Iraq: Kurdish Forces Fight To Retake Mosul Dam

'Corpses Everywhere' After Jihadist 'Massacre'

Updated: 12:54pm UK, Saturday 16 August 2014

Dead bodies were found "everywhere" when Yazidi fighters arrived at a village where jihadists have been accused of carrying out a massacre, witnesses have said.

Officials believe Islamic State (IS) fighters killed around 80 people, mostly Yazidis, after arriving in the northern Iraq village of Kocho and demanding they abandon their beliefs and convert to Islam.

The militants also kidnapped women from the village in Nineveh province and took them to prisons they control, according to a senior Kurdish official.

Yazidi fighter Mohsen Tawwal told AFP by telephone that he saw a large number of bodies in the village.

"We made it into a part of Kocho village, where residents were under siege, but we were too late," he said.

"There were corpses everywhere. We only managed to get two people out alive. The rest had all been killed."

A man from a neighbouring village, who had been told what happened, added: "The Islamic State had spent five days trying to persuade villagers to convert to Islam and ... a long lecture was delivered about the subject today."

"The men were gathered and shot dead.

"The women and girls were probably taken to Tal Afar because that is where the foreign fighters are."

Senior Iraqi official Hoshyar Zebari said: "We have information from multiple sources, in the region and through intelligence, that (on Friday) afternoon, a convoy of (IS) armed men entered this village. 

"They took their revenge on its inhabitants, who happened to be mostly Yazidis who did not flee their homes.

"They committed a massacre against the people. Around 80 of them have been killed."

Thousands of Yazidis - people from a minority sect with an ancient religion - have been forced to flee their homes by the IS advance.

The extremist group, previously called ISIS, has swept across a large part of northern and central Iraq, taking Mosul and threatening Baghdad and Kurdish capital Irbil.

On Saturday, airstrikes targeted the group around Mosul Dam. It was not immediately clear if they were carried out by the Iraqi air force of the US. 

The IS seized Iraq's largest dam on August 7.

Iraq's human rights minister has said that Islamic State militants have killed at least 500 members of the Yazidi community during their offensive in the north.

Some of the victims, including women and children, were buried alive, Mohammed Shia al Sudani said.

The United Nations Security Council on Friday blacklisted six Islamist militants and threatened sanctions against anyone who helped arm or supply them.

Five members of the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which operates in Syria, and Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad al Adnani were included on the British-drafted resolution, which also condemned all aspects of IS's activities and beliefs.

Earlier, EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels agreed to arm Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq.

The meeting of foreign ministers from the 28 EU nations was called by EU foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton and came after several European countries, including France and Germany, said they were prepared to supply weapons to the Peshmerga forces.

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Ebola Spread Feared As Sufferers Flee Mob

At least 17 ebola patients have fled a quarantine centre in Liberia after it was attacked by armed men.

The sufferers fled after looters broke into the clinic in a Monrovia slum, stealing blood-stained matresses and sheets, and claiming ebola was a hoax. 

"They broke down the doors and looted the place. The patients all fled," Rebecca Wesseh, who witnessed the attack, told AFP news agency.

A mob surrounds the isolation unit in West Point, Monrovia

George Williams, head of the Health Workers Association of Liberia, said the unit housed 29 patients receiving preliminary treatment before being taken to hospital.

It is understood at least 17 of the 29 are at large.

Health officials say they fear the looting attack at the unit in West Point will spread ebola infections in Monrovia.

The West Point neighbourhood is home to an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 poor Liberians.

A family inside the isolation unit are encouraged to leave the building

Ms Wesseh said she heard the raiders shouting that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf "is broke", adding: "She wants money. There's no ebola" in Liberia.

Residents were also angry that patients were brought from other parts of the capital to the holding centre, witnesses said.

Most of the raiders were young men and were armed with clubs. They broke into the isolation unit set up in a high school, Ms Wesseh said. Nurses also fled the attack.

The looting of the centre came as Kenya closed its borders to travellers from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone because of fears about the spread of ebola.

Residents from the slum take a peek inside the isolation clinic

National carrier Kenya Airways said it was suspending its flights to Monrovia and Freetown from Wednesday.

At least 1,145 people have died across West Africa this year because of the world's worst-ever outbreak of the virus. 

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, on Friday warned ebola was spreading faster than authorities could handle.

The charity said it could take six months to bring under control.

Ebola is spread by contact with an infected person's bodily fluids, such as sweat and blood, and no cure or vaccine is currently available.

The last days of a victim's life can be grim, with agonising muscular pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and catastrophic haemorrhaging as vital organs break down.

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Russian Missile Launchers 'Cross Into Ukraine'

A convoy of Russian military equipment, including at least three missile launchers, has crossed into Ukraine, according to officials in Kiev, as a fighter jet was shot down by pro-Moscow rebels.

