F16 Jets Escort Plane After Passenger 'Threat'

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

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

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

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

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

Armed police at the scene

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Child-Rape Trial Halted After Judge 'Fell Asleep'

The trial of a man accused of raping a child was halted because a judge fell asleep, it has been claimed.

An investigation has been launched into the allegations that Recorder Philip Cattan nodded off as a young alleged victim gave evidence via video-link.

The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office confirmed it is looking at what happened at the trial of John Quigley at Manchester Crown Court.

After the allegation was made, the judge stopped the trial and it will now be relisted.

A spokesman for the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said: "The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office is aware of the allegation that Recorder Philip Cattan fell asleep during a trial at Manchester Crown Court.

"The matter is being considered in accordance with the Judicial Conduct (Judicial and other office holders) Rules 2013."

In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service said: "The jury has been discharged in the trial of R v John Quigley at Manchester Crown Court following an issue that arose at court during the cross examination of the first complainant in the case.

"The trial will be relisted as soon as possible. The complainants and other witnesses have been kept informed."

Sky News North of England Correspondent Nick Martin said the incident was pointed out by barristers in court working on the trial, which had cost around £10,000 by the time it was halted.

Quigley, 49, of Avon Road, Burnage, Manchester, denies a number of sex offences including raping a child under 13.

Philip Cattan is a practising barrister in the Manchester area as well as a recorder, which is a part-time judge. He belongs to the St Johns Buildings Chambers in the city.

When Judge Gabriel Hutton was found to have nodded off during a rape trial at Gloucester Crown Court in 2002, causing it to be abandoned, he was disciplined.

Mr Cattan will not be commenting, the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said.

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Female Navy Commander Faces Affair Claims

The first woman commander of a major Royal Navy battleship has been asked to leave her ship while an investigation is carried out into claims she had an affair with a shipmate.

Commander Sarah West, 42, had been in charge on board HMS Portland, a Type 23 frigate, since May 2012.

Her second-in-command is now in charge of running the vessel while the inquiry takes place, but Cdr West is still officially the Commanding Officer.

The Armed Forces' Code of Social Conduct governs personal relationships within the military and the investigation will look at whether it was breached.

Any Armed Forces member found to have fallen short of its high standards could face a formal warning, reassignment and even termination of service.

Cdr West commands HMS Portland

A Royal Navy spokesman said: "We are aware of an allegation of a breach of the code of social conduct on board HMS Portland, which we are treating seriously.

"Anyone who is found to fall short of the Royal Navy's high standards can expect to face appropriate action. It would be inappropriate to comment further."

Cdr West became the first female commander of a frontline warship in the 500-year history of the service.

Cdr West was the first female commander of a major Royal Navy warship

She told the Daily Mirror newspaper earlier this year that work commitments made it difficult to have a relationship.

She said: "I'm really proud to be the first woman but I'm not reinventing the wheel. Lots of women in the services have challenging roles.

"It's just that I happen to be newsworthy at the moment. There are drawbacks though.

"Years at sea probably explains why I'm single. But every person in the military makes sacrifices."

When Cdr West was made a Commanding Officer she described it as the greatest achievement of her career.

She said: "Taking command of HMS Portland is definitely the highlight of my 16 years in the Royal Navy so far.

"It is a challenge that I am fully trained for and ready to undertake.

"I am very proud to be taking command of a Type 23 frigate, which is an extremely flexible warship, and I'm looking forward to taking HMS Portland on operations with a professional and focused team."

Cdr West has left the ship while the inquiry takes place

HMS Portland, which has a crew of 185, has been on a seven-month deployment around the coasts of Europe, Africa, and South and North America.

The ship's most recently known position, according to a marine positioning website, was the port of San Juan, in Puerto Rico, on July 19.

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Truce In Force As Gaza Death Toll Tops 1,000

Israel has agreed to extend a "humanitarian" truce in Gaza until midnight as the Palestinian death toll reached 1,000.

The four-hour extension - reported by an unnamed Israeli government source - comes as world leaders continue their attempt to thrash out a wider ceasefire in Paris. 

Parts of Gaza came under heavy bombardment minutes before the break in hostilities at 8am (6am UK time), with Israeli shells killing 18 members of a Palestinian family, according to the Gaza health ministry.

The Al Najar family had apparently been trapped in their house in Khuzaa village for two days when the shells hit.

A Palestinian woman stands outside destroyed homes in Shejaia, Gaza

Doctors in Gaza said 85 bodies have been pulled from rubble since the ceasefire started, taking the number of Palestinians killed in 19 days of violence to more than 1,000.

Three Israeli soldiers were also killed in combat prior to the ceasefire, meaning 40 military personnel have died since their operation began on July 8. A total of three civilians have been killed by rocket fire into Israel.

Israel is reportedly continuing its search of Hamas tunnels during the truce - though both sides have so far observed a break in fire.

Gaza's northern district of Beit Hanun photographed during the ceasefire

On the four-hour extension, the unnamed Israeli official said: "As far as Israel is concerned, there is no reason to prevent Gaza's people from stocking up on supplies, so long as the military can continue its work against the tunnels. Our war is not against the population."

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

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

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

John Kerry and his counterparts are in Paris for talks

Mr Hammond said the focus was to negotiate an extension to the 12-hour ceasefire before trying to find a long-term solution to the crisis.

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

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

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

A map showing the areas of conflict and violence

In London, anti-war protesters marched from the Israeli embassy to the Houses of Parliament today.

Similar protests are taking place in France and Germany.

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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, security officials said.

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

A map showing the areas of conflict and violence

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

An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed there had been "confrontations" between troops and Palestinians near Nablus "in which settlers were involved", but gave no further details on the Beit Ummar shooting.

Israel has also said that a missing soldier whom Hamas claimed to have abducted was actually killed in battle.

