Jerusalem: Hamas Rocket Attack Targets City

A rocket has been fired at Jerusalem by Hamas - the first time the holy city is thought to have been targeted by Gaza militants using such a weapon.

Israeli police said the rocket landed in an open area near Gush Ezion, a collection of Jewish settlements in the West Bank southeast of the city.

The rocket caused no damage or injuries, the Jewish state's army said.

But an attack on what Israelis call their capital marks a significant escalation by Gaza militants, both for its symbolism and its distance from the Palestinian territory.

Located about 55 miles away from the Gaza border, Jerusalem had been thought to be beyond the range of Gaza rocket squads.

The armed wing of Hamas, Al Qassam Brigades, said on Twitter: "Al Qassam Brigades launch two M75 homemade missiles towards occupied Jerusalem."

Four Palestinians have been killed in a new Israeli strike on Gaza, a Hamas health ministry spokesman said, as multiple new raids struck throughout the territory.

Among the four to die was reportedly Ahmed Abu Jalal, a field commander of Hamas's armed wing.

Israeli police detain a Palestinian during clashes in Jerusalem's Old City

Twenty-nine Palestinians - including 13 militants - have now been killed in the recent violence. Three Israelis were killed by a rocket on Thursday.

The Israeli military said nearly 200 rockets fired from Gaza hit Israel on Friday - half were intercepted by its Iron Dome anti-missile system.

Earlier on Friday, there was a second rocket attack by Palestinian militants on Tel Aviv in 24 hours.

Air raid sirens went off in the centre of Israel's largest city on Friday afternoon and people were forced to scramble for cover. There were no reports of any injuries and it is thought to have landed in the sea.

"We are sending a short and simple message: There is no security for any Zionist on any single inch of Palestine and we plan more surprises," Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Hamas militant wing, said of the rockets aimed at Israel's two main cities.

It was the second day in a row that a rocket from Gaza had reached the Tel Aviv area in what Israeli networks said was the first time rockets had been fired at the city since the 1991 Gulf War, when it was hit by Iraqi Scud missiles.

On Thursday, another rocket fell in the sea and the other landed in a Tel Aviv suburb, causing no damage or casualties. Israel responded with airstrikes.

The latest rocket came as the Israeli air force continued a major bombing campaign across Gaza Strip as it targeted suspected rocket launching sites.

Senior Israeli cabinet minister Moshe Yaalon warned that Israel was considering a ground operation in order to stamp out rocket fire.

Hisham Kandil (L) and senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh during the visit

"We are preparing all the military options, including the possibility that forces will be ready to enter Gaza in the event that the firing doesn't stop," he wrote in a series of postings on his official Twitter account.

There were fresh exchanges of fire between Israel and Hamas militants on Friday despite a temporary ceasefire in place for a visit by Egypt's prime minister Hisham Kandil to Gaza.

Several sites in southern Israel have been hit by rockets fired from inside the Gaza Strip, while a Hamas source said the Israeli air force attacked a Hamas commander's house which resulted in the death of two civilians, one a child.

But Israel's military strongly denied carrying out any attack from the time Mr Kandil entered Gaza, and accused Hamas of violating the three-hour deal.

During his visit, the Egyptian PM condemned Israeli action against Gaza as "unacceptable aggression", saying his country will intensify efforts to secure a truce in the conflict.

"This tragedy cannot pass in silence and the world should take responsibility in stopping this aggression," he said at a news conference in Gaza City's Shifa hospital after seeing some victims from an airstrike.

"Egypt will not hesitate to intensify its efforts and make sacrifices to stop this aggression and achieve a lasting truce."

His visit comes as 16,000 Israeli army reservists have been called up and heavy artillery has been seen on the Gaza border, increasing the possibility of a ground attack.

Israeli ministers have reportedly approved the call-up of as many as 75,000 reservists as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held late evening talks with his inner circle.

Air raids sirens have gone off in Jerusalem

Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton said Israel had the right to protect its people against Gaza rocket attacks but urged it to stick to a "proportionate" response.

