Boy Vs Car: Shocking Video Of Close Shave

A 12-year-old boy has survived a terrifying crash in which a car sent him smashing through the front window of a shop.

Footage shows Abraham al Saidi riding his bike with two other boys in New York as a black SUV veers off the road.

The vehicle ploughs straight into Abraham, driving him through the front of a barber shop as the two other boys on the street sprint away in shock.

The crash broke Abraham's leg and arm but he was otherwise unhurt.

"I got hit hard," the boy told NBC.

"It didn't hurt that much because I didn't feel it, because it came right away."

The crash happened in May but the footage has only just been released.

It is not clear why the driver veered off the road, and an investigation is under way.

News reports say the boy's family has taken legal action against the city, claiming that the stretch of road is dangerous.

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Tulisa Found Guilty Of Assaulting Blogger

Tulisa Contostavlos has been found guilty of assaulting a celebrity blogger at V Festival in Essex.

The N-Dubz star hit Savvas Morgan during a row in the VIP area at the site in Chelmsford last August.

She was found guilty by a judge at Stratford Magistrates' Court in east London and ordered to pay a total of £3,020.

Contostavlos shook her head and smiled in disbelief as the guilty verdict was read out.

Savvas Morgan rowed with Contostavlos at V Festival

She appeared to mutter "this is bulls**t" as she walked out of the courtroom.

The 26-year-old has vowed to launch an appeal against her conviction and said she was "outraged at the decision".

"There are a number of high-profile witnesses who were there and know what happened. I urge them to come forward and tell the truth at the appeal," she said outside the court.

"I am determined to clear my name as I have already done once this week. I repeat - I did not assault Vas J Morgan. I am innocent."

Contostavlos apparently held a grudge against her victim

District Judge Angus Hamilton said he was "quite sure" based on the evidence that "Ms Contostavlos did strike Mr Morgan in the face during an argument and that that blow caused minor bruising and swelling".

He said Contostavlos acted in a "confrontational" manner when she turned towards her victim, who she reportedly held a grudge against after he included a link to her sex tape on his blog.

"Her decision to seek to deal with Mr Morgan herself strikes me as aggressive and confrontational," the judge said.

He went on to say that he had a "number of points of concern" about her evidence during the trial.

He found that she "changed her account" of what she did with her hands during the confrontation. At one point she claimed she raised them in a defensive gesture but later said they remained by her sides, he said.

Her assistant, Gareth Varey, was cleared of using threatening behaviour during the incident.

Jeremy Dein QC, barrister for Contostavlos, said in mitigation that his client was provoked by the actions of her victim in relation to the sex tape.

He told the court: "Mr Morgan played a significant part in humiliating and debasing Ms Contostavlos' reputation, clearly for financial gain."

Contostavlos must pay a £2,700 contribution towards the cost of the prosecution, a £200 fine, £100 compensation to Mr Morgan and a £20 victim surcharge.

Earlier this week, a drugs trial against Contostavlos collapsed at Southwark Crown Court after the judge said there were "strong grounds" to believe that undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood - known as the Fake Sheikh - had lied in the witness box.

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'Pregnant' Burglar's Suspected Accomplice Held

A suspected intruder is facing a murder charge after his alleged accomplice, pleading she was pregnant, was shot dead by the US homeowner, who has not been arrested.

Armed with a handgun, California householder Tom Greer, 80, chased the burglars from his property and caught up with the woman in an alleyway before opening fire.

Long Beach police said Andrea Miller, 28, was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to investigators, she did not appear to be an expectant mother, as she had claimed, but a post-mortem examination would establish the facts.

At a press conference on Thursday, police said Miller's alleged accomplice, Gus Adams, had been arrested.

They said the 26-year-old was facing charges of burglary and murder, because of his suspected involvement in a felony that led to a death.

The incident happened on Tuesday night

Investigators said they were still deciding whether to recommend charges against Mr Greer.

California homeowners are allowed to defend themselves if they are in "imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death", police said.

It must be determined whether Mr Greer went too far in pursuing the suspects and firing on them outside his home.

Mr Greer said he returned to his Long Beach home on Tuesday night to find a man and woman ransacking it for cash.

The retiree said he was punched to the floor by both burglars, breaking his collar bone.

The woman continued to hit the householder, police said, while her accomplice began trying to pry open a safe.

As both of them turned their focus back to the robbery, Mr Greer went to get his .22-calibre revolver.

He told NBC Los Angeles: "I come back and they see me with a gun, and they run."

While the man managed to flee, Mr Greer said he caught up with the woman in the alley behind his house.

"She says, 'Don't shoot me, I'm pregnant! I'm going to have a baby!' And I shot her anyway," he told NBC.

"She was dead. I shot her twice, she best be dead. He had run off and left her.

"I shot her so that's going to leave a message on his mind for the rest of his life."

Mr Greer told NBC that the same couple had robbed him on two previous occasions.

Neighbours say the retiree had been the victim of numerous burglaries before.

Local resident George Prince told KTLA: "Some people have the ability to protect themselves, other people don't. Fortunately, this person did have that ability."

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Plane Survivor Crawls Out Of Fiery Wreckage

A woman escaped from the fiery wreckage of the TransAsia Airways plane by clambering through a hole in the fuselage - and then phoned her father to come and pick her up.

