Two thirds of pier saved in fire

31 July 2014 Last updated at 12:52

Fire crews have saved two thirds of Eastbourne Pier after fire destroyed part of the structure, leaving a metal skeleton.

The blaze broke out on Wednesday afternoon behind some wood panelling in the arcade building.

Chief fire officer Des Pritchard said the outgoing tide and low water pressure had hampered crews but their hard work had "paid off".

Fire minister Penny Mordaunt is to visit the pier "as a priority".

Ms Mordaunt said she would be visiting Eastbourne to speak to local people and thank firefighters for their efforts.

No-one was injured and the fire is not being treated as suspicious.

Mr Pritchard, of East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Pier fires are very difficult to fight because there's only one way on to the pier from the land side.

"Our crews worked tremendously well and whilst some of the pictures in the media show what might be a scene of devastation, our crews managed to save two thirds of the pier."

He said most of the hotspots had been extinguished overnight, with RNLI lifeboat crews assisting.

BBC Sussex reporter Simon Jenkins

Looking towards the pier, if you start on the outer pavilion that's absolutely fine.

You move back along it and then you come to effectively a skeleton of steel and twisted iron.

It's a blackened hulk of twisted metal.

People are shocked, people are concerned and they're coming down to check if the rest of it is still here.

The arcade has been left a shell and a number of small buildings at the Victorian structure have been badly damaged, a fire service spokesman said.

An investigation into the cause of the blaze is under way.

Kay Healy, who works at the History Bear Collection on the pier, said the attraction was very busy when the fire alarm went off.

"When we walked towards the front of the pier there was smoke coming out of the arcade," she said.

"The pier was packed...it took five minutes to get people off.

"There was no panic, no-one running, just walking."

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Aerial footage of Eastbourne Pier on fire

She said it took at least 30 minutes for the bystanders to see the flames.

"When we went to the other side of the pier, we realised how serious it was," Ms Healy said.

"The fire crew was trying to smash the roof in to get the hoses in and then all of a sudden the flames came from everywhere. It was horrendous."

Eastbourne MP Stephen Lloyd said: "The good news is that we don't have a Brighton or Hastings scenario where the whole pier is destroyed."

Mr Lloyd is meeting the pier's owners and local councillors to discuss the blaze and its aftermath.

Eastbourne Borough Council leader David Tutt said he was hopeful the pier could be repaired, and he understood the fire had been started by an electrical fault.

And BBC weather presenter Michael Fish, who was born in the town, tweeted: "Devastated. My childhood up in smoke. Eastbourne's pier must be rebuilt. It was the most attractive in the country."

Pier fires

• South Parade Pier in Southsea was destroyed by a blaze in 1904 and another fire in 1974 meant the pier needed rebuilding for a second time
• The Indian Pavilion on Blackpool's North Pier was destroyed by fire in 1921
• The Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare was damaged by fires in 1930 and 2008
• The Grand Pier Pavilion at Herne Bay Pier was destroyed by a blaze in 1970
• According to the National Piers Society, Morecambe Central Pier was damaged by fire in 1987 and then its ballroom was destroyed by fire in 1991
• West Pier in Brighton burned down in 2003
• Southend Pier was partly destroyed by fire in 2005
• Fleetwood Pier in Lancashire burned down in 2008
• Hastings Pier was almost destroyed by a fire on 5 October 2010

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Academy trustee is new Ofsted chief

31 July 2014 Last updated at 12:05

A trustee of a struggling academy chain, David Hoare, has been announced as the new chairman of Ofsted.

Mr Hoare was brought in to help large academy chain AET with difficulties. AET has been stopped from taking on further schools.

The Department for Education (DfE) said Mr Hoare, who joined AET in January, will step down to take up his new post in September.

He was appointed for his business experience, the DfE said.

The Academies Enterprise Trust which runs about 70 of these state-funded schools, was warned in March last year that it could not take over any more schools.

Some AET academies were criticised by Ofsted for failing standards and a letter summarising the results of a recent round of inspections was due to be published this week.

This has now been delayed until September, but the findings are understood to be unfavourable for the chain.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

He and Sir Michael Wilshaw will make a superb team"

End Quote Nicky Morgan Education Secretary

The Ofsted post became vacant in February when ministers failed to renew the then chairman Baroness Morgan's contract.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: "I am delighted to appoint David to this important role. He is a proven business leader who has the expertise in leadership and governance crucial to helping Ofsted through a significant period of change and reform."

She said he had showed commitment to higher standards in schools and "particularly the most disadvantaged" children.

Mrs Morgan added: "I am confident that his strong track record in business and the passion he demonstrated throughout the interview process will be of huge benefit to Ofsted. He and Sir Michael Wilshaw will make a superb team."

However, the National Union of Teachers said the appointment suggested "a politicisation of school inspection".

Continue reading the main story

Who is Ofsted's new chairman?

David Hoare is a man with more than 30 years' business experience. It is this, the government says, that prompted his appointment.

Since January he has been a trustee of the AET academy chain which runs about 70 schools in England.

The chain expanded rapidly and has been criticised by Ofsted. In March last year it was prevented from taking on any more schools.

Mr Hoare was brought in here as an academies ambassador for the Department for Education to help make improvements.

He has led a number of large companies including DX group, Virgin Express and V Ships and also worked for management consultancy firm, Bain and Company.

"This could further widen the credibility gap between Ofsted and schools, and the new chair will need to demonstrate his competence to chair the school inspectorate in an impartial manner with regard to all academy and community schools," said the union's deputy general secretary Kevin Courtney.

'Determined effort'

Baroness Morgan has previously said there was a "determined effort" to appoint Tories to the job.

Then Education Secretary Michael Gove's unexpected decision not to extend her three-year contract prompted a coalition row, amid speculation that multimillionaire Tory donor and Carphone Warehouse co-founder David Ross would be appointed.

Baroness Morgan was previously a senior aide to Tony Blair when he was prime minister.

BBC political correspondent Vicki Young says Mr Hoare's appointment would be "far less controversial" than that of former front-runner Mr Ross.

Mr Hoare has chaired of a number of other companies including mail firm DX Group, Virgin Express, Paragon Group and Laura Ashley. He has no political affiliations and is also a trustee of the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Mr Gove was replaced as education secretary by Nicky Morgan in mid-July.

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S Leone declares Ebola emergency

31 July 2014 Last updated at 11:20

Sierra Leone's president has declared a public health emergency to curb the deadly Ebola outbreak.

Ernest Bai Koroma said the epicentres of the outbreak in the east would be quarantined and asked the security forces to enforce the measures.

The UN says more than 670 people in West Africa have died of Ebola since February - 224 of them in Sierra Leone.

This includes Dr Sheik Umar Khan who led Sierra Leone's fight against the virus. His funeral is on Thursday.

