Ebola Outbreak's Scale 'Vastly Underestimated'

The number of deaths and confirmed cases of ebola in west Africa has been vastly underestimated, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

The death toll from the outbreak currently stands at 1,069 people. There have been 1,975 confirmed, probable or suspected cases.

The majority of the cases have occurred in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Four deaths have also been reported in Nigeria.

But the WHO said there was evidence that the number of reported cases underestimated the scale of the suffering.

"The outbreak is expected to continue for some time. WHO's operational response plan extends over the next several months," it said in a statement.

A convoy of UN soldiers passes a screen displaying an ebola message

"Staff at the outbreak sites see evidence that the numbers of reported cases and deaths vastly underestimate the magnitude of the outbreak."

It comes after several doses of the experimental drug ZMapp arrived in Liberia this week.

Officials say only three people will receive the drug, which could prove life-saving, ineffective or even harmful.

The Liberian government previously said two doctors would receive ZMapp, but it remains unclear who else will be treated.

The ebola outbreak was first identified in Guinea in March and has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

Nurses at a maternity hospital in Abidjan

The spread of the disease has overwhelmed strained health systems in west Africa.

As there is no licensed treatment for ebola - which is transmitted by contact with bodily fluids - doctors have turned to the limited supply of untested drugs to treat some cases.

Two Americans and one Spaniard have so far received ZMapp.

The American aid workers have since shown signs of improvement, although it remains unclear what role the drug has played in their recovery. The Spanish man - a priest - died within days.

As the human cost continues to rise, there are concerns about the wider economic threat caused by the outbreak.

The Moody's ratings agency warned on Thursday that the virus could have "significant economic" ramifications for a number of west African countries.

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Iraq PM Quits As Rescue Mission Called Off

A US and UK humanitarian mission to rescue thousands of people trapped in Iraq is less likely to take place after the situation "greatly improved", according to President Barack Obama.

Mr Obama said airdrops had delivered more than 114,000 meals and tens of thousands of gallons of water to trapped ethnic minority Yazidis on Mount Sinjar during the past week.

His comments came hours before the divisive Iraqi prime minister Nouri al Maliki made a televised farewell speech to the increasingly fractured nation, in which he referred to the "terrorist" threat facing the country from Islamist militants.

Nouri al Maliki has bowed to pressure at home and abroad

Mr al Maliki, who had been facing growing pressure to step aside, confirmed he had given support to his replacement, Haider al Abadi, and will not be bidding for a third term as leader.

Mr Obama's decision to scale back efforts on Mount Sinjar was made after unnamed US officials said an estimated 4,500 civilians remained on the ridges - significantly fewer than the tens of thousands thought to have been there.

An RAF plane in a night drop of humanitarian aid to people on Mount Sinjar

They said nearly half were herders and shepherds who lived there before the siege and do not want to leave.

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have told Sky News there are only around 2,000 people there.

A Yazidi figher who joined a Kurdish militia helps the safe passage

The UN's refugee agency UNHCR said earlier this week that tens of thousands of Yazidis had already managed to leave the mountain and get to safety, after fleeing Sunni militants of the Islamic State (IS), formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

IS fighters have threatened the ancient religious group with death if they fail to convert to Islam.

Britain's International Development Secretary, Justine Greening, said an evacuation of the mountain was now less likely because of the US assessment - but that an airlift has not been ruled out.

A UK government source has also indicated the country would be willing to send arms and equipment to Kurdish forces if they asked for help.

Members of the Yazidi sect hold a banner asking for international help

Earlier, Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK's plans needed to be "flexible" for the "complicated humanitarian mission" and stressed the need to continue delivering aid to refugees.

The PM chaired a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee in Downing Street on Thursday.

Sky News Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge said: "Although there are fewer people on the mountain than previously thought, it doesn't mean humanitarian help is not needed elsewhere in northern Iraq."

Areas the Islamic State has launched offensives and wants to make one state

Tory backbencher Mark Pritchard, who believes Britain should still be doing more, told Sky News: "Bread alone will not stop ISIS, it will require bullets."

In addition to US airdrops, the UK has successfully completed seven aid deliveries and was still sending a "small number" of RAF Chinook helicopters to the region.

It has also sent RAF Tornado jets equipped with surveillance equipment.

Mr Cameron at a UK aid Disaster Response Centre at Kemble Airport, earlier

Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the Kurdish government's high representative to the UK, told Sky News that while the new refugee figures spelled "good news", up to two million displaced civilians remained "in a dire situation" in the Kurdistan region.

