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Emirates suspends flights to Guinea over Ebola virus
Dubai's Emirates airline has suspended its flights to Guinea after the west African country became affected by an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus.
Emirates flights will be suspended from today until further notice, the airline said in a statement on its website.
"The safety of our passengers and crew is of the highest priority and will not be compromised," it added.
Gaza homes reduced to rubble after latest air strikes
Palestinians have been attempting to salvage materials from their homes, after Israeli shelling reduced many to rubble.
Israel launched dozens of strikes in Gaza city, amid its search for an Israeli soldier it claims was captured by Hamas fighters.
At least 35 Palestinians were killed in the bombardment in Rafa, a Palestinian health official said.
Latest updates: Shelling hits Gaza as hunt for 'captured' Israeli soldier continues
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Heavy rain moves north, occasional bright spells
Heavy and persistent rain in the west of the UK will continue north into Scotland and Northern Ireland this afternoon, with the risk of localised flooding.
It will become windy, especially in exposed Irish Sea coasts.
Elsewhere, a mix of heavy, possibly thundery showers and occasional bright spells.
It will improve in the south this evening, with highs of 25C (77F) in East Anglia.
Ashdown: Israel-Hamas can't blast their way to victory
Former Lib Dem leader and peace envoy Paddy Ashdown said neither Israel nor Hamas "can blast their way to victory" and called for both sides to engage in peace talks.
Lord Ashdown told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There is only one way to get peace now, and that is for the sides to sit down and start talking to each other.
"Hamas has to be at the table. Who's firing the rockets? It's Hamas, and so you have to talk to them.
"If an individual or an organisation has the support of the people who it represents, in the end you have to talk to them. We had to talk to the IRA, for goodness' sake."
Clegg: Israel must halt 'disproportionate' military action
Nick Clegg has urged Israel to halt its offensive and open talks with Hamas, claiming the Israeli military action "appears disproportionate".
Describing the images from Gaza as "harrowing and heartbreaking", the Deputy Prime Minister said neither side could escape blame over the ongoing violence, which has claimed the lives of over 1,600 Palestinians and 63 Israeli soldiers.
Writing in The Guardian, Mr Clegg said: "If Israel wants to secure lasting safety for its people, it must use political will, not military might, to break the cycle of violence.
"Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu must now put Israel’s long-term, strategic self-interest ahead of short-term, tactical military gains.
"It is time for the Israeli government to talk to the Hamas political leadership in Gaza."
Israel claims Hamas has fired more than 3034 rockets
The Israeli military wrote on its official Twitter page this morning:
Hamas has fired more than 3,000 rockets towards Israel since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge. RETWEET. http://t.co/wfURPnTnYw
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Emergency blood-donor drive for China blast victims
Chinese authorities have set up an emergency blood-donation drive to help casualties after an explosion at a factory in the eastern Jiangsu Province.
Some of the blast victims will be taken to Shanghai for treatment later today, state broadcaster China Central Television reported.
Petrol stations and supermarkets 'encouraging theft'
A Home Office minister has questioned whether police should bother responding to calls from petrol stations whose customers drive off without paying, claiming retailers are "encouraging theft".
Crime minister Norman Baker claimed petrol stations are taking a calculated risk by not asking motorists to pay up front for their fuel, and are failing to enforce measures to stop thefts.
"They make the calculation that by pulling you into the premises they will engender sales that wouldn't otherwise happen and accept the price for that is that petrol will sometimes be taken without being paid for," Mr Baker told the Financial Times (£).
"The question in (my) mind is if they're doing nothing at all to prevent theft, why should the police bother responding to any calls they get? The police aren't there to provide numbers for insurance companies, that's not their function."
Mr Baker also criticised self-service tills in supermarkets as "an invitation to steal".
Explosions in Gaza as Israeli bombardment continues
Explosions lit up Gaza overnight after a planned 72-hour collapsed.
Thick smoke billowed from buildings, as Israel stepped up its attacks following the disappearance of an Israeli soldier.
At least 1,592 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since the start of the conflict on July 8.
Sixty-three Israeli soldiers and three civilians have died.
Unseen images from the front show life of a WW1 soldier
Pictures taken during the First World War have been published for the first time, offering a snapshot of a soldier's life in trenches.
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