Hollande Dissolves French Govt In Economy Row

French President Francois Hollande has dissolved his government amid a row over the country's struggling economy.

Mr Hollande said Prime Minister Manual Valls had handed in the Socialist government's resignation and had until Tuesday to complete a reshuffle.

"The head of state asked him to form a team that supports the objectives he has set out for the country," said a terse statement.

France's economy has not grown this year and unemployment is hovering around 10%.

Mr Hollande's approval rating languishes at 17%, according to a poll, the lowest for a president since the 1958, as the country struggles to emerge from the economic doldrums.

Prime Minister Valls has until Tuesday to reshuffle the government

The abrupt end to the government comes after outspoken Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg called for a "major change" away from deficit reduction measures, and criticised Germany's "obsession" with austerity.

"It's not France's job to align itself to the ideological axioms of Germany's right wing," said the far-left politician in an interview last week.

It is not yet clear which ministers will survive the reshuffle and who will be culled, or indeed whether Mr Hollande will emerge with his parliamentary majority intact.

Economy Minister Montebourg has criticised the government's approach

Local media said Culture Minister Aurelie Filipetti had signalled she did not want to be part of the new government.

Opposition conservatives, who have been experiencing their own leadership rows, called for an outright dissolution of parliament, as did the far-right National Front.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not comment directly on France's political turmoil but said she wished "the French president success with his reform agenda".

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Ukraine Troops Battle Rebel Armoured Convoy

Ukraine says its forces have clashed with a rebel armoured column it claims crossed the border from Russia.

The military said border guards were engaged in a battle with around 50 vehicles, including tanks, near the southeastern town of Novoazovsk, as it headed toward the port city of Mariupol.

The latest violence came as Moscow announced plans to send a second controversial aid convoy to rebel-held eastern Ukraine in a move which threatens to further escalate the bloody conflict.

There was heavy criticism of an earlier unauthorised Russian convoy

An earlier column of more than 200 trucks sent across the border by Moscow, with a cargo of what was said to be aid, without permission was branded by the government in Kiev as a "direct invasion", and was heavily criticised by the West.

There are concerns the aid convoy is a move to assist the insurgency or be used as a pretext to invade, but Russia insists it is to help the stricken region.

The continuing unrest comes on the eve of crucial talks between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents on Tuesday in a bid to find a diplomatic solution to defuse tensions, and end the deadly crisis.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the aim was to "help Ukrainians agree among themselves".

But at the same time he ramped up tensions with plans to send a second aid convoy to eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian prisoners were displayed in Donetsk in mockery of a Kiev parade

Mr Lavrov said: "The humanitarian situation is not improving but deteriorating."

Kiev is also likely to have been antagonised by Mr Lavrov's comments that there was nothing demeaning about parading Ukrainian prisoners through the rebel-held city of Donetsk.

There was condemnation after pro-Russian separatists displayed captives before baying crowds in mockery of the country's Independence Day celebrations in Kiev.

The captives were followed by rubbish trucks to "clean" where they had walked.

Germany has said it was quite likely a war crime.

A foreign ministry spokesman said: "It is completely distasteful and it's just not done."

But Mr Lavrov said: "I saw images of that parade and I didn't see anything close to what could be considered as humiliating."

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Syria 'Ready To Work With West In IS Battle'

Syria has said it is ready to cooperate with the international community in the battle against Islamic State (IS) militants.

The Sunni extremists have taken over large areas of the country as well as parts of northern Iraq in recent months, declaring a "caliphate" straddling both countries.

Western powers, including the US and UK, have been backing more moderate rebel fighters in the three-year civil war against forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al Assad.

But the US, which has been carrying out airstrikes against IS in Iraq, has signalled it could extend the battle against the extremists into Syrian territory.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad

Syrian foreign minister Walid al Moualem has now held open the possibility of working with countries, including the US, Britain and Saudi Arabia, which also supported the uprising against Mr Assad.

Mr al Moualem said: "Syria, geographically and operationally, is the centre of the international coalition to fight Islamic State. States must come to it if they are serious in combating terrorism."

Asked about the prospect of US aerial raids against IS inside Syria, Mr Moualem said any strikes would have to be coordinated with Damascus.

"Anything outside this is considered aggression," he told reporters.

And asked if Syria was ready to work with the US and Britain in fighting the group, he said: "They are welcome."

Red shows areas controlled by IS, yellow shows areas of fighting

He also called for intelligence sharing with neighbouring states and suggested cooperation would be possible with Saudi Arabia.