Her comments came as the UN declared the crisis at its highest level of emergency and condemned the "barbaric acts" of sexual violence IS fighters have reportedly inflicted on minority groups.

UNHCR has been hurriedly building new tent facilitiies for displaced people seeking refuge in Kurdish Iraq.

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Ukraine: Guards Move To Inspect Russian Aid

Ukrainian guards have crossed the border into Russia to inspect a Russian cargo convoy of humanitarian aid.

The border guards will check the cargo on Russian territory at a point opposite the Ukrainian settlement of Izvaryne, held by separatists, a border spokesman said.

"Ukrainian border guards are there already in large numbers," said border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko.

As the guards headed to the convoy, a dozen Russian armoured trucks appeared near to the aid lorries.

Ukraine has spoken of its concerns that the convoy of about 260 vehicles will be used as a 'Trojan horse', allowing Russia to establish a permanent presence in the east.

Last night there were reports a smaller group of Russian vehicles, including armoured cars, had already crossed the border.

The reports suggested the vehicles had entered Ukraine at an obscure border crossing near the Russian town of Donetsk.

Meanwhile, pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have suffered dramatic setbacks after top military chiefs quit and Kiev's forces pummelled their strongholds.

The separatist leadership has showed signs of unravelling following four months of fighting that have left more than 2,000 dead.

Many residents in the region have been left without power or running water, and with dwindling food supplies.

The rebels said their main military chief, Igor Strelkov, had resigned.

Their rebel commander in the second-biggest insurgent stronghold of Luhansk, Valery Bolotov, also said he was "temporarily" stepping down because of injuries.

The announcements came after Ukraine's military said it had completely surrounded Luhansk, cutting all links to the border with Russia.

Kiev believes Russia has been supplying the insurgents with weapons.

More follows...

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Gaza Conflict: Truce 'Extended By Five Days'

Israel has launched airstrikes over Gaza despite reports the 72-hour ceasefire has been extended for another five days.

Hamas confirmed it would continue to hold fire after a day of intense talks mediated by Egyptian intelligence.

Israel said earlier it was prepared to extend the ceasefire, which began on Sunday night.

However, within an hour of the extension being reported, Israel's military said it had struck "terror targets".

They claimed it was in response to five rockets being fired from Gaza - something Hamas denied.

Israel and the Palestinian territories

It is unclear where this leaves the ceasefire.

A potential extension would allow peace talks to continue in Egypt in search of a long-term solution to the conflict - though the Palestinian delegation has now left Cairo to consult with leader Mahmoud Abbas.

The delegation head, Azzam al Ahmad, said he hoped a final deal would be reached in the coming weeks, with Arab and international backing.

He said the ceasefire was meant to ensure a "positive atmosphere", while noting there had been "lots of progress" in the talks.

Mr al Ahmad added that Israel had conceded some ground - but not on the crucial point of ending the blockade of Gaza.

More than 10,000 homes have been destroyed in Gaza since July 8

Israeli demands for disarmament in Gaza were not discussed, he said.

Israel has yet to comment on the truce.

Despite the break in fire over recent days, an Italian journalist has been killed along with four others when an unexploded missile detonated in northern Gaza.

More than 1,950 Palestinians have been killed in five weeks of fighting in Gaza, with 67 dead on the Israeli side.

Meanwhile, an Israeli cabinet minister has accused the UK government of "encouraging" Hamas to re-start rocket fire from Gaza, following a decision to suspend some arms exports to Israel if fighting resumes.

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Iraq: Yazidi Rescue Mission 'Far Less Likely'

A humanitarian mission to rescue thousands of Yazidis trapped in Iraq is "far less likely" to take place after an assessment carried out by a US team.

US Army Special Forces soldiers and a US Agency for International Development (USAID) team spent several hours on the mountain speaking to refugees on Wednesday.

They have since returned to Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region, and reported fewer Yazidis remain trapped on the mountain than previously feared.

Some 5,000 refugees remain stranded on Mount Sinjar, according to Sky sources.

A map detailing the Sinjar mountains

It had previously been thought there were between 20,000 and 30,000 still there after fleeing militants of the Islamic State (IS), formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

A statement released by the Pentagon said humanitarian aid drops, airstrikes on Islamic State (IS) fighters and the efforts of Peshmerga fighters had allowed many Yazidis to escape.

It added: "The Yazidis who remain are in better condition than previously believed and continue to have access to the food and water that we have dropped.

"Based on this assessment the interagency has determined that an evacuation mission is far less likely.

Members of the Yazidi sect hold a banner asking for international help

"Additionally, we will continue to provide humanitarian assistance as needed and will protect US personnel and facilities."

