Ukraine Rights Abuses Flagged Up By Amnesty

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

Hundreds of people have been abducted and subjected to horrific beatings in the troubled eastern region of Ukraine, according to campaign group Amnesty International.

After the collapse of the pro-Russian government of President Yanukovych in February this year, Russia seized control of Crimea and separatists in the east of the country have been fighting Ukrainian government forces, prompting the biggest east-west showdown since the Cold War.

Amnesty International's report has gathered information on abductions and attacks such as beatings and torture meted out to activists, protesters and journalists as Kiev lost its hold over the region.

A soldier looking out from an armoured vehicle in eastern Ukraine

"With hundreds abducted over the last three months, the time has come to take stock of what has happened, and stop this abhorrent ongoing practice," said Amnesty's Denis Krivosheev.

There are no comprehensive or reliable figures for the number of abductions - Ukraine itself says there were nearly 500 cases between April and June 2014 but the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission for Ukraine says it recorded 222 cases of abductions in the last three months.

Amnesty says most are being carried out by armed separatists, with the victims often subjected to beatings and torture. But it says there is also evidence of a smaller number of abuses by pro-Kiev forces.

A pro-Russian separatist in the eastern town of Donetsk

It says abductions have taken place across eastern Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

"Now that pro-Kiev forces are re-establishing control over Slavyansk, Kramatorsk and various other places in eastern Ukraine, new captives are being released almost daily with an increasing number of disturbing cases emerging," said Mr Krivosheev..

"It is time that these are meticulously documented with perpetrators brought to justice with victims awarded compensation."

Hanna, a pro-Ukrainian activist, told Amnesty International how she was abducted by armed men in the eastern city of Donetsk on May 27.

Ukraine troops took control of Slavyansk

She said she was held for six days before being released in a prisoner exchange. She described how she was violently interrogated.

"My face was smashed, he punched me in the face with his fist, he was trying to beat me everywhere, I was covering myself with my hands … I was huddled in the corner, curled up in a ball with my hands around my knees. He was angry that I was trying to protect myself. He went out and came back with a knife."

Hanna showed scars on her neck, arms and legs where she says she was sliced with the blade: there is a stab wound in her knee, her right index finger is still heavily bandaged in a plastic splint.

The eastern town was badly shelled last week

She also described how her interrogator made her write a separatist slogan on the wall, in her own blood.

While most abductions appear to have a "political" motivation, there is clear evidence that abduction and torture is being used by armed groups to exert fear and control over local populations. People have also being abducted for ransom.

Sasha, a 19-year-old pro-Ukrainian activist, fled to Kiev after he was abducted by separatists at gunpoint in Luhansk. He said he was beaten repeatedly for 24 hours.

President Poroshenko was elected in May

"They beat me with their fists, a chair, anything they could find. They stubbed out cigarettes on my leg and electrocuted me. It went on for so long, I couldn't feel anything anymore, I just passed out," he said.

He was finally released after his father paid a $60,000 ransom (£35,010).

There are allegations of atrocities on both sides.

One local government official in Mariupol, who wished to remain anonymous, told Amnesty International how they heard a captive separatist fighter wailing in pain at the hands of pro-Kiev forces who were seemingly trying to extract information about the separatists.

The report was published as Ukrainian officials said a missile attack in by pro-separatist fighters may have killed at least 30 soldiers and border guards, with final figures possibly even higher.

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'Omar The Chechen' Should Come Home, Says Dad

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent, in Pankisi, Georgia

The father of ISIS commander Omar al Shishani has told Sky News his son felt rejected by his country when he left to fight jihad.

With his distinctive red beard, al Shishani has become one of the most recognisable faces of a group now notorious for extreme brutality in its pursuit of an Islamic state across large swathes of Iraq and Syria.

But his father remembers a young man who was never particularly religious, but who always wanted to be a soldier.

Born in the remote Pankisi Gorge in Northern Georgia, an area once seen as a stronghold for Chechen militants, his real name is Tarkhan Batirashvili.