Last week, the former head of the British Army said the West should consider negotiating with Mr Assad to tackle IS extremists.

Lord Dannatt told Sky News: "The old dictum that my enemy's enemy is my friend just might have some credence in this less than satisfactory and pretty extraordinary set of times that we are in."

A Kurdish peshmerga soldier in Iraq

But Britain has ruled out negotiating with Mr Assad and there has been no sign of any shift in US policy towards Syria, where the civil war has killed at least 191,000 people.

On Sunday, IS fighters captured the Tabqa air base in northeast Syria after days of fighting that cost more than 500 lives, according to a monitoring group.

"Islamic State has no borders and the faster we move against it, the more we diminish its danger," Mr Moualem said.

Meanwhile in Iraq, Kurdish peshmerga forces have retaken three villages in the Jalawla area northeast of Baghdad from jihadists and also held off two assaults on the Shia Turkmen-majority town of Tuz Khurmatu, officials said.

In Baghdad, a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vest among Shia worshippers who were leaving a mosque after noon prayers, killing at least 12 people.

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California Rattled By Strong Earthquake

Three people have been critically injured after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake shook California's Napa and Sonoma counties.

The quake, which was felt 40 miles (64 kilometres) away in San Francisco, set off car alarms and caused residents to run out of their homes in the middle of the night.

Some 87 people received minor injuries after the quake struck at 3.20am (11.20am UK time) at a depth of seven miles.

A reporter surveys the scene of a building collapse in Napa

California's governor has declared a state of emergency.

Pictures posted on Twitter showed firefighters putting out a blaze at a mobile home park in Napa Valley and piles of rubble and masonry lying in the street which had fallen from buildings.

A 2.6 magnitude aftershock hit half-an-hour later and US Geological Survey (USGS) expert Jessica Turner told KCBS radio that aftershocks of up to 5.0 are likely in the coming week.

The tremor occurred 40 miles from San Francisco

The shocks will be examined by geologists to determine whether the quake happened on a geological fault line.

The USGS added there was a "low likelihood for casualties", but issued an "orange alert" for possible damage, which means "significant damage is likely and the disaster is potentially widespread".

Californian police closed several roads that suffered significant damage and warned drivers to take extra care while crossing an intersection in Napa Valley strewn with bricks after a building partially collapsed.

People wearing bathrobes walk down a street in Napa

Engineers were dispatched to assess the damage and restore power to some 50,000 residents in Napa and Sonoma who suffered a blackout.

Randy Baldwin, a USGS geophysicist, said the tremor was potentially damaging because it was close to populated areas.

"It is the strongest quake in a 60-mile (100-km) radius from the epicentre of this quake in several decades," he said.

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Three Beheaded In Riot At Brazilian Prison

Three prisoners have been beheaded and at least five other people injured in a riot at a Brazilian jail, authorities said.

Inmates took several prisoners hostage during the riot, decapitating at least three and throwing others off the roof.

They also took prison officers hostage, burned furniture and smashed rooms up with metal poles. 

Police Captain Ricardo Pinto said the riot at the prison in the southern city of Cascavel was ongoing amid negotiations over better conditions.

The revolt at the 928 bed jail began before sunrise on Sunday when a prison guard was captured during breakfast, Captain Pinto said.

Dozens of the prisoners climbed onto the building's rooftop, with their faces covered with white fabric.

Local media images showed at least 30 rebellious inmates shouting while they beat men held with ropes around their necks, or whose hands were tied behind them.

The rioting inmates waved banners emblazoned with the initials PCC for a criminal prison gang formed in the 1990s.

Relatives arriving at the prison to visit inmates waited outside as night fell, trying to get information about their loved ones.

Jairo Ferreira, a lawyer for the prison guards' union, said the inmates rioted to demand better food and medical care in the prison.

Captain Pinto said the revolt may also have been related to the recent convictions of two prisoners.

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Kidnappers Release US Journalist In Syria

Kidnappers in Syria have released a US journalist who was abducted in 2012.

The United Nations (UN) confirmed Peter Theo Curtis, 45, was transferred to its peacekeeping force in the disputed Golan Heights region.

"After receiving a medical check-up, Mr Curtis was handed over to representatives of his government," the UN statement said.

Al Jazeera reported that the move followed diplomacy from Qatar.

US reporter James Foley

It comes six days after the Islamic State (IS) released a video of US reporter James Foley being beheaded in Iraq.

