Israel Threatens 'Heavy Price' As Child Killed

A mortar bomb fired from the Gaza Strip has killed a four-year-old child in Israel, according to emergency officials.

The attack occurred early on Friday evening in the southern Israeli village of in Sdot Negev, near the frontier.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that "Hamas will pay a heavy price" for the death of the boy.

Israel said at least 26 rockets were fired from Gaza on Friday

He suffered fatal wounds after the barrage of mortars landed in the collective farm, known as a kibbutz

A mobile intensive care ambulance was sent to the scene and fire crews hosed down vehicles in a car park that were set on fire.

Mr Netanyahu said Israel's military would raise the tempo of operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip "until the goals of Operation Protective Edge are achieved".

Three people were hurt in an Ashdod synagogue after a rocket attack

It was the first Israeli death since a new round of fighting erupted on Tuesday between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers following the collapse of cease-fire talks in Cairo earlier this week.

The boy would be the fourth civilian in Israel to be killed in an attack from the coastal territory since the outbreak of conflict on July 8.

Earlier in the day three people were injured by shrapnel, after rocket fired from Gaza hit a synagogue in the city of Ashdod.

Nearly two dozen airstrikes were launched in response to the Gaza rockets

The attack came just hours before the start of the Jewish Sabbath.

Ashdod is around 20 miles from Gaza and the rocket was one of more than two dozen fired into Israel.

Hamas also killed 18 people suspected of being informers for Israel on Friday.

The group said 11 were killed by firing squad at the Gaza City police headquarters following sentencing by courts.

Scores of people watched suspected Israeli informers being killed in Gaza

Hamas media then reported that seven more alleged informants had been targeted by masked gunmen near a mosque.

Two of those killed were women, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, which called for an immediate halt to what it said were "extra-judicial executions".

Israel's intelligence services rely, in part, on informers to pinpoint the whereabouts of Hamas leaders.

Palestinians protested in Hebron in the West Bank on Friday

The deaths come a day after Israel killed three top Hamas commanders - Mohammed Abu Shammala, Raed al Attar and Mohammed Barhoum - in an airstrike on a house in the southern Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have reportedly killed four Palestinians - including two at the Nusseirat refugee camp.

The Israeli Defence Force said it had launched about 20 airstrikes on targets inside Gaza on Friday in response to at least 26 rockets fired at Israel.

Youths used slingshots against Israeli security forces in Bethlehem

Protests by Palestinians also broke out across the West Bank on Friday, with youths clashing with Israeli security forces in Bethlehem and Hebron.

So far more than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, as Israel sought to destroy a network of tunnels used by Hamas and other militants.

A total of 64 Israeli soldiers have also been killed in the conflict.

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Chinese Top Gun 'Barrel Rolled' Over US Plane

A Chinese fighter jet conducted a barrel roll "very, very close" over a US Navy plane in international waters near Japan this week, the Pentagon has said.

Rear Admiral John Kirby said the Chinese plane exposed its belly to show that it was armed to the P-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

He said the Chinese aircraft came within 30ft (9 metres) of the American plane, while the wing tips of the two aircraft were only 20ft apart.

The American P-8 is said to have been conducting routine surveillance

Adm Kirby described Monday's incident as "pretty aggressive, very unprofessional and unsafe".

The US plane is said by defence officials to have been conducting routine surveillance of the Chinese coast over the East China Sea at the time of its encounter with the Su-27 interceptor jet.

Chinese military officials have said US surveillance flights and monitoring of their facilities represents a violation of sovereignty.

It was the second such close encounter this year for a US surveillance plane.

People look through binoculars at the US Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan

In April, a Russian Su-27 flew within 100ft of a US Air Force RC-135 aircraft over waters north of Japan.

Monday's incident took place as Chinese air force and navy jets conducted combat simulation drills in the East China Sea.

The US plane that was intercepted by the Su-27 flew from at an air base in Okinawa, Japan, that is US Air Force's Pacific power hub.