When he was younger, he worked as a shepherd boy in the hills above the gorge, where he reportedly first met Chechen fighters, crossing the Caucasus mountains to fight Russian forces across the border.

Al Shishani was 'tormented' when he was not allowed back in the army

"He was a very good boy, very well behaved," Timur Batirashvili remembers.

"Always very intelligent, very nice, he hated when people lied.

"Do you know what I think now? I didn't know my son. I didn't know him at all."

Tarkhan joined the Georgian army and served in the Russia-Georgia war in 2008. His father said he seemed happy, that he had found his place in the world.

Mr Batirashvili says he son told him to convert to Islam and hung up on him

He was due to be promoted to become an officer, and told his father their lives were about to change, that he was going to earn so much more money.

But then he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and admitted to hospital, after which he was discharged from the army on medical grounds.

He tried and failed to get back in - Mr Batirashvili said he was "tormented" - sent from office to office to no avail.

'Omar the Chechen' comes from Georgia's Pankisi Gorge

A few months later he was arrested and sent to prison for possession of illegal weapons.

"When he came back from prison he was really thin," Mr Batirashvili said.

"He lost his colour in prison, and he told me, 'Father, this means that this country doesn't need me.'

"I haven't seen him ever since. He felt really bad, he was really angry.

"He made a pact that if he left the prison alive he would start a holy war for God.

"'I will start a holy war in the name of God', he said, and that's what he's doing right now."

He reappeared in Syria last year under a new name, Omar al Shishani - which translates as Omar the Chechen - and became the leader of an al Qaeda-inspired group, The Army of Emigrants and Partisans, before pledging his allegiance to ISIS.

Mr Batirashvili said his son phoned him once, asking whether everything was okay, and whether he was praying to God.

When he replied that he was praying to Saint George, a Christian saint, al Shishani told him he should convert to Islam and hung up.

We asked him what he would say to his son if he could speak to him now.

He said: "Come back home. I am an old man. I need to be taken care of, I need to be looked after. Come home."

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Aunt Of Young Gaza Victim: 'Enough Is Enough'

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, Gaza City

Shayma was walking with her family in the Bait Hanoun neighbourhood of northern Gaza on Wednesday when an airstrike hit a house near them.

She ran.

Then another strike hit.

She cannot tell this story for herself. She is four-years-old, and is still unconscious after shrapnel from the second blast tore into her stomach.

She does not yet know that her mother, father and sister were killed in that moment.

Instead her aunt, now her closest living family member and carer, tells this story for her.

Sameh Fayeg Al Masri sits next to her bed in the Al Shiffa hospital in Gaza City, stroking the child's forehead.

She watches her chest raise and fall fitfully - the only sign this otherwise pale, still, shredded body is alive.

Doctors believe she has a chance to recover, but she has a long way to go.

For now Shayma will lie in the children's ward.

Her aunt Sameh, holding back tears with an emotional strength that is as common in Gaza as emotional trauma, tells me enough is enough.

"We have to stop shooting rockets, and they have to stop shooting at us," she said.

"Only innocent children are paying the price. What did this child do to deserve this?"

For some in Gaza such words would be seen as surrender.

But for Sameh, staring at the child lying in front of her, it is the only answer.

"Only God knows if she is going to live or die," she said.

"Pieces of bomb are still inside her. These things should stop. From both sides. It is forbidden to do this."

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Funerals In Gaza As Hamas And Israel Trade Fire

The Calculus Of Conflict For Hamas

Updated: 3:54pm UK, Wednesday 09 July 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

In the morbid calculus of conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants, both sides are drawing satisfaction from the recent bout of violence.

Hamas and its allies will be delighted to know that some 3.5 million Israelis have been added to their potential target list with the launching of long-range rockets which have landed close to Haifa, over 100 miles north.

The Israelis have mobilised 40,000 troops and are systematically smashing Hamas' military infrastructure with scores of air raids and naval bombardments every day.

It's clear this is now seen as the opportunity for Israel to rid the region of Hamas.