Airport screening

As part of the new measures to contain the viral haemorrhagic fever, travellers at airports will have to wash their hands with disinfectant and have their temperatures checked, President Koroma said in a statement.

His measures follow tough anti-Ebola policies introduced this week in neighbouring Liberia, where schools have been closed and some communities are to be quarantined.

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Ebola explained in 60 seconds

Both President Koroma and his Liberian counterpart Ellen Johnson Sirleaf have cancelled visits to Washington for the US-Africa summit next week because of the crisis.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia and Kenya are to begin screening all passengers arriving from West Africa.

In a statement, Ethiopian Airlines said ground and on-board staff would have also been sensitised on how to handle suspected cases of the virus.

However, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday that it was not recommending any travel restrictions or border closures after consulting the World Health Organization, according to Reuters.

Any risks would be low in the rare event of an Ebola sufferer travelling by air, it adds.

Earlier this week, two airlines - Asky, a regional carrier, and Nigeria's Arik Air - suspended flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone Ebola doctor: "National hero"

Sheik Umar Khan, 39, was a leading doctor specialising in viral haemorrhagic fever who died after contracting Ebola while treating patients. When it was announced that he had been infected, the health minister called him a "national hero" for his tireless work.

"He'd become a real figurehead for the Ebola response so there's a sense of deep sadness in what's a very small community here in Freetown," his colleague Dr Oliver Johnson said.

"When the news first broke that he was sick, I think it added to fears amongst the many doctors and nurses about treating Ebola patients. People thought, if even Dr Khan can get sick, then any of us can get sick."

Profile: Dr Sheik Umar Khan

The outbreak - the world's deadliest to date - was first reported in Guinea in February. It then spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone, and a person who travelled from Liberia to Nigeria died of the virus shortly after arriving in Lagos last week.

Initial flu-like symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, and spreads through contact with an infected person's bodily fluids.

Ebola kills up to 90% of those infected, but patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment.

Ebola virus disease (EVD)

• Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage
• Fatality rate can reach 90%
• Incubation period is two to 21 days
• There is no vaccine or cure
• Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery
• Fruit bats are considered to be virus' natural host

Profile: Dr Sheik Umar Khan

Are you in West Africa? Do you have family or friends there who are affected by the outbreak? You can send your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'Ebola Outbreak'.

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Israel 'to destroy Gaza tunnels'

31 July 2014 Last updated at 11:38

Israel will not stop its operation in Gaza until the tunnels constructed by Hamas have been destroyed, PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said.

Speaking ahead of a cabinet meeting, he said Israel was determined to destroy the tunnels - used to attack troops and towns - "with or without a ceasefire".

Earlier Israel called up 16,000 reservists, bringing the total mobilised so far to 86,000.

Some 425,000 people in Gaza have been displaced by fighting, the UN says.

That is as much as 25% of the population of the territory.

Continue reading the main story

• 225,178 living in UN or public buildings

• 200,000 may be sheltering with families

• 299,000 children need psychosocial help

More detail: Life in the Gaza Strip

Israel began Operation Protective Edge on 8 July. Since then at least 1,360 Palestinians have been killed, mostly civilians.

Some 58 Israelis have been killed, of which 56 were soldiers and two civilians. A Thai worker in Israel has also died.

Tunnel threat

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: ''We are determined to finish this mission''

The operation began with a focus on Hamas' rocket-launching capability, but has since expanded to take in the threat from tunnels.

After air strikes began, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) discovered an extensive network of tunnels leading from Gaza into Israel.

Hamas militants have launched several attacks from the tunnels, killing a number of Israeli soldiers.

Reports from Israel suggest the discovery of the tunnels - and the reality that infiltrators have used them to kill Israelis inside their own country - has shocked many Israelis and bolstered support for the operation.

It launched a ground operation to destroy the tunnels on the night of 17 July, and insists that any ceasefire deal includes the right to continue that mission.

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The BBC's Orla Guerin was given access by the Israeli military to a tunnel they say was used by Palestinian militants

"I won't agree to any proposal that will not enable the Israeli military to complete this important task for the sake of Israel's security," Mr Netanyahu said.

The tunnels would allow Hamas to "abduct and murder civilians and IDF soldiers while simultaneously attacking from the tunnels penetrating our territory," he added.

Gaza 'desperate'

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The BBC's Martin Patience on the latest situation in Gaza

In Gaza, Israeli shelling continued on Thursday morning, the BBC's Jon Donnison reports.

Meanwhile, a series of rocket alert sirens sounded across southern Israel. Sirens in the town of Sderot sounded several times as Mr Netanyahu spoke.

Civilians in Gaza are braced for more strikes after a deadly day on Wednesday that saw more than 100 people die.

In the most controversial incident at least 16 people were killed when shells hit a UN-run school in the Jabaliya district of Gaza City.

The US and UN condemned the strike, with the UN secretary general saying "all available evidence" suggested Israeli artillery was the cause.

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Families of the victims of the attack on a UN-run school have been grieving at a hospital that received the injured, as Ian Pannell reports

Spokesman Mark Regev told the BBC Israel would apologise if it discovered it was responsible.

"We have a policy - we don't target civilians," he said.

"It's not clear to us that it was our fire but we know for a fact there was hostile fire on our people from the vicinity of the school."

Later on Wednesday at least 17 were killed in a strike on a busy market in Shejaiya - a district already badly damaged by Israel artillery.

Israel occupied Gaza in the 1967 Middle East war and only pulled its troops and settlers out in 2005.

Israel considered this the end of the occupation, but it still exercises control over most of Gaza's borders, water and airspace. Egypt controls Gaza's southern border.

Hamas says it will not stop fighting until a blockade, maintained by both Israel and Egypt, is lifted.

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Costly rural parcel charges tackled

31 July 2014 Last updated at 12:01

The government has unveiled new principles aimed at tackling "ridiculous" delivery charges faced by shoppers in remote parts of the UK.

They set out best practice for businesses such as couriers, online retailers and delivery firms.

UK ministers believe they will lead to customers being charged a fair delivery price.

The principles include making information about costs available up front when people are buying online.

The industry guidance was developed by Citizens Advice and the British Retail Consortium.

Under the guidance, internet retailers will have to make sure their pricing policies do not discriminate against customers on the basis of their location.

'Ridiculous charges'

It comes after research from 2012 showed at least one million people in Scotland faced additional charges for delivery, had their parcels delayed or were even refused delivery altogether.

Continue reading the main story

We hope that people across the country will now use this statement of principles to hold retailers to a higher standard"

End Quote Margaret Lynch Citizens Advice Scotland

Online shoppers in Scotland place about 57.4 million orders a year, worth about £2.5bn.