The P-8s were deployed last December, a month after China declared an air defence zone over the East China Sea that sparked a maritime dispute with Japan and South Korean. 

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Boy Arrested After Reading Festival 'Rape'

A 14-year-old boy is one of two people arrested on suspicion of rape at Reading Festival.

A 19-year-old told police she was attacked in a caravan on the festival traders' site on Thursday night.

She had earlier met a man and a boy near an ice cream van opposite one of the campsites.

The 14-year-old, from Surrey, has been detained along with a 31-year-old London man, Thames Valley Police said.

The arrests emerged as an estimated 90,000 music fans began arriving to see performances this weekend by acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Blink-182, Jake Bugg and Paramore.

Chief Inspector Dave Parker said: "There is currently a scene watch in place and I would like to reassure those attending the festival that crime levels remain low and crimes of this nature are very rare.

"Officers are patrolling the site to support on-site security and if anyone has any concerns, please feel free to approach our officers to discuss these."

There have been 21 crimes at the Richfield Avenue site so far, police said. Five of these were alleged drugs offences and 13 were suspected thefts.

Mr Parker added: "I know many people will be celebrating their A-level and GCSE results and officers are working to make sure this is a safe environment in which to have fun."

Police have urged anyone heading to Reading to monitor their festival Twitter page for safety information and messages.

Anyone with any information about the alleged rape is asked to call police on 101.

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Fast And Furious Pirate Jailed For 33 Months

A computer programmer who filmed Fast & Furious 6 from the back of a cinema then uploaded it to the internet has been jailed for almost three years.

The pirate copy of the film was downloaded 779,000 times, costing one of Hollywood's biggest film-makers almost £2.5m.

Philip Danks, 25, from Walsall, West Midlands, was the first person in the world to record and distribute the movie illegally after filming it on its release day on May 17 last year.

A court heard a special "webwatch" team - set up by LA-based Universal Pictures because the film was so valuable - spotted his copy spreading across the internet.

He was caught when fraud investigators noticed that his online tag 'Thecod3r' attached on the video was identical to his profile on dating website Plenty of Fish.

He was arrested at his home on May 23.

Two days later, he bragged on Facebook: "Seven billion people and I was the first. F*** you Universal Pictures."

Danks boasted on Facebook: "Seven billion people and I was the first"

On Thursday, he pleaded guilty to three charges of distributing pirate copies of films and was jailed for 33 months.

The court heard that he made just £1,000 from selling copies of the film for £1.50 - while the cost to Universal was estimated at £2.3m.

Sentencing Recorder Keith Raynor said: "This was bold, arrogant and cocksure offending.

"You approach to the film industry was made clear in the posting you made on Facebook two days after your arrest.

"I accept the personal profit was modest but the real seriousness of this case is the loss caused to the film industry as a whole."

Prosecuting on behalf of the Federation Against Copyright Theft, Ari Alibhai said: "The film was Universal Picture's most significant release of that year with both the biggest production costs and expected revenue.

The pirated film was recorded at a cinema in Walsall, West Midlands

"The estimated loss to the industry caused by the defendant's actions is conservatively estimated at £2.3m but he did not receive money from the online distribution."

The court heard that although he made money from selling versions of his copy via Facebook or by personal delivery his real motive was "street cred."

Mr Alibhai added: "The first person with a pirated version attracts much kudos. He wanted recognition from the community."

Mr Christopher Loach, defending, said: "He has no real qualifications and is not a man of means.

"He has no substantial assets of any sort and his financial gain has been extremely limited but he was obviously aware that it was a popular film that would be of interest."

Following his arrest, Danks was freed on police bail pending further inquires but continued to offer a dozen films he had copied.

Danks kept people posted on the case through Facebook - but while awaiting sentence he conceded: "Not loking (sic) good"

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Ice Bucket Challenge: Four Hurt In Failed Stunt

Firefighters helping college students complete the ice bucket challenge were hurt when their truck's ladder got too close to a power line.