Hung Yu-ting was one of only 10 survivors when the aircraft crashed into houses near a runway on Taiwan's Penghu islands on Wednesday.

"She called me on the phone to say the plane had crashed and exploded but that she had already crawled out and I should come right away to get her," said Hung Yu-ting's father, who lives a few hundred metres from the crash site.

"When I was halfway there the fire was still really big, but it was smaller when I arrived on the scene," Mr Hung told reporters.

The plane ploughed into houses while trying to land in bad weather

"There were two other injured outside and the first ambulance had already taken away three, including my daughter."

Hung Chang-ming helped rescuers put out the fire and dragged more people from the wrecked plane before later being reunited with his 34-year-old daughter.

She suffered burns to her arms, leg and back during her escape and is recovering in hospital.

Forty-eight people were killed when the twin propeller ATR-72, which had taken off from Taipei, crashed while trying to land in stormy conditions and low visibility.

Forty-eight people died in the incident on Taiwan's Penghu islands

The effects of a typhoon had cancelled around 200 flights earlier in the day, but aviation officials insisted conditions in the area were acceptable to fly.

Investigators are set to focus on a four-minute timeframe when visibility around Magong airport is said to have reduced by half.

Several children were among the dead, which included a family of six and a family of four.

Buddhist monks conduct a ritual at the crash site

TransAsia chairman Vincent Lin appeared at the funeral hall on Friday and said the crash was an "unpredictable tragedy".

He apologised, kneeled and bowed to the mother of one victim, who screamed back: "Give me back my son, he is only 27 years old.

"He is still young, but now he is lying there at the morgue. I want my son back."

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Shock Images Of Woman Punched In Bristol

Shocking pictures of a woman who was knocked unconscious in an unprovoked attack have been released.

Sasha Jenkins, 28, was walking with her friend along Victoria Street in Staple Hill, Bristol, at 12.45am on July 5, after leaving the White Swan pub in Downend.

She was then punched to the ground by one of two men walking towards her, police say.

The 28-year-old carer was rushed to hospital with severe facial injuries and had to have an operation.

The "horrific" pictures have been released to try and catch the attacker, said Detective Constable Clare Chipping, of Avon and Somerset Police.

"Sasha wants to release these photos of her before and after the attack to show the horrific nature of the injuries she suffered," he said.

"She's had to endure a painful operation and will need further treatment in the days and weeks ahead.

"At the moment she's taking time off from her job as a carer because she's had to wear a protective mask as part of her treatment.

"We don't have a description of the two men who approached Sasha other than that they were young men.

"We have carried out a number of inquiries already and now want to issue an appeal for anyone who witnessed this incident to come forward.

"I am convinced there will be people who know who is responsible and I would urge them to put aside any misguided loyalty and contact us."

A 31-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident and is on bail until August 24.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Avon and Somerset Police on 101.

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Mother Admits Beating Mikaeel Kular To Death

Mikaeel Kular's mother has pleaded guilty to killing her three-year-old son, who she subjected to repeated assaults.

Rosdeep Adekoya had been accused of murder but admitted a reduced charge of culpable homicide at the High Court in Edinburgh.

She confessed to wrapping Mikaeel's body in a duvet cover, putting it in a suitcase and driving to Dunvegan Avenue in Kirkcaldy, where she hid the case under a bush in woodland behind a house.

The death of three-year-old Mikaeel Kular touched the community

Mikaeel's disappearance from his Edinburgh home in January sparked a huge search involving police officers, firefighters, mountain rescue teams and the coastguard, as well as members of the public.

His body was eventually found 25 miles away in woodland in Kirkcaldy, Fife.

Adekoya's internet searches included "Get rid of bruises"

Adekoya had called 999 to report her son missing to police, telling officers he got out of bed and climbed on a stool to unlock the front door of his home.

But in court she admitted to beating her son to death, repeatedly punching him and causing his body to hit against a hard object or inflicting blunt injuries on his head and body between January 12 and 15.

She also pleaded guilty to attempting to defeat the ends of justice by pretending to police he had gone missing.

Advocate depute Alex Prentice told the court: "The basis for the plea tendered being accepted is that the Crown accepts that the accused had no intention to kill Mikaeel and that the assault perpetrated upon him, although severe, fell short of the wicked recklessness required for murder."

Explaining the charge of culpable homicide, Sky's James Matthews, at the High Court in Edinburgh, said: "Basically she beat up her son causing his death but she didn't mean to kill him, and that's been accepted by the prosecution authorities."

The toddler's body was found in woodland behind a property in Kirkcaldy

He said after killing Mikaeel, Adekoya had done the school-run taking her four other children to school before continuing on to dump his body behind a property where her sister was staying.

"Her concocted story unravelled under questioning by police, and it was when they spotted inconsistencies in her story that she broke down and told them where Mikaeel's body was," Matthews added.

The car used by Adekoya to dump Mikaeel's body after the school-run

Adekoya's internet history showed searches including "I find it hard to love my son", "I love all of my children except one", "Why am I so aggressive with my son" and "Get rid of bruises".

The court heard Mikaeel died on the night of Tuesday, January 14, from injuries inflicted the previous Sunday.

Hundreds of members of the public joined the search for the youngster

His mother "lost her temper" when he was repeatedly sick following a trip to a Nando's restaurant at the city's Fountain Park.

