Bodies Of Missing Father And Baby Boy Found

Police searching for a father and his 10-month-old son who went missing on Friday have discovered their bodies in mountainous terrain in Arkansas.

Rescue teams had been searching Yell County's Ouachita Mountains for Brian Floyd, 33, and his son Harper after his wife - the boy's mother - was found wandering along a nearby road.

Brooke Floyd, 21, was arrested on Sunday after being found on a remote road

Brooke Floyd, 21, discovered with cuts and scratches, was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of hindering an arrest and endangering the life of a child.

Police believe the family travelled to the area on Friday before the woman left them at some point.

The circumstances surrounding the family's separation remain unclear though it is thought Brooke Floyd may have wandered off to get help when the couple's pickup truck broke down.

The truck was later found in a remote area 750 metres from where the bodies were found. The cause of the deaths is not yet known.

Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey would not confirm whether police suspected foul play but said the process had been "very frustrating" for search teams.

He said Brooke Floyd spoke of the couple separating on Friday night and that she listed her marital status as "single" on her police report.

The couple's truck was recovered 750 metres from the bodies. Pic: 5News

"We felt as though she left the child in a very unbearable and possibly dangerous situation out here," he said, adding Brooke Floyd was of "very little help" until Monday, but that without her help police may not have found the couple's truck.

"It's not the outcome we had hoped for and our prayers and thoughts go out to the families involved."

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R Kelly Pulls Out Of Festival After Protests

R Kelly has cancelled a performance at a US music festival after sponsors and bands pulled out amid concern over allegations about his past.

The singer was due to appear at Ohio's Fashion Meets Music Festival on August 29 but released a joint statement with the event explaining why he has decided to pull out.

"Fashion Meets Music Festival and headlining artist R Kelly have come to the mutual decision to cancel Kelly's upcoming performance at the inaugural Fashion Meets Music Festival," the statement said.

The singer's representative added: "R Kelly is sorry to disappoint his fans, but looks forward to seeing them in the near future during one of his upcoming tours."

Folk band Saintseneca said they were "disappointed" by the decision to book Kelly and withdrew from the festival.

They wrote on their website: "We feel his selection as a performer ignores his very serious allegations of sexual violence and assault. We feel it is an affront to all survivors, who are already often overlooked and forgotten in our society."

Kelly was tried and acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008.

Local radio station WCBE 90.5 FM also backed out.

General manager Dan Mushalko said the decision was influenced both by the opinions of listeners and those of Columbus City Schools, who hold their license.

Kelly is not being replaced at the event which will see former Destiny's Child singer Michelle Williams, OAR, Rusko and Future Islands perform.

The Ignition singer caused controversy with Lady Gaga earlier this year when a music video for her song Do What U Want was leaked online.

The video showed Kelly playing the role of a doctor who "does what he wants" with her while she is passed out but was reportedly scrapped because of its sexual content.

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Top Ebola Doctor Falls Victim To Deadly Virus

A doctor who was hailed as a national hero in Sierra Leone after risking his life to treat dozens of ebola patients has himself died from the disease.

Dr Sheik Humarr Khan had been hospitalised in quarantine but died on Tuesday, officials said.

Health workers are particularly vulnerable to ebola, which has killed more than 670 people since February.

Foreign development organisation Plan International has said the outbreak is a "health crisis with global dimensions", while the European Union has increased its funding to fight the disease to 3.9m euros (£3m).

Two Americans are currently being treated for the disease in Liberia, where all football activities have been stopped in a bid to halt the spread of the deadly virus.

Texan GP, Kent Brantly, who also contracted ebola while treating patients with the virus, is said to be in a grave condition in Monrovia and "terrified" he will not survive.

Jeremy Writebol, whose mother Nancy has been diagnosed with ebola in Liberia, told the US TV network NBC that his mother is able to move around the home where she is being isolated and is drinking plenty of fluids.

The family of Patrick Sawyer, Nigeria's first Ebola virus victim

He added that his father David, who was exposed before finding out his wife had ebola, is feeling fine and is checking his temperature every six hours.

A Canadian doctor has also put himself in quarantine in Liberia as a precaution after spending several weeks in the region treating ebola patients.

Azaria Marthyman of Victoria, British Columbia, was working with the Christian relief organisation Samaritan's Purse.