The new UK-wide statement of principles was launched by Consumer Affairs Minister Jo Swinson during a visit to a John Lewis customer delivery hub in Glasgow.

Ms Swinson said: "Too many shoppers, especially in rural parts of Scotland, have faced ridiculous delivery charges when buying online.

"Delivery charges should be clear up front, so people can decide to shop elsewhere if they feel the charges are excessive.

"Retailers need to get this right for shoppers across the whole of the UK and especially consider how they can best serve their customers in rural and island communities.

"Better transparency on charges will help businesses keep loyal customers and boost their reputation."

Margaret Lynch, chief executive of Citizens Advice Scotland, welcomed the new statement of principles, describing it as "recognition that unfair prices and practices for parcels should not, and will not, be tolerated by consumers, regardless of where they live and where they choose to buy their goods from".

'Best service'

Ms Lynch added: "Consumers in Scotland know all too well that unfair prices can be hugely detrimental for families and businesses alike, and that delays and wasted time on websites makes shopping online an incredibly frustrating experience.

"For online retailers, too, transparent and equitable delivery charges mean fewer abandoned shopping carts and repeat custom.

"We hope that people across the country will now use this statement of principles to hold retailers to a higher standard and ensure that the postcode penalty suffered by so many can become a thing of the past."

Tom Ironside, from the British Retail Consortium, said its members were "fully committed to providing the best omni-channel experience for shoppers throughout the UK and beyond".

He added: "It is not always possible to provide consumers everywhere with every product, given the need to provide withdrawal rights and guarantee rights for up to six years, or the same delivery charge for certain heavy goods.

"The statement of principles provides some ideas of how members can endeavour to provide the best possible service."

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Ebola virus threatens UK - Hammond

30 July 2014 Last updated at 12:19

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UK Foreign Secretary: "Ebola is something we need to respond to."

The Ebola virus, which has killed more than 670 people in West Africa, poses a threat to the UK, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has told the BBC.

He said he would chair an emergency Cobra meeting on the issue later.

Mr Hammond said no Britons had been affected so far and there were no cases in the UK, but the government was viewing the outbreak very seriously.

Earlier this month Public Health England issued an alert to UK doctors to be aware of Ebola's symptoms.

Several West African airlines have now stopped flying to Liberia and Sierra Leone amid concerns about the spread of the disease to those countries from Guinea.

The move by airlines comes after an infected American man of Liberian descent was found to have flown from Liberia to Nigeria last week. He developed symptoms during the flight.

At the scene

Tulip Mazumdar, Gueckadou, Guinea

This is the final resting place of the latest victim of Ebola: a four-month-old baby boy called Faya.

He caught the virus from his mother, who died a few weeks earlier. His is the 20th anonymous grave in this dark and lonely clearing.

"I was there with him just before he died," says Adele Millimouno, a Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) nurse recruited from a nearby village.

"I had been feeding him milk. I stepped away, just for a short break, but then I was called back and he was dead. I was totally devastated."

Ebola voices: Fighting the deadly virus in Guinea

Why Ebola is so dangerous

'Managing risk'

Mr Hammond told BBC News the government was "absolutely focused" on tackling the threat posed by the Ebola virus, including looking at "whether there are precautions we need to take - either in the UK or to protect our nationals in the area abroad".

"At the moment we don't think any British nationals [abroad] are affected and we are fairly confident there are no cases in the UK," he said.

"But it is a threat, it is something we need to respond to and we will be doing so through the Cobra mechanism."

A Public Health England spokeswoman said the alert sent to UK doctors on 1 July had advised them to be aware of the symptoms of Ebola, especially in people who had recently returned from the region.

"Individuals who have sudden onset of symptoms such as fever, headache, sore throat and general malaise within 21 days of visiting affected areas should receive rapid medical attention, and be asked about potential risk factors and their recent travel," it said.

It also reminded doctors that there has never been an Ebola outbreak in Europe.

Issuing national medical alerts was a very common event, the spokeswoman added.

Neither the World Health Organization or the UK Foreign Office are recommending any travel restrictions to Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone.

The Department of Health said a man had been tested for Ebola in Birmingham but tests for the virus had proved negative.

A spokeswoman said protecting the public from infectious diseases was a priority and that the UK leads the world in this field.

"We are well-prepared to identify and deal with any potential cases of Ebola, though there has never been a case in this country," she said.

"Any patients with suspected symptoms can be diagnosed within 24 hours and they would also be isolated at a dedicated unit to keep the public safe. Our specialist staff are also working with the World Health Organisation to help tackle the outbreak in Africa."

The BBC's Norman Smith said the Department for International Development was setting aside about £2m to provide medical staff and public information in West Africa in an attempt to contain the disease there.

Earlier, the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Mark Walport told the Daily Telegraph that emerging infectious diseases were a "global grand challenge".

"We were lucky with Sars. But we have to do the best horizon scanning," he said.

Analysis

By Helen Briggs, Health Editor, BBC News website

Doctors have been told to remain vigilant for possible cases of Ebola "imported" to the UK.

The medical director of Public Health England said it was "unlikely but not impossible" that travellers infected in West Africa could develop symptoms on their return. According to Dr Ben Neuman, a virologist at Reading University, the chance of the virus spreading in the UK was "very, very small".

He said border staff are already trained to deal with illnesses of this kind, and anyone showing signs of fever from an outbreak area would be stopped, quarantined and treated in containment facilities if the infection were confirmed.

He said the virus itself is "delicate and inefficient - you have to pick it up from bodily fluids". But he said it was sensible to be prepared, given the situation in West Africa.

Early treatment

Elsewhere, Dr Brian McCloskey, director of global health at Public Health England, said the outbreak was "clearly not yet under control" in West Africa.

He added: "The risk to UK travellers and people working in [affected countries] of contracting Ebola is very low but we have alerted UK medical practitioners about the situation in West Africa and requested they remain vigilant for unexplained illness in those who have visited the affected area."

BBC global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar said the West African outbreak had been going on for four months.

In that time local people had been looking after the sick and carrying out burials, which could actually help to spread the virus, she said.

Ebola kills up to 90% of those infected, but patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment.

The outbreak - the world's deadliest to date - was first reported in Guinea in February. It then spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Ebola virus disease (EVD)

• Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage
• Fatality rate can reach 90%
• Incubation period is two to 21 days
• There is no vaccine or cure
• Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery
• Fruit bats are considered to be virus' natural host

Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? Are you in West Africa or do you have family there? You can send your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using 'ebola' in the subject.

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UN accuses Israel over Gaza shelter

30 July 2014 Last updated at 13:06

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Chris Morris reports from the damaged school in Gaza: ''This is a terrible scene''

Israel attacked a UN-run school housing refugees in Gaza despite warnings that civilians were there, the UN has said.