Mikaeel had more than 40 separate injuries to his body, including bruises to his back, chin and cheek, trauma to the brain, haemorrhage in the spinal cord and injuries to his arms.

Mr Prentice said: "If medical assistance had been called for, death might not have resulted."

Sentence was deferred until August 25 at the High Court in Edinburgh.

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Five Palestinians Killed Amid Prayer Lockdown

Five Palestinians have reportedly been killed in the West Bank - four shot by Israeli troops and the other by a female settler.

Israeli soldiers shot dead three Palestinians in the village of Beit Ummar, near Hebron, medics said.

In a separate shooting, Israeli settlers fired on a group of Palestinians near the northern city of Nablus, killing 18-year-old Khaled Oudeh and wounding four others after they threw stones at their car.

The shot was fired by a woman, according to Israeli army radio.

Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene and their gunfire killed a fifth man, 22-year-old Tayyib Oudeh.

Meanwhile, Israel has said missing soldier Sgt Oron Shaul, who Hamas claimed to have abducted, was actually killed in battle.

A map showing the areas of conflict and violence

Israeli security forces are on heightened alert around Jerusalem's Old City after Palestinians declared today a "day of rage".

Riot police charged down skirmishes near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The violence followed clashes on Thursday, when 20,000 people marched in the West Bank in protest over the Gaza bloodshed.

Two Palestinians died, and fears of more trouble sparked a lockdown on Friday prayers, with only men aged over 50 allowed into Al Aqsa mosque.

Friday prayers are being held at the Al Aqsa mosque

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Sky News: "Once we receive clear indications that there are going to be disturbances on the Temple Mount it is necessary for an implementation of age limits in and around the Old City.

"We are taking all of these measures in order to prevent people from being injured or possibly killed around this area."

Amid the troubles, US Secretary of State and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pressed for a ceasefire during talks in Egypt.

Mr Kerry spoke to Qatari officials who are serving as a go-between with Hamas - but so far there has been no breakthrough.

Israeli TV reported that the country's security cabinet has rejected Mr Kerry's plan and is seeking modifications.

As fighting spread to the West Bank, Israel's 18-day military operation in Gaza - which is aimed at destroying Hamas' infrastructure - has claimed the lives of 815 Palestinians.

At least 150 people were injured in Thursday's mass protest

A pregnant woman was among this morning's casualties in Gaza following a fresh wave of Israeli airstrikes.

Surgeons managed to save the unborn child but, according to health officials, a 12-year-old and 15-year-old were among those killed in the strike on the southern city of Rafah.

Meanwhile, Hamas attempted to attack Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv with three rockets - two of which were destroyed mid-air by the Israelis.

More than 140,000 people have fled Gaza since the conflict began on July 8. Some 35 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Three civilians have died in Israel from rocket fire.

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BSkyB Unveils Plan For European Pay-TV Giant

The owner of Sky News has announced an ambitious plan to create a European pay-television giant that will more than treble the company's potential customer base.

Announcing its full-year results on Friday, BSkyB confirmed that it had reached a deal with 21st Century Fox (21CF) to acquire its 100% interest in Sky Italia and 57.4% stake in Sky Deutschland in deals worth a combined £5.3bn.

The transactions will propel BSkyB into market-leading positions in five countries, including three of the four largest pay-TV markets in Europe, and provide a platform to sell a diverse range of entertainment products in some of the Continent's wealthiest economies.

They will also give the company access to markets in Germany and Italy where seven out of ten homes have yet to sign up to pay-TV services.

In total, BSkyB's potential customer base will increase from 30 million households to more than 97 million.

BSkyB sees an opportunity to grow customer numbers

Jeremy Darroch, BSkyB's chief executive, said: "This transaction will create a world-class, multinational pay-TV business with enhanced headroom for growth and immediate benefits of scale.

"The three Sky businesses are leaders in their home markets and will be even stronger together. By creating the new Sky, we will be able to use our collective strengths and expertise to serve customers better, grow faster and enhance returns."

Completion of the takeover in Germany may involve buying out minority shareholders in Sky Deutschland, who are being offered the same price for their shares as that accepted by 21CF.

The German stake is costing BSkyB £2.9bn, while the Italian takeover comprises £2.1bn in cash as well as BSkyB's shareholding in the National Geographic channel worth about £380m, which 21CF is acquiring.

BSkyB is funding the takeovers through a combination of debt and asset sales, as well as raising 9.9% of its share capital through a placing.

Under the terms of the fundraising, 21CF, which is chaired by Rupert Murdoch, will retain its stake of just under 40% in BSkyB by subscribing for its pro rata position, worth approximately £500m.

BSkyB said the deals would generate annual cost synergies of about £200m.

Friday's announcement underlines the quickening pace of media consolidation on both sides of the Atlantic.

Last week, BSkyB received nearly £500m from the sale of its remaining shareholding in ITV to Liberty Global, the owner of Virgin Media.

21CF, meanwhile, is expected to channel the proceeds from its European disposals into a war chest aimed at sealing a takeover of Time Warner, owner of the Warner Brothers film studio and the CNN news network.

The City's reaction to the terms of BSkyB's acquisitions in Germany and Italy is likely to be mixed, with some analysts sceptical about the prospects of penetrating those markets as effectively as the company has done in the UK.