The latest deaths came as Israeli riot police charged down skirmishes near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, as fears of more trouble in the area sparked a lockdown on Friday prayers.

Only men aged over-50 are being allowed into Al Aqsa mosque after a massive protest in the West Bank last night resulted in the deaths of two Palestinians.

Friday prayers are being held at the Al Aqsa mosque

Israeli security forces have been put on heightened alert and deployed in and around Jerusalem's Old City after Palestinians declared today a "day of rage" following the violent and deadly clashes.

Sky's David Bowden, in east Jerusalem, said: "Riot police charged down the road a short time ago towards a group of youths who were protesting, throwing rocks.

"The riot police fired baton rounds and they arrested at least one protester who was dragged away with his hands behind his back.

"A water cannon followed the police down, and actually they had set fire to a couple of massive tyres, and they used the water cannon to put that fire out.

"I don't want to over-egg this. It wasn't a great conflagration, but it gives you an idea of the tension here already."

At least 150 people were injured in the mass protest

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 growing tensions, US Secretary of State and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pressed for a ceasefire as the Palestinian death toll rose to 815.

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

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

Surgeons managed to save the 23-year-old's unborn child, but a 12-year-old and 15-year-old were said to be among those killed in the strike on the southern city of Rafah, health officials said.

More than 140,000 people have fled the conflict, while some 33 Israeli soldiers have been killed, and three civilians have died in Israel from rocket fire.

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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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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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Air Algerie: First Images From Crash Site

The first photos have emerged of the site in Mali where an Air Algerie flight crashed, killing all 116 people on board, including 51 French nationals.

It comes as a 10-year-old French girl is reported to have spoken of her fears before the flight.

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

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.

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

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 doomed flight AH5017 was heading when it crashed in southern Mali.

French President Francois Hollande said no one survived the crash

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

The burnt-out wreckage of the passenger aircraft - which vanished from radar in West Africa - has been discovered south of Gao.

No one survived the crash, French President Francois Hollande has 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 said Ms Labbe but added 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 grandchildren, from the Rhone-Alpes region of France were also killed in the crash.

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Israeli Tank Shells Gaza School: 15 Dead

Key Dates In The Gaza-Israel Conflict

Updated: 11:43am UK, Thursday 24 July 2014

Israel's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip continues with forces attempting to destroy Hamas' weapons arsenal and rocketing-firing capabilities.

Here are the key events from the fighting that preceded and have followed Israel's operation:

July 8 - Israel launches "Operation Protective Edge" in a bid to quell near-daily militant rocket attacks in the aftermath of the abduction and killing of a Palestinian teenager in what appeared to be a revenge attack for the seizure and slaying of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank in June.

July 9 - Hamas rockets rain deep into Israel as the military pummels Palestinian targets. The military says 74 rockets landed in Israel, including in the northern city of Hadera, the deepest rocket strike ever from Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas will pay a "heavy price".

July 10 - Israel intensifies its bombardment. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges an immediate ceasefire but neither side shows much interest in halting the fighting.

July 11 - Mr Netanyahu vows to press forward with a broad military offensive. The Israeli military says it has hit more than 1,100 targets, mostly rocket-launching sites, while Palestinian militants fired more than 600 rockets at Israel. The Lebanese military says militants there fired three rockets toward Israel and the Israelis retaliated with about 25 artillery shells.

July 12 - Gaza City becomes a virtual ghost town as streets empty, shops close and hundreds of thousands of people keep close to home. The death toll rises to more than 156 Palestinians after more than 1,200 Israeli air strikes.

July 13 - Israel widens its campaign, targeting civilian institutions with suspected Hamas ties, and briefly deploys ground troops inside Gaza to raid a rocket launching site. Four Israeli soldiers are hurt during the brief incursion. Egypt, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, continues to work behind the scenes.

July 14 - Israel says it's downed an unmanned drone along its southern coastline. Egypt presents a cease-fire plan that is praised by President Barack Obama at a White House dinner celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

July 15 - Israeli Cabinet accepts Egypt's truce plan, halting fire for six hours but Hamas rejects the proposal, instead unleashing more rockets at Israel and prompting Israel to resume heavy bombardment. Rocket fire kills an Israeli man delivering food to soldiers, the first Israeli fatality in the fighting. Four Gaza boys, all cousins, are killed on a beach by shells fired from a navy ship.

July 16 - Hamas fires dozens of rockets into Israel, vowing not to agree to a ceasefire until its demands are met. The Gaza Interior Ministry's website says Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of airstrikes, targeting 30 houses, including those of four senior Hamas leaders. Later, both Israel and Hamas agree to a five-hour UN brokered "humanitarian" pause to start the following day.

July 17 - Both sides trade fire in run-up to the brief truce, which Gazans use to restock on food and other supplies. Israel says it foiled an attack by 13 Gaza militants who infiltrated through a tunnel. Fierce fighting resumes after the truce expires, including an airstrike that kills three Palestinian children. After nightfall, the Israeli military launches a ground invasion into Gaza Strip.

July 18 - Eight members of the same Palestinian family - two men, two women and four children - are killed by Israeli tank fire as the ground offensive to date claims the lives of 51 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier.

July 19 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he wants to meet both sides to try to secure a truce as Israel pledges to step up its ground offensive. Hamas says its fighters are "behind enemy lines" as security alerts are triggered in southern Israel.

July 20 - Fresh airstrikes, artillery shelling and gun battles overnight kill 12 Palestinians and two more Israeli soldiers, as Israel intensifies its ground offensive in Gaza. Israeli minister Naftali Bennett defends the ground offensive in Gaza and accuses Hamas of "self-genocide" by using women and children as human shields.

July 21 - Another airstrike kills 26 members of the same family, while seven more Israeli soldiers die in gun battles with Hamas fighters. Thirty of those wounded in the attack are reportedly medical staff.