Mark Regev, the Israeli spokesman, told Sky News: "Our strategic goal is ultimately defensive. We want to end rocket attacks not just on southern Israel (as) rockets hit further north."

He added: "Over the last few years, Hamas has built up, in Gaza, a formidable terrorist machine. We're now acting to dismantle that machine".

Mr Regev went on to confirm there were no realistic diplomatic avenues to explore and that Israel was escalating its military operations to "once and for all" destroy Hamas' military capabilities.

Hamas will take a nihilistic satisfaction from this explicit threat.

It is opposed to the existence of the Jewish State.

It recently agreed to form a technocratic government with the Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas, which includes no Hamas members but is a 'technocratic administration'.

Facing declining popularity and economic ruin in Gaza, Hamas will now claim that an attack on it is an attack on all Palestinians.

So a ground invasion is just what a movement, which specialises in suicide attacks, most relishes.

It would be an opportunity for volunteers to ascend to paradise while taking enemy soldiers to "hell".

Israel must know that a ground assault might offer it the opportunity to destroy Hamas, blow up its honeycomb of tunnels beneath Gaza and blow up the vast stockpiles of missiles the militant group is believed to have.

But there is a risk of counter attack from the rear.

The West Bank is already close to a third uprising against Israel.

There were already fears that Israel's mass arrests, house demolitions and the killings of several Palestinians following the murder of three Jewish settler youths near Hebron would trigger a new intifada.

So far, the Palestinian Authority has managed to keep a lid on a wider insurrection but at the cost of being seen as collaborating with Israel in an occupation which shows no sign of ending after the collapse of peace talks earlier this year.

If Israel makes good on its threat to "dismantle" Hamas, Palestinians on the West Bank may rise up.

Or, less likely but now conceivable, the Palestinian Authority may seize a moment of Israeli distraction to dissolve itself, forcing Israel to effectively re-occupy the cities handed over to Palestinian control and turn the clock back over 20 years of largely fruitless negotiation.

A move like that would be a gamble and appear a fatal blow to long-term peace.

It could also be seen as the drastic measure needed to focus the calculations of both sides beyond narrow equations in the conflict.

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Iraq PM Claims Kurds Harbouring ISIS Militants

Iraq's Prime Minister has accused the autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region of being a haven for the Islamic extremists and other Sunni militants.

Nouri al Maliki said the Kurdish capital of Arbil was being used as a headquarters for ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), the group that overran swathes of territory north and west of Baghdad last month.

He also claimed Iraqi Kurdistan was being used as a base for al Qaeda and the group that used to run the country when Saddam Hussein was in power, the Baaths.

Mr al Maliki's comments came as the bodies of 53 men were found near the central Iraqi province of Babil, near the city of Hilla.

Several attacks took place in Babil during the offensive by ISIS but the area where the bodies were found was not close to sites of recent violence and it is not known who killed the men.

Thousands of refugees from northern Iraq have fled to Iraqi Kurdistan

His claims are likely to inflame an already unstable situation in Iraq as Kurdish security forces are among those who have been battling ISIS fighters.

The Prime Minister did not elaborate on his allegations or provide any evidence to back them up.

In his weekly TV address, he said: "Honestly, we cannot be silent over this and we cannot be silent over Arbil being a headquarters for Daash, Baath, al Qaeda and terrorist operations."

"They (militant groups) will lose and so will their hosts because they failed to provide an example of patriotic partnership," he added.

Daash is the former Arabic acronym for ISIS, which is now referring to itself in English as Islamic State.

Kurds have held protests calling for independence

Tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians have fled to Kurdish-controlled areas to escape the militant onslaught.

Mr al Maliki's comments are thought to have been prompted by a Kurdish announcement last week that plans were being sped up to hold a referendum on self-determination.

Kurdish forces have recently moved into areas on the edge of their autonomous region that have been disputed by both sides.

As ISIS fighters swept east and south from Mosul, the Kurds took control of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, creating a buffer zone against the militants.