It comes after Sky sources revealed SAS soldiers have also been involved in gathering intelligence and preparing the ground for any possible mass air lift.

IS fighters had threatened the ancient religious group with death if they failed to convert to Islam.

British Prime Minister David Cameron earlier said "detailed plans" were being made for an international mission to rescue the stranded Yazidis.

Areas the Islamic State has launched offensives and wants to make one state

Sky's Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge said: "It will be interesting to see if the UK is prepared to go it alone, or if that is now off the table."

Asked about calls for the UK to follow France in arming Kurdish fighters being out-gunned by IS, or to join the US in airstrikes, Mr Cameron said the "desperate humanitarian situation" needed to be dealt with first.

He is visiting an aid distribution centre in Wiltshire later to see some of the UK supplies before they are transported to Iraq.

The UK has successfully completed seven air drops of supplies including clean water and shelter, and is sending a "small number" of RAF Chinook helicopters to the region.

It has already sent RAF Tornado jets equipped with sophisticated surveillance equipment to gather intelligence.

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N Korea Fires Missiles As Pope Visits South

North Korea has launched several missiles into the sea to coincide with a visit by Pope Francis to the South.

Three rockets were fired as the pope's plane approached Seoul - and there were reports of a further three, shortly after he touched down.

All of the short-range missiles landed in the sea off North Korea's east coast, hundreds of miles away from the Pontiff's plane.

Pope Francis arrives in Seoul - the first papal visit to Asia since 1999

The North has tested an unprecedented number of rockets and missiles this year, including many in recent weeks.

It says the launches are in retaliation for US-South Korean military exercises scheduled to start on Monday.

Pyongyang often stages such tests when rival South Korea is in the global spotlight - as is the case with the papal visit - in what is seen as a means of grabbing attention.

The Argentine pope will spend five days in South Korea, meeting some of the country's five million Catholics on the first trip by a pontiff to Asia since 1999.

South Korean troops fire heavy artillery to welcome the pontiff

But much of the attention will be on the Vatican's relations with China. It was the first time a pope had been allowed to fly over China on Asian tours. 

His predecessor, John Paul II, had to avoid Chinese airspace because of the fraught relations between Beijing and the Vatican.

The pope leaves the plane in Seoul

Before touching down in Seoul, Pope Francis sent an unprecedented message of goodwill to China.

"Upon entering Chinese air space, I extend best wishes to your Excellency and your fellow citizens and I invoke the divine blessing of peace and well-being upon the nation," he said in a radio message to President Xi Jinping.

The Vatican has had no formal relations with China since shortly after the Communist Party took power in 1949.

The Catholic Church in China is divided into two communities.

The first is the "official" Church known as the "Patriotic Association" answerable to the Party; the second an underground Church that swears allegiance only to the Pope in Rome.

As the Pope touched down in Seoul, there were reports that some Chinese had been barred from travelling to a youth celebration in South Korea.

A recently released picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

About half of more than 100 Chinese who had planned to attend the Asian Youth Day event during the papal visit were unable to attend.

Heo Young-yeop, spokesman for the Committee for the Papal Visit to Korea, told reporters this was due to "a complicated situation inside China". 

He declined to give further details, citing their safety.

Another organiser, who declined to be identified, said some of the would-be attendees had been arrested by Chinese authorities.

Beijing rejects Vatican authority over its Catholics.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comments either on the Pope's goodwill message or the Chinese who were barred.

About 30 countries will be participating in Asian Youth Day, focused on the formation of a spiritual life, particularly for youth leaders. 

North Korea has turned down an invitation from the South Korean Catholic church for its Korean Catholic Association to attend a papal mass on Monday in Seoul.

The two Koreas have been divided since the 1950-53 Korean war, which left millions of families separated.

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Video: Reporter Confronts Iraq ISIS Militants

UK Carries Out Second Aid Drop In North Iraq

Updated: 3:53pm UK, Tuesday 12 August 2014

The RAF has completed its second aid drop over Northern Iraq, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

More than 3,000 reusable water containers holding 3,500 gallons of water and other "essential supplies" were dropped on Mount Sinjar.

Up to 40,000 Yazidis remain in the sweltering mountains after fleeing militants from the Islamic State (IS).

A previous attempt to drop supplies had to be abandoned for fear it could hurt those on the ground.

A "small number" of Tornado jets are also being sent to the region so they can be used, if required, to help ensure humanitarian supplies are delivered.

The US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Iraq's new Prime Minister Haidar al Abadi to form a new government quickly, following his appointment on Monday.

It had looked like his appointment could result in increased instability after the incumbent prime minister Nuri al Maliki refused to step down from the role he has had for eight years.