July 22 - The Palestinian leadership proposes a ceasefire plan to mediators in Egypt which would be followed by five days of negotiations to stop the fighting which has claimed the lives of more than 600 Palestinians, many of them women and children, and 29 Israelis, including 27 soldiers.

July 23 - An international inquiry into Israel's actions in Gaza is launched, after the UN's Human Rights Commissioner says there is a "strong possibility" the country is guilty of war crimes. Several major airlines from the US, Europe and Canada suspend flights to and from Israel after a rocket fired from Gaza lands near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport.

July 24 - British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond warns Benjamin Netanyahu the West is losing sympathy for Israel amid the rising number of civilian deaths during its offensive in Gaza, as international efforts to end the conflict intensify. However, hopes of an effective ceasefire quickly diminish after Israel vows to continue hunting Palestinian cross-border tunnels under any humanitarian truce, while Hamas also rejects a truce without the lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade of Gaza.

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Gaza Conflict From Space In 'Saddest Photo'

An astronaut has posted a picture from the International Space Station while flying over Gaza and Israel, showing the worsening crisis which has left more than 700 people dead.

German flight engineer Alexander Gerst captured the scene from 220 miles above the Earth as rockets and explosions lit up the night sky with wispy yellow light.

His photo quickly went viral on the internet as he tweeted the message: "My saddest photo yet. From #ISS we can actually see explosions and rockets flying over #Gaza & #Israel."

Tens of thousands around the world shared the image as international pressure grows to stop the bloodshed in Gaza.

The UN Human Rights Council says there is a "strong possibility" Israel is guilty of war crimes in Gaza, where some 715 Palestinians, including 165 children, have died in the fighting.

German flight engineer Alexander Gerst on the ISS. Pic: Alexander Gerst

It also condemned the indiscriminate firing of rockets and mortars by the Islamist movement Hamas into Israel, where 34 lives have been lost.

The continued fighting has led to the cancellation of many flights into Tel Aviv and has sparked protests and claims of growing anti-Semitism around the world.

Thousands of protesters - many shouting slogans such as "Israel killer" - held demonstrations in the French cities of Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille and Reims on Wednesday.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve warned activists that anyone caught shouting "Death to the Jews!" or burning an Israeli flag would be arrested.

After the marches, 16 people were held in the Jewish quarter of Paris' Marais district after attempting to break into a restaurant while yelling "anti-Semitic insults," a police source said.

Other protests have also taken place outside the Israeli embassy in London.

Britain's Jewish community has seen a doubling of anti-Semitic incidents over the last few weeks, according to the Jewish Community Trust.

It has issued an advisory notice to all UK Jewish venues, warning that security procedures should be "rigorously followed".

In Austria, Israeli football team Maccabi Haifa's game against French side Lille had to be stopped after pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the pitch and attacked the Maccabi players.

Germany has condemned anti-Semitic chants and threats heard at some protests in the country.

A spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel reassured the Jewish community they are safe and said the government "will continue to campaign for the security of Jewish citizens".

Yakov Hadas-Handelsman, the Israeli ambassador to Germany, said: "They pursue the Jews in the streets of Berlin ... as if we were in 1938."

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Passenger Plane Carrying 116 People Crashes

A passenger jet which vanished from radar over northern Mali in West Africa has "probably crashed", France's foreign minister has said.

Two French fighter jets are searching for the Air Algerie plane, which was carrying 110 passengers and six crew.

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius contradicted reports the jets had found wreckage in an inaccessible area of desert, halfway between Gao and Kidal.

"Despite intensive searches, no trace of the plane has been found as we speak," he said.

"The plane has probably crashed. The searches are focusing at this stage on a vast strip of Malian territory around the region of Gao."

The plane was travelling from Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou to the Algerian capital Algiers when it vanished around 50 minutes into the flight.

Missing Algeria Passenger Plane: Live Updates

The pilot asked for permission to change route because of a sand storm around 20 minutes into the flight, said Burkina Faso Transport Minister Jean Bertin Ouedrago.

He said the plane's passenger list included 51 French citizens.

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

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

The twin-engined MD-83 is 45 metres long and carries 168 people

While he listed no Cubans among the passengers, Ouagadougou Airport's official website said Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban president Raul Castro and niece of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, was on the plane.

A French army spokesman said: "Two Mirage 2000 jets based in Africa were dispatched to try to locate the Air Algerie plane.

"They will search an area from its last known location along its probable route."

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

Swiftair said the aircraft took off from Burkina Faso at 1.17am local time and was supposed to land in Algiers at 5.10am local time but never reached its destination.

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

AH5017 took off from Ouagadougou airport. Pic: Sputniktilt

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

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

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

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

The plane was near Gao international airport in Mali when it dropped off radar.

Sky's Alistair Bunkall said there are reports in the Algerian media that the plane crashed after running out of fuel.

But given the plane was 50 minutes - or about 300 miles - into its four-hour journey that is unlikely to be a cause, he said.

"A source is telling me that air traffic control asked the aircraft to divert near the Algerian border because of bad weather and to avoid another aircraft," Bunkall said.

"If true, I assume it didn't collide with the other aircraft otherwise we'd have reports of a second missing plane."

It is believed 15 passengers were ultimately headed to Roissy-Charles-De-Gaulle airport outside Paris, and another seven were due to be travelling to Marseille.

Swiftair has a fleet of more than 30 planes flying in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

AH5017's disappearance comes less than six months after Algeria's worst air disaster in a decade.

Some 77 people were killed when a military transport plane carrying members of the Algerian armed forces and their relatives hit a mountain and crashed near the village of Ouled Gacem in the east of the country.

More follows...

