England v India: Moeen Ali takes 6-67 as hosts win to level series By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport at the Rose Bowl

After setting the tourists 445 to win, England took the six wickets required on the final day to bowl the tourists out for 178 and end a 10-match winless run.

Moeen Ali claimed his first Test-match five-wicket haul to finish with 6-47, while James Anderson picked up 2-24.

The result levels the five-match series at 1-1 going into the fourth Test at Old Trafford, which begins next Thursday.

The win also represents a personal triumph for home captain Alastair Cook, who had faced calls to quit after the second Test defeat at Lord's amid his own and his team's poor run of form.

Cook responded with 95 in the first innings and an unbeaten 70 in the second, while there were also strong showings from a trio of underperforming senior players - a century from Ian Bell and a combined 10 wickets for Anderson and Stuart Broad in the match.

Along with Joe Root, they are the only men who survive from England's previous win, which came in the fourth Test against Australia at Chester-le-Street in August 2013.

While that victory sealed a third consecutive Ashes triumph for an experienced outfit accustomed to winning, this is a welcome success for a transitional team containing six members who had never been on the right end of a Test result.

Although the visitors been reduced to 112-4 last night, England might still have had concerns about India's long batting line-up - particularly as the home side themselves came within two balls of saving the second Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley in June after beginning the last day on 57-5.

But Anderson struck early to allay any fears, before Moeen took charge to spin England to victory.

Anderson faces an International Cricket Council hearing on Friday, where he will be banned for a minimum of two Tests if he is found guilty of pushing and verbally abusing India's Ravindra Jadeja during the first Test at Trent Bridge.

Swinging the ball at a full length, he provided a perfect illustration of the threat England would miss as, in the second over the day, he induced a thin edge from Rohit Sharma which was taken by wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.

Four overs later, the Lancashire paceman produced an exact copy, which Mahendra Dhoni poked through to Buttler.

At the other end, Ajinkya Rahane was providing calm resistance to end unbeaten on 52, although he could do no more than look on as Moeen ran through the lower order.

Jadeja was bowled playing over a full delivery before, four balls on, Bhuvneshwar Kumar inside-edged on to his leg to be caught by Anderson, who had just been placed at gully.

Moeen, deceiving the tourists with variations of pace, length and flight, continued a remarkable spell of three wickets for one run in 12 balls by zipping one through the defence of Mohammed Shami.

England were briefly held up by the completion of Rahane's half-century and last man Pankaj Singh's slogging but, when Moeen skidded a straight one in to Pankaj's off stump, Cook and his men were able to celebrate victory for the first time in 354 days.

Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich said his country was considering opening proceedings at international tribunals in The Hague after it was declared to be in technical default.

The announcement came just hours after last-minute talks in New York with a group of bond-holders failed.

The bond-holders are demanding a full pay-out of $1.3bn (£766m).

Argentina says the bond-holders are "vultures" using the South American country's debt problems to make a big profit.

The investors are US hedge funds that bought debt cheaply after Argentina's economic crisis in 2001-2002.

They are also known as "hold-outs" because they did not sign up to a restructuring of debt which the majority of bond-holders agreed to in 2005 and 2010.

Under that deal, investors agreed to settle for about a third of what they were originally owed.

However, hedge funds NML and Aurelius Capital Management bought up a large chunk of the remaining distressed debt at low prices.

They demand to be paid the full face value of their holding.

'Shameful handling'

Mr Capitanich said Argentina would denounce the "vulture funds" before the International Court of Justice at The Hague and the United Nations General Assembly.

He said the US was to blame for its "shameful" handling of the funds' case against Argentina.

At the scene in Buenos Aires:Katy Watson, South America Business Reporter

Not much has changed on the streets of Buenos Aires. Life carries on as usual. The fact is that people here are already facing high inflation - day-to-day life has been getting harder in the past few years.

January saw the peso devalued by 20%. So the feeling here is that it's bad already, it will just continue on a downwards path.

For those who are angry, some of that anger is directed at these so-called vulture funds and they say Argentina needs to fight back.

But there are those frustrated by the way the government has handled the crisis. As one person told me outside the Casa Rosada, the president's office, the vultures live there too.

"The responsibility lies with a state, that of the United States of America," he said in a news conference at the presidential palace.

Mr Capitanich accused the US of "not acting in an adequate manner".

The Argentine government had expected the dispute to go all the way to the US Supreme Court, which would have bought the country more time.

But in June, the Supreme Court declined to hear Argentina's appeal against the decision of a lower court that made it liable for the money.

Under that court's ruling, Argentina cannot use the US financial system to keep paying the restructured bondholders unless it also pays the "vulture funds", placing it in technical default.

Rufo clause

However, Mr Capitanich denied the country was in default at all, arguing that it has the money to pay the interest that became due to the restructured bondholders on 30 June but that it was barred from doing so by the court's ruling.

He suggested that holders of its performing debt demand their money from the US judge who blocked the 30 June interest payment.