UN spokesman Chris Gunness said "the world stands disgraced" by the attack, in which 15 died and dozens were hurt.

The Israeli military said an initial inquiry suggested soldiers responded to mortar fire. The military later said it would hold a four-hour humanitarian ceasefire on Wednesday afternoon.

Some 1,200 Palestinians and 55 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.

Most of the Palestinian deaths have been civilians.

Fifty-three Israeli soldiers have been killed along with two civilians. A Thai worker in Israel has also died.

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after a surge in rocket fire from the territory.

Hamas, which controls Gaza, says it will not stop fighting until the blockade, maintained by both Israel and Egypt, is lifted.

The current conflict is now the longest between Israel and militants from Gaza.

A 2012 offensive lasted for eight days, and the 2008 conflict went on for 22 days.

Mr Gunness from the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) told the BBC that Israel had been told 17 times that the school in the Jabaliya refugee camp was housing the displaced.

"The last time was hours before the fatal attack," he said.

"Our initial assessment is that it was Israeli artillery that hit our school."

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Chris Gunness: "Children were killed as they slept next to their parents"

He said there were "multiple deaths" including women and children, adding that the attack caused "universal shame".

Images from the school showed large holes in the walls and roof.

Bob Turner, UNRWA's Gaza director, said the UN was "confident" Israel was responsible.

He said UN workers had collected fragments of projectiles that suggested they were artillery shells fired from Israeli positions to the north-east of the school.

The Israeli military said the incident was under review.

The military said in a statement that its "initial inquiry suggests that militants fired mortars earlier this morning from the vicinity of UNRWA school in Jebalia".

It said soldiers "responded by firing towards the origin of fire".

The military later said it would hold a ceasefire between 15:00 (12:00) and 19:00.

But the ceasefire would only apply to areas where Israeli soldiers were not currently operating.

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The BBC's Orla Guerin was given access by the Israeli military to a tunnel they say was used by Palestinian militants

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using schools and civilian areas as bases to launch attacks.

Last week, another UN-run school was hit, with Palestinians saying at least 15 people were killed.

But the Israeli military denied the killings, saying a single "errant" shell had landed in an empty courtyard.

In other developments:

• The UN on Tuesday revealed that a cache of rockets had been found at one of its schools in Gaza - the third case of its kind - and condemned it as a "yet another flagrant violation of the neutrality of our premises"
• A monthly opinion poll of about 600 Israeli Jews by Tel Aviv University suggests 97% support the current military operation
• A baby who was born after her mother was killed in Gaza, making headlines around the world, has died.

Israel stepped up the intensity of its strikes on Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, saying it had hit a number of tunnels dug by militants to attack Israel.

But the Israeli military said rockets continued to land in Israel from Gaza.

Palestinian officials said Gaza's port had been destroyed on Tuesday and its only power plant had been put out of action.

Meanwhile, Palestinian factions Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad are expected to meet in Cairo later to discuss a ceasefire.

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UK to allow driverless cars on roads

30 July 2014 Last updated at 11:29

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The BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones takes a ride in a driverless car

The UK government has announced that driverless cars will be allowed on public roads from January next year.

It also invited cities to compete to host one of three trials of the tech, which would start at the same time.

In addition, ministers ordered a review of the UK's road regulations to provide appropriate guidelines.

The Department for Transport had originally pledged to let self-driving cars be trialled on public roads by the end of 2013.

Business Secretary Vince Cable revealed the details of the new plan at a research facility belonging to Mira, an automotive engineering firm based in the Midlands.

"Today's announcement will see driverless cars take to our streets in less than six months, putting us at the forefront of this transformational technology and opening up new opportunities for our economy and society," he said.

UK engineers, including a group at the University of Oxford, have been experimenting with driverless cars. But, concerns about legal and insurance issues have so far restricted the machines to private roads.

Other countries have, however, been swifter to provide access to public routes.

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Business Secretary Vince Cable 'felt safe' in driverless car

The US States of California, Nevada and Florida have all approved tests of the vehicles. In California alone, Google's driverless car has done more than 300,000 miles on the open road.

In 2013, Nissan carried out Japan's first public road test of an autonomous vehicle on a highway.

And in Europe, the Swedish city of Gothenburg has given Volvo permission to test 1,000 driverless cars - although that trial is not scheduled to occur until 2017.

Competition cash

UK cities wanting to host one of the trials have until the start of October to declare their interest.

The tests are then intended to run for between 18 to 36 months.

A £10m fund has been created to cover their costs, with the sum to be divided between the three winners.

Meanwhile, civil servants have been given until the end of this year to publish a review of road regulations.

This will cover the need for self-drive vehicles to comply with safety and traffic laws, and involve changes to the Highway Code, which applies to England, Scotland and Wales.

Two area will be examined by the review: how the rules should apply to vehicles in which the driver can take back control at short notice, and how they should apply to vehicles in which there is no driver.

How do driverless cars work?

The label "driverless vehicle" actually covers a lot of different premises.

Indeed, the cruise control, automatic braking, anti-lane drift and self-parking functions already built into many vehicles offer a certain degree of autonomy.

But the term is generally used to refer to vehicles that take charge of steering, accelerating, indicating and braking during most if not all of a journey between two points, much in the same way aeroplanes can be set to autopilot.

Unlike the skies, however, the roads are much more crowded, and a range of technologies are being developed to tackle the problem.

One of the leading innovations is Lidar (light detection and ranging), a system that measures how lasers bounce off reflective surfaces to capture capture information about millions of small points surrounding the vehicle every second. The technology is already used to create the online maps used by Google and Nokia.

Another complimentary technique is "computer vision" - the use of software to make sense of 360-degree images captured by cameras attached to the vehicle, which can warn of pedestrians, cyclists, roadworks and other objects that might be in the vehicle's path.

Autonomous vehicles can also make use of global-positioning system (GPS) location data from satellites; radar; ultrasonic sensors to detect objects close to the car; and further sensors to accurately measure the vehicle's orientation and the rotation of its wheels, to help it understand its exact location.

The debate now is whether to allow cars, like the prototype unveiled by Google in May, to abandon controls including a steering wheel and pedals and rely on the vehicle's computer.

Or whether, instead, to allow the machine to drive, but insist a passenger be ready to wrest back control at a moment's notice.

International rivals

In May, Google unveiled plans to manufacture 100 self-driving vehicles.

The search-giant exhibited a prototype which has no steering wheel or pedals - just a stop-go button.

Google has also put its autonomous driving technology in cars built by other companies, including Toyota, Audi and Lexus.

Other major manufacturers, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and General Motors, are developing their own models.

Most recently, the Chinese search engine Baidu also declared an interest, saying its research labs were at an "early stage of development" on a driverless car project.