Observers have claimed the developments of the past month have brought the break-up of the country nearer.

Although Iraqi Kurdistan is considered a sovereign part of Iraq, it has its own government and is not protected by Iraq's internal security forces.

However, it is not officially responsible for dealing with international affairs.

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Israel Airstrike On Gaza 'Kills Five Children'

An Israeli airstrike into Gaza has killed seven civilians, including 5 children, according to Palestinian authorities who say it was the deadliest single bombing so far.

Residents claim two houses were hit in the attack in a densely populated area near Khan Younis.

According to Palestinian officials another 16 people were injured in the attack.

It comes as Prime Minister David Cameron voiced his support for Israel and its response to what he calls "appalling" rocket strikes from Hamas militants.

Locals search through rubble after the attack

The Israeli army has stepped up its offensive on the Gaza Strip in an effort to hit Hamas targets, as militants continue to fire rockets at Israeli cities.

Mr Cameron phoned Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to offer his support.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "(He) spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier this evening about the situation in Israel.

"The Prime Minister strongly condemned the appalling attacks being carried out by Hamas against Israeli civilians.

"The Prime Minister reiterated the UK's staunch support for Israel in the face of such attacks, and underlined Israel's right to defend itself from them."

In response to the escalating conflict, the United Nations Security Council is set to convene in New York on Thursday.

"Gaza is on a knife-edge," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

"The deteriorating situation is leading to a downward spiral which could quickly get out of control. The risk of violence expanding further still is real."

The exchange of fire marks the heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas since an eight-day battle in November 2012.

More than 3 million Israeli citizens are under threat of rocket attack

The IDF launched the major air campaign above Gaza on Tuesday, targeting the homes of suspected militants and concealed rocket launch locations.

More than 400 airstrikes have taken place, with 50 people killed in Gaza.

Israel said it had hit more than 300 targets and Hamas positions throughout Gaza.

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) said "at least 82 rockets hit Israel" on Wednesday, and 21 were intercepted.

Hamas said it fired three rockets on Wednesday at Dimona, targeting what Israel claimed was its highly secure nuclear reactor site.

Israel has launched repeated airstrikes to thwart militants in Gaza

There have been no Israeli deaths, but the barrages have paralysed business in southern communities.

Mr Netanyahu has warned Hamas that it will pay a "heavy price" for the rocket attacks, many of which have targeted populated areas of Israel.

The Israeli cabinet has said it may also send in ground troops and has authorised the call-up of as many as 40,000 reservists.

Israel has started to amass troops around the Gaza Strip

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has accused Israel of committing atrocities in Gaza.

Mr Abbas said: "It's genocide - the killing of entire families is genocide by Israel against our Palestinian people."

The US State Department said it has called for all sides to deescalate, but reiterated Israel's right of self-defence.

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Brazil Coach: 'It's The Worst Day Of My Life'

Luiz Felipe Scolari said watching his side being crushed 7-1 by Germany in the World Cup semi-final was the worst day of his life.

The Brazil team huddle after their humiliating defeat

And Brazil president Dilma Rousseff said she was sad and sorry.

Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella, whose side play Holland in the other semi-final on Wednesday, said the result was "not normal" but showed "why (football) is beautiful".

Here is more of what they and others had to say about the "extraordinary" and "bewildering" game in Belo Horizonte:

Scolari: 'We tried our best'

BRAZIL COACH LUIZ FELIPE SCOLARI

"If I were to think of my life as a footballer, as a coach, as a physical education teacher, I think it was the worst day of my life.

"I'm going to be remembered probably because I lost 7-1, the worst defeat in Brazil's history, but that was a risk I knew I was running when I walked into this position.

"My message for the Brazilian people and fans is that we tried to do what we could, we lost to a great team who had the skill to end the game in just six or seven minutes with four goals."

Luiz takes a tumble during the game

BRAZIL STAND-IN CAPTAIN DAVID LUIZ

"I just wanted to make my people happy. Unfortunately, we couldn't. I'm sorry, I'm sorry to all Brazilians, I just wanted to see them smile, everyone knows how important it was."