Samaritan's Purse and SIM USA have now decided to evacuate all non-essential personnel from Liberia as a result.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level Two travel alert, warning travellers to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to avoid contact with body fluids of people who might be affected.

The symptoms of the severe acute viral illness include sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and a sore throat.

Kent Brantly with his wife Amber and children

This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and internal and external bleeding. 

The major West African carrier, ASKY, has stopped its flights to Liberian capital Monrovia and Freetown, Sierra Leone, because of outbreak.

The airline's decision came after Patrick Sawyer, a 40-year-old American of Liberian descent, died of ebola in Nigeria after taking several ASKY flights, travelling through an international hub.

Mr Sawyer, a top official for Liberia's finance ministry, had travelled to Nigeria from Liberia, via Ghana and Togo. He collapsed on arrival at Lagos airport.

It was the first record case of ebola in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country.

At the ministry where he worked, several senior officials have been placed under observation for three weeks.

Passengers at ASKY's hub in Lome, Togo, will also be screened by medical teams.

Arik Air had already cancelled flights in the region.

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New Sanctions Target Russian Oil And Banks

The US and European governments have agreed new sanctions against Russia, targeting its oil, finance and defence industries, following the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine.

US President Barack Obama denied the West was being drawn into "a new Cold War", but aimed to "ratchet up the pressure on Russia, including the cronies and companies supporting Russia's illegal actions in Ukraine".

He said the coordinated action would have "an even bigger bite" and make "a weak Russian economy even weaker".

The US is expanding its sanctions to include more Russian banks and defence companies, and is suspending credit that encourages exports to Russia and financing for economic development projects in Russia.

John Kerry warns Russia the US is 'preparing additional sanctions'

The sanctions on three Russian banks, including VTB, its subsidiary Bank of Moscow and Russian Agricultural Bank, ban any Americans or people in US jurisdictions from any new medium or long-term financial transactions with them.

The EU sanctions are targeted at Russia's oil, finance, defence and technology industries, including dual-use goods with both defence and civilian purposes.

Measures include a ban on future arms import and export sales and restrictions on certain oil exploration and oil drilling related products.

Russian state-owned banks will also find restrictions on access to European financial markets, meaning their costs could rise.

The City of London may be affected by the new sanctions

The move is seen as an extension of existing US and EU sanctions which have focused on wealthy individuals, imposing travel bans and asset freezes on members of Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle.

Eight more names are being added to that list, some of whom are understood to be very close to Mr Putin who has shown no sign of altering his stance on Ukraine.

Even in advance of any deal, the oil giant BP warned that tougher sanctions could have an adverse impact on its business because of its stake in Russian oil producer Rosneft.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has warned the measures will inflict pain on the City of London, but should be seen in the context of the deaths of the 298 MH17 passengers and crew.

Fighting forced OSCE experts to abandon a crash site visit on Monday

EU President Herman Van Rompuy said the sanctions were "meant as a strong warning", but were "reversible" if Moscow changed course in Ukraine.

But US Secretary John Kerry said there was "no shred of evidence" Russia was willing to help end the violence and bloodshed between Moscow-backed rebels and Kiev.

He said even since flight MH17 was shot down, there was "clear evidence" the Russians were "continuing to ship arms across the border".

His comments came as pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine said they were considering banning OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) investigators from the plane crash site in Grabovo, accusing them of "serving the interests of the United States and Ukraine".

Around 23 people, including three children, were killed as the fighting between rebels and Ukrainian forces in the region continued on Tuesday with shelling hitting a school, a home and several apartment blocks in the cities of Horlivka, Luhansk and Donetsk.

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Mysterious Crop Circle Appears In Wheat Field

A mysterious giant crop circle has appeared overnight in a field belonging to a German farmer.

It has attracted thousands of visitors from far and wide who have flocked to the scene to sing, dance and meditate within the ornate design.

One observer said: "I believe you can only rule out, you can only ask yourself, what can be definitely ruled out as a cause for this.

"The newspapers are reporting that it was college students who raked the field, but when you see the elaborate design of the circles from above, that seems very unlikely. Those circles are looking very good."

Another visitor added: "I think it's almost impossible for this to appear overnight, and to do it in such an exact and precise manner. How is this possible?"

Measuring 75 metres in diameter (246 feet), it was discovered by a balloonist flying over the wheat field near Weilheim.

Farmer Christoph Huttner, who owns the field, told the dpa news agency it was not his creation, but may have been the work of students on summer holiday.

