Hundreds Dead After Heavy Rains Hit Kashmir

Nearly 300 people have died in widespread floods that have hit a remote mountain region that straddles India and Pakistan.

Five days of incessant rain led to landslides, submerged villages and resulted in the main city in India-administered Kashmir being inundated.

It was the worst monsoon flooding in more than five decades to fall on the mountainous region, which lies on the edge of the Himalayas.

Authorities said about 120 died in the India-controlled part of the region and more than 160 people in neighbouring Pakistan.

Srinagar in Indian-controlled Kashmir is under up to four metres of water

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, but is claimed entirely by both countries.

Rescuers in both countries used helicopters and boats to reach tens of thousands of stranded people.

Some parts of Srinagar, the main city in India-controlled Kashmir, are said to be under four metres (13ft) of water.

Srinagar resident Ghulam Nabi said: "I'm in my 80s and I've never seen floods like this.

"If this is how it is in my neighbourhood, I cannot imagine the devastation in other areas."

Boats were used to help rescue people trapped in their homes

More than 200 patients had to be moved to higher levels of Indian Kashmir's main maternity hospital after floodwaters entered the ground floor.

Ghulam Ahmad Bhat, director of fire and emergency services in Srinagar, said: "Police, fire and other emergencies services are trying their best but the flood water, the damage is so widespread that no matter how much we try, we fail."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a helicopter to observe the flood-hit areas and promised help to deal with the devastation.

Officials said that at least 450 villages have been submerged and 2,000 others have been affected by the floodwaters across Indian Kashmir.

In neighbouring Pakistan, officials said more than 4,000 homes had collapsed and 5,000 people had been rescued since Thursday.

The Kashmir region straddles India and Pakistan (borders are disputed)

A further 286 villages had been hit by flooding in Pakistan-administered Punjab, said Ahmed Kamal, spokesman for Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority.

When heavy monsoon rains hit another mountainous region of Pakistan in 2010, 1,700 people died and an area the size of Great Britain was flooded as the water moved downstream.

Pakistan-administered Kashmir also suffered a devastating earthquake in 2005 which killed 73,000 people.

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Ukraine Ceasefire Threatened By New Fighting

Residents Fearful Amid Fragile Ukraine Truce

Updated: 12:15pm UK, Sunday 07 September 2014

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent, in Mariupol

On the outskirts of Mariupol you could see the remains of Ukrainian artillery still smouldering.

We saw them recovering another piece that had been abandoned in a field.

In the middle of the main road, east outside the city, there is a Ukrainian army tank.

It has ended up disabled in what were meant to be its own side's defences - a tank trap incongruously painted with anti-war slogans and doves of peace.

The force of the impact had flung the barrel right round and destroyed part of a huge concrete block.

On one side of the tank the crew had written "Glory" and "Death to the enemies!" On the other it said "To Moscow!"

Further up the road we found the new rebel front line - they've advanced about 15 kilometres west in three days.

They turned us around and told us to leave.

We saw a T-80 battle tank dug in to the corner of the field behind them.

The pro-Russian rebels are now just a few hundred metres outside the village of Shyrokyne.

We found Ukrainian positions above the village unmanned, the hills leading up to them pockmarked with the impact of artillery fire.

One shell had landed just outside a church - its windows were shattered by shrapnel.

Another had hit a house nearby.

Tamara Spitsa, a retired music teacher, told Sky News she had never imagined this could happen in her village.

"We were hiding in the bathroom with my husband when they started shooting, very loud explosions, shrapnel like this hit my house and broke the roof."

Another man, who gave his name as Andrei, said there was no electricity in the village now.

"Scared is not the right word," he said of his feelings during the shelling.

"[President] Poroshenko should sit right here in the cellar with Litsenko [the Ukrainian Security Council spokesman] - they should be right here and then ask them if they're scared or not?

"Everyone was hiding in their cellars."

In the next village a mortar landed in front of the school, showering the canteen with fragments.

The force sliced branches off trees in the playground.

A woman was killed nearby by a mortar outside her house. She had worked selling vegetables in the market.

Her neighbour, Viktor, blamed the Ukrainian side for firing from outside their village.

"Two Grad rockets came this way," he said, "They started shooting on the rebels' positions on the outskirts.

"As a result they started answering and here is the result - we have people who are dead and injured."

We saw them digging fresh graves in the village cemetery - they want to lay the dead to rest while the ceasefire lasts.

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Qatar Confirms It Is Holding Two Britons

Qatar has confirmed it is holding two Britons who went missing while following up reports on the state of migrant workers.

Krishna Upadhyaya, 52, and photographer Ghimire Gundev, 36, went missing on August 31 as they were preparing to leave country, which is due to host the World Cup in 2022.