BSkyB's results for the 2013-14 financial year were stronger than consensus forecasts, with adjusted revenue up 6.5% to £7.6bn.

BSkyB's customers take almost 35 million products

Operating profit slipped by just 5% to £1.26bn despite heavy investment in product development and distribution, and the higher cost of Premier League rights.

Negotiations over the next three-year contract to broadcast live top-flight English football are expected to get underway early next year.

Analysts say the threat of another significant hike in the cost of the rights, or of being outbid altogether, may act as a drag on BSkyB's share price until the outcome of the auction is clear.

However, Mr Darroch pointed to the strongest growth the company had seen for three years, with nearly 35 million products now taken by customers across pay-TV, broadband, telephony, on-demand and mobile services.

BSkyB has also sought to reduce its reliance on the Premier League to attract customers, signing major rights renewal deals with other sports and investing heavily in drama and entertainment content.

Its share price - up 10% over the past 12 months - fell back by 3% in early trading on the FTSE 100 on Friday as investors digested news of the acquisitions and equity-raising.

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MH17: Woman Boasts Of Having Victim's Mascara

By Yulia Bragina, Moscow Producer

An Instagram user from eastern Ukraine has boasted about apparently getting mascara from one of the victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

A user called Katya, nicknamed Zolotusya and from Torez, published a photo, commenting: "Mascara from Amsterdam, from the field to be precise, you know what I mean."

The town of Torez is only a few miles from where MH17 came down last Thursday.

Users responded angrily to the claims

The post sparked outrage among other Instagram users and when asked where she got the mascara from, Zolotusya replied: "One looter I know gave it to me, let's put it this way."

The profile has since been removed from Instagram. 

Sky News managed to speak to one user who has been following Katya for several months and they confirmed seeing the post a few days ago.

There were reports of looting at the crash scene of MH17, but little hard evidence to back up the allegations.

Relatives of many victims have been cancelling their loved ones' credit cards, fearing they could be used by looters.

A Dutch newspaper reported that victims' phones are being answered by voices with heavy "Eastern European accents".

The crash scene is difficult to secure as it spans more than 10km (6.2 miles) and is inside the zone of heavy fighting between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian separatists.

The separatists were criticised for not properly securing the crash site

Moscow and the separatists, who are widely believed to be under the Kremlin's control, were heavily criticised for not properly securing the area in the first few days after the crash.

The OSCE observer mission had to negotiate every visit to the area with the armed rebels and had to work under heavy restrictions.

Some of the victims arrived in the Netherlands this week for identification

Alexander Borodai, the self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic, blamed the OSCE and other experts for dragging their feet and complained they were not allowed to at least get the bodies out of the sun.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the safety of international investigators but never officially condemned the handling of the crash site by the separatists.

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Air Algerie: Briton Among Plane Crash Victims

A British man was among those killed when an Air Algerie flight crashed in Africa, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

A statement from the FCO said: "It is with deep regret that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirms the death of a British man onboard Air Algerie flight AH5107.

"We are providing consular support to his family at this tragic time, and we ask that the media respect the privacy of those grieving."

A 10-year-old girl perished along with her entire family in the tragedy

His death was announced as the first photos emerged of the site in southern Mali where flight AH5017 came down, killing 118 people, including 54 French nationals.

Debris from the plane can be seen scattered over an area of desert south of Gao.

Burnt-out wreckage and parts of the fuselage can just be made out against the charred sand.

Flight AH5017 had been heading to Algiers when it crashed in southern Mali

Meanwhile, a 10-year-old French girl is reported to have spoken of her fears before the flight.

The girl, called Chloe, perished in the tragedy along with her parents, Bruno Cailleret and Caroline Boisnard, as well as her elder brother and grandmother.

The loss of the entire family in the disaster has left the small town of Menet in central France "devastated", according to Denise Labbe of the town hall.

French President Francois Hollande said no one survived the crash

The five had been returning from a trip to Burkina Faso, where Ms Boisnard's uncle lived.

They had been due to land in the southern city of Marseille after flying via Algiers, which is where the doomed aircraft was heading.

The plane was owned by Spanish private airline Swiftair and operated by Air Algerie.

It vanished from radar over West Africa and no one survived the crash, French President Francois Hollande said.

Ms Labbe said: "Everyone is devastated in the town. We all know the family, who live in front of the town hall.

"No one can quite believe it. It's like having a bad dream."

Chloe had been excited about the trip to Burkina Faso, she said, adding: "She had confided in her teacher before leaving about her fear of taking the plane, which she was doing for the first time".

Ms Boisnard's brother had gone to meet them at the airport and became aware of the tragedy when the family failed to appear at the arrivals gate.

A family of 10, including four children, from the Rhone-Alpes region of France were also killed in the crash.

The number of people killed was increased from 116 to 118 after the final passenger manifest was released.

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Claudia Lawrence Investigation: Man Arrested

Missing Claudia: Timeline Of Events

Updated: 3:28pm UK, Wednesday 23 July 2014

Here is Claudia Lawrence's last known movements and the investigation since her disappearance:

2009

March 18

:: 5.57am - Miss Lawrence is seen on CCTV arriving for work at the University of York's Goodricke College.