She also voiced hopes that the Egyptian prime minister "will be able to calm the situation".

And Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague urged both Israel and the Palestinians to make efforts to halt the violence.

But Mr Hague made it clear that he believes Hamas bears the greatest responsibility for the current crisis, as well as the ability to bring it most swiftly to an end.

The conflict has been intensifying over recent weeks, but flared up dramatically in the wake of the Israeli strikes against senior Hamas figures.

Mr Netanyahu has warned his country is prepared to extend its operation against Hamas, sparking fears of a repeat of the ground incursion four years ago in which hundreds died.

Israel's Iron Dome fires an interceptor rocket near Sderot in the south

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New Yorker Jailed For Role In Failed Bomb Plot

A Bosnia-born US citizen has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in a foiled suicide-bomb plot on New York City subways in 2009.

Adis Medunjanin, 28, was convicted this year of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, attempting to commit an act of terrorism and other terrorism charges in a plot authorities called one of the closest calls since the 9/11 attacks.

Prosecutors had argued for a life term for Medunjanin, saying he "committed a host of heinous crimes aimed at killing and maiming his fellow American citizens in order to alter and take revenge for American foreign policy".

The trial ending in May was mostly notable because it featured the first-ever testimony from admitted homegrown terrorists about al Qaeda's determination to strike America on its home turf.

Two of Medunjanin's former high school classmates, Najibullah Zazi and Zarein Ahmedzay, testified that the three men sought terror training after falling under the influence of inflammatory recordings of US-born extremist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

Zazi was flown to New York after his arrest in Colorado in 2009

The government's case was built on the testimony of Zazi, Ahmedzay and two other men: a British would-be shoe bomber and a man originally from Long Island who gave al Qaeda pointers on how best to attack a Walmart store.

Zazi and Ahmedzay, who testified as part of plea deal, told jurors that the scheme unfolded after the trio travelled to Pakistan in 2008 to avenge the US invasion of Afghanistan.

While receiving terror training at outposts in the South Waziristan region of Pakistan, al Qaeda operatives encouraged the American recruits to return home for a suicide-bombing mission intended to spread panic and cripple the economy.

Among the targets considered were the New York Stock Exchange, Times Square and Grand Central Terminal, the men testified.

In a later meeting in New York, the plotters decided to strap on bombs and blow themselves up at rush hour on Manhattan subway lines because the transit system is "the heart of everything in New York City," Zazi said.

When leaving Pakistan, Zazi relocated to Colorado, where he perfected a homemade detonator in a hotel room and set out for New York City by car around the eighth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Zazi moved to Colorado after returning from Pakistan

The plot - financed in part by $50,000 (£31,500) in credit card charges - was abandoned after Zazi noticed that everywhere he drove in New York, a car followed.

"I think law enforcement is on us," he recalled telling Ahmedzay. Later, he said he told Medunjanin in a text message, "We are done."

Aside from Zazi and Ahmedzay, two other convicted terrorists were called as witnesses to give a rare glimpse into al Qaeda's training methods and the mindset of its leadership.

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BP: Manslaughter Charges Over Oil Disaster

Two employees of BP face manslaughter charges over the Gulf of Mexico spill, as the oil giant agrees to pay a record £2.8bn fine.

Legal papers allege that well site leaders Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine acted negligently in their supervision of key safety tests performed on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig before an explosion killed 11 workers in April 2010.

David Rainey, who was BP's vice president of exploration for the Gulf of Mexico, also faces charges of obstruction of Congress and false statements.

Earlier on Thursday, BP agreed to pay £2.8bn over six years after reaching a deal with the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The company will plead guilty to 14 criminal charges relating to the disaster.

Thick oil from the spill pictured in Louisiana after the disaster

"I want to be clear that today's resolution does mark the end of our efforts, and our criminal investigation remains ongoing," US Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters.

Bob Dudley, chief executive of BP, said: "We apologise for our role in the accident and as today's resolution with the US government further reflects, we have accepted responsibility for our actions."

Under the deal, BP has pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts of misconduct or neglect and three misdemeanour counts - including one under the Clean Water Act and one for obstructing Congress.