A Ukrainian military spokesman said at least three Grad missile systems were among the weapons being sent to the separatists in the east of the country, who are battling a Ukrainian government offensive.

"We have information that rebels used their routes, which are not under control by Ukrainian army, and got some ammunition and troops that crossed from the Russian Federation," Andriy Lysenko said.

"We can't the say exact number of them, we're checking this information."

Russian vehicles with containers for BUK-M1 missiles in Rostov on Saturday

He also told journalists that Russian drones had violated Ukrainian air space on 10 occasions.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin denied Sunday claims that the separatists had received weapons or armoured vehicles.

"We have repeatedly said that no equipment is being sent there," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Govorit Moskva radio.

The fighter jet MiG-29 plane was shot down in the Luhansk area, where Ukrainian forces recaptured a police station on Sunday after more than three months under the control of the separatists.

The plane was shot down in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine

The pilot ejected from the MiG-29 plane and has been found after a search, spokesman Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky said.

Mr Dmytrashkivsky said the plane was shot after launching an attack on rebels.

The shooting down of the plane came after Kiev and Moscow reached agreement on the passage of a Russian aid convoy into the east.

There are reports that 16 of the aid trucks left the parking lot in western Russia where the convoy has been waiting and headed for the Ukrainian border, however they were not expected to cross on Sunday.

Several lorries from a Russian aid convoy are moving to the border

Ukraine had been concerned the convoy of 280 white trucks could be a 'Trojan horse', allowing Russia to set up a permanent presence in rebel-held territory.

But Russia "guaranteed" the US that no military personnel were in the vehicles, which have been stuck near the border for the past few days.

Moscow says the trucks are carrying water, food and medicine for people displaced by fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Red Cross officials have been examining the contents of the lorries.

They say they need security guarantees from both sides before the convoy can start moving across the border.

Fighting in Ukraine has escalated since the insurgency arose in April, with government troops steadily taking back rebel-held territory in the east.

Luhansk is reportedly suffering from severe electrical outages and shortages of food and medicine.

Donetsk, the largest rebel-held city, is also suffering through frequent shelling.

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Prisoners Film Tunnel Jail Break On Phone

Gloating prisoners who dug a tunnel from their prison cell filmed their escape on a mobile phone and posted the pictures online.

Thirteen prisoners in Brazil managed to make a run for it in Rio Verde, Goias state.

The prison guard on duty has been suspended for not rumbling the inmates' subterranean plot.

Police deputy Jaqueline Camargo Machado admitted the prisoners' cell had not been inspected for a while.

Security at the prison proved to be somewhat lax. Pic: TV Globo CCTV showed some of the men making a run for it. Pic: TV Globo

She said: "The guard that was there on the day, that was looking after things ... we now know that there had not been an inspection of the cell for almost 60 days.

"They dug a tunnel and it was easy to escape."

Brazilian television showed CCTV of some of the men scarpering across the prison yard.

Police have so far managed to track down two of the prisoners.

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Suitcase Murder Suspect 'Assaulted By Police'

Police in Indonesia have denied assaulting an American teenager suspected of killing her mother and stuffing her body in a suitcase at a hotel in Bali.

Heather Mack has claimed she was subjected to a serious physical attack and told that she would be refused food and water if she refused to talk to officers about the grim discovery.

The 19-year-old made the claims through her US-based lawyer Michael Elkin, who has also revealed his client is pregnant.

Police examine the suitcase in which the body of Heather's mother was found

Bali police have insisted all detainees in their custody are treated well.

The half-naked, battered body of Sheila von Wiese Mack, 62, was discovered last week in a blood-stained suitcase in the boot of a taxi at the exclusive St Regis hotel in the district of Nusa Dua.

Chicago-based Ms Mack and her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, 21, who had been on holiday with the victim, were arrested a day later after apparently fleeing the hotel.

Police have implicated the pair in Ms Von Wiese Mack's death and are expected to charge them with murder, which carries the death penalty in Indonesia.

Mr Elkin denies his client was involved in her mother's death, adding he plans to head to Bali soon but that he was not representing Mr Schaefer.

"Said allegations and reports are not true and will be disproven as the investigation continues or at the conclusion of trial, if formal charges are indeed filed," he said in a statement.

"She has been seriously physically assaulted while in custody," the statement continued, adding she has been "pregnant for approximately two months".

Ms Mack and boyfriend Tommy Schaefer

"Heather was told that if she does not speak to the police she will be deprived of food and water," the statement went on.

"She was told that unless her attorney arrives within days she will be deprived of food and water and that he will be denied access to meet with her," it added.

An FBI agent has travelled to Bali to help in the investigation, police on the resort island said Saturday.

A doctor also revealed new details of the killing, including that the victim's neck had been broken.