Mr Gundev's wife said she feared her husband and his colleague had been tortured.

Both were in the country on behalf of Norway-based human rights organisation the Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD).

Amnesty International last week urged Qatari authorities to reveal the men's whereabouts and ensure their safety.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry said the men had been arrested and are being questioned.

A statement carried by the official Qatar News Agency said the pair "are being interrogated for having violated the provisions of the laws of the state of Qatar".

The two men were investigating the state of migrant workers in Qatar

The statement said the way the men were being dealt with was "consistent with the principles of human rights" outlined in the laws of Qatar.

It added that the pair had been visited by officials from the British Embassy.

An official at the British Embassy in Doha confirmed officials were providing consular assistance to the men but was unable to go into further details.

On its website, GNRD said a British representative had transferred a message from Mr Upadhyaya to his family saying: "I am well, I have been well looked after and I will be home soon."

The Global Network for Rights and Development has singled out Qatar in the past for the poor conditions faced by migrant workers.

There have been a number of reports in UK media about the conditions faced by people working on projects connected with the World Cup.

Mr Upadhyaya and Mr Gundev were looking at the treatment of workers from Nepal.

Amnesty International raised concerns on Thursday about the pair's "enforced disappearance", describing it as "extremely worrying".

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Residents Fearful Amid Fragile Ukraine Truce

Deep Divisions Amid Fragile Ukraine Peace

Updated: 12:27pm UK, Saturday 06 September 2014

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent in Mariupol

Ceasefire is a temporary state. It's not the same as lasting peace.

What has been agreed so far is a halt in the bloodshed - the reasons people took up arms in the first place have so far not been addressed.

The Ukrainian President sounds optimistic - a prisoner exchange could begin as soon as this weekend, a second Russian aid convoy could be allowed in.

The self-proclaimed prime minister of the separatist Luhansk People's Republic is less encouraging.

He said the status of the people's republics had not been discussed, and the ceasefire should not be taken to mean they had abandoned their plans to separate from Ukraine.

The commander of one of the pro-Ukrainian battalions outside Mariupol said they would use the time to regroup and retrain.

The divisions run deep, and not just among the militia.

Plenty of people in the east did not support the winter revolution - from their perspective what they saw was their democratically elected president overthrown, and a government now in Kiev they believe seized power in a coup d'etat.

Some want more regional autonomy, others want their region to secede and join Russia.

On the other side are the pro-Ukrainians who fought for the future of their country on the Maidan, some of whom have now joined volunteer battalions in the east.

They have already seen part of their country annexed by President Vladimir Putin, and believe the Russian army is fighting on the side of the rebels, intervening in their sovereign state.

They want their country to be united, to be allowed to move towards the European Union, and they want their land back.

Militarily we're back to relative stalemate - that in itself is quite a reversal of fortunes.

A couple of weeks ago it seemed the Ukrainian army was in the ascendant - the rebels seemed to be on the backfoot, retreating and largely restricted to the centres of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Over the course of the last fortnight, the rebels have had a sudden and mysterious resurgence - opening a new front in the south threatening the strategic port city of Mariupol, and simultaneously taking villages and towns to the east of the regional capital Donetsk.

Now it's the Ukrainian army losing ground, and the overall balance is roughly back to where it was.

Kiev says that's because Russia is sending troops and equipment across the border - not in sufficient quantities to look like an overt invasion and force the west to act, but enough to stop the rebels from being defeated.

The Kremlin insists any Russian soldiers in Ukraine are either on holiday or lost.

A return to stalemate would quite suit President Putin.

He doesn't necessarily need the rebels to win, and he doesn't seem to want to occupy, and have to defend, eastern Ukraine.

A frozen conflict, that could be thawed as and when necessary, could be just fine.

In terms of domestic Russian politics, President Putin doesn't want the Maidan revolution to be followed by success - his administration has long feared a colour revolution, in the manner of Ukraine or Georgia, fomenting outside the Kremlin walls in Moscow.

Much better that that revolution is synonymous in Russian minds with violence and chaos.

Russian state TV is pushing that narrative heavily at home.

In terms of broader geopolitics, the Kremlin doesn't want a united Ukraine leaving its sphere of influence to join the EU, and maybe one day Nato.

They don't want to find Nato bases on their western border in five years' time.

Keeping a level of control of the east, and an insurgency that has not been defeated, could give Moscow just the leverage it needs.

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Iraq: US Launches Airstrikes Around Vital Dam

The US has launched airstrikes around Haditha Dam, targeting Islamic State (IS) militants in the area for the first time.

IS, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL, is trying to capture the vital dam in the west of the country.

US officials say that while Anbar Province remains in control of the Iraqis, the offensive is an effort to push back fighters who have been trying to take over dams across the country.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said: "At the request of the Government of Iraq, the US military today conducted coordinated air strikes against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists in the vicinity of the Haditha Dam in Anbar province.