BP will pay £2.5bn to the DoJ in instalments over five years. It will pay an additional £331m to the SEC over a period of three years.

The oil company will make the first payment of £110m to the SEC this year.

The group has already paid out more than £24bn relating to the oil spill.

Mr Dudley said: "All of us at BP deeply regret the tragic loss of life caused by the Deepwater Horizon accident as well as the impact of the spill on the Gulf Coast region."

He added: "Since the spill, we have worked hard to rebuild confidence in the company.

"We take seriously not only our commitment to safety and operational excellence but also our communications with stakeholders, including the public, the government and our investors."

The settlement removes some of the uncertainty hanging over the stock since the disaster, but it does not cover outstanding civil claims against the group.

BP said it will "continue to vigorously defend itself" against civil claims and allegations of gross negligence.

"We are open to settlements, but only on reasonable terms," said Mr Dudley.

The settlement does not include individual civil claims or any compensation sought from individual states along the Gulf Coast.

BP said, as part of the settlement, it had agreed to improve safety at its Gulf of Mexico drilling operations and appoint two monitors to review safety and ethics at the company.

The group has struggled to repair its reputation after the Deepwater explosion, despite paying out billions of dollars so far to cover costs and claims.

It has been selling assets as part of its pledge to raise cash to pay the costs of the Gulf of Mexico disaster.

It has recently sold a Texas City refinery, five oil and gas fields in the US Gulf of Mexico and its Bristol-based liquified petroleum gas (LPG) distribution arm.

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Israel Calls Up Thousands Of Reservists

Israel has approved the call-up of 30,000 reservists as it moves troops towards Gaza.

It increases the prospect of a ground war - while Palestinian militants fired rockets at Tel Aviv, Israel's main commercial city, for the first time in 20 years. 

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley said: "In British terms, the number (of reservists) is pretty close to 10 brigades - a vast number of troops. These will be armour, infantry and specialists in support, but most likely to fill in the gaps likely to be left as troops are moved down towards Gaza.

"There's already been an increase in movement of ground troops close to Gaza, the movement of tanks and so on.

"If there is going to be a ground offensive, those troops have got to come from somewhere else and they would need to be back-filled.

"So, in all likelihood, this is all part of the military planning for a ground assault into Gaza, should the Israeli prime minister so order.

"It's part of the plan, but that order has not yet been given. But this is a strong indication that Israeli troops are preparing to go into the Gaza Strip."

The head of Hamas' military wing Ahmed al Jaabari who was killed

Downing Street said Prime Minister David Cameron spoke to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday evening.

A spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister said that he was extremely concerned by the dangerous situation and deeply sorry for the loss of civilian life on both sides.

"He said the rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel by Hamas and other armed groups were completely unacceptable and that the increasing frequency of rocket attacks in recent days was the immediate cause of the situation.

"He made clear that Hamas bears the principal responsibility for crisis.

"The Prime Minister said that the priority must be to de-escalate the crisis. He called on Mr Netanyahu to do all he could to avoid civilian casualties and emphasised that both sides needed to avoid a spiral of violence that would be in no-one's interest, particularly at a time of instability in the region."

Medics say the baby son of a BBC Arabic employee died in an Israeli strike

France says its President, Francois Hollande, has spoken to Mr Netanyahu to try to avoid an escalation in the violence. And Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged both sides to exercise restraint.

Earlier, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired missiles at Tel Aviv, Israel's largest city, in a significant escalation in the conflict.

One fell in an open area near Rishon Lezion on the outskirts of Tel Aviv and caused no damage or injuries.

Air raid sirens later sounded in Tel Aviv and witnesses said they heard an explosion. But a military spokesman said that rocket had landed in the sea. 

With claims that Palestinian militants fired nearly 150 rockets on Thursday, killing three people, defence officials said Israel was prepared to launch a ground invasion into Gaza, if necessary.

Mr Netanyahu said the army was prepared for a "significant widening" of its Gaza offensive. In a televised address, he said: "We will not tolerate a situation in which Israeli citizens are threatened by rocket fire."

