Heavy Shelling Heard In Rebel-Held Donetsk

Heavy shelling has pounded the centre of Ukraine's separatist-held city of Donetsk, according to witnesses.

People poured out of their offices onto the stairwell of the city's main administration building after loud explosions nearby triggered an evacuation warning, reports said.

Donetsk has been surrounded for several weeks by Ukrainian forces battling pro-Russian rebels.

A resident of Donetsk after shelling in the city

The shelling follows the resignation of pro-Russian separatist leader Valery Bolotov, head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic.

Mr Bolotov said he had been injured and could no longer continue his role. 

His resignation came as a Russian aid convoy resumed its journey toward Ukraine, taking the road leading south towards rebel-held Luhansk.

The convoy of roughly 262 vehicles had been parked at a military depot in the southern Russian city of Voronezh since late on Tuesday.

The Russain aid convoy has turned towards Luhansk

There has been confusion and disagreement over how and where the aid could be delivered to Ukraine, where government troops are battling pro-Russia separatists.

By sending the convoy south, Russia appeared intent on not abiding by a tentative agreement to deliver aid to a border checkpoint in the Kharkiv region.

It had been hoped that the convoy would arrive in the Kharkiv region, so that the Red Cross could inspect the convoy.

Instead, the route taken by the convoy leads directly toward a border crossing controlled by pro-Russian rebels in the Luhansk region.

Self-styled mayor of Luhansk, Valery Bolotov, says he has been injured

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has accused Moscow of planning a "direct invasion of Ukrainian territory under the guise of delivering humanitarian aid".

Moscow has insisted it coordinated the dispatch of the goods - including baby food, canned meat and sleeping bags - with Red Cross officials.

Red Cross spokeswoman Anastasia Isyuk said talks between the organisation, Ukraine and Russia were continuing.

But she could not confirm where the Russian convoy was headed.

Vladimir Putin says he wants to end the bloodshed in Ukraine

"The plans keep changing, the discussions are going ahead and we will not confirm for sure until we know an agreement has been reached," Ms Isyuk said in Geneva.

Luhansk, where Mr Bolotov had declared himself "mayor", has been the scene of intense fighting between Ukrainian forces and separatists.

Mr Bolotov said Igor Plotnitsky, defence minister of the Luhansk People's Republic, would take over from him.

His resignation means that both the main separatist entities, in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine, are having leadership changes.

A Russian soldier stands guard at the Kharkiv checkpoint

On August 7, Aleksander Borodai, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, announced he was stepping down.

Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia would do its utmost to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine.

During a visit to Crimea, Mr Putin also said that Russia should not "fence itself off from the outside world" despite a plunge in East-West relations.

As well as the shelling in Donetsk, fighting has killed at least 22 residents in the besieged rebel-held bastion of Luhansk over the past 24 hours.

Luhansk has been the scene of intense fighting

Fighting in eastern Ukraine has intensified in recent weeks, with UN officials saying there has been a spike in the number of deaths.

Some 2,086 people have died since the conflict began in mid-April, and more than half of them in the past fortnight, the UN said.

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Iraq: US-UK Pull Back On Yazidi Rescue Mission

A US and UK humanitarian mission to rescue thousands of people trapped in Iraq is "far less likely" to take place after it has been revealed fewer are stranded than previously feared.

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel made the comments on Wednesday, and unnamed officials have since said that after a survey by US special forces gave an estimate of 4,500 civilians remaining on Mount Sinjar.

They said nearly half are herders and shepherds who lived there before the siege and do not want to be evacuated.

The US team spent Wednesday on the siege mountain and said circumstances were less dire than earlier feared.

A map detailing the Sinjar mountains

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have since told Sky News there are only around 2,000 on the mountain.

Earlier, Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK's plans needed to be "flexible" for the "complicated humanitarian mission" and stressed the need to continue delivering aid to refugees.

The PM, who has resisted calls for military intervention, chaired a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee to discuss the situation further.

Members of the Yazidi sect hold a banner asking for international help

But Tory backbencher Mark Pritchard, who believes Britain should still be doing more, told Sky News: "Bread alone will not stop ISIS, it will require bullets."

He added: "They are not going to stop until they are stopped... we need to confront the enemy."

The UK has successfully completed seven aid airdrops and was sending a "small number" of RAF Chinook helicopters to the region.

Areas the Islamic State has launched offensives and wants to make one state

It has sent RAF Tornado jets equipped with sophisticated surveillance equipment to help gather intelligence.

It had previously been thought there were between 20,000 and 30,000 people trapped on Mount Sinjar after fleeing Sunni militants of the Islamic State (IS), formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Sky News Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge said: "I am told that just like the Americans, it is now unlikely that the UK government is going to carry out a rescue mission, and that's simply because the information has changed.