But concerns about the safety of driverless cars have been raised by politicians in the US and elsewhere.

Earlier this month, the FBI warned that driverless cars could be used as lethal weapons, predicting that the vehicles "will have a high impact on transforming what both law enforcement and its adversaries can operationally do with a car".

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Ukraine seizes key town near Donetsk

30 July 2014 Last updated at 12:14

Ukraine says it has seized a key town near the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, as fighting intensifies in the east.

Pro-Russia separatists were driven out of Avdiivka on Wednesday, the army says. The strategic town is near the airport and train station in Donetsk.

Heavy fighting around Donetsk has again prevented international experts from reaching the crash site of flight MH17.

Details of fresh EU sanctions against Russia for its support to the Ukrainian rebels will be revealed on Wednesday.

Shelling

Almost two weeks after the Malaysia Airlines jet came down, international monitors from the Organization for the Security and Co-operation of Europe were prevented from reaching the crash site again on Wednesday.

They were turned back to Donetsk after being stopped at a separatist checkpoint, with evidence of fighting ahead smoke rising in the distance from fighting, says the BBC's Jonathan Beale.

There is one theory that it is not in the interest of the Ukrainian army for them to let international observers into the crash site because their presence in the area would restrict the army's offensive, says the BBC's Tom Burridge in Kharkiv.

Of course neither side would want international observers or police to be caught in the crossfire and the Ukrainian army may want to keep its momentum going, he adds.

Regional officials in Donetsk said on Wednesday that 19 people had been killed in fighting in the past 24 hours. Several apartment buildings have been hit by shelling in the government forces' bid to retake the city, they added.

Ukraine says its troops have also entered the towns of Shakhtarsk and Torez in Donetsk region, and Lutuhyne in Luhansk region.

Amid the fighting, a group of hackers sympathetic to the rebels says it has disabled the website of the Ukrainian president.

Meanwhile, the US has announced new economic sanctions against Russia which has widened to include key sectors of the economy - energy, arms and finance.

US nationals and people living in America will no longer be able to bank with three Russian banks - the VTB, the Bank of Moscow, and the Russian Agriculture Bank (Rosselkhozbank).

Peace 'more important'

The EU earlier expanded its sanctions, targeting the oil sector, defence equipment and sensitive technologies, details of which will be revealed later on Wednesday.

Sanctions are starting to bite in Russia, with the share prices of VTB bank and the rouble down, as borrowers are squeezed by rising interest rates, says the BBC's Daniel Sandford in Moscow.

Germany's Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel signalled on Wednesday that the sanctions may hurt the German economy, which has strong trade links with Russia.

"Nonetheless at a time of war and peace, economic policy is not the main consideration," he told journalists.

The list of 87 targets of EU sanctions now includes the heads of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and foreign intelligence, the president of Chechnya, as well as two Crimean energy firms.

However, UK company BP, which owns nearly 20% of Russian state oil giant Rosneft, has warned that further sanctions against Russia could "adversely impact" its performance.

Sanctions are having significant costs on Russia, with its central bank spending tens of billions of dollars in order to defend the rouble, a senior state department official has told the BBC.

Russian press reacts to sanctions

• "The Russian authorities have been responding chaotically to emerging threats by taking instant ad hoc measures, but failing to calculate their systemic consequences" - Nezavisimaya Gazeta
• "Sources in Russian diplomatic circles say the Russian leadership hopes that the sectoral sanctions will be considerably less stringent when approved at the top level" - Kommersant
• "It is possible to say now that the Russian authorities mistakenly believed that Europeans would not risk introducing sectoral sanctions for fear that they might backfire" - Novyye Izvestiya
• "Russia is different not only because its economy is much more integrated into the world one. Russia is a nuclear power and a member of the World Trade Organization, which limits the possibility of pressure" - Vedomosti

Appeal for access

Russia has come under increased pressure to end its support for the rebels, who Western governments believe were behind the downing of the Malaysia Airlines jet that killed 298 people in eastern Ukraine.

Moscow has also been accused by the EU and US of supplying heavy weapons to the rebels - a charge it denies.

"If Russia continues on this current path, the costs on Russia will continue to grow," said US President Barack Obama, announcing the new round of sanctions.

But Australia's Tony Abbott said on Wednesday his government was focusing on retrieving Australian victims from the MH17 wreckage: "At the moment our focus is not on sanctions, our focus is on bringing home our dead as quickly as we humanly can."

His comments follow that of US Secretary of State John Kerry, who urged Russia and the rebels to allow Western investigators full access to the crash site.

"They still can't even ensure that all of the victims' remains have been removed, and that is an unsupportable burden for any family to have to bear, and it is an unacceptable standard for behaviour, period," he said.

Russia's foreign ministry issued a statement on Wednesday saying that it was puzzled by President Obama's comments that Russia was not co-operating with an international investigation into the crash, Reuters reports.

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No appeal over Rolf Harris sentence

30 July 2014 Last updated at 12:52

Rolf Harris's sex offences sentence will not be referred to the Court of Appeal, despite 150 complaints over its "leniency", the attorney general's office has said.

The disgraced entertainer was jailed for five years and nine months for 12 indecent assaults on four girls.

Complaints were lodged following his sentencing earlier this month.

In a statement, the office said the attorney general understood the decision would cause disappointment.

It said Attorney General Jeremy Wright would not refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal as "he did not think they would find it to be unduly lenient and increase it".

'Just and proportionate'

The office said the judge had been required to take Harris's age into account.

"The sentencing judge was bound by the maximum sentence in force at the time of the offending," it added.

"The judge made some of the sentences consecutive to reach the total sentence, but he could not simply add up sentences on individual counts; the overall sentence had to be just and proportionate to the overall offending."

What is the Unduly Lenient Sentence system?

By Clive Coleman, legal correspondent

The system for reviewing sentences passed in the Crown Court in England and Wales is an incredibly democratic one in which ordinary people can have a real effect on the working of the criminal justice system.

Anyone - whether connected with the case or not - can complain to the attorney general's office about a sentence being "unduly lenient", ie too low, and one single complaint is sufficient to trigger a review by the attorney general.

The system only applies to the most serious crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, some child sex crimes and child cruelty, serious fraud and drugs offences, and crimes committed because of someone's race or sex.

A complaint must be made within 28 days of the sentence being passed.

The attorney general then has 28 days to review the sentence. He has no power to increase the sentence himself, but if he considers it unduly lenient, ie outside the reasonable range of sentences the sentencing judge had available based on the facts of the case, he can refer the case to the Court of Appeal.

It will decide whether to hear the case and if does, it will decide if the sentence is unduly lenient and should be increased.

Harris, 84, was prosecuted in line with legislation in force during the period his offences were committed - when the maximum sentence for indecent assault was two years in prison, or five years for offences committed against victims under 13.