A car destroyed by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants

Three people were killed in the Israeli town of Kiryat Malahi when a rocket hit an apartment block.

The casualties were the first since Israel's airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday which killed Hamas' top military commander Ahmed al Jaabari.

The White House said the US strongly condemned the rocket fire from Gaza into Israel.

Spokesman Jay Carney said there is "no justification" for the violence perpetrated by Hamas and other terrorist organisations.

Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi has rejected what he called Israel's aggression in Gaza, saying it threatened to destabilise the region. He has ordered his prime minister Hesham Kandil to lead a delegation to Gaza on Friday.

Egypt's Islamist administration has close ties with the Hamas movement and recalled its ambassador on Wednesday in protest at the Israeli action.

Pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demos at the Israeli Embassy in London

US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon both telephoned Mr Netanyahu ahead of an urgent UN Security Council meeting on the deteriorating situation.

According to the White House, Mr Obama reiterated US support for Israel's right to self-defence against rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip but urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties in the Palestinian territory.

They agreed that Hamas must stop the attacks, which have seen hundreds of rockets fired into Israel over the last five days, in order to allow tensions to ease.

Mr Ban told the Israeli PM of his expectation that "Israeli reactions are measured so as not to provoke a new cycle of bloodshed," the UN said.

He also expressed his concerns about "an alarming escalation of indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza into Israel".

So far, at least 15 people, including Mr Jaabari, have been killed in more than 50 Israeli airstrikes - codenamed Operation Pillar Of Defence. Two young children were among the dead.

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Hamas Must Make A Deadly Israel Calculation

Israel's dramatic escalation of the situation in Gaza was inevitable.

The rocket fire from Gaza into Israel had been steadily increasing, not just over the past two weeks, but the past three years.

In the aftermath of Israel's punitive ground and air offensive in Gaza in 2008 the rate of missiles fired into Israel, which had been increasing, fell away substantially.

In 2009, 310 missiles were fired, in 2010 there were 400, in 2011 - 850, and so far this year around 1,200.

The 2012 statistic is similar to the level in 2008 which triggered Operation Cast Lead.

On Monday, the Israeli government issued a very pointed statement saying that if rocket fire continued it would hold Hamas responsible.

The Israelis knew that most of the missiles were fired by groups such as Islamic Jihad, but they were warning Hamas that as the governing power in Gaza it would targeted if more missiles were fired.

It was no surprise when, after several more missiles fell in Israel, the IDF went after the Hamas military leader Ahmed Jibril and other Hamas targets including police stations.

Israel will continue to target Hamas as well as other groups in Gaza and there is likely to be 'collateral damage'.

The Israelis may well be using what are called 'precision weapons', but Gaza is so crowded with people, and the militant groups deliberately hide among the civilians, that it's probable there will be civilian casualties. There is no cover for the Gaza civilians in which to shelter.

On the other side of the border, about a million Israelis, within range of the rockets, will spend the next few days in bunkers.

The schools are closed and economic activity will slow dramatically.

In many ways, the next move belongs to Hamas. It has a very difficult, indeed deadly, calculation to make.

The Israeli air strikes are to tell Hamas they will be hammered, if rocket fire continues.

But for Hamas to survive it has to be seen to be 'the resistor'. If not it will cede that title to even more radical Islamist groups. So it is probable there will be return fire.

Hamas also has the very deep pockets of Qatar to help them. This flare-up comes shortly after the Emir visited Gaza promising massive support. If Gaza suffers the way it did four years ago, the Qataris will help Hamas rebuild.

The missiles fired from Gaza are indiscriminate. They do not have guidance systems and thus are not precise. They are fired towards Israeli towns with the intention of causing as many civilian casualties as possible. However, they usually fall in open ground.

The calculation Hamas has to make is how many missiles it allows to be fired. There is a number, and they don't know what it is, above which will trigger a ground operation by the IDF similar to Operation Cast Lead.

Every missile fired carries the risk of triggering the ground attack because if there is a single Israeli civilian fatality caused by rocket fire, the IDF will probably go in.