:: 2.31pm - The chef leaves work to walk the three miles to her home on Heworth Road.

A female colleague sees her as she drives past in her car and gives her a lift, dropping her off outside her house.

A short time later, Miss Lawrence leaves her house and walks past the Nags Head pub. She has a brief conversation with a woman with a pram.

:: 3.05pm - The last sighting of Miss Lawrence as she walks back to her house.

:: 8.10pm - Miss Lawrence has a telephone conversation with her father, Peter, and then another with her mother, Joan.

:: 8.23pm - She sends a text message to a friend.

:: 9.12pm - Miss Lawrence receives a text on her mobile phone but it is not known if she read the message.

March 19

:: 6am - Miss Lawrence fails to arrive for her shift at work.

:: Later in the evening, Miss Lawrence fails to keep an arrangement to meet her friend, Suzy Cooper, at the Nags Head pub.

Ms Cooper discovers her friend did not attend work and rings Mr Lawrence, who contacts North Yorkshire Police.

March 23

:: Mr Lawrence, a solicitor from Slingsby, North Yorkshire, makes an emotional appeal for information about his daughter at a news conference in York. He describes Miss Lawrence's disappearance as a "living nightmare".

:: Police say they cannot rule out the possibility that the chef has been abducted.

March 25

:: Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway, leading the investigation, says he believes Miss Lawrence may have come to harm after meeting someone she knew.

He confirms around 100 police officers are involved in the search and says North Yorks Police are bringing in officers from other forces to help.

CCTV footage of the chef's last known movements is released.

March 30

:: Detective Superintendent Galloway makes an appeal for information on BBC1's Crimewatch programme.

April 7

:: Mr Lawrence holds his first weekly press conference at his home and appeals for anyone protecting his daughter's possible abductor to come forward.

April 16

:: Police say they are investigating "significant" new lines of inquiry, including a couple seen arguing near a car on Miss Lawrence's route to work the day after she was last seen and two men apparently trying the front door to her house in the week before she disappeared.

April 24

:: Detectives say they are treating Miss Lawrence's disappearance as a suspected murder investigation and Crimestoppers offers a £10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.

Detective Superintendent Galloway also reveals new information received from members of the public. He says one witness reported seeing a man and a woman walking near the University of York between 6am and 6.30am on March 17 and March 19.

Another witness saw a man and a woman, possibly matching Miss Lawrence's description, at 5.35am on March 19 on Melrosegate on the chef's route to work.

April 29

:: Mrs Lawrence releases her first statement through police describing her daughter's disappearance as "every parent's worst nightmare"

May 6

:: Police reveal they have received more than 1,000 calls about Miss Lawrence's disappearance since March 22 and have taken 1,096 statements and reports.

Officers involved in the investigation have visually searched around 1,270 properties, including gardens and outbuildings and student halls of residence at the University of York.

May 15

:: Police release CCTV footage of a man seen near Miss Lawrence's home in the early hours of March 19.

Detective Superintendent Galloway says the number of searching officers has been scaled-down and police are now only carrying out intelligence-led searches.

June 2

:: A reconstruction of Miss Lawrence's last known movements and possible witness sightings is screened on BBC1's Crimewatch programme.

Detective Superintendent Galloway tells the show that Miss Lawrence was involved in relationships of "complexity and mystery" and appeals to anyone who had ever been in a relationship with the chef to come forward.

August 19

:: Police say an external review of the investigation by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) is "extremely positive" and the force are acting upon a list recommendations.

September 18

:: Detectives reveal they have extended their investigation to Cyprus.

2010

March 18

:: Police reveal Ms Lawrence spent the night with a mystery boyfriend just two days before she went missing. It was "critical" they spoke to the man, a detective adds.

March 24

:: Detectives search an area near York University following new information.

May 25

:: Police confirm they have spent two days searching a house about 10 miles from Claudia's home as a result of a "recent development".

July 29

:: Police confirm they are scaling back the number of officers dedicated to the inquiry.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Madgwick says 100 officers were dedicated to the investigation at its height.

A year after Miss Lawrence disappeared, this figure had dropped to about 20 to 30 and there were now 16 detectives involved. Mr Madgwick says they will be cut cut to seven officers the following month.

August 8

:: A man arrested on suspicion of burglary has been spoken to about the case, North Yorks police say.

But he is described as  "one of many people spoken to during the course of the investigation" and there still have been no formal suspects identified by the inquiry team.

September 20

:: Mr Lawrence speaks of his "devastation" after it is revealed that a cash reward for information was being dropped.

The decision means the North Yorks Police will remove their appeal posters from fleet vehicles because they refer to the reward.

2011

March 18

:: On the second anniversary of Miss Lawrence's disappearance, Detective Superintendent Galloway reveals that he could have "potentially" spoken to her killer.

December 13

:: Detectives say they are pursuing a new lead which could be "significant".

2012

March 16

:: Peter Lawrence speaks of his daily pain over his daughter's disappearance and makes a plea for anyone who may still harbour a sense of "misguided loyalty" to come forward and help with the police investigation.

July 10

:: Martin Dales, spokesman for Mr Lawrence, says a former private detective has contacted him to say he spotted someone with a striking resemblance to Claudia a week earlier in Amsterdam.

2013

February 27

:: Family and friends of Miss Lawrence make an emotional appeal for help to find her on what would have been her 39th birthday.