Mr Cameron at a UK aid Disaster Response Centre at Kemble Airport, earlier

"Although there are fewer people on the mountain than previously thought, it doesn't mean humanitarian help is not needed elsewhere in northern Iraq."

IS fighters have threatened the ancient Yazidi religious group, many of those who were on the mountain, with death if they fail to convert to Islam.

The Pentagon said that humanitarian aid drops, airstrikes on IS fighters and the efforts of Peshmerga fighters had allowed many Yazidis to escape.

Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the Kurdish government's high representative to the UK, told Sky News while the new refugee figures spelled "good news", up to two million displaced civilians remained "in a dire situation" in the Kurdistan region.

Her comments came as the United Nations ramped up its assessment of the crisis to level 3 - its highest level of emergency - and condemned the "barbaric acts" of sexual violence IS fighters have reportedly inflicted on minority groups.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said the Iraqi government had "received atrocious accounts on the abduction and detention of Yazidi, Christian, Turkomen and Shabak women and girls and boys, and reports of savage rapes".

"Some 1,500 Yazidis and Christians may have been forced into sexual slavery," he added.

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N Korea Fires Missiles As Pope Visits South

Pope Francis has called for peace in the war-divided Korean peninsular during a visit to the South - as the North fired five miissiles to coincide with his arrival.

Three rockets were fired as the Pope's plane approached Seoul - and there were reports of a further three, shortly after he touched down.

All of the short-range missiles landed in the sea off North Korea's east coast, hundreds of miles away from the Pontiff's plane.

Pope Francis arrives in Seoul - the first papal visit to Asia since 1999

In his first speech after landing, the Pope called for renewed efforts to forge peace in the war-divided Korean Peninsula.

He urged both sides to avoid "fruitless" criticisms and shows of force and told South Korean President Park Geun-hye that peace required forgiveness and mutual respect.

The North has tested an unprecedented number of rockets and missiles this year, including many in recent weeks.

It says the launches are in retaliation for US-South Korean military exercises scheduled to start on Monday.

South Korean troops fire heavy artillery to welcome the pontiff

Pyongyang often stages such tests when rival South Korea is in the global spotlight - as is the case with the papal visit - in what is seen as a means of grabbing attention.

The Argentine pope will spend five days in South Korea, meeting some of the country's five million Catholics on the first trip by a pontiff to Asia since 1999.

The pope leaves the plane in Seoul

But much of the attention will be on the Vatican's relations with China. It was the first time a pope had been allowed to fly over China on Asian tours. 

His predecessor, John Paul II, had to avoid Chinese airspace because of the fraught relations between Beijing and the Vatican.

Before touching down in Seoul, Pope Francis sent an unprecedented message of goodwill to China.

"Upon entering Chinese air space, I extend best wishes to your Excellency and your fellow citizens and I invoke the divine blessing of peace and well-being upon the nation," he said in a radio message to President Xi Jinping.

The Vatican has had no formal relations with China since shortly after the Communist Party took power in 1949.

The Catholic Church in China is divided into two communities.

A recently released picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

The first is the "official" Church known as the "Patriotic Association" answerable to the Party; the second an underground Church that swears allegiance only to the Pope in Rome.

As the Pope touched down in Seoul, there were reports that some Chinese had been barred from travelling to a youth celebration in South Korea.

About half of more than 100 Chinese who had planned to attend the Asian Youth Day event during the papal visit were unable to attend.

Heo Young-yeop, spokesman for the Committee for the Papal Visit to Korea, told reporters this was due to "a complicated situation inside China". 

He declined to give further details, citing their safety.

Another organiser, who declined to be identified, said some of the would-be attendees had been arrested by Chinese authorities.

Beijing rejects Vatican authority over its Catholics.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comments either on the Pope's goodwill message or the Chinese who were barred.

About 30 countries will be participating in Asian Youth Day, focused on the formation of a spiritual life, particularly for youth leaders. 

North Korea has turned down an invitation from the South Korean Catholic church for its Korean Catholic Association to attend a papal mass on Monday in Seoul.

The two Koreas have been divided since the 1950-53 Korean war, which left millions of families separated.

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Oz: Packer Goddaughter On Murder Charge

The goddaughter of the late Kerry Packer, one of Australia's most successful businessmen, has been charged with murder.

Harriet Wran, 26, who is the daughter of Neville Wran, a former premier of New South Wales, is being held over the fatal stabbing of a small-time drug dealer in Sydney.

She was also charged with the attempted murder of a second man and aggravated breaking and entering, with two men facing similar charges.

The three are accused of killing Daniel McNulty, 48, who was stabbed at a local authority block in the inner-city area of Redfern on Sunday.

A second man is in hospital after being found with multiple stab wounds.

Wran was last in public in May at the state funeral of her father.