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Gaza Airstrikes: Obama Urges Calm From Israel

Israeli Offensive In Gaza Is Risky

Updated: 12:27am UK, Thursday 15 November 2012

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent

Israel's spectacular escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip in a bid to secure its southern population against the constant threat from Palestinian rockets risks having the opposite effect.

In the worst case scenario it could undermine the bedrock of the Jewish state's security. This is its peace treaty with Egypt, Israel's southern neighbour.

Within hours of the latest bloodletting, which began with an Israeli air force missile strike on the moving car of Ahmed Jabari, the leader of Hamas' military wing, Egypt had ordered its ambassador out of Tel Aviv and the Israeli envoy to Cairo was packing his bags.

Egypt had played an important role in persuading Hamas to de-escalate its own attacks on Israel and police more militant groups in the Strip which it has ruled since 2007.

Cairo managed just such an agreement the day before Israel launched Operation Pillar of Defence, its new campaign to decapitate Hamas.

More than 100 rockets and mortars had been launched into Israel in the previous 24 hours.

Israel understandably could not tolerate a barrage which sooner or later would cause civilian casualties.

It has promised a campaign lasting several days. It issued sneering Tweets warning Hamas operatives no matter how lowly, not to emerge from underground shelters.

There was a time perhaps even in 2008 when Israel launched its last campaign in Gaza, that Israel might have been able to impose peace for itself by force.

But a Harmattan of revolutionary fervour has blown through the Islamic world carrying with it the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies into the presidency of Egypt. Hamas is to some extent, a child of the Brotherhood.

Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's president, is a member of the movement. He may be exasperated by Hamas' petulance and its violence if he does not want to see it dismembered.

The Arab street has never been keen on peace with the 'Zionist Entity'. Morsi knows this, and while he has insisted he will respect Egypt's treaties, his spokesmen have warned of regional insecurity if Israel persists with its military campaign.

They do not mean that Egypt will give up on peace - rather that the violent al Qaeda-linked groups that have been growing in strength in the Sinai and elsewhere in Egypt will draw strength from the spectacle of Israeli aggression in Gaza.

But for Israel to leave Hamas intact now would look like a defeat. Destroying it could be worse, a regional conflagration might follow.

The best hope to avoid these nightmare scenarios is for the United States, the biggest donors to Israel, Egypt, and the Palestinians to step in and demand that all sides engage in a Washington sponsored peace process.

So far there hasn't been a whiff of that.

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Petraeus' Successor John Allen In Email Probe

Petraeus Affair Scandal: Timeline

Updated: 9:33am UK, Tuesday 13 November 2012

The end of General David Petraeus' career has raised several questions about when the affair began and who knew about it. Here is a timeline of events according to officials involved in the investigation.

:: Spring 2006 Paula Broadwell meets Gen Petraeus at Harvard University, where she is a graduate student. Petraeus is a lieutenant general working on a manual about counterinsurgency and is invited to give a speech about his experiences in Iraq.

:: January 2007 Gen Petraeus is confirmed as the commanding general of US troops in Iraq.

:: 2008 Ms Broadwell begins to study his leadership, and he invites her on a run with him and his team along Washington's Potomac River.

:: October 2008 Petraeus is named commander of US Central Command, based at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, where Jill Kelley and her husband attend social events alongside the area's military elite.

:: June 2010 Gen Petraeus is confirmed as the new commander of the war in Afghanistan and Ms Broadwell expands her research to become an authorised biography, making multiple trips to the country and getting unprecedented access to Gen Petraeus and his staff.

:: September 2011 He is sworn in as CIA director with his wife, Holly, by his side. Mr Broadwell keeps in contact and is invited to his office for events, including a meeting with Angelina Jolie. In November of that year, the pair begin an extramarital affair, according to retired Army Colonel Steve Boylan.

:: January 2012 Ms Broadwell's biography is released and she tells her local paper, the Bismark Tribune, that he is an inspirational figure.