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Jayden: Ex-Boyfriend Found Guilty Of Murder

Ben Blakeley, the 22-year-old ex-boyfriend of pregnant teenager Jayden Parkinson, has been found guilty of her murder.

The jury at Oxford Crown Court found Blakeley guilty by a majority of 11-1 after more than 12 hours of deliberation at the end of a five-week trial.

Jurors heard how Jayden Parkinson was killed on December 3 last year, 24 hours after she had told Blakeley she was going to have his baby.

After strangling the 17-year-old, Blakeley buried her body in his uncle's grave in Didcot, Oxfordshire.

The former dustmen was described in court as obsessive and controlling, having threatened to post naked videos and photographs of Jayden on Facebook after the couple broke up.

He had hoped she would kill herself as a consequence.

Blakeley had denied murder but admitted manslaughter and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

He showed no emotion after the verdict was delivered - he walked to the cells and slammed the door of the dock behind him as his ex-girlfriend's family sobbed out loud.

He will be sentenced on Friday.

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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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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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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.

They 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 are now being 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 will be held before a motorcade takes 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.

A national day of mourning has been declared in the Netherlands for the 298 people killed, including 193 Dutch, and 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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Russia Faces 'Hard-Hitting' Sanctions Over MH17

Russia Only Needs To Create Doubt Over MH17

Updated: 12:50pm UK, Tuesday 22 July 2014

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

From a cavernous situation room inside the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Lieutenant-General set out Russia's version of events.

The briefing was carried live on Russian state TV and handed out on DVDs by Russia's ambassador to Malaysia.

They claim to have detected a Ukrainian military aircraft within 3-5km of the Malaysian Airliner on Thursday.

"The SU-25 fighter jet can gain an altitude of 10km, according to its specification," Lt Gen Kartopolov explained (which happens to be the exact altitude at which MH17 was flying).

"It's equipped with air-to-air R-60 missile that can hit a target at a distance up to 12km, up to 5km for sure.

"We would like to get an explanation as to why the military jet was flying along a civil aviation corridor at almost the same time and at the same level as a passenger plane."

They also claim to have detected an unusual increase in Ukrainian radar activity leading up to the incident, and that the airliner came down "within the operating zone" of Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile defences.

He showed satellite images of a Ukrainian base close to Donetsk, pointing out that its surface-to-air missile units were missing on the day of the crash.

He then appeared to claim that one of the units had moved into rebel-controlled territory on the morning of the crash.

Finally, Russia categorically denied supplying the rebels with Buk surface-to-air missile systems, or indeed any other weaponry.

Now, firstly, it's worth saying there is a propaganda war in both directions here, which has been going on for several months, and that both sides are pursuing interests beyond the immediate tragedy of MH17.

But the questions Russia presents "that Kiev must answer" raise a few questions themselves.

The SU-25 "fighter jet" Russia claims to have identified close to the airliner is a ground attack aircraft - according to its manufacturer its maximum service height, without weapons, is 7,000m - 3km short of MH17.

As Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer pointed out, it's also too slow: "They should have at least claimed it was an SU-27," he said.

And if the rebels don't have the Buk missile system, or indeed any other Russian-supplied weaponry - how did they target the dozen Ukrainian military aircraft they have previously boasted of shooting down?

This included an Antonov-26 transport aircraft, flying at an altitude of 6,500m last week.

It is possible of course that the rebels have acquired weapons from Ukrainian military bases, although the government in Kiev insists it can account for all of its missile systems.

And what exactly is the case Russia is setting out? Is it suggesting the Ukrainian SU-25 (despite its technical limitations) shot down the passenger jet in mid-air?

And why? The plane would seem to have been travelling in the wrong direction for Ukrainian forces to have perceived it as a hostile aircraft coming from Russia, and the rebels don't have an air force.

So are they seriously suggesting the Ukrainians deliberately moved their missiles on to rebel-held territory and shot the airliner down as part of some sort of nefarious plan to frame the rebels and turn world opinion against them?

But then Russia doesn't need to prove its case - all it needs is to create one, to insist that there are different versions of events, that there is credible claim and counter-claim.

In much the same manner as a criminal defence barrister, Russia doesn't have to demonstrate that its alleged client is innocent - just to establish enough doubt in the minds of the jury - in this case the international community - that they can't be completely sure.

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MH17: Families And Futures 'Ruined' By Crash

Russia Only Needs To Create Doubt Over MH17

Updated: 12:50pm UK, Tuesday 22 July 2014

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

From a cavernous situation room inside the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Lieutenant-General set out Russia's version of events.

The briefing was carried live on Russian state TV and handed out on DVDs by Russia's ambassador to Malaysia.

They claim to have detected a Ukrainian military aircraft within 3-5km of the Malaysian Airliner on Thursday.

"The SU-25 fighter jet can gain an altitude of 10km, according to its specification," Lt Gen Kartopolov explained (which happens to be the exact altitude at which MH17 was flying).

"It's equipped with air-to-air R-60 missile that can hit a target at a distance up to 12km, up to 5km for sure.

"We would like to get an explanation as to why the military jet was flying along a civil aviation corridor at almost the same time and at the same level as a passenger plane."

They also claim to have detected an unusual increase in Ukrainian radar activity leading up to the incident, and that the airliner came down "within the operating zone" of Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile defences.

He showed satellite images of a Ukrainian base close to Donetsk, pointing out that its surface-to-air missile units were missing on the day of the crash.

He then appeared to claim that one of the units had moved into rebel-controlled territory on the morning of the crash.

Finally, Russia categorically denied supplying the rebels with Buk surface-to-air missile systems, or indeed any other weaponry.

Now, firstly, it's worth saying there is a propaganda war in both directions here, which has been going on for several months, and that both sides are pursuing interests beyond the immediate tragedy of MH17.

But the questions Russia presents "that Kiev must answer" raise a few questions themselves.

