said Mr Brown started to run and the officer pursued him, firing multiple times.

Mr Johnson and another witness said Brown had his hands raised when the officer fired.

Mr Brown's family said he was a gentle boy who may have made mistakes but did not deserve to die.

They are seeking Mr Wilson's arrest.

:: What the autopsies show

A private autopsy performed at the request of Mr Brown's family determined he was shot at least six times, including four times in the arm and twice in the head.

The results of a private autopsy were discussed on Monday

The fatal shot entered the top of his head, suggesting the teen was bent forward when the bullet struck him, said forensic expert Dr Michael Baden, who performed the autopsy.

No signs of gunpowder, which would be consistent with close-range shots, were found on the victim's body. However, the clothes, which could show such traces, had not been analysed.

A bullet wound to his right arm may indicate his hands were up or his back was turned, but the autopsy team cannot be sure without more information, the forensic pathologists said.

The post mortem found no sign of struggle.

A St Louis County autopsy has found Mr Brown was shot six to eight times, according to preliminary results. 

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Muslim Engineer Banned From Nuclear Plants

A Muslim engineer has been denied access to French nuclear power stations where he normally works over alleged security issues, according to reports.

The 29-year-old project manager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was allowed on to the sites as part of his job between 2012 and 2013.

But in March this year he was refused permission to work at the Nogent-sur-Seine nuclear power station in eastern France after a police investigation.

The man was employed by a firm subcontracted by French energy giant EDF and his pass was reportedly revoked by management after he failed a vetting process.

His lawyer has reportedly said the move was "pure Islamophobia".

The decision to stop his access was covered by "Secret Defence" - which means authorities are not required to publicly justify the decision.

In June this year his lawyer Sefen Guez, who works with France's Anti-Islamophobia Collective (CCIF), was able to get the ban overturned by an appeals court

However, when the engineer turned up for work a month later, he was once again refused access.

He has now launched a second appeal and while he waits for a decision, expected at the end of August, he has been reassigned to administrative work.

Mr Guez said: "This country respects the rule of law and my client, a qualified man with no criminal record who practices his religion in a normal way, like many other French Muslims, would quite naturally like to know the reasons for this ban."

He told France 24 that "considering the current atmosphere in France, his religious leanings cannot be ruled out" as a reason behind the ban.

But officials from the police chief's office said: "It goes without saying that the ban was not based on criteria such as religion or race... Our judgement is based on security issues."

A spokesman for EDF told Sky News the energy firm was unable to comment on the matter as legal proceedings were under way.

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Horror Video Of Snipers Picking Off 'Fishermen'

Fiji police are analysing a video which appears to show fishermen being shot dead at sea by unknown gunmen.

The 10-minute video - which was uploaded to YouTube by an unknown source - shows the men clinging to the remains of an upturned boat as shots are fired from what appears to be a commercial vessel.

One of the commercial vessels seen in the video

The film shows some of the men on the boat, which appears to be a tuna fishing vessel, laughing and posing for photographs after the killings.

Interpreters said languages heard on the video included Mandarin, Thai and Vietnamese, while the markings on one of the boats reportedly identify it as Taiwanese.

Fiji Police spokesman Atunaisa Sokomuri said it was too early to confirm whether the footage was genuine.

"There is no clear evidence to identify the victims as Fijian citizens, nor is there a clear indication of where or when this gruesome incident took place," he said.

The president of the Fiji Tuna Boat Owners Association, Graham Southwick, told Pacific Beat radio that Taiwanese boat contractors in Suva have claimed the footage shows the aftermath of a failed hijacking off Somali last year.

Men on the vessel laughed and posed for pictures after the killings

"It's a very famous incident and this didn't happen in Fiji, it happened off the coast of Somalia," he said.

"And the graphic pictures you see of people gunned in the water are not Fijians, but Somali pirates that attempted a hijack of some Taiwanese vessels that attempted a hijack that backfired and they all got gunned down.

Authorities have asked for help from Interpol and other Pacific nations to identify the vessels seen in the video.

Fairfax Media New Zealand, citing Fijian police sources, has reported that a student found the footage on a mobile phone left in a taxi in the Fijian capital, Suva.

Fiji is home to a large tuna fishing fleet, with many of the vessels from so-called "distant water" nations who ply the Pacific because it is one of the few regions where stocks, though declining, are still relatively abundant.

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Israel Airstrikes After Rockets Fired From Gaza

Israel says it has carried out a series of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip after three rockets fired by Palestinian militants hit the south of the country.

The latest round of violence meant a days-long truce, that had been extended on Monday night for another 24 hours, broke down.