But reports from Iraq said many of Mr Maliki's previous supporters backed Mr Abadi's appointment and on Tuesday a senior Iranian official, the Arab League and Saudi Arabia also welcomed the move.

Meanwhile, Mr Maliki ordered Iraq's security forces to stay out of what he called a "political crisis", damping fears they may intervene.

The US has been calling on Baghdad to form an "inclusive" government for many weeks in order to counter the threat from IS, formerly known as ISIS.

Mr Kerry said of Mr Abadi, a former exile in the UK: "We are urging him to form a new cabinet as swiftly as possible and the US stands ready to support a new and inclusive Iraqi government and particularly its fight against (the Islamic State)."

Mr Kerry had been meeting with senior figures in the Australian government and said afterwards that the allies would take the threat posed by jihadist foreign fighters to the United Nations.

The UN move came after Australia's prime minister slammed a "barbaric" photo which apparently showed the seven-year-old son of a militant holding the severed head of a Syrian soldier.

The European Union said it was increasing its aid to Iraq by 5m euros, bringing its total to 17m euros, in addition to the £13m in total provided by the UK.

The US's Centcom military information centre said it had carried out five aid drops on Mount Sinjar and a number of airstrikes on IS targets near the mountains.

France is planning a second aid drop into the mountains of Sinjar in the next two days.

The US has admitted that airstrikes against militants will not be enough to halt the advance of IS.

Joint staff operations director Lieutenant General William Mayville said: "We assess that US airstrikes in northern Iraq have slowed Islamic State (IS) … however, these strikes are unlikely to affect IS's overall capabilities or its operations in other areas."

But Mr Kerry also tried to allay US fears of being drawn back into another ground conflict in the area - 11 years after it launched a war in the country.

"There will be no reintroduction of American combat forces into Iraq. This is a fight that Iraqis need to join on behalf of Iraq," Mr Kerry added.

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Girl, 3, Saved By Dog After Days Lost In Woods

A three-year-old girl has been rescued from a wolf-infested Siberian forest after going missing for nearly two weeks - thanks to her pet dog.

Karina Chikitova's puppy huddled next to her and kept her warm for more than a week before returning home to get help.

The dog then helped rescuers find the child, who hid in long grass during the cold nights and survived on wild berries and river water, the Siberian Times reported.

Karina Chikitova is carried to safety

Dramatic video footage of the rescue revealed the moment Karina was found, frightened and peering out from her grass hiding place.  

"I carried Karina myself to the car, and she was light as a bird," said rescuer Afanasiy Nikolayev. "She was hardly 10kg - but amazingly she was fully conscious."

The remarkable story began after Karina became lost when she wandered away from her home in the remote southwest Sakha Republic region of Russia.

She had been following her father, Rodion, who was unaware his daughter was trying to keep up with him as he made his way to a distant village.

Karina was treated in hospital - but had not suffered any serious injuries

The little girl quickly got lost and spent 11 days and nights in the long grasses of the forest, huddled up to her unnamed pet dog, the Siberian Times reported.

The child's mother believed Karina was with her father and the alarm was only raised four days later when the parents spoke by telephone.

Helicopters and drones joined 100 people in the search for the girl and at one point, as hopes began to fade, rescuers were confronted by a bear.

Hopes faded further when the pet dog returned to the family's village - Olom in Olyokminsky district - without the child.  

More than 100 people joined in the hunt for the youngster

"Two days before we found Karina her puppy came back home," said Mr Nikolayev.

"If she was to hug her puppy, we thought, this would have given her a chance to stay warm during nights and survive."

But the story took a happy twist when the puppy helped to guide the rescuers to the disoriented youngster.

The video footage shows the moment excited rescuers discovered her, after spotting her footprints.

The family pet was among dogs searching for the girl

"It was Karina's puppy that helped the adults find the girl," Mr Nikolayev said.

"She doesn't want to speak about the time she spent in taiga (the forest), or not yet. The only thing she said that she was eating berries and drank water from rivers."

Karina is now in hospital in Yakutsk where doctors are seeking to build her strength.

She has no serious injuries, though she suffered scratches to her feet after losing her shoes. She was also covered in bites from mosquitoes and other insects.

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Iraqis Fleeing ISIS Face 'Desperate' Plight

The US has sent 130 more military advisers to northern Iraq to assess the scope of the humanitarian mission, as the plight of families displaced by Islamist extremists deepens.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the soldiers had been sent to northern Iraq to develop additional humanitarian assistance options beyond the current airdrop effort.