The SU-25 "fighter jet" Russia claims to have identified close to the airliner is a ground attack aircraft - according to its manufacturer its maximum service height, without weapons, is 7,000m - 3km short of MH17.

As Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer pointed out, it's also too slow: "They should have at least claimed it was an SU-27," he said.

And if the rebels don't have the Buk missile system, or indeed any other Russian-supplied weaponry - how did they target the dozen Ukrainian military aircraft they have previously boasted of shooting down?

This included an Antonov-26 transport aircraft, flying at an altitude of 6,500m last week.

It is possible of course that the rebels have acquired weapons from Ukrainian military bases, although the government in Kiev insists it can account for all of its missile systems.

And what exactly is the case Russia is setting out? Is it suggesting the Ukrainian SU-25 (despite its technical limitations) shot down the passenger jet in mid-air?

And why? The plane would seem to have been travelling in the wrong direction for Ukrainian forces to have perceived it as a hostile aircraft coming from Russia, and the rebels don't have an air force.

So are they seriously suggesting the Ukrainians deliberately moved their missiles on to rebel-held territory and shot the airliner down as part of some sort of nefarious plan to frame the rebels and turn world opinion against them?

But then Russia doesn't need to prove its case - all it needs is to create one, to insist that there are different versions of events, that there is credible claim and counter-claim.

In much the same manner as a criminal defence barrister, Russia doesn't have to demonstrate that its alleged client is innocent - just to establish enough doubt in the minds of the jury - in this case the international community - that they can't be completely sure.

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Pregnant Woman And Child Among Airstrike Dead

A four-year-old girl and three women, one of them pregnant, were among those killed in the latest Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, according to medics.

It comes as the Israeli military confirmed one of its soldiers was missing, presumed dead, and diplomatic efforts were stepped up aimed at securing a ceasefire in the bloody conflict.

At least six people were killed in three separate aerial attacks in Bureij and Al-Maghazi in central Gaza, and Rafah in the south.

A Palestinian medic inspects damage at a hospital in Gaza

The missing Israeli soldier was one of seven personnel who had been inside an armoured vehicle hit by an anti-tank missile on Sunday.

The military has only been able to identify six of the dead, but a spokesman denied any possibility the unaccounted for soldier was still alive.

It follows claims by Hamas that it had captured a soldier, which was denied at the time by Israel's ambassador to the UN.

Israel is continuing its offensive to stop attacks by Hamas militants

Militants displayed a photo ID and army serial number raising fears they had seized his remains, which could be used to exchange for prisoners.

More than 600 Palestinians, many of them women and children, and 29 Israelis, including 27 soldiers, have been killed in the 15-day conflict as Israel tries to stop rockets being fired from Gaza.

The continued violence comes as diplomatic efforts intensify in Cairo, where US Secretary of State John Kerry has met Egyptian leaders including the country's president Abdel Fattah al Sisi.

As Mr Kerry arrived in Cairo, the US confirmed it would provide $47m (£27m) in humanitarian aid for Gaza.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Cairo to try and broker a ceasefire

He has urged Hamas to seek peace talks based on an Egyptian truce proposal, that the group has rejected.

Meanwhile, UN chief Ban Ki-Moon has held talks in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was also due to meet Palestinian officials in the West Bank.

Mr Netanyahu said the international community should hold Hamas accountable, accusing the militant group of rejecting ceasefire moves, and comparing it to other terror organisations including Isis, al Qaeda, and Boko Haram.

The funeral of an Israeli soldier near Tel Aviv

He insisted Israel was targeting "terrorist targets" in Gaza, and accused the fighters of hiding behind civilians.

"We will do what we need to do to defend ourselves," Mr Netanyahu said.

Mr Ban said: "We condemn strongly the rocket attacks. They must stop immediately."

The bombardment of Gaza has led to an exodus of more than 100,000 civilians

He also condemned the use of civilian sites by Hamas militants.

He called on both sides to "stop fighting, start talking".

And Mr Ban also urged Israel to exercise restraint.

Israel's aerial bombardment has so far resulted in an exodus of more than 100,000 Palestinian civilians, according to the United Nations.

:: Delta Airlines and US Airways have cancelled all flights to Israel indefinitely amid reports of a rocket near Tel Aviv airport.

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British Experts To Examine MH17 Black Boxes

Air accident investigators based at Farnborough will examine the data from the black boxes of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

David Cameron confirmed the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), part of the Department for Transport, would take the lead in analysing the crucial black box data.

He tweeted: "We've agreed Dutch request for air accident investigators at Farnborough to retrieve data from #MH17 black boxes for international analysis."

Aleksander Borodai handed the boxes to Malaysia's Colonel Mohamed Sakri

Rebel leader Aleksander Borodai - prime minister of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic - earlier handed over the boxes in front of a packed room of journalists.

Malaysian Colonel Mohamed Sakri said they were "intact, although a bit damaged".

The handover comes as Dutch foreign minister Frans Timmermans said the EU had agreed to impose sanctions on more Russia officials in the wake of the crash.

European ministers have been meeting in Brussels to discuss new measures against Moscow, which is accused of backing the rebels suspected of being behind the disaster.

Mr Timmermans said a "forceful decision" had been agreed that would impose further visa bans and asset freezes.

He did not specify names or say how many Russian officials were on the list.

Mr Timmermans added that EU foreign ministers were preparing more forceful sanctions against Russia's arms, energy and financial sectors if it continues to back the rebels in Ukraine.

Many of the victims of flight MH17 have now arrived in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where the bodies will be handed over to Dutch officials.

Refrigerated train wagons made the 186-mile (300km) journey from Torez overnight, after armed separatists who had been guarding the carriages allowed them to leave.

Inside were up to 280 bodies, which will now be flown to the Netherlands where two-thirds of the 298 victims came from.