October 29

:: Police announce a new forensic search of Miss Lawrence's home is to begin as they launch a fresh review of the case.

2014

March 17

:: Mr Lawrence, speaking ahead of the fifth anniversary of his daughter's disappearance, says not knowing what happened to his daughter five years after she disappeared is like a "cancer" eating away at him.

March 19

:: Police say a new forensic examination of Claudia's house has uncovered the fingerprints of people who still have not come forward five years after she disappeared. They say they are seeking to trace two men and two vehicles seen near her home.

April 17

:: North Yorks Police say 121 people have come forward to help their inquiry since a national appeal was made to coincide with the fifth anniversary of her disappearance. They say taxi drivers may have important information about the case.

May 13

:: A 59-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of murder by detectives investigating the disappearance.

:: A police spokeswoman says Miss Lawrence has not been found and they cannot rule out the possibility of further arrests in the future.

July 23

:: A 46-year-old man from the York area is arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

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Israel 'Could Be Guilty Of Gaza War Crimes'

An international inquiry into Israel's actions in Gaza has been launched, after the UN's Human Rights Commissioner said there was a "strong possibility" the country was guilty of war crimes.

The 46-member Human Rights Council backed a Palestinian-drafted resolution to begin the investigation by 29 votes, with Arab and fellow Muslim countries joined by China, Russia and Latin American and African nations.

The United States was the only member to vote against, while European countries abstained.

It came after Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay told the emergency debate in Geneva that Israel's punitive house demolitions and killing of Palestinians raised serious concerns of excessive use of force by the Jewish state.

Ms Pillay: 'Every one of these incidents must be investigated'

Ms Pillay also condemned the indiscriminate firing of rockets and mortars by Hamas into Israel.

"Once again, the principles of distinction and precaution are clearly not being observed during such indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas by Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups," she said.

"Every one of these incidents must be properly and independently investigated." 

More than 650 Palestinians have been killed as well as 29 Israeli soldiers and two civilians as two weeks of airstrikes and rocket attacks were followed by an Israeli ground offensive inside Gaza.

On Wednesday, hundreds of people reportedly fled Khan Younis amid heavy fighting between Israeli troops and members of the armed wing of Hamas.

The Red Crescent said Hamas fighters were using rocket propelled grenades and light weapons, including machine guns, against the Israelis.

A Palestinian doctor inspects a shell-damaged hospital in Gaza

The Israeli military was said to be firing tank shells and missiles from drones into the area.

Ms Pillay's comments came as US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Tel Aviv to push for ceasefire talks.

Mr Kerry said he was making "some steps forward" in the search for a cessation to the fighting but declined to provide any details.

Israel's UN representative said the debate was a knee-jerk reaction, adding that Israel's duty to defend itself was enshrined in International law and that it was Hamas that was committing war crimes.

Israel's ambassador also said Israel would destroy Hamas' military infrastructure, but added that Gaza residents themselves were "not our enemy".

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki claimed Israel was committing "a crime against humanity" and he urged world powers to end what he called Israel's impunity, adding: "Israel must be held accountable for its crimes." 

The Geneva rights forum convened the special one-day session at the request of the Palestinians, Egypt and Pakistan.

Israel, which accuses the council of bias, boycotted the Geneva forum for 20 months, resuming co-operation in October.

The United States, a member state, has also said Israel was being unfairly singled out.

Today's debate comes as major airlines from the US, Europe and Canada announced they are refusing to fly to and from Israel after a rocket fired from Gaza landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport.

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MH17 Victims' Bodies Arrive In The Netherlands

The bodies of some of the first victims recovered from downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have been brought to the Netherlands from the crash site in eastern Ukraine.

Two military aircraft - one Dutch and the other Australian - left Kharkiv Airport in northeastern Ukraine earlier carrying the bodies of 40 victims between them in wooden coffins.

The jets arrived at Eindhoven airport in the Netherlands where they were met by relatives, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and members of the Dutch royal family.

Bells were sounded across the country and the Last Post played at the airport as an eerie silence fell across the airbase.

A coffin of one victim is carried from a plane to a hearse

The coffins were carried off the planes by military personnel and each one put in a hearse.

Sky's Ian Woods, at the airport, said: "Around 1,000 relatives are watching from behind a screen, including members of two British families, even though they don't know if their loved ones are on board the planes."

A minute's silence was observed nationwide, and a motorcade took the bodies to the Korporaal Van Oudheusdenkazerne military barracks in Hilversum, where the long process of identifying the remains will begin using DNA, dental records and finger prints.

Jean Fransman, a spokesman for the ministry of security in the Netherlands, told Sky News: "We have chosen this location because these facilities have everything that's needed to carry out the identification process as quickly as possible with respect and discretion."

A total of 40 hearses are at the airbase to take away the wooden coffins

The Dutch Prime Minister has warned it could take weeks or even months to formally identify the victims before their bodies are released for repatriation.

A team of nine disaster victim identification (DVI) personnel from Britain, including six police officers, a crime scene manager and forensic photographer, will assist the Dutch authorities, which are leading the investigation.

There was a national day of mourning in the Netherlands for the 298 people killed, including 193 Dutch, that will include a silent march in Amsterdam this evening.