Cesar walking off the pitch

BRAZIL GOALKEEPER JULIO CESAR

"It's very hard to explain the unexplainable."

Rousseff: 'We won't stay down'

BRAZIL PRESIDENT DILMA ROUSSEFF

"Like every Brazilian, I am very, very sad about this defeat. I am immensely sorry for all of us. But we won't let ourselves stay down. Brazil, get up, dust yourself off and move forward."

A shocked Brazil fan

BRAZIL FAN RIBEIRO FRANCA AFTER GERMANY'S FIFTH GOAL

"Five-nil is so embarassing, we're not going to stay any longer. One-nil is fine, one-one, two-one, two-two, but five-nil is shameful for a country that has a tradition of football. Bye. Bye."

Loew: 'It was easy'

GERMAN COACH JOACHIM LOEW

"They were shocked and didn't expect to fall behind. And after that it was an easy match for us. I feel sorry for him (Scolari). I think I know how he feels."

Sabella: 'Foootball is like that'

ARGENTINA COACH ALEJANDRO SABELLA

"Seven-one is not a normal result between two world footballing powers. (But) football can be like that. Sometimes things happen that you don't expect, and that is why it is beautiful."

Brazil players after conceding a goal

FORMER BRAZIL MIDFIELDER JUNINHO PAULISTA

"It will be difficult to recover. Some players I don't think will be back to wear the Brazilian shirt. It is wrong now to criticise the players. On the field, Germany taught us how to play football."

Lineker: 'Just staggering'

FORMER ENGLAND STRIKER GARY LINEKER

"In nigh on half a century of watching football, that's the most extraordinary, staggering, bewildering game I've ever witnessed."

German fans watching the game on TV

FORMER GERMANY MIDFIELDER DIETMAR HAMANN

"Master class from Germany. Clinical, organised, hard-working, unselfish and humble. Very proud of the team. One to go."

Ferdinand: 'I fear for players'

FORMER ENGLAND DEFENDER RIO FERDINAND                           

"I would worry that the Brazilian players might never recover from this. Some might not be able to come back."

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World Cup: Brazil Suffer Humiliating 7-1 Exit

Brazil are out of their own World Cup after an astonishing 7-1 semi-final loss to Germany.

The embarrassment started when Thomas Muller opened the scoring on 11 minutes, before an extraordinary sequence of play saw the Germans bag four goals in six minutes in Belo Horizonte.

Miroslav Klose fired his record 16th World Cup goal on 23 minutes before Muller made it 3-0 two minutes later. Within another minute it was 4-0 thanks to Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira completed the first-half humiliation with a fifth just before the half-hour mark.

Chelsea forward Andre Schurrle scored twice to make it 7-0 in the second half before a late consolation goal for his clubmate Oscar.

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari watches on the sidelines

Even without injured superstar Neymar and suspended captain Thiago Silva, Brazil went into the match as marginal favourites with the bookies due to home advantage.

Their humiliating exit could reignite anger over the cost of hosting the competition.

Most Brazilians have embraced the World Cup over the last three weeks, but the build-up was marred by rioting among those who thought the estimated $11.3 billion (£6.6bn) should have been spent on public services and infrastructure.

A poll of Brazilians beforehand found 60% thought the competition was bad for the country.

Brazilian heartache as their team heads out of the tournament

Ill feeling following their exit will not be helped if rivals Argentina beat Holland to make the final, which will be played in Brazil's iconic Maracana on Sunday.

Those wearing yellow also feel aggrieved that no one was punished for the fierce challenge that left star player Neymar with a broken bone in his back.

The loss is also a blow for President Dilma Rousseff, who was hoping to capitalise on the good feeling that would have followed a sixth World Cup triumph. Campaigning officially began at the weekend ahead of October's election.

Germans celebrate in Berlin

But during the match, sections of the crowd chanted obscenities against Ms Rousseff, who did not attend the game.