Harriet Wran reportedly took the death of her father very badly

Neville Wran was in charge of the country's most populous state from 1976 until his sudden retirement in 1986.

He was described by present Prime Minister Tony Abbott as "one of the most significant figures of his generation".

Despite her background, Harriet Wran is reported to have been addicted to crystal meth or methamphetamine for some time and living penniless on the streets, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported Wran had told police she was "numb on ice" at the time of the deaths.

Some reports suggest the modern history student was badly affected by her father's death.

Her barrister Winston Terracini said his client intends to fight the charges.

"I've indicated at this stage we'll be pleading not guilty," he said.

Wran's mother Jill flew in from Brisbane to support her daughter but refused to comment, only saying "Please don't" when approached by reporters.

The case has been adjourned until October 8.

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Economy: Eurozone GDP Growth 'Breaks Down'

The 18 nations which use the euro recorded zero GDP growth as a bloc in the second quarter of 2014, with Germany's economy - Europe's biggest - contracting.

Official GDP figures showed that weakness in France and Germany - which together make up 66% of GDP output in the single currency area - choked off some improvements elsewhere including in bailed-out Portugal and in Spain.

Germany recorded a surprise 0.2% GDP dip between April and June as foreign trade and investment, particularly in the construction sector, weighed on growth.

Investor and business confidence has since taken a knock because of the crisis in Ukraine - straining relations with Russia - raising fears of an even weaker recovery because of the threat of deepening tit-for-tat sanctions.

France called on the European Central Bank (ECB) to do more to tackle the risk of deflation and bring the euro to a more competitive level as it posted zero GDP growth for the second consecutive quarter.

French President Francois Hollande's popularity has tumbled

The figures also prompted the finance minister Michel Sapin to slash his government's forecast for growth in 2014 to "around 0.5%" compared with a previous projection of 1%.

He told the daily Le Monde newspaper: "Growth has broken down, in Europe and in France.

"With zero growth in the second quarter, thereby extending the stagnation we saw in the first, our country is slowing down and will not achieve the 1% growth observers were predicting three months ago".

Analysts have warned for months that France, the second biggest economy in the eurozone, looks increasingly the weak link in a halting recovery as the government battles to push through much-needed reforms.

Unemployment hit a new record in June to a shade under 3.4 million while the forecast for France's public deficit is now predicted to be above 4% of GDP this year - missing key targets demanded of it by the EU.

The country's statistics agency blamed falling manufacturing output as a key component of its performance and cited a large number of midweek public holidays as having a particular impact on productivity.

Jitters about eurozone output were reflected in financial markets on opening - with the German DAX and the CAC 40 in Paris both losing ground amid a wider sell-off across Europe - but the major indices later turned positive on hopes of further ECB measures to combat deflation and even quantitative easing.

The performance of the 18 nations using the single currency contrasts sharply with the UK's economic recovery which continues to gather steam despite worries over falling wage packets.

Employment has reached record levels while GDP grew by 0.8% in both the first and second quarters of the year.

On Wednesday, the Bank of England raised the prospect of a delay to an expected rise in the base rate of interest over fears that increased borrowing costs and a time of stagnant wage growth would choke off the recovery.

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Apple Bans Two Chemicals From Production Line

Apple is banning two potentially hazardous chemicals from its final assembly process for iPhone and iPad.

It is removing benzene and n-hexande from its production lines following a five-month campaign from labour activists in China.

Benzene is a carcinogen linked to leukaemia when not handled correctly, and n-hexane has been linked to nerve damage.

Apple carried out a four-month investigation at 22 factories and did not find any evidence that the chemicals had endangered any of the factories' 500,000 workers.

No trace of the chemicals was found at 18 of the factories; however four found traces of them at "acceptable safety levels".

Despite the findings, Apple has asked its suppliers to stop using the chemicals for the final assembly process for iPhones, iPads, iPods, Macs and other accessories.

However, the company will still allow suppliers to use the chemicals in the early production phase of its devices - which takes place at different types of factories - but at a lower level.

Lisa Jackson, Apple vice-president in charge of environmental initiatives, said: "This is doing everything we can think of to do to crack down on chemical exposures and to be responsive to concerns.

"We think it's really important that we show some leadership and really look toward the future by trying to use greener chemistries."

Apple is not alone in using the chemicals – they are key to a number of electronic production processes.

Low levels of benzene are also found in petrol, paint, cigarettes and some detergents.

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Student Quizzed Over Pro-Israel Facebook Post

A Malaysian teenager is being investigated by police for "liking" a pro-Israel Facebook posting.

The 17-year-old student "liked" a post that declared "I love Israel" and featured a picture of the Jewish state's flag, police said.

Abdul Rahim Hanafi, police chief in the northern state of Penang, said that the student claimed to have accidentally clicked the "like" option. 