His offences took place between 1968 and 1986 against four girls aged seven or eight to 19.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed it has received "a number of allegations" about Harris since his conviction.

A spokesman said these further allegations were being considered.

Peter Saunders of the National Association of People Abused in Childhood said: "A lot of people have said to me that they think that Rolf Harris got a very lenient sentence.

"But whether he was sentenced to five years or 20 years in prison, it cannot make up for the lifetime of suffering experienced by his victims."

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EU set to widen Russia sanctions

29 July 2014 Last updated at 12:53

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Tom Burridge on the fighting near the MH17 crash site

The European Union is set to agree new sanctions against Russia, targeting its finance, energy and defence sectors over the conflict in Ukraine.

Top Russian individuals and entities are already subject to EU sanctions for their alleged role in Ukraine's crisis.

Calls for the EU to act have been fuelled by the downing of flight MH17.

An international team has again failed to access the crash site in eastern Ukraine, amid heavy fighting between government forces and rebels there.

This is the third time in as many days that the team, which includes Dutch and Australian police officers, has had to abandon attempts to reach the site. Many of the 298 people travelling aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 were Dutch or Australian.

Earlier on Tuesday, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte asked Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to "halt hostilities" around the crash site, according to a spokesman for Mr Rutte, quoted by AFP news agency.

Ukraine's military has been on the offensive, seeking to encircle the pro-Russian separatist rebels in Donetsk region. In the latest developments:

• Several shells are said to have struck buildings in the separatist stronghold of Donetsk city
• Ukraine says its troops have entered the towns of Shakhtarsk and Torez in Donetsk region, and Lutuhyne in Luhansk region
• Ten Ukrainian soldiers and at least 22 civilians have reportedly been killed in the last 24 hours
• The dead civilians are said to include three children and five people at a home for the elderly
• A group of hackers sympathetic to the rebels says it has disabled the website of the Ukrainian president.

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Families of MH17 victims are waiting to hear which bodies have been identified, as Anna Holligan reports

Analysis by the BBC's Gavin Hewitt

Europe's leaders did not want to move to economic sanctions but they were moved by two considerations: the outrage at the way investigators have been blocked from access to the crash site of the downed plane and, secondly, the fact that Russia, since the incident, has been allowing heavy weapons across the border into Ukraine.

The calculation in Europe is that it had to act for its own credibility and that it may have to go further to ensure that President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle understand that their actions carry consequences.

How will Russia respond? Hard to say, although Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would not retaliate or "fall into hysterics".

But - if all goes as expected - the EU will today take a significant step; that it has to risk some damage to its own economic interests in order to put pressure on President Putin and Russia.

Ukraine conflict: EU squeezes Russia

'Further costs'

EU ambassadors in Brussels are taking part in a meeting that is expected to lead to fresh sanctions. The meeting ends on Tuesday afternoon.

The fresh measures under discussion include restrictions on Russian banks accessing European markets, an arms embargo and curbs on dealings with the energy sector.

The leaders of France, Germany, Britain and the US already discussed possible sanctions in a conference call on Monday.

A spokeswoman for UK Prime Minister David Cameron later said that he and fellow European leaders had agreed to "impose further costs on Russia" for supporting the rebels in Ukraine.

Western nations have accused Russia of equipping the uprising in Ukraine with heavy weapons - including the missile that brought down flight MH17.

Russia has denied the charge. Russia and the rebels blame Ukrainian government forces for the attack on the airliner.

Any new EU sanctions could come into force within 24 hours of a deal being reached between the bloc's 28 member states.

Sanctions warning

Last weekend, the EU subjected a further 15 Russian individuals and 18 entities to asset freezes and visa bans for their alleged involvement in the Ukraine conflict.

The list of 87 targets of EU sanctions now includes the heads of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and foreign intelligence, the president of Chechnya, as well as two Crimean energy firms.

However, UK company British Petroleum, which owns nearly 20% of Russian state oil giant Rosneft, has warned that further sanctions against Russia could "adversely impact" its performance.

Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry has dismissed the latest UN human rights report on the Ukraine conflict as "unobjective and even hypocritical".

The UN's human rights chief warned on Monday that the downing of MH17 may be a "war crime".

According to the UN, at least 1,129 people have been killed and 3,442 wounded in the fighting in Ukraine since mid-April. The violence has displaced more than 200,000 people, many of them fleeing east to neighbouring Russia.

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Diesels face £10 pollution charge

29 July 2014 Last updated at 12:40

Plans to charge drivers of diesel cars about £10 to drive into central London are being considered.

The levy would be on top of the current £11.50 congestion charge for driving into the centre of the capital.

London Mayor Boris Johnson wants the new Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to be introduced by 2020.

The Times newspaper says he will lobby the government to increase vehicle excise duty on diesel cars to encourage motorists to move to cleaner vehicles.

Only diesel vehicles meeting the Euro 6 emissions standard will be exempt, while petrol cars registered before 2006 will also have to pay.

All new cars sold from 1 January 2015 must meet the Euro 6 emissions standard, a stringent European Union directive to cut exhaust pollutants which targets a cut in nitrogen dioxide, seen as an air pollutant.

A spokesman for the mayor said the plans will be subject to a full consultation and any levy on cars not meeting the Euro 6 emissions standard would be "likely to be a similar amount to the congestion charge".

The mayor's environment adviser, Matthew Pencharz, said: "Over recent years the Euro diesel engine standards have not delivered the emission savings expected, yet governments have been incentivising us to buy them.

"This has left us with a generation of dirty diesels."

The RAC foundation has said incentives, such as putting diesel cars in lower vehicle excise duty bands, was to blame.

Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "This isn't quite a mis-selling scandal, but for years ministers took their eye off the ball and encouraged drivers to buy diesels to help fight climate change.

Continue reading the main story

Many politicians argue that the root cause of London's poor air quality is Europe.

EU attempts to improve diesel engines in cars have focused on reducing carbon dioxide, but emissions of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) weren't restricted.

Many governments, not just in Britain, gave incentives to motorists to turn to diesel as a way of meeting EU climate change targets. So NO2 levels soared.

Mayor Boris Johnson will give more details about his plans to curb emissions of nitrogen dioxide in a speech to mark 60 years since the first London-specific Clean Air Act was passed, stopping the burning of coal in some areas of the city.

Campaigners now believe the mayor should take a note of the history and announce a complete ban on the dirtiest diesels.

"That has come at a cost: local air pollution. Today 10 million cars in Britain are powered by diesel engines - a third of the total.

"Part of the problem is regulation. In laboratory conditions diesel cars have met strict test criteria. Unfortunately that performance hasn't been matched on the road and now we have a significant health issue because of the dash for diesel."