Even though the power line was never touched, it carried such a high voltage that it was able to energise the ladder, shocking four Kentucky firefighters.

The incident took place on Thursday. Pic: Twitter/@MOOSEArterburn

One of them was in a critical condition, one in a fair condition and two were treated and released.

The incident took place at Campbellsville University, where the firefighters and their truck were helping the college marching band by dumping cold water on them.

They sprayed the students with cold water on one of the athletic fields, and by the time the accident happened the students had gone and none of them was injured.

Power was knocked out for about an hour to 4,500 customers, including the school, according to a spokeswoman for Kentucky Utilities.

The ice bucket challenge, which aims to raise money for research into ALS - a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord - has been sweeping social media.

The ALS Association said it has raised more than $41m.

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Final Email Gave Hope To James Foley's Parents

The parents of James Foley said they regarded an email sent by his captors earlier this month as a hopeful sign despite a threat they would kill him.

John and Diane Foley have released the text of the email they received on August 12 - a week before the video that showed their son being beheaded by an Islamic State militant.

"We hadn't heard from Jim's captors since December," John Foley said of the email, appearing with his wife on NBC's Today.

"I actually was excited to see an email despite the conclusion that they would execute Jim.

"I underestimated that point. I did not realise how brutal they were."

The Foleys said they had set up a special email address and sent multiple messages to try to engage the captors.

James Foley resting in a room at the airport of Sirte, Libya in 2011

"We were just anxiously waiting," Diane Foley said.

In the last email, the Islamic State said: "You do not spare our weak, elderly, women or children so we will not spare yours!

"You and your citizens will pay the price of your bombings! The first of which being the blood of the American citizen, James Foley!

"He will be executed as a direct result of your transgressions towards us!"

In the message, IS claimed it had given the US "any chances to negotiate the release of your people via cash transactions as other governments have accepted".

However, Mr Foley's family said this was not true.

They said they had to wait about a year from when Mr Foley went missing in November 2012 for the first email from his kidnappers.

John and Diane Foley, the parents of James Foley

In that message they demanded money.

After the militants proved to the family and investigators they were holding the 40-year-old, they made a ransom demand of £80m ($132.5m).

The next time the family heard from the captors was on August 12.

GlobalPost, one of the news organisations Mr Foley worked for, said it chose to publish the message in full "in the interest of transparency and to fully tell Jim's story".

"We believe the text offers insight into the motivations and tactics of the Islamic State."

In the email, the kidnappers explain their wish for US-educated, Pakistani-born scientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui to be released.

James Foley in Libya in 2011

Siddiqui was found with documents on chemical weapons, dirty bombs and viruses when she was arrest in Afghanistan in 2008. She is serving 86 years in a US jail.

Speaking on NBC, the Foleys said they felt comforted by Pope Francis, who called them on Thursday to express his condolences.

Mrs Foley said the Pontiff, who lost some relatives in an accident recently, was "so kind" to call "in the midst of his tremendous grief".

As efforts continue to track down Mr Foley's killer, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the threat posed by IS is "beyond anything we have seen".

The group said it beheaded Mr Foley in retaliation for US airstrikes in Iraq aimed at reversing the sweeping gains made by IS this summer.

Counter-terrorism police in the UK have already begun efforts to identify the black-clad man seen in the video killing Mr Foley.

Although his face is covered, he speaks with an English, possibly London, accent.

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'Russian Build-Up Near Ukraine Alarming'

Nato says it has witnessed an "alarming build-up of Russian military forces near the border with Ukraine, as Kiev described a Russian aid convoy entering the country as a "direct invasion".

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the increase in ground and air forces just miles from where the Ukrainian military is battling pro-Moscow separatists could lead to the further isolation of Russia. 