He added he was unsure whether he would be keeping the crop circle.

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Guinea Concert Stampede Kills 'At Least 24'

At least 24 people have reportedly been killed in a stampede at a rap concert on a beach in Guinea.

The government declared a week of national mourning following the tragedy, which came after Guineans celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday, ending the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

It was not immediately clear what caused the stampede in the capital Conakry's northern Ratoma suburb, where the Guinean rap group Instinct Killers were among the headliners.

The victims, including 13 girls, were taken to Conakry's Donka hospital

Medics took at least 24 bodies including 13 girls to a hospital morgue, an official told the AFP news agency, while dozens of music fans were injured.

The president's office said in a statement that it was "shocked by the tragedy caused by (crowd) movements at a cultural event".

Guinea has been battling a deadly ebola outbreak

An investigation has been launched to determine what caused the stampede, while the official in charge of organising public concerts has been suspended.

The disaster came as Guinea battles a deadly ebola epidemic, which has killed more than 670 people there and in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria.

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Child 'Stowaway' Found Dead On US Military Plane

Security is being investigated after the body of a young boy was found in the landing gear compartment of a US Air Force plane that landed in Germany.

The youth was discovered by ground crew inspecting the C-130 cargo plane when it arrived at Ramstein air base after a routine mission to countries in Africa.

Navy Rear Admiral John Kirby: 'Security will be looked at here'

Initial investigations suggest the boy climbed onboard while the plane was in Mali. Pentagon press officer and Navy Rear Admiral John Kirby said the apparent stowaway was a black male likely to be of African origin.

"It is not known where or when he entered the wheel well," he said.

"Security is going to be looked at here. We try to provide as much security as we can for our aircraft when they're operating in remote locations, and this will all be part of the investigation.

"We'll learn what happened and if there's corrective action that needs to be taken, we'll take it," he added.

He added that airfields where US planes land in Africa are sometimes dirt strips with security that sometimes falls below that of other countries and that the boy was not discovered during pre-flight checks.

The boy's body has been given to authorities in Germany for an autopsy and possible identification. It is not known how old he was.

In April, a Somali immigrant survived a flight from California's San Jose International Airport to Hawaii after he stowed away in the wheel well of a Boeing 767 commercial airliner.

The unnamed 15-year-old passed out during the flight due to the high altitude - around 38,000ft, sub-zero temperatures and lack of oxygen.

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Canada Cyber Attack 'May Take One Year To Fix'

A "highly sophisticated" Chinese hacking attack on Canada's National Research Council (NRC) has caused major disruption, the Canadian government says.

The council - which carries out high-level scientific research - has been isolated from the rest of the government network as a precaution, after being compromised by a "state-sponsored actor".

The attack - which temporarily shut down the NRC's computer systems - was revealed by the country's information officer, Corinne Charette.

In a statement her office said: "The government takes this issue very seriously and we are addressing it at the highest levels in both Beijing and Ottawa."

Canada's foreign affairs minister John Baird

Foreign affairs minister John Baird was in Beijing as the news became public, and said a "full and frank exchange of views" had taken place.

It is unclear what type of information may have been compromised.

The NRC says it is trying to rebuild its computer infrastructure and that the process could take up to a year.

It is known to have been working with university and private sector teams on a number of recent projects.

It is the first time the Canadian government has unequivocally blamed China for a cyber attack.

But the Chinese embassy has said it does not accept the "groundless accusation".

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Hamas Leader Defiant Over Gaza In Rare Speech

Gaza Conflict 'Like A Never-Ending Horror Film'

Updated: 2:53pm UK, Tuesday 29 July 2014

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent, in Gaza City

"Stay safe," people keep telling us.

"Where?" I always reply.

One of the harsh realities of this war is that there seem to be no red lines or boundaries.

People here are locked inside a tiny, cramped territory while the Israeli army bombs their homes, businesses, schools and hospitals.

Some 23,160 buildings have been damaged in the past three weeks, including 560 houses that were specifically targeted, according to the Health Ministry.

Most of the time there is no electricity, so at night you can only listen to what's happening around you in the dark.

Parents watch as their children die, children watch as their parents die - it's like a horror film.

The hardest part is how to convey the emotion and explain the events you are witnessing to people who live thousands of miles away and have likely never been to Gaza.

How do you do the story justice, remaining calm and fair?