The initiatives are being considered to help meet European regulations on clean air and avoid the threat of heavy fines for breaching them.

'Backward step'

But AA president Edmund King said the vehicles with the most impact on air quality were buses, taxis and trucks.

"Very few cars enter central London so these measures will have more effect on the growing numbers of small businesses and service vehicles on whom London's economy relies.

"They will have to plan ahead to change their vehicles if they are to stay in business."

Simon Birkett, from Clean Air in London, said: "In February last year Boris was planning to ban older diesel vehicles from the congestion charging area from 2020.

"What he's now announcing is a backward step. It will be a charge for some diesel vehicles 10 years after a city like Berlin actually banned the oldest diesels.

"It's like allowing rich people to pay ten quid a day to smoke cigars in pubs and schools."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said that unless action was taken, London, Birmingham and Leeds would face dangerous levels of pollution from vehicle exhausts by 2030.

Government figures show long-term exposure to air pollution contributed to more than 28,000 deaths across the UK in 2010.

And in February, it was reported that pollution near Buckingham Palace was the worst in the UK and almost four times the EU legal limit.

Jenny Jones, from the Green Party on the London Assembly, told BBC London 94.9: "I back Boris on this but he is making a lot of promises that a future mayor will have to implement.

"He should show some political bravery and bring the Ultra Low Emission Zone forward - what is he waiting for?"

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Migration changes 'to put UK first'

29 July 2014 Last updated at 12:25

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David Cameron in Slough to see immigration officers at work

The UK is to halve to three months the time EU migrants without realistic job prospects can claim benefits.

David Cameron said the "magnetic pull" of UK benefits had to be addressed so people came for the right reasons and the rules "put Britain first".

The prime minister also warned people in the UK illegally: "We will find you, we will send you home."

Labour said the PM's rhetoric masked a record of "failure" on immigration and "firm action" was needed.

On a visit to see immigration officers at work, Mr Cameron said: "We want an immigration system that puts Britain first so if you come here illegally... we will make it harder for you to have a home, to get a car, to get a job, to get a bank account and when we find you - and we will find you - we'll make sure you are sent back from the country you came from."

Driving licences

He unveiled details of the plans to curb the rights to claim some benefits for some EU nationals who are legally in the UK in a Daily Telegraph article on Tuesday.

He said the last Labour government presided over a "no-questions-asked" welfare system that "drew migrants to the country for the wrong reasons".

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Norman Smith: It's about the message, not money

He cited other measures recently coming into force to tackle abuses - such as new powers revoking the driving licences of those not entitled to be in the country - as evidence that the government was building "an immigration system that puts Britain first".

"We are making sure that people come for the right reasons - which has meant addressing the magnetic pull of Britain's benefits system," he said.

"We change the rules so that no-one can come to this country and expect to get out-of-work benefits immediately - they must wait at least three months.

"And we are announcing today that we are cutting the time people can claim these benefits for. It used to be that European jobseekers could claim JSA or child benefit for a maximum of six months before their benefits would be cut off, unless they had very clear job prospects.

"We will be reducing that cut-off point to three months, saying very clearly you cannot expect to come to Britain and get something for nothing."

The government has been steadily tightening the criteria for which EU migrants are eligible to claim benefits after coming under political pressure.

In January, it announced that EU migrants would not be able to claim out-of-work benefits until three months after arriving in the UK and would only be eligible for jobseeker's allowance for six months unless they have genuine prospects of finding work.

Mr Cameron announced that this time limit - which also applies to child tax credit and child benefit - will be halved to three months from November.

He has said his party's target of reducing net migration to below 100,000 by the time of the next election, from its current level of more than 200,000, is still achievable.

Analysis, By Robin Brant

With his scars still healing after UKIP's big win in May's European elections David Cameron is trying, again, to tackle those two most contentious issues - immigration and welfare.

It's the latest in a series of measures aimed at making the UK less attractive to foreigners who don't want to work. It's not clear though how many will be affected. A report last year claimed 600,000 out-of-work migrants were here.

The EU said the number claiming Jobseekers Allowance was far lower, at around 60,000. The measure could save money but this is about trying to show voters that the government, and the Tories in particular, are addressing that most vexatious of issues that has helped swell Nigel Farage's support.

Labour says the reality is the government is nowhere near achieving its target of getting net migration down from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the government had failed to take "firm action" to address the issue.

"Behind the rhetoric the true picture of this government on immigration is one of failure, with net migration going up, despite David Cameron's promise to get it down to the tens of thousands," she said.

"The government should get a grip and finally implement Labour's proposals to stop the undercutting of wages and jobs for local workers by the exploitation of low-skilled migrant labour, including banning recruitment agencies that only hire foreign workers and pressing for stronger controls in Europe."

	A8 country* migrants		Native population
*Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Poland. Note: Employment rate refers to % of working-age population. Source:Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration
	Men	Women	Men	Women
Employment rate	90.4%	74.2%	78.3%	71.1%
Claiming benefits or tax credits	12.4%	23.7%	24.2%	55%
In social housing	6.5%	7.7%	15.9%	18.3%

The UK Independence Party's migration spokesman Steven Woolfe called the PM's announcement "a cynical and vacuous attempt to fool the British public".

He said: "Britain is crying out for an Australian-style points system for migration, so that we can judge potential migrants from all over the world on the same basis: whether they can make a positive contribution to life in our already-overcrowded country.

"We will never be able to introduce such a system while we are locked in the EU."

Latest analysis by the Migration Advisory Committee, which advises ministers, suggested the impact of low-skilled immigration on GDP, productivity and prices since 1997 has been "very modest" and there had been virtually no effect on the overall employment rate of UK-born workers.

But it concluded that low-skilled migration had had a "small" negative impact on the wages of low-paid British workers while there had been knock-on effects on the availability of housing and school places in areas of the country with disproportionately high level of incomers.

What is your reaction to this policy? Are you an EU migrant? If so, what do you think about this change? You can send us your views and experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line "migrant benefits".

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China investigates ex-security chief

29 July 2014 Last updated at 12:55

China's former security chief Zhou Yongkang is being investigated for suspected "serious disciplinary violation", state media say.

The news confirms rumours about the hugely powerful former minister, who has not been seen in public for months.

Mr Zhou headed China's Ministry of Public Security and was a member of the top decision-making body, the Politburo Standing Committee.

The move to target him will send shockwaves through the political elite.

He is the most senior Chinese official to be investigated since the Gang of Four - which included the wife of late leader Mao Zedong - in the early 1980s.

Zhou Yongkang retired in late 2012, as Xi Jinping took over from Hu Jintao as the Communist Party leader and China's president.

Since the transition, Mr Xi has introduced a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption within the party, warning graft could threaten the organisation's very survival.