:: May 2012 Ms Kelley, a socialite, starts to receive harassing emails and an FBI probe begins. They later determine the email trail leads to Ms Broadwell. Emails between Gen Petraeus and Ms Broadwell suggest an affair.

:: July 2012 The affair ends, according to Col Boylan, a friend of Gen Petraeus. The FBI has concluded there was no security breach, but continues to look at whether Gen Petraeus had any involvement in emails sent to Ms Kelley.

:: October 2012 By the end of the month, Ms Broadwell and Gen Petraeus have acknowledged the affair following questioning by the FBI. He is urged to resign by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

:: November 8 Gen Petraeus asks Barack Obama if he can resign, on the day the president returns from election celebrations in Chicago. Mr Obama accepts the resignation a day later.

:: November 9 Ms Broadwell's husband emails guests to cancel her 40th birthday party, scheduled for that weekend.

:: November 10 Ms Broadwell's biography of Gen Petraeus jumps to 111th place on Amazon, up from 76,792nd the day before as her identity becomes known.

:: November 12 Members of Congress demand to know more details about the sequence of events and FBI agents begin searching the North Carolina home of Ms Broadwell.

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CCTV Captures Terrifying Brazil Plane Crash

A security camera has captured the dramatic moment a light aircraft overshot a runway and crashed to the ground close to a major road in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

The corporate jet was landing at Congonhas Airport on Sunday when it overshot its designated runway, slid down an embankment, "bounced" on a retaining wall and crashed to the ground in a cloud of smoke.

Brazilian media reports claimed the pilot of the Cessna 525B Citation aircraft suffered serious injuries in the crash, but two passengers were largely unhurt.

The aircraft allegedly failed to brake after touching down on the runway at the airport before smashing to the ground with its engines still operating.

All three people on board were able to escape the wreckage as fire crews doused the aircraft.

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Syria: Opposition Form Coalition Against Assad

Syria's divided opposition groups have struck a deal to form a new umbrella organisation which they hope will defeat President Bashar al Assad.

After four days of wrangling in Qatar, representatives of groups including rebel fighters, veteran dissidents and ethnic and religious minorities agreed to form the coalition supported by Western and Arab backers.

Muslim cleric Ahmed Moaz al Khatib, 52, a Damascus moderate who left Syria three months ago, was elected president of the coalition, with prominent dissident Riad Seif and female opposition figure Suhair al Atassi chosen as his deputies.

Mr Seif, who championed the US-backed reform proposals on which the agreement was based, said the group had signed a 12-point agreement to establish the coalition.

In a document seen by journalists, the parties have agreed "to work for the fall of the regime and of all its symbols and pillars", and ruled out any dialogue with Mr Assad's government.

They agreed to unify the fighting forces under a supreme military council and to set up a national judicial commission for rebel-held areas.

A provisional government would be formed after the coalition "gains international recognition", and a transitional government after the regime has fallen.

It remains to be seen whether the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces can overcome four decades of rule by President Assad's family.

But for those allies who see the coalition emulating Libya's Transitional National Council, the deal has been welcomed.

The new coalition is aiming to break a stalemate Syria's civil war

"We will strive from now on to have this new body recognised completely by all parties ... as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," said Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim of Qatar, a supporter of the rebels.

Turkish foreign minister Ahmed Davutoglu said there was "no excuse any more" for foreign governments not to support an opposition whose internal divisions had given many pause.

France, a vocal backer of the rebels and which once ruled Syria, hailed the deal.

"France will work with its partners to secure international recognition of this new entity as the representative of the aspirations of the Syrian people," said foreign minister Laurent Fabius.

The US had also strongly promoted the plan for the Doha meeting to unite the various factions.

Meanwhile, Israel has fired warning shots into Syria after mortar fire from fighting in the civil war-hit nation hit the UN-monitored ceasefire line between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights.

It was the first time Israel has been drawn into the unrest in the neighbouring country, and was the first Israeli fire directed at the Syrian military since the 1973 war.

It came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that Israel was "ready for any development" and as his defence minister warned a "tougher response" would follow.