The UK says it is edging closer to identifying the apparently-British killer.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said: "Particularly after a week marked by unspeakable tragedy, we are all relieved and grateful knowing that Theo Curtis is coming home.

"Over these last two years, the United States reached out to more than two dozen countries asking for urgent help from anyone who might have tools, influence, or leverage to help secure Theo's release and the release of any Americans held hostage in Syria."

A map showing IS territory

The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists estimates that about 20 journalists are missing in Syria. Many of them are believed to be held by IS.

Mr Kerry said: "Every diplomatic, intelligence and military tool" is being used to secure the release of other American hostages.

A Qatari source told Reuters that "any captives with (Islamic State) will be very difficult for Qatar to free, while others with different groups would be easier".

IS has threatened to kill another US reporter, Steven Sotloff, if airstrikes sanctioned by President Barack Obama in Iraq continue.

Steven Sotloff (2nd from right) is being held by IS in Iraq

Mr Curtis, who is from Boston and has written books under the name Theo Padnos, was abducted near the Syria-Turkey border in October 2012

In a video statement released by kidnappers during his captivity, Mr Curtis said he "had everything" he needed and "everything has been perfect, food, clothing, even friends now".

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Gaza: 'Israeli Airstrike' Hits Apartment Block

Airstrikes Hit Gaza After Israeli Child Killed

Updated: 12:47pm UK, Saturday 23 August 2014

Israel pounded Gaza with 30 airstrikes after vowing "Hamas will pay a heavy price" for the death of a four-year-old boy from rocket fire.

Medical officials reported at least eight Palestinian deaths as the conflict entered its 47th day.

The bombardment came just hours after an attack on the southern Israeli village of Sdot Negev, in which the four-year-old died.

He suffered fatal wounds after the barrage of mortars landed in a collective farm, known as a kibbutz. Israeli military said 90 rockets were fired into the country overnight.

A mobile intensive care ambulance was sent to the scene and firefighters hosed down vehicles that were set on fire in a car park.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military would raise the tempo of operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip "until the goals of Operation Protective Edge are achieved".

It was the first Israeli death since a new round of fighting erupted on Tuesday between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers following the collapse of ceasefire talks in Cairo earlier this week.

The boy is the fourth civilian in Israel to be killed in an attack from the coastal territory since the outbreak of conflict on July 8.

Earlier in the day three people were injured by shrapnel, after rocket fired from Gaza hit a synagogue in the city of Ashdod.

Hamas also killed 18 people suspected of being informers for Israel on Friday.

The group said 11 were killed by firing squad at the Gaza City police headquarters following sentencing by courts.

Hamas media then reported that seven more alleged informants had been targeted by masked gunmen near a mosque.

Two of those killed were women, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, which called for an immediate halt to what it said were "extra-judicial executions".

Israel's intelligence services rely, in part, on informers to pinpoint the whereabouts of Hamas leaders.

So far more than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, which began as Israel sought to destroy a network of tunnels used by Hamas and other militants.

A total of 64 Israeli soldiers have also been killed in the conflict.

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Footballer Killed By Object Thrown From Stands

A footballer has died after being hit in the head by an object thrown from the stands after a match, his club have announced.

Cameroonian striker Albert Ebosse, who has national caps, was fatally struck by a projectile at the end of JS Kabylie's game against USM Alger in Algeria.

He had scored a goal in the game, which his club lost 2-1. 

Footage posted on YouTube shows the player on a stretcher with his head wrapped in bandages after the attack in the northern city of Tizi Ouzou.

A Facebook page dedicated to the player has been created, offering tributes and condolences to his family.

A statement published on Kabylie's website said: "The Ministry of Interior and Local Government, speaking through minister Tayeb Belaiz, has given an instruction to open an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Albert Ebosse.

"The JSK player succumbed to a head injury after being hit in the head at the end of the meeting with USM Alger."

Reacting to the news, USM Alger said in a statement: "This terrible news is saddening for football in our nation and in Cameroon and arrives like a bombshell.

"In these painful circumstances, USM Alger and its members send their deepest condolences to the family of the deceased and to JS Kabylie.

"May Albert Ebosse rest in peace."

The 24-year-old played for Coton Sport FC, Unisport Bafang and Douala AC in Cameroon, before transferring to Malaysian side Perak FA in 2012.

He joined JS Kabylie, one of Algeria's richest clubs, in July 2013. He reportedly had six international caps, mainly with Cameroon's B team.