IS fighters have also tried to take Mosul Dam in the north of the country

"We conducted these strikes to prevent terrorists from further threatening the security of the dam, which remains under control of Iraqi Security Forces, with support from Sunni tribes."

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the four airstrikes had been carried out at the request of the Iraqi government.

He said: "If that dam would fall into ISIL's hands or if that dam would be destroyed, the damage that that would cause would be very significant and it would put a significant, additional and big risk into the mix in Iraq."

Sheik Ahmed Abu Risha, the leader of a pro-Iraqi government paramilitary force said the strikes were "very accurate".

US airstrikes drove IS fighters from Mosul Dam last month

He said: "There was no collateral damage ... If Islamic State had gained control of the dam, many areas of Iraq would have been seriously threatened, even Baghdad."

It is Washington's first offensive in Anbar province since it started hitting IS forces in the north of the country in August.

Since then the US has conducted more than 130 airstrikes.

IS fighters tried to capture Haditha Dam, which has six power generators located alongside the country's second largest reservoir, last month.

Iraqi forces supported by Sunni tribes held them off.

A F/A-18E comes in to land after striking targets in Iraq

IS took control of the Mosul Dam in northern Iraq last month, but US airstrikes helped to dislodge them.

The militants seized a dam outside Falluja in April and flooded areas on the rural outskirts of western Baghdad, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes.

IS has overrun large areas of northern Iraq and declared a cross-border Islamic caliphate (state), including territory it controls in neighbouring Syria.

Iraq's government has meanwhile welcomed US President Barack Obama's plan for an international coalition against the jihadists, calling it a "strong message of support".

Mr Obama outlined the plan at this week's Nato summit, amid growing international concern about IS.

He will give a speech on Wednesday outlining his strategy to defeat the militants.

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Plane Crash Mystery: Setback In Debris Hunt

Search teams have suffered a setback in their hunt off Jamaica's coast for a small plane that crashed after a mysterious "ghost" flight.

They said they could no longer see debris spotted earlier which could have been wreckage from the single-engine turboprop Socata TBM-700.

A military jet had sighted floating objects which were photographed from the air, but it was unable to confirm if it was definitely the crash site.

Flares were deployed, however by the time rescuers reached the area there was no sign of the debris.

The search is continuing for the aircraft

The seven-seater Socata plane had slammed into the sea on Friday when it ran out of fuel around 14 miles off Jamaica's northeast coastline, according to officials.

American real estate entrepreneur Larry Glazer and his wife Jane, both experienced pilots, were killed in the crash, said officials from the town of Rochester, New York.

Their plane had flown over Cuba and across the Caribbean, ignoring calls from air traffic control, as it went on a ghostly 1,700-mile journey after the pilot was apparently incapacitated.

Laurence and Jane Glazer. Pic: WXXI television station

US fighter pilots following the unresponsive aircraft saw the pilot was "unconscious and slumped over" and the windows were frosting up, indicating a loss of oxygen.

The jets were forced to break off as the Socata continued south from Florida over Cuban airspace for another four hours.

Jamaica Coast Guard Commander Antonette Wemyss-Gorman said the debris had been spotted in the same location - about 24 miles from the town of Port Antonio - where crews had noticed an oil slick.

The aircraft flew over Cuban airspace. Pic: FlightAware.com

"Unfortunately, we were not able to recover any of this debris," she said. "We would have to assume it may have sunk."

The plane had taken off at 8:45am on Friday from Greater Rochester International Airport in New York en route to Naples, Florida.

The pilot had indicated there was a problem and twice asked to descend to a lower altitude before permission was granted by an air traffic controller, according to a recording of the radio conversation.

The plane crashed in waters off Jamaica

Radio contact was lost a short time later.

The area where the private French-made plane went down has depths of up to 2,000 metres (over 6,500ft).

Leroy Lindsay, director general of Jamaica's civil aviation authority, said French authorities have volunteered to provide help to bring wreckage up from the ocean depths when it is found.

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Truck Kills Crowd Butchering Road-Kill Hippo

Eight people have been killed after a pick-up truck ploughed into a crowd butchering a road-kill hippopotamus for meat.

The hippo had been hit and killed by a truck on Saturday evening in the northern province of Limpopo.

This attracted large numbers of people from nearby villages intent on chopping up its corpse.

The incident happened in the northern province of Limpopo

Limpopo police spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi said: "The people thought they were getting free meat.

"It's very unfortunate that this had to happen.

"It's not something that happens all the time."

Mr Mulaudzi added that a further 12 people were injured, including the driver of the truck, who faces possible culpable homicide charges when he leaves hospital.