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Australia: Warning As Bushfire Destroys Homes

Around 150 firefighters have been battling a bushfire in South Australia, which has destroyed at least seven homes.

The large blaze at Tulka tore through about 5,000 acres of scrubland and residents were evacuated from their homes.

The fire burned within containment lines but was yet to be brought under control.

Fire service spokesman Malim Watts said despite a change in the wind, Tulka, seven miles south of Port Lincoln, still faced a serious fire threat.

"When this fire started it took off at incredible speed. Very dangerous conditions, catastrophic conditions in fact which basically means that for that community it's a day of survival," said Mr Watts.

It was unclear what sparked the fire but it quickly gathered force due to the hot weather.

A koala is given water by a driver amid a blaze

A similar number of firefighters also battled a blaze at Humbug Scrub, north east of Adelaide, he added.

There was a lucky escape there for a koala, which was spotted by a driver and given water.

"He had a bit of a drink of water. Yeah, but he's but he's not looking too well really," the man said.

A number of other fires were also being tackled in the state.

Officials are warning of a long and difficult summer ahead for firefighters, as South Australia and most other states are anticipating hot and dry weather ahead.

"We've had a lot of rainfall, a lot of growth, a lot of vegetation and we're expecting a very busy fire season as a consequence of that," a fire official said.

Southeastern Australia was last devastated by bushfires in February 2009, when a horrific blaze swept through Victoria state, killing 173 people and destroying more than 2,000 homes.

It was Australia's worst natural disaster in modern times.

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Greece Passes 2013 Austerity Budget

Greek lawmakers have approved the country's 2013 austerity budget involving fresh spending cuts.

The budget passed by a 167-128 vote in the 300-member Parliament.

It came days after a separate bill of deep spending cuts and tax hikes for the next two years squeaked through with a narrow majority following severe disagreements among the three parties in the governing coalition.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras pledged that the spending cuts will be the last Greeks have to endure.

"Just four days ago, we voted the most sweeping reforms ever in Greece," he said.

"The sacrifices (in the earlier bill and the budget) will be the last. Provided, of course, we implement all we have legislated.

"Greece has done what it was asked to do and now is the time for the creditors to make good on their commitments."

Athens says that with the passage of the two bills, the next loan instalment, worth 31.5bn euros, should be disbursed. Without it, the government has said it will run out of cash on Friday, when 5bn euros worth of treasury bills mature.

Finance ministers from the 17-nation eurozone are meeting in Brussels later today, with Greece high on the agenda.

However, German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has indicated it is unlikely that the ministers will decide on the disbursement at that meeting.

"We all... want to help Greece, but we won't be put under pressure," Mr Schaeuble told the  newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

Mr Schaeuble said the so-called troika of debt inspectors likely won't deliver their report on Greece's reform program by Monday. The creditors also want to see what the debt inspectors have to say about Greece's debt sustainability.

But speaking minutes before the vote, Mr Samaras pledged the bailout funds would be disbursed "on time".

Finance minister Yannis Stournaras also stressed the precariousness of Greece's cash reserves, with the treasury bills due on Friday.

"Without the help of the European Central Bank, the refunding of these treasury bills from the banking system will lead the private sector to complete suffocation," Mr Stournaras said.

Disbursement of the next installment is essential "because the state's available funds are marginal, although better than expected because the 2012 budget is being executed better than expected," he said, adding that the funds are needed to pay salaries and pensions, as well as for the import of medicines, fuel and food.

Greece is mired in a deep recession heading into its sixth year, with more than a quarter of Greeks unemployed.

Battered by a mountain of debt and a gaping budget deficit, Greece has been relying on international bailout loans from other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund since May 2010.

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Syria Opposition Form Coalition Against Assad

Syria's opposition groups have agreed after days of wrangling to unite against President Bashar al Assad and elected a moderate cleric as its leader.

After four days of talks in Qatar, representatives of groups including rebel fighters, veteran dissidents and ethnic and religious minorities agreed to form a new coalition that its Western and Arab backers hope can topple Mr Assad.