The bodies are expected to arrive in the country on Wednesday.

More follows...

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'Fake Sheikh' Suspended As Tulisa Trial Collapses

An undercover reporter dubbed the "fake sheikh" has been "suspended pending an immediate internal investigation" following the collapse of the Tulisa Contostavlos drugs trial.

The former N-Dubz singer, 26, was accused of brokering a cocaine deal for Mazher Mahmood but the trial has been thrown out after the judge told the jury there were "strong grounds to believe" that Mr Mahmood had "lied".

Reading a statement outside Southwark Crown Court, Ms Contostavlos said the whole case had been a "horrific and disgusting entrapment" by Mr Mahmood and The Sun on Sunday newspaper.

"Mahmood has now been exposed by my lawyers openly lying to the judge and jury. These lies were told to stop crucial evidence going before the jury, " she said.

Ms Contostavlos claims Mr Mahmood's driver Alan Smith had been pressurised into changing his statement to strengthen Mr Mahmood's evidence.

Mr Smith originally suggested he had heard the star talking disapprovingly about drugs but "changed his mind" after a conversation with the undercover reporter, the court was told.

During a pre-trial hearing, Mr Mahmood was asked: "Did you subsequently ask or find out, discuss with Mr Smith anything that was said in the car?"

He replied: "No."

Michael Coombs, also known as Mike GLC, walks free

Asked if at any stage he discussed Ms Contostavlos saying she "disapproved" of drugs, he also said no.

But the judge said he gave answers which were "entirely inconsistent" when he gave evidence about the same topic at the trial last week.

It can now be reported that, before the trial began, defence counsel argued that the case should be "stayed" - meaning thrown out - but their application was turned down.

In her statement Ms Contostavlos denied ever having dealt or taken cocaine and said she was targeted by the reporter when things were going badly for her.

Ms Contostavlos has urged the police to launch an investigation and said "this type of entrapment should not be allowed to happen to anyone", adding that her life had been ruined for a year.

A Sun spokesman said: "We are very disappointed with this outcome, but do believe the original investigation was conducted within the bounds of the law and the industry's Code. This was demonstrated by the CPS decision to prosecute.

"The Sun, of course, takes the judge's remarks very seriously. Mr Mahmood has been suspended pending an immediate internal investigation."

Explaining his decision to halt the case to the jury, the Judge Alistair McCreath said: "Occasionally - very rarely - circumstances may arise in which a court has to say that, whatever apparent merits a prosecution may have, the court cannot allow the prosecution case to be taken forward to trial."

He said the situation arose from a "fundamental principle" that the court "cannot allow itself to be party to improper conduct".

The Metropolitan Police said it is aware of the judge's decision and will "continue to liaise with the CPS should further work be required".

Earlier Ms Contostavlos appeared ecstatic, punching the air as she left the dock before crying as she hugged supporters including her PA, Gareth Varey, shortly after the case against her was thrown out.

Mike GLC - whose real name is Michael Coombs - pleaded guilty before the start of the trial to supplying half an ounce (13.9g) of cocaine but he also walked free after judge said the case cannot proceed against him.

The 36-year-old also wept as he hugged defence barrister Jeremy Dein QC.

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OAP Dies After Being Bitten By Police Dog

A 73-year-old woman has died after being bitten by a police dog that was searching for a suspect at her Middlesbrough home.

Irene Collins was attacked by the Alsatian on Wednesday and died at the weekend at Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital.

Cleveland Police has said it is "deeply saddened" and has referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

The dog was withdrawn from operational duties after the incident, which took place on Penrith Road.

Assistant Chief Constable Sean White said: "Our thoughts are with family members, relatives and friends who will be distraught at this sad news.

"Members of Cleveland Police share the grief that is felt and we all wish to express our sincerest condolences to the family.

"We are providing the highest level of co-operation to the IPCC and seeking to support the family where it is possible to do so."

Police said the dog's handler was also very upset by the attack and is receiving support.

The family of Irene Collins released a brief statement saying they were "devastated" and asking for privacy.

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MH17: Warplane 'Flew Near Doomed Airliner'

A Ukrainian military plane flew within 3-5km of flight MH17 just before the Malaysian aircraft crashed, the Russian Defence Ministry has claimed.

Moscow has also denied supplying pro-Russian rebels with BUK missile systems - the weapon that is suspected of bringing down the passenger plane - or any other military hardware.

It said it detected the Ukrainian SU-25 combat jet on radar and noticed an increase in radar activity just before the Malaysian Airlines jet carrying 298 people was destroyed.

It also said Ukrainian air defence forces had three or four battalions of BUK-M1 systems on combat duty on the day of the crash.

The claims came after Ukraine's Prime Minister said President Vladimir Putin is "on the side of the devil" as he reiterated Kiev's view that Russia had a clear role in shooting down the airliner.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the Boeing 777 was probably brought down by a BUK-M1 missile launcher.

"This system could not be operated by drunk pro-Russian terrorists. There were professional people," he told a news conference.

He also said Kiev is willing to hand over the investigation into the atrocity to its Western partners.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said the evidence pointed towards flight MH17 being shot down by an SA-11 missile, also known as a BUK-M1, fired by pro-Russian separatists.

He said in the seconds before the disaster, the launch of a surface-to-air missile was detected from a rebel-held area in south-eastern Ukraine.

He said there was no evidence that Ukrainian forces had fired a single surface-to-air missile during the conflict, while pro-Russia separatists had downed more than a dozen Ukrainian aircraft over the past few months.

Mr Cameron said Mr Putin must use his influence to end the conflict in Ukraine by halting supplies and training to separatists.

Mr Putin says experts investigating the disaster should be protected

He said tougher sanctions may soon be imposed on Russia, adding he had spoken to Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande and there is "strong co-operation" within the EU for action.