The bodies are the first of some 200 victims which are expected to be flown out of Ukraine during the course of this week.

A congregation at Eindhoven Airport gather for a sombre ceremony

It is thought more than 80 bodies still remain at the scene.

However, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has cast doubt over the numbers that have been recovered and handed over by pro-Russian separatists, and warned it is unclear how many bodies may have arrived in Kharkiv and been left behind.

"It's quite possible that many bodies are still out there in the open, in the European summer, subject to interference and subject to the ravages of heat and animals," he said.

Meanwhile, the black boxes from MH17 have now arrived in the UK, where they will be examined at the headquarters of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch in Farnborough, Hampshire.

Investigators say it will take 24 hours to download the data from each machine before sending it to the Dutch for analysis.

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Glasgow 2014 Athletes In Motorway Cycle Ride

Police intervened after four members of Sri Lanka's Commonwealth Games team were spotted cycling down one of Scotland's busiest stretches of motorway.

Shocked motorists called police after seeing the athletes going for a ride down the M74, around 18 miles outside Glasgow, which is hosting the games over the next fortnight.

The intrepid quartet were eventually stopped in their tracks as they neared the exit for Motherwell and Hamilton, where officers informed them they were breaking the law.

The junction is close to Strathclyde Park, which hosts the triathlon events on Thursday and Sunday.

Police Scotland confirmed they had been called to a report of four cyclists on the M74 at Junction 6 shortly before midday.

A police spokeswoman said: "Police attended. Advice and assistance was given and the cyclists were advised to get off the road."

The spokeswoman confirmed they were from the Sri Lankan team taking part in Glasgow 2014 and said the bikes were loaded on to a team vehicle and they left the area.

During the Manchester Games in 2002, two Kenya cyclists travelled 17 miles down the M61 before being pulled over by police near Bolton.

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Peaches Geldof May Have Lied About Drug Tests

Peaches Geldof may have lied to her husband about her weekly drug tests being clear, an inquest into her death has heard.

Thomas Cohen found his wife slumped on the bed in the spare room of their Kent home in April after she failed to answer the phone.

The inquest heard the 25-year-old TV presenter was a heroin addict who had been taking the substitute drug methadone in the two-and-a-half years before her death. 

She had been having weekly drugs tests which she told her husband were negative but, even though he had not seen her take drugs, he became concerned that she might be, the hearing in Gravesend was told.

In February, he found texts suggesting she was taking drugs again and after speaking to her about it, she retrieved heroin from the loft of their Wrotham property and flushed it down the toilet.

Peaches Geldof with her husband Thomas Cohen

Police called to the address on the day she died found 6.9g of "importation quality" heroin with a street value of up to £550, along with drugs paraphernalia including syringes and burnt spoons.

Analysis of the brown powder concluded it had a purity of 61%.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Fotheringham, who led the investigation, said it "far exceeded" the 26% purity usually found at street level.

He told the inquest that forensic scientist Emma Harris found a high level of morphine in Ms Geldof's blood, suggesting she died "shortly after taking heroin" and that it was "likely" the substance played a role in her death.

In her report, Dr Harris said: "Persons taking heroin on a regular basis develop a tolerance to the drug, and such individuals can use doses that would be toxic, or fatal, to people with no tolerance.

"However, tolerance to heroin and other opiate drugs appears to be lost fairly rapidly when users cease to use the drug, and deaths commonly occur in people who have previously been tolerant and have returned to using heroin."

Det Insp Fotheringham also told the inquest there is an ongoing police investigation into who supplied the drugs to the mother-of-two, but so far there had been no arrests.

The coroner Roger Hatch, who found the model's death was drugs-related, said the purity of the heroin had been a factor.

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Fat Guy Number Three Video Teases Kim Jong-Un

A video poking fun at the supreme leader of North Korea has become an internet hit after being watched 55 million times.

The three-minute video titled Fat Guy Number Three satirises Kim Jong-Un by placing his head on a series of animated gifs.

Mr Kim is portrayed as various characters including a performing baseball pitch attendant, a judo-fighter and an overweight breakdancer.

Russia's President Putin and Barack Obama get cameo roles in the film, as does former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who is shown hand-in-hand with the North Korean dictator.  

The video was made in China and uploaded to the country's video-sharing site Tencent - YouTube is banned in the country.

Writing on his Weibo page, the creator said the clip was "just for entertainment" and not political.

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Rebels' MH17 Site 'Sabotage Plan' Intercepted

Rebels planned to sabotage the investigation into Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 by scattering parts of other planes at the crash site, according to Sky sources.

UK intelligence officials intercepted communications between pro-Russian separatists, seemingly discussing deliberate attempts to tamper with the scene of the disaster.

Evidence indicates rebels talked about removing victims' remains from the fields of Grabovo, where the plane was shot down.

Sky sources in Whitehall added that the rebels also considered sending the black boxes to Moscow.

Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said the sources claimed the separatists wanted to confuse the situation further for investigators. 

He said: "I think this will play into the fears that many people have that not all of the bodies will be returned, that parts of the plane have been tampered with in order to try and hide any evidence.

Malaysian air crash investigators at the site in Grabovo

"It has been incredibly difficult for international monitors to gain access to the crash site.

"This is all a part of UK intelligence working with intelligence agencies around the world to try and build up a picture not only of what happened at the point of impact, but also what happened in the hours and days that followed on from that."