Bo Xilai ally

In a brief statement, state-run Xinhua news agency said the investigation would be conducted by the Communist Party's corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

No timescale was given for the probe, which has been widely expected.

Several individuals believed to have had close ties to Mr Zhou have also been targeted in corruption investigations in recent months.

Carrie Gracie, BBC China editor

Since taking power in 2012, it's been clear that President Xi Jinping was determined to consolidate his own power and remove opponents to economic reform.

But he also wanted to clean up the image of a ruling party which conceded that rampant corruption was the greatest threat to survival.

An anti-corruption drive has served all three objectives and conveniently boosted Mr Xi's public popularity.

But he always said he was targeting the tigers as well as the flies and it was important to demonstrate that he could defeat resistance at the very top.

Which makes today's long-awaited announcement about the disgrace and downfall of Zhou Yongkang an important signal of Mr Xi's supremacy but a blow to the reputation of the party he leads.

Mr Zhou's career saw him head both the ministry charged with overseeing domestic security and China's largest energy company, the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

He was also the party's top official in Sichuan province.

Allies of his from all three areas are now the subject of various investigations.

Only a handful of people serve on the Politburo Standing Committee (in Mr Zhou's time nine, currently the number is seven) and they are seen as the most powerful individuals in China.

Zhou Yongkang was also an ally of Bo Xilai, the one-time high-flying former Chongqing party chief who was jailed last year.

In initial reactions observed on Weibo, China's Twitter-like micro-blogging platform, netizens appeared to praise the announcement.

Thumbs-up emoticons, "Got him!" and "Good job!" were just some of the more popular responses.

Many also made reference to "tigers", a reference to Mr Xi's promise to include high-ranking officials in his anti-corruption campaign.

"Now that is what I call an old tiger. Good job Mr Xi," said one user. "This is just one tiger out of many, to catch tigers one must have determination, don't stop now!" said another.

It was not clear to what extent officials were censoring negative comments, as has been done in the past.

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Israel steps up bombardment of Gaza

29 July 2014 Last updated at 12:58

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A fuel depot supplying Gaza's only power station has been hit, as Martin Patience and Chris Morris report

More than 100 Palestinians are said to have been killed after Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza and warned of a long conflict ahead.

Gaza's only power plant caught fire as Israel carried out 60 air strikes, targeting sites associated with Hamas, the Islamist group which controls Gaza.

UN staff members are said to be among those killed.

An Israeli military spokesman said the strikes signalled a "gradual increase in the pressure" on Hamas.

In a televised address on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the need to destroy tunnels dug under the Gaza-Israel border, to prevent militants infiltrating Israel.

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Israeli soldiers evacuate a "brother in arms" from Operation Protective Edge, as Orla Guerin reports

Palestinian officials say 1,115 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in the fighting since 8 July while Israel has lost 53 soldiers and three civilians - two Israelis and a Thai worker.

UN Relief and Works Agency spokesman Chris Gunness said in a tweet that a number of staff members had reportedly been killed. The UN is currently caring for 182,604 Palestinians in its 82 shelters in Gaza, he said.

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An Israeli airstrike hit the house of former Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh overnight, as Nick Childs reports

In another development, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused Israel of acting like a "rabid dog" and called on Muslims to arm Palestinians to enable them to fight back against "genocide".

'Humanitarian plant'

A huge plume of smoke rose over the strip's only power plant after one of its fuel tanks was reportedly set alight by Israeli tank shells, and the plant was forced to shut down.

For the past three weeks, most Gazans have been living with just a few hours of electrical supplies and now the situation will almost certainly get worse, the BBC's Martin Patience reports from Gaza.

Gaza also receives some power supplies from Israel and Egypt.

Fifty-five houses were destroyed in the bombing, with people buried under rubble in at least three of them, Palestinian security sources told the BBC.

The unoccupied house of former Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh was destroyed.

"The destruction of stones will not break our will and we will continue our resistance until we gain freedom." he was quoted as saying on a Hamas website afterwards.

A neighbour, Um Hani Abu Ryalah, told AP news agency the experience had terrified her family: "Our children were so scared and they were screaming. Now they can't hear because of the loud explosions and they are shaking."

Israeli fire is also said to have damaged the Hamas TV and radio stations, three mosques, four factories and government buildings which included the finance ministry and a compound belonging to the interior ministry.

Gaza's port was also destroyed, Palestinian security sources told the BBC, and two schools and a kindergarten were on fire after being hit.

Among the 100 people killed on Tuesday were seven families, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Targeting tunnels

Rockets fired from Gaza continued to hit Israel on Tuesday.

Lt-Col Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokesman, told AP pressure was being increased on Hamas.

"Israel is determined to strike this organisation and relieve us of this threat," he said.

On Monday, five Israeli soldiers were killed when militants infiltrated the border, while a mortar bomb killed four earlier and a tenth died in a clash in southern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

In his address on Monday night, Mr Netanyahu said Gaza had to be demilitarised in order to protect Israel.

"We will not finish the operation without neutralising the tunnels, which have the sole purpose of destroying our citizens, killing our children," he said.

Israel's Operation Protective Edge began on 8 July after a surge in militant rocket attacks.

A rally in support of the operation is planned for Tuesday evening in Tel Aviv.

Are you in Israel or Gaza? How are you affected by the situation? Email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject 'Israel Gaza'.

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UK says EU sanctions deal 'closer'

28 July 2014 Last updated at 12:35

EU talks on tougher sanctions against Russia over Ukraine are "moving in the right direction", No 10 has said.

Prime Minister David Cameron's official spokeswoman said their focus was on securing agreement so sanctions could come in "as quickly as possible".

The spokeswoman said the EU was looking at sanctions in the financial, defence and high-tech energy sector.

She added that there may be "some pain to be had here in the UK" if sanctions were imposed in the financial sector.

EU ambassadors are meeting in Brussels on Tuesday. Any new sanctions could come into force within 24 hours of a deal being reached.

EU targets

The crash of a Malaysia Airlines jet in rebel-held eastern Ukraine earlier this month - believed to have been caused by a rebel missile strike - fuelled calls for tougher EU action.

Russia has denied allegations by Ukraine and Western leaders that it has supplied heavy weapons to the rebels. And the rebels denied shooting down the plane, instead blaming Ukrainian forces.

At the weekend, the EU added 15 individuals and 18 entities to its sanctions list targeting Russians linked to the separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine.

They included the Federal Security Service (FSB) and foreign intelligence heads, and the president of Chechnya.

The number of Russians subject to EU asset freezes and travel bans is now 87. Two Crimean energy firms were joined on the list by 18 other entities.

Western leaders accuse Russia of arming the pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.

The EU says it is targeting those who "actively support or are benefiting from Russian decision makers responsible for the annexation of Crimea or the destabilisation of eastern Ukraine".

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