"We have also seen transfers of large quantities of advanced weapons, including tanks, armoured personnel carriers and artillery to separatist groups in eastern Ukraine," he said in a statement.

Ukraine insisted the aid convoy entered under the auspices of the Red Cross

More than 100 trucks from a Russian aid convoy crossed into the country without permission on Friday and have begun arriving in the eastern city of Luhansk. 

It had been agreed the lorries would only be allowed into eastern Ukraine if they were escorted by the International Red Cross.

But the charity has pulled out after not receiving enough security guarantees as fighting continues to rage.

Kiev's foreign ministry said it had informally allowed the convoy to pass to avoid "provocations" and state security chief Valentyn Nalivaychenko said his country will not use force against it.

President Poroshenko is due to meet Russia's leader next week

But he also said: "We consider this a direct invasion by Russia of Ukraine. Under the cynical guise of the Red Cross these are military vehicles."

A spokesman for the European Union foreign affairs chief Baroness Ashton criticised Russia for a "clear violation" and urged Moscow to reverse its decision.

The Pentagon said it was "very concerned" and called for the convoy to be pulled out immediately.

The vehicles are carrying water, generators and sleeping bags reportedly intended to help civilians in Luhansk, where pro-Russian separatist fighters are besieged by Ukrainian government forces.

Sources said Germany's Angela Merkel would push for a ceasefire

The trucks, part of a 280-lorry convoy, had been held at a border crossing for a week amid suspicions by Kiev that the mission was being used as a cover for an invasion by Moscow.

Ukraine has been reluctant to let the convoy through over fears it is carrying supplies for the rebels, despite Moscow's insistence the goods were simply humanitarian aid.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Germany's Angela Merkel that any further delays to the aid would be unacceptable.

The 280-truck convoy departed from near Moscow more than seven days ago

The Kremlin said Russia decided to go ahead with the mission after "clear procrastination" by the Kiev government. 

The transit comes as the Ukrainian president said he would tell Mr Putin to rein in pro-Moscow separatists, when the two leaders meet next week.

Petro Poroshenko said he would tell President Putin that Ukraine had "a strong country, a strong army" behind him.

He said: "We are capable of defending our sovereignty, our independence and our territorial integrity - we are fighting for the independence of Ukraine. Together we will win for sure."

Mr Poroshenko spoke as government forces, despite taking heavy losses themselves, thrust deeper into rebel-held eastern territory, putting pressure on separatists.

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Swiss Mosque Shooting Leaves One Dead

One person has been found dead after a shooting in a mosque full of worshippers at Friday prayers, police have said.

Police arrested an individual with a handgun when they were called to a suburb of St Gallen in Switzerland after reports of gunfire.

A man was found dead in the mosque's prayer room, a police spokesman said.

Around 300 people were reportedly in the mosque for Friday prayers at the time of the shooting.

It was not immediately clear what the motive may have been.

Witnesses believe the killing may have been linked to a family dispute dating back a number of years, Swiss newspaper 20 Minutes reported.

The El-Hidaje mosque is used by St Gallen's Albanian Muslim community.

Fehim Dragusha, a former Imam at the mosque, told Switzerland's Radio FM1: "Albanians and Muslims should not bring problems from their home country into Switzerland."

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IS Threat: 'West May Have To Talk To Syria'

The former head of the British Army says the West should consider negotiating with Syria's president to tackle Islamic State (IS) forces in Syria and Iraq.

Lord Dannatt said the time may have come to talk to Bashar al Assad about collaborating in the fight against IS which now controls large areas of the two countries.

He told Sky News: "You have to at least consider the otherwise unpalatable thought that maybe we've got to have some kind of dialogue, whether it's under the counter or over the counter, with President Assad of Syria.

"The old dictum that my enemy's enemy is my friend just might have some credence in this less than satisfactory and pretty extraordinary set of times that we are in."

Red shows areas controlled by IS, yellow shows areas of fighting

However, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond ruled out working with Mr Assad - who is accused of carrying out war crimes, including chemical attacks, during his country's three-year civil war.