Journalists are obsessed with the idea of balance, but what throws us off is that this is not an equal battle.

Israel says it is defending its civilians from rockets indiscriminately fired at them and underground tunnels used to infiltrate and kill soldiers.

Hamas says it is defending their civilians from an Israeli imposed siege that has strangled Gaza and affects every part of daily life.

The sad reality is that this war will likely end with Israel keeping Gaza under a blockade, which means Hamas will continue to resist - if not with rockets then tunnels, if not with tunnels then something else.

And if it's not Hamas it will be another group. The violence will continue as long as there is a cause.

Covering this war has been just as devastating as in 2008/9, the last time Israel launched a ground assault and I was inside Gaza.

Back then, people felt they were paying the price for a battle between Hamas and Israel.

This time, after seven years of living under siege, many sound hopeless and support Hamas (they call it "the resistance") because they feel there is no other way to end the misery they are living in.

My parents tell me stories of going on holiday to Gaza when they were young.

It has a beautiful coastline and when the drones and jets are quiet you can hear the waves crashing on the beach.

But the last few years of the blockade have been especially tough and Gaza is now a ghetto of 1.8 million people with many living in refugee camps surrounded by bombed out buildings.

Yesterday, at a UN school turned shelter, a woman asked me where I was from.

"Egypt," I replied, expecting her to lecture me about the country's complicity in the siege and how much she hates Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi.

But instead she said in a strong, sad voice: "Take me back with you."

It's simple really: people in Gaza, like elsewhere in the world, just want a chance to live with dignity.

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Israel Strikes Gaza Market During Partial Truce

At least 15 people have been killed and more than 150 wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a market, shortly after Israel said it was observing a humanitarian ceasefire.

Medical officials said the strike hit a busy market in the Shejaiza neighbourhood between Gaza City and the Israeli border.

Israel had said it would halt assaults in areas of the coastal strip where troops were not "currently operating."

Hamas responded by saying the lull had "no value", and continued firing rockets into Israel.

Damage to the school in Jebalya that doubles up as a shelter for refugees

Israel agreed to hold fire in Gaza after a night of heavy shelling left at least 43 people dead, including many at a UN school.

The school in Jebalya refugee camp, where aid workers say they are at "breaking point" helping some of the 200,000 people who have been displaced by the war, was hit around dawn.

At least 19 people, including a young child, were killed, many of them as they slept.

Adbel Karim al Masamha, who came to Jebalya with his family to seek refuge, said: "People were martyred before our eyes. They were dismembered."

Jebalya is one of eight UN refugee camps in Gaza

Another refugee, Haleema Ghabin, added: "No place is safe, neither homes nor schools. We are defenceless."

Jebalya was the second UN-run school to be hit in the past week, with a complex in Beit Hanoun struck last Thursday, killing at least 15 people.

An Israeli defence spokesman said militants near the school fired mortars at soldiers before the attack.

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said it told Israel "17 times" the building was being used by refugees, although it also confirmed other schools had been used to store weapons.

Sky's Sherine Tadros saw the aftermath of a rocket attack in Gaza City

On the 23rd day of the conflict, Israeli TV said progress was being made to achieve a peace deal, with a Palestinian delegation expected to arrive in Egypt for discussions.

Earlier, thick, black smoke could be seen rising from blazing fuel tanks at Gaza's only power station, which was knocked out on the bloodiest day of the conflict so far.

At least 128 Palestinians were killed as Israel sought to destroy what it called Hamas "terror sites" with heavy fire from the air, land and sea.

It says its ongoing operation is meant to stop Hamas rocket fire and demolish a sophisticated network of tunnels.

Hundreds of homes have been razed to the ground in Gaza

More than 2,600 missiles have been fired from Gaza in the past three weeks, the Israeli army said.

Meanwhile, the leader of Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Deif, issued a rare statement, saying there will be no end to the fighting until the blockade of Gaza is lifted.

According to UNRWA, about 10% of Palestinians - more than 200,000 people - have been displaced by fighting.

The figure is triple that seen at the peak of the 2008/9 conflict, with the organisation warning all of its camps are now full.

Justine Greening, the international development secretary, described the situation as "dire", as the UK pledged an extra £3m to provide a month of emergency food for more than 300,000 people.

More than 1,200 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the start of the offensive on July 8.

On the Israeli side, 53 soldiers and three civilians have died.

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