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Hammond: Sanctions are hurting Russian economy
Sanctions imposed on Russia are having an affect on the economy according to Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary.
He said Russia's predicted economic growth for this year had gone from 2.5 per cent before sanctions to "roughly zero".
"It is having a cost on Russia it is having a disproportionate cost on the group of people that supports and sustains the Kremlin leadership," Mr Hammond said.
"I hope they will be urging a more considered response by the Russian leadership."
He also said the Government was due to announce a new set of sanctions against Vladimir Putin's government later today.
Read: Russia attacks 'hypocritical' UN over human rights claims
Ministers 'acting early to keep the UK safe' from Ebola
The Government is "acting early" to make sure the UK is safe from the threat of the Ebola virus, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said.
He is chairing a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee today to look at what measures can be put in place, although he said there was no need for "serious concern" at the moment.
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Attorney General: No appeal on Rolf Harris sentence
Rolf Harris' prison term will not be increased after the Attorney General decided not to refer his sentence to the Court of Appeal.
Jeremy Wright decided against the move as he felt judges would not increase Harris' jail term.
The case was referred after numerous complaints that the five years and nine month sentence against the 84-year old entertainer did not reflect the severity of his crimes.
A spokesperson for Mr Wright said: “The Attorney General understands that his decision not to refer the case may be a disappointment to some people; however, he did give extremely careful consideration to this sentence and he concluded that he could not refer it.”
Although the Attorney General does have the power to refer sentences to the Court of Appeal there is a high threshold that means the original sentence must be well below what the judge could reasonably have handed down.
Read: Rolf Harris should 'feel what it's like to lose freedom'
Gaza school classroom in ruins after direct hit
ITV News correspondent Dan Rivers has tweeted this photo of the aftermath of the blasts at a UN school in the Gaza Strip.
Commonwealth Games: We take Bolt at his word
The Commonwealth Games Federation said it was "pleased" with Usain Bolt's response to this morning's allegations that he had called the Glasgow 2014 Games "a bit s***".
The world's fastest runner denied the allegations in a tweet today, saying: "I'm waking up to this nonsense..journalist please don't create lies to make headlines."
Glasgow 2014 spokeswoman, Jackie Brock-Doyle, said: "I think he woke up to the story like everyone else. His tweet says it all. He has woken up to something he didn't believe he said yesterday."
Chief executive Mike Hooper said: "We take Mr Bolt at his word. We're very pleased with how he's responded."
He described the Jamiacan sprinter as "very upbeat, very positive, very focused on delivering for his fellow countrymen in the relay events".
Speaking about the Games, Mr Hooper added: "We're not trying to be the Olympic Games. We're about the celebration of the Commonwealth, sport and culture within the Commonwealth, and what a fantastic event we are seeing here in Glasgow."
Experts prevented from reaching MH17 site again
Experts have been prevented from reaching the MH17 crash site for a further day, a Dutch official has said.
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Gaza: Roof blown in at UN school hit by shelling
ITV News correspondent is at the UN school in northern Gaza, where at least 19 people are believed to have died from overnight shelling.
Ebola: World leaders must 'act before it is too late'
International development organisation Plan International says the outbreak of the Ebola virus is a "health crisis with global dimensions".
Dr Unni Krishnan, the body's head of disaster preparedness and response, said: "The arrival of Ebola in the most populous city in Africa is a wake-up call."
– Dr Unni Krishnan, Plan InternationalEbola is no longer a regional crisis - it has become a health crisis with global dimensions. The international community needs to act now before it is too late.
The countries battling Ebola are among the poorest in the world and the public health systems across West Africa are fragile. The impacted countries desperately need financial and technical assistance to avoid a catastrophic situation.
Wallis and Stenson charged following fresh evidence
The Crown Prosecution Service says its decision to charge two former members of the News of the World editorial staff comes after additional evidence was provided last month.
Earlier in July, the CPS announced six of eight suspects in Operation Pinetree - the investigation into an alleged conspiracy to hack phones at the newspaper - would face no further action.
The remaining two suspects, former features editor Jules Stenson and former deputy editor Neil Wallis, have now been charged with conspiracy to hack phones.
Two former NotW staff charged with phone hacking
Jules Stenson, former features editor of the News of the World, and Neil Wallis, former deputy editor of the paper, have been charged with phone hacking, the Crown Prosecution Service has announced.
– Gregor McGill, a senior lawyer at the Crown Prosecution ServiceThe CPS has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Jules Stenson, former features editor of the News of the World and to summons Neil Wallis, former deputy editor of the News of the World with an offence of conspiracy to intercept communications in the course of their transmission, commonly known as ‘phone hacking’.
Both Jules Stenson and Neil Wallis will appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 21 August 2014.