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Britons Aboard Sunken Indonesian Tourist Boat

Two Britons are in hospital and 15 other people are missing after a tourist boat sank while travelling between islands in Indonesia.

The tourists were on a boat travelling from Lombok island to the Komodo Islands and are believed to have hit stormy weather, reports said.

Ten people have been rescued - including the two Britons - but the fate of 15 people, including Indonesians and foreign tourists, is not known. 

The journey between Lombok and Komodo can take three days by boat

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office confirmed two Britons had been hospitalised following the accident on Saturday night. 

"We are in contact with the local authorities about the incident and stand ready to offer consular assistance to any other British nationals who may be involved," the spokeswoman said.

An Indonesian search and rescue official said the boat was carrying 20 foreigners and five locals in total.

The boat sank at 7pm on Saturday, but the alarm was only raised with rescue teams at 8am on Sunday due to "poor communication",  the official said.

Local fishermen rescued a number of people near the island of Sumbawa before the rescue team arrived, he said.

The official said that of the 10 rescued people, the nationalities were known for five - two each from New Zealand and Spain, and one from Britain.

Tajudin Sam, who runs the tour company operating the boat, said it likely encountered stormy weather.

A boat ride from Lombok to Komodo can take three days.

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'Too Much Anger' As Ferguson Ignites Again

If the people of Ferguson, Missouri, thought they had seen the back of the police SWAT teams on their streets, they were wrong.

Heavily armed officers in armoured vehicles rolled back on to the streets of this St Louis suburb on Saturday night.

They were called up to deal with a hard core of 150 protestors who defied a curfew imposed by the state's governor. When shots were fired, the SWAT teams moved in.

And, with their return, the promise of a more light touch police approach to the tinderbox of Ferguson appeared to fade.

The curfew was observed impeccably by most of those who have been protesting for a week now at the killing of 18-year-old Mike Brown last Saturday.

Up to 200 people confronted police after defying the curfew

As midnight ticked by, the crowd thinned, watched by lines of police officers in riot gear protecting businesses from any more looting.

Thunder, lightening and torrential downpours helped some on their way, no doubt, but the calm urging of community and church leaders was persuasive to many.

Instead of the usual "No justice, no peace", those who remained chanted "No justice, no curfew".

The danger now is that some will see the police response to those who remained as heavy-handed.

While the police fired smoke and tear gas, there were no rubber bullets this time. The only injury reported to be a man shot by another protester.

Locals say those who defied the curfew are people from outside Ferguson who have hijacked the legitimate protests.

The crowd ran after police fired smoke bombs and then tear gas

Increasingly the peaceful night of protests on Thursday looks like a false dawn. There is too much anger in community, too much resentment of law enforcement and too many questions so far unanswered.

As the Governor of Missouri announced the curfew and state of emergency, FBI agents were flooding the neighbourhood where Mike Brown died.

The extra agents have been drafted in to speed up an investigation which is critical to how this crisis now plays out.

But frustration among locals is such that even Capt Ron Johnson, the local Highway Patrol chief credited with restoring calm to Ferguson, is now facing criticism.

Mike Brown's family will be joined by civil rights leaders Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King Jnr at a rally in Ferguson on Sunday - as the world watches and wonders what next for a suburb in turmoil.

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Missouri Shooting: Tear Gas Fired At Crowd

Police have fired smoke bombs and tear gas at protesters defying a curfew imposed in a suburb where a black teenager was shot dead by an officer.

Police in Ferguson, Missouri, were forced to admit using tear gas after initially claiming only smoke was used to disperse the crowd - many of whom complained of a burning sensation in their throats.

One man was taken to hospital and police said he "may lose his life" after he was hit by a bullet fired by someone in the crowd.

Captain Ronald Johnson said officers initially responded to concerns about people who had broken into a barbecue restaurant and taken up position on a roof overlooking police. 

The shooting of Michael Brown sparked protests across the US

He said tear gas was first used after shots were fired, including at a police car, as officers tried to get to the gun victim.

Speaking at a news conference in the early hours of the morning, he said use of the gas was a "proper response to maintain officer safety and public safety".

Seven people were arrested for failing to disperse, he said.

Hundreds of peaceful protesters had left before the midnight to 5am deadline took effect on Sunday morning.

Among them was Saint Louis-born billionaire Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, who kept his 2.6 million followers updated with posts and Vines from Ferguson.

A protester throws a gas canister back towards police

But the remaining protesters - chanting "No justice! No curfew!" - refused to leave the area.

As five armoured tactical vehicles approached the crowd, officers said through a loudspeaker: "You are in violation of a state-imposed curfew. You must disperse immediately. Failure to comply may result in arrest."

Officers put on gas masks as some of the crowd shouted back: "We have the right to assemble peacefully."

Moments later, police began firing smoke canisters into the crowd of protesters.