The Israeli military said the rockets landed in open areas near the city of Beersheba. There were no reports of casualties.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said: "This rocket attack on Beersheba is a grave and direction violation of the ceasefire."

The Israel Defence Forces added on Twitter: "Terrorists have violated the ceasefire."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his military to strike Gaza "terror targets", according to an official.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket attacks.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

But shortly before the launch, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum hinted of more rocket fire, saying: "If Netanyahu doesn't understand ... the language of politics in Cairo, we know how to make him understand."

The extension to the five-day temporary truce had been agreed between Israel and Gaza's rulers Hamas and was due to expire at 10pm (UK time) on Tuesday night.

Egyptian-brokered negotiations have been taking place over how to end the weeks-long conflict.

Mr Netanyahu has now reportedly ordered his negotiators in Egypt's capital Cairo to return home.

Israel launched its military offensive on July 8 to stop rocket fire from the Palestinian territory.

In over a month of fighting, nearly 2,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of them civilians.

Sixty-seven Israelis have been killed, all but three of them soldiers.

Hamas is seeking an end to a seven-year Israeli-Egypt blockade that has hit Gaza's economy.

Israel wants the militant group to disarm.

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Cyprus Offers Support For Iraq Airstrikes

Iraq Conflict: Fighting Resumes At Mosul Dam

Updated: 3:37pm UK, Tuesday 19 August 2014

Fighting has resumed at Mosul Dam in northern Iraq with US jets spotted flying overhead, according to Sky sources.

Islamic State (IS) militants seized the strategically important site, which supplies water and power to millions of people down the Tigris river valley, nearly two weeks ago.

But US President Barack Obama announced on Monday that Iraqi and Kurdish forces had regained control of the hydroelectric facility with the help of American airstrikes.

He called it a "major step forward" in the battle against the extremist group.

However, as the Kurds were celebrating their victory at the dam, it appeared there were still remnants of IS in the area who were putting up resistance.

Sky's Alex Crawford, at Mosul Dam, said: "We heard firing behind us about 1km away. The president's son said he suspected some hardened IS fighters were in the south of the dam who had not been cleared from the area."

She added: "They are still clearly holding out and putting up some sort of defence."

Crawford said she heard heavy machine-gun fire and possibly mortar shelling as well as jets overhead.

US fighter jets and drones have been attacking IS targets as they try to help push back the Sunni extremists who have taken over large parts of the north and west since June as Iraqi troops fled.

There is also fierce fighting near the centre of Tikrit, the hometown of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

Iraqi forces have halted their advance to Tikrit, which was seized by IS two months ago, due to fierce resistance from the militants.

The Iraqi military had earlier shelled militant positions inside and outside the town, officials said.

Much of the fighting was taking place near the main hospital, more than two miles from the centre.

Meanwhile, the insurgents, who also seized control of the second city of Mosul in June, have threatened to respond to US airstrikes by attacking American targets, posting a video in which they warn: "We will drown all of you in blood".

The message was accompanied by photographs of beheadings.

Unlike al Qaeda, IS has, to date, focused on seizing land in Iraq and Syria for its self-proclaimed caliphate, rather than attacking Western targets.

Earlier, the group denied losing control of Mosul Dam.

Also, the UN refugee agency said it was poised to mount a massive aid operation in Irbil for 500,000 Iraqis driven from their homes by the jihadists.

Among the initial supplies are 3,000 tents, 200,000 plastic sheets, 18,500 kitchen sets and 16,500 jerry cans.

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Dozens Held Amid 'Heavy Gunfire' In Missouri

Thirty one protesters have been arrested after police came under "heavy gunfire" in the latest flare-up of violence in Ferguson, Missouri.

Police fired tear gas and stun grenades as initially peaceful protests descended once again into chaos after nightfall.

The St Louis town has been beset by unrest since the August 9 shooting death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black teenager who was killed by a white policeman.

State Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson told a news conference: "Not a single bullet was fired by officers despite coming under heavy attack."

He said bottles and Molotov cocktails were thrown from the crowd and two guns were confiscated from protesters. At least two people were shot.

Michael Brown was shot dead nine days ago

Mr Johnson said this was "an act of violent criminals", some coming from as far as New York or Los Angeles.

The death of Mr Brown, who was unarmed, has sparked daily protests and nightly clashes with police.

Monday night's protests were the first since Missouri Governor Jay Nixon called in the National Guard to try and restore order to Ferguson, a town of about 21,000 people that is overwhelmingly African-American.

But the National Guard appeared to keep their distance and remained at a police command centre.

The protests descended into chaos after nightfall

Instead, most streets were patrolled by officers in riot gear, supported by an armoured SWAT vehicle and a helicopter.