He said Britain would help Kurdish and Iraqi forces with weapons and training once there was a credible government in place in Baghdad.

In Iraq, at least 68 people were killed when Shia fighters opened fire on minority Sunni Muslims in a village mosque in Baquba, Diyala province.

A Kurdish peshmerga fighter

Residents said 150 worshippers were in Imam Wais mosque on the Muslim day of prayer when militiamen burst in with machine guns.

The bloodbath is a major setback for Prime Minister-designate Haider al Abadi, from the majority Shia community, who is seeking support from Sunnis and ethnic Kurds to take on IS.

Sunni politicians said they would suspend talks with Mr Abadi's new government in protest at the attack.

Elsewhere, Kurdish forces have launched a major assault to try to retake the northeast Iraqi towns of Jalula and Sadiyah.

Sky's Alex Crawford, reporting from the outskirts of Jalula, said the operation was being carried out by the Kurdish military's elite counter-terrorism unit, backed up by peshmerga forces.

James Foley in Libya in 2011

She said the towns, near the Iranian border and semi-autonomous Kurdish region, had been under IS control for more than two months.

Kurdish forces have already taken back a major checkpoint, which Sunni militants had controlled.

Crawford said: "What is significant about this assault is that they (the Kurds) are doing this pretty much entirely on their own.

Militants vowed to attack US targets in another video clip

"They've had very little air support. There is no evidence of any outside weaponry, military hardware to back them up."

On Thursday, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said IS jihadists pose the most dangerous threat America has faced for years.

The group, which beheaded American journalist James Foley in response to US airstrikes in Iraq, is "beyond just a terrorist group", he said.

"They marry ideology, a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess. They are tremendously well-funded," he added.

US airstrikes in Syria have not been ruled out.

The fighter who killed James Foley

When asked about that possibility, Mr Hagel said Washington is "exploring all options".

General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, also did not discount attacks on IS fighters in Syria.

"This is an organisation that has an apocalyptic, end-of-days strategic vision and which will eventually have to be defeated," he said.

Michael Scheuer, a former CIA senior officer, said defeating IS will require an "enormous" number of Western troops on the ground which would mean an "enormous bloodbath".

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Mackay: 'No Excuse' For Offensive Texts

Former Cardiff manager Malky Mackay has apologised for sending a string of racist, sexist and homophobic text messages.

Mackay said there was "no excuse" for the texts, sent while he was boss of the Welsh club.

He said: "Out of 10,000 text messages in and out of someone's phone, I sent three, and that being the case, looking at them, they are completely unacceptable, inappropriate, and for that and any offence I've caused, I sincerely apologise.

"That's something that I did, and for that, there is no excuse."

Mackay and Cardiff's ex-head of recruitment Iain Moody had been accused of sharing the offensive texts, which were included as part of a dossier of allegations sent to the Football Association by the club.

Earlier, the League Managers Association (LMA) was forced to backtrack after it was widely criticised for dismissing the messages as "friendly banter".

The initial LMA statement said Mackay had been under pressure when the messages were sent and that he was "letting off steam to a friend during some friendly text message banter".

In a new statement on Friday, the association said: it said: "The LMA apologises for some of its wording, in its release yesterday, which was inappropriate and has been perceived to trivialise matters of a racist, sexist or homophobic nature.

"That was certainly not our intention. It is beyond argument that any comments that are discriminatory, even used in private, are totally unacceptable.

"The LMA remains absolutely aware of our responsibility to the game and to promote and uphold the highest standards of behaviour."

Despite the apology, Cardiff have demanded LMA boss Richard Bevan stand down, describing his position as "untenable".

Young footballers told Sky News of their shock at Mackay's behaviour.

Temisan Pop said: "I aspire to be a footballer... It hurts that someone in that position is saying these things. It kind of means, what hope do I have?"

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