The news came as Ukraine said rebels had shot down two of its fighter jets.

A spokesman for the country's military operations said the aircraft were brought down near Savur Mogila in eastern Ukraine.

No information was given about those on board, but it is thought both planes were carrying up to two crew members each.

Fierce fighting between Ukrainian forces and separatists has continued in the Donetsk region since the MH17 disaster.

Wooden coffins are loaded onto an aircraft at Kharkiv Airport

The bodies of some of the victims have started being flown back to the Netherlands from the crash site.

Two military aircraft - one Dutch and the other Australian - left Kharkiv Airport for Eindhoven Airport this morning.

The rest are expected to be repatriated during the course of this week.

Some 200 bodies have been handed over by the rebels but 80 are still missing and are thought to be among the flight debris at the crash site.

All 298 people on board were killed when the jet was brought down in a region where Ukrainian forces have been battling separatists.

Kiev and Moscow have blamed each other for the air disaster.

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Taiwan Plane Crash Leaves 47 Feared Dead

A plane crashed outside an airport in Taiwan as it tried to land in stormy weather, leaving 47 people trapped and feared dead.

The TransAsia aircraft came down near the airport in Xixi village, in the island of Penghu, off the western coast of Taiwan.

Yeh Kuang-shih, the country's transport minister, was quoted by the government's Central News Agency as saying another 11 people were injured after the plane crashed and caught fire while making a second landing attempt.

The agency had earlier reported, citing a local fire brigade chief, that 51 people had been killed.

Flight GE 222 was flying a domestic route in stormy weather from the capital Taipei to the Penghu Islands, halfway between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Reports said the pilot failed to land the ATR-72 aircraft at the first attempt, before he requested another attempt and air-traffic control lost contact with the plane.

Pictures on Taiwan television showed emergency services searching through twisted wreckage at the crash site.

Taiwan was battered by Typhoon Matmo early Tuesday morning, and the Central Weather Bureau was advising of heavy rain through the evening, even though the center of the storm was in mainland China.

Penghu is a lightly populated island that averages around two flights a day from Taiwan's capital, Taipei.

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US Renews Ban On Airlines Flying To Tel Aviv

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has continued its 24-hour ban on US airlines flying to and from Tel Aviv.

The air safety body said in a statement: "Today the FAA issued another Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) informing US airlines that yesterday's NOTAM flight remains in effect for Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport for up to an additional 24 hours while the FAA continues to monitor and evaluate the situation."

The decision comes a day after carriers from the US, Europe and Canada grounded services when a rocket fired from Gaza landed near Ben Gurion Airport.

A Delta Air Lines flight bound for Israel's busiest air hub was diverted to Paris on Tuesday because the incident.

Israel says the airport is safe

The FAA had cited the "potentially hazardous situation" caused by the ongoing conflict in the region in its original 24-hour warning.

The European Aviation Safety Agency later recommended airlines avoid Tel Aviv "until further notice".

Hamas said on Wednesday the worldwide suspension of flights into Israel was a "great victory".

Israel's Transportation Ministry has insisted the airport is safe and said the flight ban would "hand terror a prize".

Israelis take cover from incoming rockets in Ashkelon

Defiant former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he would fly into Tel Aviv with Israeli airline El Al on Tuesday night. He said the FAA ban would deliver "Hamas an undeserved victory".

Delta, United, US Airways and Air Canada all grounded services to Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

Germany's Lufthansa, Air France and the UK's EasyJet followed suit.

However, British Airways said its service to Tel Aviv would continue.

A Palestinian mother mourns the death of her son

Despite the advisory, Secretary of State John Kerry flew into Israel's main airport to continue the push for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

He was visiting to meet Israel's prime minister, the Palestinian Authority's president and the United Nations chief in a day-long visit to Jerusalem and Ramallah.

The flight cancellations came as Israel continued its offensive in Gaza, which it launched on July 8 to stop Hamas militants firing rockets over the border.

Palestinian militants have fired more than 2,000 missiles at Israel, but many have been intercepted by its US-funded Iron Dome defence system.

More than 650 Palestinians, many of them women and children, as well as 29 Israeli soldiers and two civilians, have been killed in the conflict.

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US Nazi Suspect, 89, Dies Before Extradition

A Nazi war crimes suspect from Philadelphia has died a day before a judge approved his extradition to Germany, his lawyer says.

Johann Breyer, 89, died on Tuesday night at a Philadelphia hospital, his lawyer told the Associated Press news agency.

A judge, apparently unaware of the report, issued an order on Wednesday approving a request for Breyer to be extradited to Germany.

The US government had yet to approve the order.

Breyer was accused of taking part in the killing of hundreds of thousands of Jewish men, women and children during his time as an Auschwitz death camp guard.

In a case that has been building for years, authorities charged him in June with 158 counts of aiding and abetting the deaths of 216,000 Jews.

His lawyer said at a hearing last month that Breyer, who walked with a cane, had mild dementia and heart issues.

Breyer - who immigrated to the US in 1952 - acknowledged in 2012 that he was an SS guard at Auschwitz in occupied Poland during World War II.

But he said he was stationed outside the death camp part and had nothing to do with the slaughter.

He said he was forced to work there as a teenager.

More follows...

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