They repeatedly ordered the crowd to disperse.

Demonstrators no longer faced a midnight-to-5am curfew, but police told protesters that they could not assemble in a single spot and had to keep moving. 

Three journalists - a photographer for the Getty photo agency and two German reporters - were briefly detained and later released.

Rapper Nelly added his voice to the protests

Reports said a 90-year-old woman, who fled Nazi Germany in her youth to eventually emigrate to the US, was also detained for failing to disperse.

A crowd that gathered near where Mr Brown was killed was smaller than the one that clashed with officers on Sunday.

The teenager was shot in broad daylight on a residential street by Darren Wilson, a 28-year-old police officer who had been on the force for six years.

Pathologists hired by Mr Brown's family revealed he had been shot at least six times, including twice in the head.

Different versions of the shooting have emerged, with police sources saying there was a scuffle during which Mr Brown tried to seize the policeman's weapon. Police say the officer was injured.

Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters

Witnesses have said the teenager had his hands up and was not resisting when he was shot.

The Washington Post said traces of marijuana were found in his system.

A total of three autopsies have been requested - by local authorities, the family and the Justice Department.

Officials have said a grand jury could hear evidence in the case as early as Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to arrive in Ferguson for talks with FBI and other officials carrying out an independent investigation into Mr Brown's death.

The mother of Trayvon Martin, a case that many said bore similarities to the one in Ferguson, wrote to Mr Brown's mother to express her sympathy.

"Our children are our future so whenever any of our children - black, white, brown, yellow, or red - are taken from us unnecessarily, it causes a never-ending pain that is unlike anything I could have imagined experiencing," Sybrina Fulton wrote in a letter published by Time magazine.

Trayvon was 17 and unarmed when he was shot to death in Florida by a volunteer neighbourhood watch. His death too sparked protests.

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Iraqi Militants Threaten Revenge Attacks On US

Crucial Battle For World's Most Dangerous Dam

Updated: 5:36pm UK, Monday 18 August 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Recapturing the Mosul Dam from Islamic State (IS) militants isn't just a military and political necessity - it's an engineering imperative.

It's got feet of clay. More accurately, gypsum and limestone.

It holds 12 billion cubic metres (425 billion cubic feet) of water.

If it broke it would unleash a liquid bulldozer 10 metres (65 feet) high that would engulf Mosul downstream on the Tigris before racing south and flooding Baghdad.

Some experts have said around 500,000 people could be killed if the dam were to fail.

Because it's been built on gypsum and limestone, which are water soluble, the dam's base gets regular injections of "grout" - a messy mix of concrete and earth.

Some 200 tonnes of the emergency engineering porridge has to be poured into the base every year but sinkholes are appearing.

Iraq's government had earmarked billions to repair the dam, which is also the source of electricity for about a million people and clean water for much of northern Iraq.

And while IS has pretentions to establishing a "caliphate" over much of Syria and Iraq, it is unlikely the ranks of its militants include advanced construction engineers capable of keeping the dam from collapsing.

In 2007, the US Army Corps of Engineers surveyed the structure and concluded the dam was "the most dangerous in the world".

Kurdish peshmerga fighters, with the support of airstrikes by US warplanes, are battling for control of the dam.

It's a ginger process.

The IS fighters are battle hardened. They are also demolitions experts and have unleashed a tide of bloody religious slaughter across a third of Iraq and Syria.

They have sown the countryside around the dam with improvised explosive devices and mines.

There are fears they might have also rigged the dam for destruction.

This may be an exaggerated concern. The IS is violent and extreme but there are no signs it is idiotic.

Its recent tactical successes have been carefully orchestrated as part of a wider strategy to create a caliphate not even al Qaeda managed to establish.

Sending a wall of water crashing down the Tigris valley and drowning mostly fellow Sunni Muslims would rob the caliphate of potential supporters and guarantee the survivors would turn against its brutal interpretation of Islam.

But this doesn't mean the dam may be damaged in fighting.

Nor that it would be able to survive intact if the IS manages to hang on, or in tit-for-tat-operations the dam's relentless need for reinforcement was fatally interrupted.

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Pope's Family Dies In Argentina Car Crash

Two great nephews of Pope Francis, and their mother, have been killed in a traffic accident in Argentina, say police.

The accident took place in the early hours of the morning on the Rosario-Córdoba highway in the district of Cordoba, 550km (340 miles) northwest of Buenos Aires, said police commissioner Carina Ferreyra.

The Pope's nephew, Emanuel Horacio Bergoglio, was reportedly driving a vehicle with his wife Valeria Carmona, 36, and their two children, Jose agd 8 months and 2-year-old Antonio.