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Iceland Volcano Fears: Airlines On Alert

Aviation authorities are watching for developments in Iceland, where planes are on high alert after a volcanic eruption.

The country has closed airspace directly above Bardarbunga volcano after it began erupting under the ice of Europe's largest glacier following thousands of earthquakes.

The UK's air traffic control organisation NATS and safety regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) say they are ready to take action if ash is detected. 

Continued exposure to concentrated levels of volcanic ash can lead to the total failure of aircraft engines.

Yesterday, a Virgin Atlantic flight from London Heathrow to San Francisco was diverted away from the volcano as a precaution.

Bardarbunga is Iceland's biggest volcano system

But flights are now operating normally, a spokesman for the airline said.

An eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in southern Iceland four years ago produced an ash cloud that led to a week of aviation chaos.

More than 100,000 flights were cancelled.

A spokeswoman for NATS said it was "monitoring the situation" and working with other agencies, including the Met Office and Civil Aviation Authority.

NATS will help determine what impact the eruption will have on UK airspace and advise airline customers accordingly, she added.

Computers show seismic activity from Bardarbunga at Iceland's Met Office

A Met Office spokeswoman said: "We are in close contact with the Icelandic Met Office, but currently they tell us that the eruptions are sub-glacial, so no ash has made it to the surface.

"If ash does make it to the surface, we will run our model which will indicate where any ash would go, and we will inform the CAA and NATS.

"They will then make the decision on how that will affect any air flights."

Minutes before the eruption, Icelandic officials raised the aviation alert to red - the highest level.

The red alert warns that an eruption could cause "significant emission of ash into the atmosphere".

Ash billows from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010

Scientists who flew over the ice cap on Saturday afternoon said they saw no visible signs of the eruption on the surface.

Iceland's Met Office said it is not clear when, or if, the eruption would melt through the ice and send steam and ash into the air.

The ice is between 330ft to 1,300ft thick.

An easyJet spokesman said the airline is preparing to put contingency plans into action, using specialist technology to detect and charter any ash created.

"EasyJet will use this and other data provided by the authorities to determine what, if any, changes it should make to its flying programme," he said.

Flybe said it was monitoring the situation and all of its flights are operating as normal.

Aviation chiefs are confident the industry is much better prepared to deal with the effects of an ash cloud than it was in 2010.

The CAA said improvements in observing and forecasting where ash is and its density have been made, and there is a new radar in Iceland to detect ash in the atmosphere.

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US Creeps To Decision On Islamic State Threat

Washington has crept to a decision. It's time to do something about the threat posed by the Islamic State.

There's now no lack of senior officials describing the problem.

"This is an organisation that has an apocalyptic, end-of-days strategic vision and which will eventually have to be defeated," General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.

"They are beyond just a terrorist group. They marry ideology, a sophistication of ... military prowess. They are tremendously well-funded. This is beyond anything we've seen," said his boss Chuck Hagel, the US Secretary of Defence.

But how do you solve a problem on this scale?

Militarily there may be a short term effect from intensifying American airstrikes.

Car used by IS fighters is destoyed in a US airstrike

Widening the target list of IS forces across Iraq to include vulnerable areas on the edge of the Kurdish region and around Baghdad would at least stem the tide.

It might also buy some time for specialists to re-train the Iraqi army and for the central government to form a more inclusive administration involving Sunnis who for now may be supporting the IS.

But rolling back the IS in Iraq would take a much bigger air campaign.

That would risk killing Sunnis and painting the Baghdad government as lackeys of American imperialism.

And pushing IS back in Iraq would still leave its Syrian heartland as a base from which to continue to launch attacks, as well as terror operations beyond its borders.

Red shows areas controlled by IS, yellow shows areas of fighting

"To your question, can they be defeated without addressing that part of their organisation which resides in Syria? The answer is no. That will have to be addressed on both sides of what is essentially at this point a non-existent border," General Dempsey said.

So airstrikes against IS in Syria may be called for - even if this risks empowering the Damascus regime.

Syria has complex air defence systems. If it did not approve of the attacks on its enemy, IS, then these would need to be destroyed to allow for an effective air campaign against the Islamic state.

A rapidly widening air war could lead to more complexities on the ground.

Amid all the talk of attacking IS, many ordinary people, voters, in the West may favour a 'leave-well-alone' policy.

With the US and UK political elite facing elections next year this view may concentrate their minds on sitting on their hands.

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