Muslim cleric Ahmed Moaz al Khatib, 52, a Damascus moderate who left quit Syria three months ago, was elected president of the coalition, with prominent dissident Riad Seif and female opposition figure Suhair al Atassi chosen as his deputies.

Mr Seif, who championed the US-backed reform proposals on which the agreement was based, said the group signed "a 12-point agreement to establish a coalition".

In a document seen by journalists, the parties have agreed "to work for the fall of the regime and of all its symbols and pillars", and ruled out any dialogue with Mr Assad's government.

They agreed to unify the fighting forces under a supreme military council and to set up a national judicial commission for rebel-held areas.

A provisional government would be formed after the coalition "gains international recognition", and a transitional government after the regime has fallen.

It remains to be seen whether the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces can overcome four decades of rule by President Assad's family.

But for allies who see the coalition emulating Libya's Transitional National Council, the deal has been welcomed.

Can the new coalition break a stalemate Syria's civil war?

"We will strive from now on to have this new body recognised completely by all parties... as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," said Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim of Qatar, a supporter of the rebels.

Turkish foreign minister Ahmed Davutoglu said there was "no excuse any more" for foreign governments not to support an opposition whose internal divisions had given many pause.

France, a vocal backer of the rebels and which once ruled Syria, hailed the deal.

"France will work with its partners to secure international recognition of this new entity as the representative of the aspirations of the Syrian people," foreign minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement.

The US had also strongly promoted the plan for the Doha meeting to unite the various factions.

Meanwhile, Israel has fired warning shots into Syria after mortar fire from fighting in the civil war-hit nation hit the UN-monitored ceasefire line between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights.

It was the first time Israel has been drawn into the unrest in the neighbouring country, and was the first Israeli fire directed at the Syrian military since the 1973 war.

It came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that Israel was "ready for any development" and as his defence minister warned a "tougher response" would follow.

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Syria: 'Casualties After Two Large Blasts'

Two large explosions have struck the Syrian city of Deraa, causing multiple casualties, according to the state-run news agency.

The blasts were reportedly followed by clashes between regime forces and rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad.

Activists said dozens of members of the Syrian security forces were killed when two cars loaded with explosives drove into a military camp.

In what could have been a double suicide attack, the first car was driven into the camp and exploded, followed by the second vehicle, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Deraa was the birthplace of the Syrian uprising against Mr Assad

The blast from the second vehicle caused the casualties, it added.

Deraa, in the south of the country, was the birthplace of the Syrian uprising against Mr Assad, which erupted in March 2011.

The conflict began largely with peaceful protests against his rule but turned bloody after rebels took up arms in response to the regime's crackdown.

Activists say more than 36,000 people have died in Syria during the 19-month-long uprising.

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China To Step Up Space Ambitions In 2013

China is stepping up its ambitious space exploration programme with another manned space mission early next summer, according to its official news agency Xinhua.

The Shenzhou-10, with three crew members, is aiming for a primary launch window in June according to Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of the manned space programme.

Mr Niu, speaking on the sidelines of China's 18th Communist Party Congress in Beijing, said officials had identified a back-up launch window for July or August.

He also revealed that one of the three astronauts would probably be a woman.

Shenzhou-9 astronauts, from left, Liu Wang, Jing Haipeng and Liu Yang

China sent its first female astronaut, Liu Yang, into space earlier this year on the Shenzhou-9 in the country's first manual space docking mission.

The docking procedure was a major milestone in the country's ambitious space programme that has a goal of building a space station by 2020.

China has said it is working towards landing a man on the moon, but has not specified a time-frame.

The last time a man landed on the moon was during the United States' 1972 Apollo 17 mission.

Beijing has said it will also attempt to land an exploratory craft on the moon for the first time in the second half of next year and transmit back a survey of the lunar surface.

China sees its space programme as a symbol of its rising global stature, growing technical expertise, and the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.

The country sent its first man into space in 2003. It completed a space walk in 2008 and an unmanned docking between a module and rocket last year.

The US is not expected to test a new rocket to take people into space until 2017, and Russia has said manned missions are no longer a priority.

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