"Like every Brazilian, I am very, very sad about this defeat. I am immensely sorry for all of us. Fans and our players," Ms Rousseff wrote on Twitter.

"But we won't let ourselves stay down," she said, before quoting a Brazilian song: "Brazil, get up, dust yourself off and move forward."

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Hamas Rockets Bombard Israel After Airstrikes

Israel has been attacked by nearly 100 rockets, including 40 in an hour, from Gaza, according to the Israeli army.

Israel has responded with dozens of airstrikes and is continuing to deploy more military resources to the Gaza border. 

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said close to 100 rockets had been fired at Israel on Monday alone. There are so far no reports of casualties.

Twelve of the rockets were intercepted by rocket defence batteries, the Israeli army said.

Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the rocket fire.

The bombardment came a few hours after Israel launched 16 airstrikes on targets in Gaza, and followed a night where planes attacked 14 targets, killing at least three people.

Another six died after a tunnel collapsed near the city of Rafah, with Hamas blaming it on an Israeli airstrike - a claim Israel denies.

Israeli army spokesman Lt Col Peter Lerner said two infantry forces were moving to the Gaza border and up to 1,500 reservists were to be mobilised.

Tensions in the region have been inflamed following the kidnap and murder of three Israeli teenagers and the suspected revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager.

Three of the six people arrested over the latter case have reportedly confessed but charges are yet to be brought.

The victim, 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khadair, was burned alive, according to a preliminary post-mortem examination. He was found in the Jerusalem Forest last week.

Israeli television has shown dozens of tanks massing near the Gaza border

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu phoned the boy's father to promise that those responsible for the "despicable" murder would be prosecuted, Israeli officials said.

Mohammed's killing followed the murder of Israeli teenagers Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach.

The three young men were found in shallow graves on June 30, nearly three weeks after they disappeared while hitchhiking home.

Prime minister Netanyahu has blamed Hamas for the murders and warned they "will pay". Hamas has said it was not behind the deaths.

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Israelis 'Confess To Killing Palestinian Teen'

Three Israelis have reportedly admitted killing Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khadair, who was abducted following the deaths of three Israeli youths.

A source close to the investigation told news agency AFP that three of the six suspects arrested on Sunday had confessed to the murder.

Their confession has not been independently verified.

The 16-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem was found dead in the Jerusalem Forest last week.

A preliminary post-mortem examination found he had been burned alive.

Earlier today Israeli Prime Minister Benjanim Netanyahu telephoned Mohammed's father to express his outrage at the killing.

A video captures the moment Tariq was reportedly beaten by Israeli police

"We denounce all brutal behaviour. The murder of your son is abhorrent and cannot be countenanced by any human being," Mr Netanyahu told Hussein Abu Khadair.

The teenager's death has prompted days of violent protests which have spread from East Jerusalem to Arab Israeli towns.

Police said 110 people were arrested overnight for disturbing public order.

Their arrests follow the detention of Mohammed's cousin Tariq Abu Khadair who was filmed apparently being severely beaten by Israeli police.

Murdered Israeli teens Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach

Tariq, an American of Palestinian descent, has now been released from custody.

Police claim he resisted arrest, attacked officers and was carrying a slingshot when he was detained during the clashes.

It is suspected that Mohammed was killed in retaliation for the deaths of three of the Israeli teenagers, whose bodies were found in the West Bank last week.

An unidentified suspect is being held in connection with the killings. 

Israel has made clear it holds the Islamist militant group Hamas responsible, although Hamas has denied any involvement.

Israel says the airstrikes are in retaliation for rocket attacks from Gaza

The deaths of the four teenagers has resulted in a spike in tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.

Both Israel and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, have stepped up aerial assaults against one another in recent weeks.

Hamas claims seven of its members were killed overnight in the deadliest Israeli airstrikes on Gaza in recent weeks.

It says the strikes hit a tunnel used by its men in the early hours of the morning.