Mr Bergoglio, who is the son of Alberto, the Pope's late brother, has been hospitalised and is in a serious condition.

Early reports suggest the vehicle they were travelling in hit a truck in front of them.

The family were reportedly returning to Buenos Aires following a holiday weekend.

Vatican spokesman the Rev Federico Lombardi said "The Pope was informed about the tragic accident. He is deeply pained," adding Pope Francis had asked "all who share in his grief to unite with him in prayer."

Earlier today, Pope Francis touched on the subject of his own death for the first time, telling reporters he gave himself "two or three years" to live.

On a flight back to the Vatican from South Korea, the 77-year-old pontiff said: "I see it as the generosity of the people of God. I try to think of my sins, my mistakes, not to become proud.

"Because I know it will last only a short time. Two or three years and then I'll be off to the Father's House."

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Iraq Conflict: Fighting Resumes At Mosul Dam

Fighting has resumed at Mosul Dam in northern Iraq with US jets spotted flying overhead, according to Sky sources.

Islamic State (IS) militants seized the strategically important site, which supplies water and power to millions of people down the Tigris river valley, nearly two weeks ago.

But US President Barack Obama announced on Monday that Iraqi and Kurdish forces had regained control of the hydroelectric facility with the help of American airstrikes.

He called it a "major step forward" in the battle against the extremist group.

However, as the Kurds were celebrating their victory at the dam, it appeared there were still remnants of IS in the area who were putting up resistance.

Mosul Dam. Pic: File

Sky's Alex Crawford, at Mosul Dam, said: "We heard firing behind us about 1km away. The president's son said he suspected some hardened IS fighters were in the south of the dam who had not been cleared from the area."

She added: "They are still clearly holding out and putting up some sort of defence."

Crawford said she heard heavy machine-gun fire and possibly mortar shelling as well as jets overhead.

US fighter jets and drones have been attacking IS targets as they try to help push back the Sunni extremists who have taken over large parts of the north and west since June as Iraqi troops fled.

There is also fierce fighting near the centre of Tikrit, the hometown of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

The dam and the city of Mosul are in the north of the country

Iraqi forces have halted their advance to Tikrit, which was seized by IS two months ago, due to fierce resistance from the militants.

The Iraqi military had earlier shelled militant positions inside and outside the town, officials said.

Much of the fighting was taking place near the main hospital, more than two miles from the centre.

Meanwhile, the insurgents, who also seized control of the second city of Mosul in June, have threatened to respond to US airstrikes by attacking American targets, posting a video in which they warn: "We will drown all of you in blood".

The message was accompanied by photographs of beheadings.

Unlike al Qaeda, IS has, to date, focused on seizing land in Iraq and Syria for its self-proclaimed caliphate, rather than attacking Western targets.

Earlier, the group denied losing control of Mosul Dam.

Also, the UN refugee agency said it was poised to mount a massive aid operation in Irbil for 500,000 Iraqis driven from their homes by the jihadists.

Among the initial supplies are 3,000 tents, 200,000 plastic sheets, 18,500 kitchen sets and 16,500 jerry cans.

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Airlines Warned Over Iceland Volcano Eruption

Why Volcanic Ash Is So Dangerous For Planes

Updated: 9:50am UK, Tuesday 19 August 2014

By Carole Erskine, Sky News Online

Pilots are advised never to fly though an ash cloud because of the extreme problems it can cause an aircraft.

Ingesting ash dust can cause partial or total engine power loss, and even power loss in all engines.

The ash can also damage aircraft ventilation, hydraulic, electronic and air data systems along with the plane's paint, windscreens and power plants.

Former British Airways pilot Eric Moody has first-hand experience of flying through an ash cloud.

In June 1982 he was piloting a Jumbo 747 from Kuala Lumpur to Perth, Australia when he hit an ash cloud just off Java.

"It was very frightening, all the engines stopped for 14 to 15 minutes and we didn't know what was happening," he told Sky News.

"It was dark and the effect was of St Elmo's fire around the aircraft. We were looking for the cloud that had caused it but didn't know it was a volcanic ash cloud.

"We glided the aircraft about 80 nautical miles and went down 37,000ft to about 12,000ft.

"That was when we must have come out of the bottom of the ash cloud. It was a dark old night."

As a result of Mr Moody's flight experience research into the effects of volcanic ash clouds on aircraft increased and Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres were established around the world.

"Flying into volcanic ash is as deadly as flying with ice on your aircraft," said Mr Moody.

"And everyone knows how dangerous that is."

There was huge disruption in the UK in 2010 after a massive cloud of ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland drifted into UK airspace.

A number of airports were closed and hundreds of flights cancelled.

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