The Russian President vowed to "do everything to ensure the security and safety" of experts investigating the disaster.

Mr Putin said "all people" in Ukraine are responsible for the tragedy.

However, Mr Yatsenyuk said: "I do not expect anything from the Russian government ... Putin should understand that it's enough already. This is not a conflict between Ukraine and Russia. It is an international conflict."

He added: "Russia is on the dark side, on the side of the devil."

Meanwhile, all the victims from the crash site at Grabovo have been put into refrigerated wagons and will be taken by train to the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and then to Holland, Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said.

In the Netherlands, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima have met relatives of the 193 Dutch people who died on the plane.

Mr Putin has promised Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte he will help retrieve bodies and black boxes from the crash site.

However, Mary Dejevsky, a Russian and EU analyst, told Sky News that Mr Putin controls rebels in the area "far less than is commonly believed outside Russia".

She said nobody controls the area which is "one of the reasons why things are so desperate there".

UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond is due to chair an emergency Cobra committee meeting on the crisis today.

Trains carrying bodies are being blocked by rebels, says Kiev

The UN Security Council will today vote on a resolution to condemn the downing of the aircraft.

The resolution, drafted by Australia, demands that those responsible for bringing the plane down will be held accountable, and that armed groups do not compromise the integrity of the crash site.

More follows...

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MH17: Rebels 'Tampered With' Plane's Black Box

Pro-Russian rebels have tampered with the black box flight recorders retrieved from the Malaysian airliner shot down in east Ukraine, Kiev has claimed.

Deputy prime minister Volodymyr Groysman also said all the victims from the crash site have been put into refrigerated wagons to be taken to the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, before travelling on to the Netherlands.

He told a news conference that the rebels would give the flight recorders to international aviation authorities, but added: "There is information that the recorders were in their hands all these days and they did certain things to them."

Asked whether he thought the rebels had tampered with the recorders, Mr Groysman concurred.

It comes after his government said the trains were being blocked by "terrorists".

The trains were reportedly surrounded by 50 insurgents - but Dutch forensic teams said they had been promised the wagons would be released later on Monday so they could "do their work".

There are conflicting reports about whether the refrigeration systems on the trains are working.

Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for shooting the plane down and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko denied one of his country's warplane was flying near the aircraft before it came down.

Rescuers have found 272 of the 298 victims and 66 fragments of bodies in the area where the plane crashed, but it is feared some of the bodies were incinerated without a trace in the crash.

Michael Bociurkiw, a spokesman for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), said: "We're looking at the field where the engines have come down.

"This was the area which was exposed to the most intense heat. We do not see any bodies here. It appears that some have been vaporised."

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Dutch Mother: 'Mr Putin, Send My Children Home'

A mother left devastated by the MH17 plane crash has appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin "to send my children home".

Silene Fredriksz spoke as many left flowers at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to remember the 193 Dutch citizens killed when the Malaysian jet was downed by a missile over Eastern Ukraine.

Anger is growing in the Netherlands that bodies have not yet been repatriated and their loved ones are apparently being denied dignity in death.

Ms Fredriksz held up a photo of her son Bryce, 23, and his 20-year-old girlfriend Daisy as she pleaded for the return of their bodies.

The Fredriksz family were left distraught by the tragedy in Ukraine

"Twenty-three and 20 years old!" she said. "They're lying there on the floor somewhere. I don't know where they are.

"I want to arrange their funeral. I can't. I don't know where they are. I want them back. I want my children back."

Clenching their picture, she added: "Look at those people. How beautiful. They have to come back.

"Mr Putin - send my children home. Send them home. Please!" 

Across the Netherlands, memorial services are being held as families and communities try to come to terms with the loss of loved ones.

Anger is growing over Russia's suspected involvement in the crash

More than half the 298 people killed on the plane were Dutch, with six members from the same family from Neerkant, a small village in Noord-Brabant province.

The initial Dutch response to the jet horror was one of muted sadness.

But with reports from the crash site suggesting pro-Russian separatists tampered with evidence and removed some of the bodies, the mood has turned to anger.

Rebels are being urged to allow unrestricted access to the crash site

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans told Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko on Saturday that his country was "angry" and "furious" by reports of bodies being dragged around the site.

Many Dutch are pointing the finger of blame at Russia, either for its suspected support of the rebels or perhaps for firing the missile itself.

International pressure is growing on Russia for it to urge rebels in Ukraine to allow observers unrestricted access to the crash site.

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte spoke on Saturday and said the European Union will have to "reconsider its approach to Russia in light of evidence that pro-Russian separatists brought down the plane."

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Malaysia Airlines Defends War Zone Flight Path

Updated: 4:48pm UK, Saturday 19 July 2014

A Malaysia Airlines official has defended the company's decision to fly over eastern Ukraine after flight MH17 was brought down.

Hugh Dunleavy, commercial director for the airline, said there had been no incidents involving civilian aircraft using the flight path and Malaysia Airlines had been using it "for quite some time".

However, at least three Ukrainian military aircraft were hit by missiles fired by pro-Russian separatists operating in the region in the week before MH17 was shot out of the sky, killing 298 people. Of the victims, 189 are Dutch.

Mr Dunleavy told Sky News: "Now there's been an incident like this, everyone is looking back saying 'you should have done something different'.

"But at the time we were flying, along with many other airlines on that flight path, there had been no incidents involving civilian aircraft.

"These are routes that are traditionally accepted on a day-by-day basis by the air traffic control authorities so they also consider them safe to fly.

"This was something totally extraordinary, it could just as easily have been the aircraft ahead of Malaysia Airlines or the aircraft behind that was hit."

Mr Dunleavy added the airline would now be using an alternative flight path around Ukraine and they have stopped calling the route MH17 out of respect for the victims. It will now be called MH19.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation, a UN agency and other aviation authorities recently issued a "notice to airmen" (NOTAM) putting the eastern edge of Ukrainian airspace off limits up to 32,000 feet because of the conflict.