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Actress On Bike Ride Killed By Falling Tree

A "marvellous" US stage and television actress has died after a tree fell on her during a violent storm in Chicago.

Molly Glynn, who had roles in TV shows including Chicago Fire, Boss and Early Edition, was cycling with her husband when she was hit.

The accident happened on Friday and the 46-year-old woman was taken to hospital where she later died from her injuries.

Her husband, fellow actor Joe Foust, said in a Facebook post: "I couldn't save her."

A memorial fund has been set up to raise money for her family

He called it "the darkest day" of his life, and added: "Things will never be the same."

Glynn was a regular on the Chicago theatre scene, with at least 17 roles since 2005.

She worked for companies including Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, Next, Northlight and Writers Theatre, where she was most recently in the cast of the national premiere of The Dance of Death.

Michael Halberstam, Writers Theatre artistic director, was quoted by CBS News as saying: "Molly was a marvellous actress and a completely warm-hearted and generous human being.

"She had grace, sophistication and a sparkling, sexy, sassy stage presence.

"She could transform from a princess to a flower girl in the twinkling of an eye. She was a loving mother and wife and everyone who met her fell in love with her.

"It is an incalculable loss to the Chicago theatre community, particularly as she was in the process of emerging as one of the city's major players.

"She possessed a rare combination of talent, heart and beauty in all aspects of her life."

A memorial fund has been set up to raise money for her family and has already raised around $85,000 (£52,000).

Another theatre actor also died in Chicago on Saturday.

Bernie Yvon was killed when a tractor-trailer ran over his car as he drove to rehearsals.

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Ten Dead As Lift Plunges 32 Floors In Istanbul

Ten people have died after a lift plunged 32 floors at a building site in Istanbul - prompting angry demonstrations in the city.

Eight people were detained after the deaths at the Torunlar Centre site on Saturday - though all were released after questioning.

Hundreds of people took to the streets on Sunday, angry at worker safety records in the country.

Hundreds of people took to the streets on Sunday. Pic: @Kilicaslan

Riot police were dispatched as skirmishes broke out.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the deaths "very painful and very saddening" and said an investigation would be launched.

Istanbul's governor, Huseyin Avni Mutlu, added: "The laws are clear, if anyone is not abiding by these laws they will be held accountable."

The Torunlar Centre is being built on the former site of Galatasaray football club's Ali Sami Yen stadium.                

Thirty-six of the tower's 42 floors have already been completed, local media reported.

The accident comes four months after 301 miners were killed in an explosion and a fire at a coal mine in western Turkey.

The country's worst ever mining disaster set off protests over corruption and the implementation of safety standards.

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Stars Say Farewell To Joan Rivers At Funeral

A host of stars were among the mourners who attended the funeral of American comedian and TV host Joan Rivers in New York.

The celebrities included Whoopi Goldberg, Kelly Osbourne, Sarah Jessica Parker, Barbara Walters and Donald Trump as the worlds of Hollywood, theatre, fashion and media were brought together.

Radio 'shock jock' host Howard Stern delivered the eulogy and Broadway singer-actress Audra McDonald sang Smile in her tribute to 81-year-old Rivers.

Mourners had earlier lined up outside a synagogue in Fifth Avenue and waited for their names to be checked against a list before entering.

A crowd of fans and media stood watching across the street ahead of the service at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan.

Whoopi Goldberg arrives for the servcie

The acid-tongued comedian died in hospital last Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest a week earlier during a routine medical procedure at a doctor's office.

The New York City medical examiner said more tests were needed to find out the cause of the mother-of-one's death.

Melissa Rivers, the comedian's only child, said her mother died peacefully, surrounded by family and friends.

She will reportedly be buried with a red carpet.

Flowers placed on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame for Joan Rivers

In her 2012 book, the star said she hoped for "a huge showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action" and "Hollywood all the way."

Instead of a rabbi talking, Rivers asked for "Meryl Streep crying, in five different accents" and "a wind machine so that even in the casket my hair is blowing just like Beyonce's".

In what has been billed as her last interview, she spoke to the Sunday Times about preparing Melissa for her death by telling her: "It's comi-i-i-ing! It's inevitable."

Rivers died at the age of 81

She added: "It's like, God, I'm in my 80s. Nobody, when I die, is going to say, 'how young?' They're going to say she had a great ride."

The comic, who became almost as well known for her many cosmetic surgery procedures as for her wit, also said she had "no regrets" about going under the knife so many times.

In her book, Rivers joked that dying of natural causes was boring.

"It's the grand finale, act three, the eleven o'clock number - make it count. If you're going to die, die interesting! Is there anything worse than a boring death? I think not."

Her publicist said that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to God's Love, We Deliver; Guide Dogs for the Blind; or Our House.

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