Reports of an investigation into sedition - rebellion against authorities - have sparked outrage over perceived mounting intolerance in the Muslim-majority country.

The post was accompanied by a picture of the Israeli flag

Sedition can result in three years in jail in Malaysia. The student, who has been questioned by police, has deactivated his Facebook account.

Police are also investigating death threats against the student. He has not been publicly identified.

Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel. The Jewish state's policies toward the Palestinians are fiercely criticised by Malaysian Muslims.

These sentiments have been inflamed by the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The conflict in Gaza has left more than 2,000 people dead

The episode is the latest to stoke fears in multi-ethnic, multi-faith Malaysia of mounting intolerance under the decades-old regime dominated by majority Muslim Malays.

For example, minority Malaysian Christians have been under government pressure to stop using the Arabic word "Allah" for the Christian God in the Malay language.

Christians say they have used the word for centuries, but Muslims assert "Allah" is a sacred word for Islam only.

Osman Hussain, Penang's state director of education, said he would seek to resolve the student matter without police involvement.

"He is just a student. I will try to solve the issue peacefully," he said.

The affair has triggered harsh criticism online.

"Using the same twisted logic, all Malaysians using Facebook are also committing sedition as Facebook is founded by a Jew," said one person.

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Mark Zuckerberg Braves Ice Bucket Challenge

It's the latest craze circulating on social media.

You fill a bucket with ice-cold water, pour it over yourself, then nominate three other people to do the same thing.

Now Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has joined the fun, after New Jersey governor Chris Christie nominated him.

The 30-year-old billionaire filmed himself taking part in the Ice Bucket Challenge while standing in his back garden.

He said: "Governor, I accept your challenge," before pouring the water over his head and saying: "That was really cold."

He nominated Netflix founder Reed Hastings, Facebook partner Cheryl Sandberg, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

They each have 24 hours to complete the challenge.

The challenge was set by the ALS Association, which carries out research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - otherwise known as motor neurone disease.

Singer Justin Timberlake, golf star Ian Poulter, and TV host Jimmy Fallon are among those who have carried out the challenge.

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Amish Girls 'Abducted' In Upstate New York

Police in upstate New York are searching for two young Amish girls who they say were abducted from their family's roadside stand.

The two girls, aged 12 and six, were last seen around 7.30pm on Wednesday assisting a customer near their home in Oswegatchie, a rural community about 60 miles from the Canada border.

A witness told police that a passenger in a white 4-door sedan put something into the back seat, and when the car drove off both girls were gone.

St Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin Wells said investigators have little else to go on at this time and are seeking the public's help.

"There's no indication to take us any certain direction at this point," he said.

"We're following all leads. We're making sure that we overturn every stone that we're aware of and we're moving from there."

A statewide Amber Alert was issued to seek the public's assistance.

The girls, identified as Fannie Miller, 12, and six-year-old Delila Miller, were both wearing dark blue dresses with blue aprons and black bonnets.

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Suitcase Death Suspect Given Psychiatric Tests

Indonesian police have run psychiatric tests on the daughter of an American woman found dead inside a suitcase on the resort island of Bali.

Police arrested the daughter, Heather Mack, 19, and her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, 21, and accused them of killing the girl's mother, Chicago-based Sheila von Wiese-Mack, 62.

The victim's half-naked body was found stuffed into a blood-stained suitcase found in the boot of a taxi in front of the five-star St Regis hotel in the upscale Nusa Dua resort, where the three were staying.

The suitcase was left in a cab in front of a luxury hotel

Mack broke down in tears during questioning and claimed three men had sought to rob her and her mother in the hotel.

But police insist there is strong evidence against the pair.

"We have done blood and psychiatric tests to try to find out their motive in the case, maybe they are mentally unstable," said Djoko Hariutomo, police chief for Bali's provincial capital Denpasar.

"So far we haven't got any information on what is behind the murder.

"Is it financial or something else? We don't know."

Police said the young couple did not return to their cab after leaving the suitcase and other luggage inside it, so the taxi driver checked the bags and found the body.

Tommy Schaefer, 21 was arrested with Mack on Wednesday

A hospital official said Ms von Wiese-Mack had been repeatedly hit on the face and head with a blunt object.

Mr Hariutomo told the news agency AFP that Mack and Schaefer had been questioned separately and CCTV footage had been examined.

He said the footage showed the couple lugging the suitcase containing the victim from their hotel room down to the lobby using the emergency exit staircase, according to AFP.

Police have appointed an Indonesian lawyer to represent the couple, but they have asked for US legal representation.

"She doesn't want to comment on the incident and she declined to give any information," Haposan Sihombing, the lawyer representing Mack, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

"She kept asking to be represented by a lawyer from the United States."

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