The move is in support of displaced Iraqi civilians, including Christian and Yazidi minority groups, trapped in the Sinjar mountains by Sunni militants of the Islamic State (IS), formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sherine Tadros, in northern Iraq, said the situation was also getting "ever more desperate" for those fleeing the violence and who had managed to escape.

A map detailing the Sinjar mountains

"Many have friends and relatives still stuck in the areas taken over by the militants, with no idea if they will make it out alive," she said.

"We are talking about thousands of people that are now taking refuge wherever they can."

What began as a couple of families squatting on a piece of land owned by a Kurdish businessman, has been transformed into a makeshift refugee camp in Dohuk province which has attracted between 6,000 and 8,000 men, women and children.

Areas the Islamic State has launched offensives and wants to make one state

Tadros said: "There aren't enough tents. There are only about 230 actual tents that have been donated by the local mayor, and so most of them are actually on the floor, without any shelter, and are using bits of metal, anything they can to shelter from the blistering heat.

"There are a couple of showers and bathrooms, but that is it, and the situation is getting worse, by the day, by the hour, as more people come here, completely dependant on locals providing them with food and clothes.

"The owner of this area has told me he doesn't even know if he is going to be able to feed all of these people this afternoon.

A man gestures to a crater caused by a suicide car bomb blast in Baghdad

"And these of course, are considered the lucky ones, the ones who did manage to escape."

In terms of those that have been trapped in the mountains for days and weeks, US Secretary of State John Kerry said: "We will make a very rapid and critical assessment because we understand it is urgent to try to move those people."

Since June the US has sent about 700 military personnel to Iraq to protect diplomats there and take stock of the country's military capacity.

Western powers and international aid agencies are considering further help for the thousands of refugees driven from their homes by IS fighters near the Syrian border.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has so far resisted calls from MPs and senior military commanders for UK forces to join the US in taking military action against IS extremists.

Instead, the UK has stepped up its humanitarian focus in northern Iraq, with a total of five successful aid airdrops over northern Iraq.

Mr Kerry said the US would consider requests for military and other assistance once Iraq's new prime minister-designate forms a government to unite the country.

Haider al Abadi has received support from the US and Iran as well as Sunni neighbours Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

However, his Shi'ite party colleague Nuri al Maliki has refused to step aside after eight years as prime minister.

Meanwhile, at least eight people were killed in a car bomb blast in a shopping district of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, near the home of Mr Abadi, on Tuesday night.

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Medics Desperate To Help Paralysed Gaza Girl

By Katie Stallard, Sky Correspondent, in Gaza

Maha is seven years old and paralysed from the neck down.

Her mother and sister were killed in the airstrike on their house. She remembers everything about it.

She told Sky News: "We were sitting at home when we heard the noise. So we went down under the stairs.

"This is where we were injured. Some of us stayed alive, some of us died.

"Those who stayed alive were injured, all the family was injured.

"Me and my mother were injured, and we knew if we stayed like this we would die. But my mother stayed at home and she died."

Maha watches everything around her, she understands what is being said, but she doesn't understand why she can't move her arms and legs.

She said: "I feel like I can't do anything with my body. And when I move like this I can't feel my body moving."

She has been like this for 22 days now.

Her family tells her that she will get better, but any real hope of that depends on urgent treatment abroad.

Mahasen Sheikh Khalil, her aunt, explained: "She doesn't know that she could stay paralysed like this.

"She's waiting to go for treatment abroad so she might get well.

"She says to me, 'Aunt, if I can move my hand then I can eat by myself. I just want to stand up, move and play.'"

The family has been told there are three hospitals willing to treat Maha - in Germany, Turkey, and the US - and a sponsor has agreed to cover the cost.

But they need to get her our of Gaza first, and they are still waiting for permission from Israel.

Palestinian aid workers are trying to help, but the sad truth is there are other children like Maha here, all of whom need equally immediate care.

Her doctor, neurosurgeon Basil Baker at al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, told us that with every day that goes by, her chances of nerve recovery fade.

He explained: "Her lower limbs are lost. The recovery for the upper limbs is the aim.

"If she remains here and gets an infection, it will be difficult to treat.

"This means that she will be worse, we will not have any chance for any nerve recovery."

He hopes that she might be eligible for stem cell therapy in the future.

At the very least, he said, she deserves to be registered as a possible candidate.

Maha has already lived through three wars - she has learned how to be brave.

She has also learned how to hate.

"I would love the Israelis to die so I can stay alive," she said.

"So nobody else from our side would be killed. Because they killed and injured a lot of us."

Maha used to want to be a doctor when she grew up, now she wants to be in the resistance.

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