But MH17 was flying at 33,000 feet when it was hit by a missile fired from what experts believe was a Buk launcher.

Ukraine has now closed all airspace in the east. 

Ismail Nasaruddin, president of the Malaysian Flight Attendant Union, said some crew members were too distraught to work following the tragedy.

He said: "We have lost 21 crew members in a very short time period. This is not something we like to see.

"We are affected, the crew members are demoralised by the essence of this tragic incident.

"What we are looking at now is probably an event that Malaysia crew members have never experienced before."

Daniel Holland, a military aviation expert, told Sky News airspace above war zones should be sealed off to commercial aircraft.

He said: "When a war zone occurs, everything from ground level up until realistically the level of space needs to be sealed off to any and all commercial traffic just to avoid something like this happening where a plane accidentally wanders over a battle ground.

"You've got that probability that an accidental misfire could occur and strike a civilian target without any real rhyme or reason, other than it being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

On Tuesday, Polish blogger Michael Dembinski suggested flying over eastern Ukraine was "worrying".

He wrote: "Take a look at eastern Ukraine and you'll see a procession of civilian aircraft flying along an air corridor between Luhansk, Donetsk, Horlivka, Kramatorsk - places where battles are raging and people are being killed.

"Yet blithely oblivious to what's happening on the ground, some of the world's largest civilian airliners are criss-crossing the area at 38,000ft."

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Russia Faces Sanctions Over MH17 Crash

David Cameron, the German Chancellor and the French President have agreed the EU should be ready to impose new sanctions on Russia.

EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue when they meet on Tuesday for the first time since Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine.

All 298 people on board the Boeing 777-200, including 10 Britons, were killed when it came down near the village of Grabovo, in eastern Ukraine on Thursday.

Pro-Russian rebels have been accused of interfering with the site

A Downing Street spokesman said the Prime Minister talked about the need to secure access to the crash site with Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande in a call on Sunday morning.

"They agreed President Putin has an important role to play by persuading the separatists to grant access and to work with the international community to ensure that all that needs to be done can be done as soon as possible.

"They also agreed that the EU must reconsider its approach to Russia and that foreign ministers should be ready to impose further sanctions on Russia when they meet on Tuesday."

The Prime Minister was expected to call Russian President Vladimir Putin later.

Flowers left outside the Dutch embassy in Kiev

In a Sunday Times piece, Mr Cameron called for a "moment of action" in response to the disaster.

"The growing weight of evidence points to a clear conclusion: that MH17 was blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile fired from a rebel-held area," he wrote.

"If it is the case, then we must be clear what it means: this is a direct result of Russia destabilising a sovereign state, violating its territorial integrity, backing thuggish militias, and training and arming them."

Downing Street has confirmed Mr Cameron will make a statement about the plane attack in the House of Commons tomorrow.

Ukrainian government officials have accused Russia of supplying the rebels with sophisticated military equipment and have claimed the Buk missile launcher that is blamed for shooting down MH17 has been relocated across the border into Russia.

Mr Cameron had also criticised some European partners for not being willing to act against Moscow. 

"For too long, there has been a reluctance on the part of too many European countries to face up to the implications of what is happening in eastern Ukraine," he wrote.

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Rebels Load MH17 Crash Bodies Onto Trains

Armed pro-Russian separatists have reportedly forced emergency workers to hand over all the bodies recovered from the Malaysia Airlines crash site.

International monitors and Ukrainian officials said victims' remains were taken away and loaded onto refrigerator wagons on trains at Torez station which were said to be headed for rebel-held Donetsk later.

Kiev's emergency officials said 196 bodies had been recovered so far, as separatists said the jet's two black box voice and data recorders had been found and taken to the eastern Ukrainian city where they would be handed over to the international aviation authority.

It comes as footage emerged showing evidence that one flight recorder had been recovered at the scene, two days ago.

In addition, Ukrainian security services released audio recordings of what they claimed were rebels talking about trying to hide the black boxes at Moscow's request.

World leaders have piled pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the armed Moscow-backed rebels from preventing investigators from fully accessing the MH17 crash site.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Europe and the West must "fundamentally change our approach" unless Mr Putin altered his stance.

International monitors and journalists are confronted by armed separatists

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond accused Russia of "dragging its heels" on Sky's Murnaghan programme and said the country risked becoming a "pariah" state.

The prospect of further sanctions against Russia was raised as public anger and concerns grow over claims of looting and evidence being tampered with.

The US has condemned the lack of security at the scene as an "affront to all those who lost loved ones and to the dignity the victims deserve", while Malaysia has attacked the failure to preserve evidence as a "betrayal of the lives lost".

The Ukraine government has accused pro-Russian separatists of removing bodies from the crash scene and debris, and attempting to destroy evidence.

A message left among floral tributes outside the Dutch Embassy in Kiev

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said the government was "angry" and "furious" over allegations bodies were being dragged around the site.

Sky presenter Colin Brazier, at the scene, said: "I've been walking around, coming across body parts all the time, many of them charred beyond recognition.

"Men, women and children, indeterminate frankly, you can't tell. Very often you are looking at charred spines, that's all that's left.

"There are flies. It is hot. There are stretchers lying by the roadside. They have not been used because many of the bodies were dismembered by the forces of the impact.

A still showing evidence that a flight recorder was found, two days ago

"It is a truly macabre, horrific situation. There is a degree of anarchy and lawlessness.

All 298 people on board, including 10 Britons and 80 children, were killed when jet was brought down near Grabovo, Donetsk, where Ukrainian forces have been battling separatists.

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

Malaysia Airlines is retiring the flight number of the MH17 Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur route and replacing it with MH19.

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