Monday's attacks were the deadliest to hit Gaza in recent weeks

The militant group said it would seek revenge, warning: "The enemy will pay a tremendous price" over the latest killings.

Two militants from a different group were reportedly killed in a separate strike.

The Israeli military said it targeted at least "14 terror sites" including "concealed rocket launchers" in retaliation for rocket attacks from Gaza which a military spokesman described as "unbearable and unacceptable."

Around a dozen rockets were reportedly fired overnight, injuring one Israeli soldier.

Another 25 rockets hit Israel on Sunday.

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Pistorius Lawyers Slam Reeva Killing Video

Lawyers for Oscar Pistorius have slammed the broadcast of a video showing the athlete re-enacting the night he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The material - aired by Australian TV network Channel Seven - had been filmed to help the Paralympian's defence team build their case.

It shows Pistorius, wearing a vest and shorts, running without his prosthetic legs with his fist clenched as if holding a gun.

The video also shows him carrying a woman. It is unclear where the re-enactment was filmed.

His lawyers criticised the "illegal" broadcast as his murder trial was to resume later today, with the court hearing evidence from the last defence witnesses.

The video was produced by an American company apparently hired by the athlete's lawyers, but has not been used during the trial.

His legal team have said they are taking action against Channel Seven, which showed the video on its current affairs programme Sunday Night.

Clips have also been shown in South African television news reports.

Pistorius and Ms Steenkamp had been dating for around three months

Pistorius' attorney Brian Webber told the South African Press Association: "They have no right to broadcast the video. We will deal with it accordingly."

Sky's Emma Hurd, in Pretoria, said Pistorius' lawyers are "furious".

She said the footage is potentially significant because it appears to show the athlete running on his stumps with a "fair amount of movement".

Hurd added: "The defence witnesses have argued that his movement on his stumps is extremely limited.

"They've used this to construct a picture of a man who was extremely vulnerable on the night of the shooting when he heard a noise he thought was an intruder because he couldn't run away.

"This video appears to suggest he had more movement than those defence witnesses said. Perhaps the prosecution may choose to bring it up in court."

Pistorius, who is on trial for premeditated murder, denies deliberately killing his girlfriend, claiming he mistook her for an intruder.

He faces between 25 years and life in prison if found guilty.

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US Teen In Israel Beating Video Row Released

A 15-year-old American boy who was filmed apparently being severely beaten by Israeli police has been released from custody.

Tariq Abu Khadair was attacked in East Jerusalem as Palestinians protested against the brutal killing of his 16-year-old cousin Mohammed Abu Khadair.

Six Israelis have been arrested in connection with the murder.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to bring those responsible to justice.

Tariq, an American of Palestinian descent who goes to school in Florida, spoke as he was released from custody and will be under house arrest for nine days.

The alleged attack was filmed on a mobile phone

Police claim he resisted arrest, attacked officers and was carrying a slingshot when he was detained during clashes with security forces.

When reporters asked the teenager who attacked him, he said: "I think it was the police."

He added: "I was standing and watching. I was watching the group of people and they came from the side of me and then grabbed me."

Mobile phone footage of the alleged assault was released by a human rights group that described it as state-sanctioned violence against children.

The US State Department said it was "profoundly troubled" by reports of Tariq's beating and demanded an investigation.

Israel's Justice Ministry said it was looking into the incident.

This image shows Tariq after he was detained

Mohammed was apparently burned alive and his death has sparked days of violent protests.

Palestinians believe he was killed by Israeli extremists in a revenge attack after three Israeli youths were abducted and found dead last month in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Israel has launched a series of air strikes in Gaza, saying it was responding to Hamas rocket attacks.

Palestinian militants say seven of their fighters were killed.

At least 25 missiles have been fired across the border from Gaza over the past 24 hours.

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First Video Of ISIS Group Leader Al Baghdadi

Jihadist group ISIS has released a video apparently showing the first public appearance of its elusive leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.

In the Ramadan sermon footage, said to have been filmed in a mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul on Friday, he calls on all Muslims to obey him.

Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of a state straddling Iraq and Syria, is increasingly seen as more powerful than al Qaeda's leader.

The 21-minute video's release on the internet follows reports he was killed or injured in an attack.

The recording shows a bearded man in a black robe and black turban ascending a pulpit below the black flag of the Islamic State.

If confirmed, it would be Baghdadi's first public appearance.

Omar al Shishani has appeared in recent propaganda videos released by ISIS

"God has granted your brothers, the mujahedin, victory and a conquest after years of patience and holy struggle, and enabled them to achieve their objective," he said.

"I was appointed in charge of you, though I am not the best or better than you, so if you see me in the right, then help me, and if you see me in the wrong, advise me and put me right."

The Iraqi government said the video is "indisputably" not Baghdadi.

"We have analysed the footage ... and found it is a farce," said Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan.

In an audio tape released last week, Baghdadi called on Muslims to take up arms and flock to the caliphate ISIS has declared on captured Syrian and Iraqi soil.

Reyaad Khan has had his assets frozen by the UK government

Another man, Omar al Shishani - which means Omar the Chechen - has appeared in ISIS's recent propaganda videos and may have been promoted to overall military chief.

The red-bearded militant is among hundreds of Chechens who are considered some of the toughest and most ruthless jihadi fighters in Syria and Iraq.

Baghdadi, born in Samarra in 1971 according to US intelligence, joined the insurgency sparked by the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

At one point he spent time in an American military prison in Iraq.

In 2005, American forces said they had killed "Abu Dua", one of his known aliases, on the Iraq-Syria border.

The US Treasury declared him a terrorist three years ago, and there is now a $10m (£5.9m) bounty on his head.

The video comes as three British citizens thought to be fighting alongside ISIS in Syria have had their assets frozen by the UK Treasury.

Reyaad Khan and Nasser Muthana, both 20 and from Cardiff, and Abdul Raqib Amin, who grew up in Aberdeen, were seen in a propaganda video released by ISIS last month.

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US 'Profoundly Troubled' Over Beating Video

The US has said it is "profoundly troubled" by video allegedly showing an American teenager being beaten by Israeli security forces.

The mother of 15-year-old Tariq Abu Khadair told Sky News she is in "a complete state of shock" and Israel's justice ministry has started an investigation.

He is said to have been punched and kicked in a suspected attack by two police officers that was caught on amateur video.

The boy's family say he is a US citizen and the cousin of 16-year-old Arab teenager Mohammed Abu Khadir who was found dead earlier this week.

Palestinians say Mohammed was killed by Israeli extremists in a revenge attack following the alleged Hamas killing of three Israeli youths. The attack led to four days of violent protests.

Initial results of a post-mortem examination on Saturday showed he was burned alive, according to Palestinian Attorney General Abdelghani al-Owaiwi.

The mobile phone footage - said to have been recorded in East Jerusalem - was released by a human rights group that described it as state sanctioned violence against children.

Tariq Abu Khadair was allegedly beaten by Israeli police

Tariq's mother, Sohair Abu Khadair, told Sky News that at least one officer did not want her to see her son at the police station.

She said: "I was in a complete state of shock. I couldn't believe it.

"There was a police officer in front of his room door that didn't want to let me in to see him until my husband had spoke to him.

"And then he finally said 'you can go in, just don't touch him, don't speak to him, don't get near him'. He was handcuffed. His ankles were handcuffed to the bed."

The family claim the teenager will be visited by American officials.

Micky Rosenfeld, national spokesperson for the Israeli police, told Sky News the video was "edited" and "biased".

Mr Rosenfeld said: "It does not represent the events that took place before the actual arrest."

He added: "Throughout the day in east Jerusalem there were hundreds of rioters, many of them masked, that hurled pipe bombs, Molotov cocktails, fireworks and stones at our police officers.

"And as a result of that, 15 police officers were injured during clashes by Palestinians.

"The suspect himself was one of six masked Palestinians that were arrested by undercover police officers. Three of them were armed at the time."

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