Speaking from the scene in Ferguson, Sky News US Correspondent Greg Milam said: "There was a hard core of about 150-200 who had said they would defy the curfew and did.

A demonstrator overcome by the effects of gas is carried away

"At the time that curfew came into effect there were long lines of police with riot equipment - shields, helmets, masks and batons.

"They stepped back, allowing SWAT teams to move in with armoured vehicles."

Michael Brown, 18, was unarmed and it has been claimed he was trying to surrender before he was shot dead by white officer Darren Wilson on August 9.

His death sparked protests across the US and scenes of armoured tanks and officers in riot gear firing tear gas on crowds in Ferguson were broadcast around the world last week as tensions in the St Louis suburb boiled over.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon imposed a state of emergency and curfew on Saturday after looters targeted a shop which police say Michael Brown may have robbed before he was killed.

The release of CCTV footage of an individual police said they believed was the 18-year-old walking out of the convenience store with a box of cigars and assaulting the owner had fuelled the anger felt by his family and protesters in the area.

It is understood Officer Wilson stopped Mr Brown for jaywalking before opening fire and had no knowledge the teen was a robbery suspect.

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Spain Ebola Alert Over As Man Tests Negative

An ebola alert activated in Alicante, Spain, after a young Nigerian man was admitted to hospital with fever and vomiting is over after he tested negative.

Spanish health authorities activated alert protocols after the man showed "several symptoms" of the disease.

But sources say that tests have now revealed the man did not have ebola.

The man was taken ill in the eastern city of Alicante

The alert comes a week after a Spanish priest who contracted ebola while working in Liberia died in hospital in Madrid.

Father Miguel Pajares was the first European infected by a strain of the virus that has killed more than 1,000 people in West Africa.

He was airlifted from Liberia to Spain on August 7 after becoming infected while working for a non-governmental organisation there.

The 75-year-old was flown to Europe for treatment with his co-worker Juliana Bohi, a nun who has since tested negative for the disease.

Elsewhere, 17 ebola sufferers have fled a Liberian clinic raided by looters who stole blood-stained sheets - sparking fears the virus will spread.

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Federal Autopsy Ordered On Black Teen's Body

The US Attorney General has ordered a federal post-mortem examination on the body of an unarmed black teenager who was shot dead by police.

The Justice Department said in a news release on Sunday that Eric Holder had asked for the separate autopsy because of the "extraordinary circumstances involved in this case".

Michael Brown's family had also requested the move, in addition to the post-mortem examination being conducted by Missouri state medical examiners.

The 18-year-old's relatives are also planning to have a pathologist carry out an independent examination of the body, a family spokesman said.

A demonstrator overcome by the effects of gas is carried away

State Governor Jay Nixon is expected to announce later whether an overnight curfew will continue for a second night in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson, after it was convulsed by more violence a week after the shooting.

He sharply criticised Ferguson police for releasing CCTV video which they say shows Michael Brown stealing a box of cigars from a store and shoving an employee.

"I think it had an incendiary effect," Gov Nixon told CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday morning, adding that police "clearly are attempting to besmirch a victim of a shooting".

Minutes after the robbery, Michael Brown had a fatal encounter with an officer who police say stopped the teenager for jaywalking.

The demonstrations have been going on for a week

Early on Sunday, police again fired smoke bombs and tear gas as some protesters defied orders to disperse between midnight and 5am.

State Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson said the escalated police action was prompted by a report of a break-in at a barbecue restaurant and of an armed man in the street as armoured vehicles approached the crowd.

A man was shot and critically wounded in the area, but not by police, while someone also shot at a police car, authorities said.

Seven people were arrested for failing to disperse.

Police have defended their use of tear gas

Hundreds of peaceful protesters left before the deadline took effect.

Among them was Saint Louis-born billionaire Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, who kept his 2.6 million followers updated with posts and Vines from Ferguson.

But the remaining protesters - chanting "No justice! No curfew!" - refused to leave the area.

As five armoured tactical vehicles approached the crowd, officers said through a loudspeaker: "You are in violation of a state-imposed curfew. You must disperse immediately. Failure to comply may result in arrest."

Protesters say Michael Brown was trying to surrender when shot

Officers put on gas masks as some of the crowd shouted back: "We have the right to assemble peacefully."

Moments later, police began firing smoke canisters into the crowd of protesters.

Speaking from the scene in Ferguson, Sky News US Correspondent Greg Milam said: "There was a hard core of about 150-200 who had said they would defy the curfew and did.

"At the time that curfew came into effect there were long lines of police with riot equipment - shields, helmets, masks and batons.

Most of the protesters have been peaceful

"They stepped back, allowing Swat teams to move in with armoured vehicles."

Michael Brown was unarmed and it has been claimed he was trying to surrender before he was shot dead by officer Darren Wilson, 28, on August 9.

Scenes of militarised police in Ferguson have been broadcast around the world.

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