Mr Capitanich also suggested one way out of the impasse would be for a third party to buy out the hold-out investors.

He said that move would allow them to side-step a clause that was seen as a major stumbling block on the way to a deal.

The clause, known as Rufo (rights on future offers) states that Argentina cannot favour the hold-outs over those who accepted the restructuring deals.

He also said that in the meantime Argentina would maintain its policies to stimulate the economy.

President Ernest Bai Koroma has cancelled his forthcoming trip to Washington because of Ebola

Ernest Bai Koroma said the epicentres of the outbreak in the east would be quarantined and asked the security forces to enforce the measures.

The UN says 729 people in West Africa have died of Ebola since February - 233 of them in Sierra Leone.

This includes Dr Sheik Umar Khan who led Sierra Leone's fight against the virus. His funeral is on Thursday.

Ebola is spread through human contact with an infected person's bodily fluids.

Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external haemorrhaging from areas like eyes and gums, and internal bleeding which can lead to organ failure

Airport screening

As part of the new measures to contain the viral haemorrhagic fever, travellers at airports will have to wash their hands with disinfectant and have their temperatures checked, President Koroma said in a statement.

All deaths must also be reported to the authorities before burial, he said.

His measures - to remain in place for between 60 and 90 days - follow tough anti-Ebola policies introduced this week in neighbouring Liberia, where schools have been closed and some communities are to be quarantined.

Both President Koroma and his Liberian counterpart Ellen Johnson Sirleaf have cancelled visits to Washington for the US-Africa summit next week because of the crisis.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia is to begin screening all passengers arriving from West Africa and Kenya has stepped up surveillance at all ports of entry.

In a statement, Ethiopian Airlines said ground and on-board staff would have also been sensitised on how to handle suspected cases of the virus.

However, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday that it was not recommending any travel restrictions or border closures after consulting the World Health Organization, according to Reuters.

Any risks would be low in the rare event of an Ebola sufferer travelling by air, it adds.

Earlier this week, two airlines - Asky, a regional carrier, and Nigeria's Arik Air - suspended flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone Ebola doctor: "National hero"

Sheik Umar Khan, 39, was a leading doctor specialising in viral haemorrhagic fever who died after contracting Ebola while treating patients. When it was announced that he had been infected, the health minister called him a "national hero" for his tireless work.

"He'd become a real figurehead for the Ebola response so there's a sense of deep sadness in what's a very small community here in Freetown," his colleague Dr Oliver Johnson said.

"When the news first broke that he was sick, I think it added to fears amongst the many doctors and nurses about treating Ebola patients. People thought, if even Dr Khan can get sick, then any of us can get sick."

Profile: Dr Sheik Umar Khan

The outbreak - the world's deadliest to date - was first reported in Guinea in February. It then spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone, and a person who travelled from Liberia to Nigeria died of the virus shortly after arriving in Lagos last week.

Ebola kills up to 90% of those infected, but patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment.

President Koroma said that in Sierra Leone there had been more than 130 survivors of the disease.

"This is why it is very necessary to get those with the virus to treatment centres not only to prevent others from contracting the virus, but also increasing their own chances of survival," he said.

Ebola virus disease (EVD)

Australian and Dutch police experts arrived in a convoy of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitors.

Fighting between government and rebel forces had prevented them getting there for nearly a week.

Australia believes that around 80 bodies remain at the crash site.

Explosions were reportedly heard near the site after their arrival.

A journalist for AFP news agency heard several "powerful" blasts and saw a plume of smoke less than 10km (six miles) from the crash site.

Russian aviation experts are also in Ukraine, hoping to visit the site.

The Malaysia Airlines plane crashed on 17 July in eastern Ukraine, with the deaths of all 298 people on board.

The rebels deny that they shot it down with a missile by mistake.

Officials in Russia, which has been accused by the US and others of supplying the rebels with advanced weaponry, suggest that Ukraine's own armed forces downed the jet - a charge rejected by Kiev.

Russia has come under increased pressure to end its support for the rebels despite having continually denied claims that it is arming and training them.

In other developments

Rebel control

OSCE monitors on the ground said in a tweet that they had reached the crash site with the Dutch and Australian investigators after using a new access route.

Getting out of their cars, they stopped for a minute's silence in remembrance of those killed almost two weeks ago to the hour.

The Dutch justice ministry told AFP the Dutch-Australian team was so far only a "reconnaissance" mission but would hopefully pave the way for more experts to visit soon.

It remains unclear when larger teams of police and forensics will be deployed, despite getting backing from the Ukrainian parliament, says the BBC's Tom Burridge in Kiev.

The Netherlands lost 193 of its citizens in the crash while Australia lost 27 and Malaysia 43.

Closure

Speaking on a visit to Kiev, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she had been told that 80 bodies could still be at the crash site.

"We are determined to access the site, so that we can collect the remains with some dignity and return them to the Netherlands where they can be identified," she said.

"And then the grieving families across the world who lost 298 people can have some closure."

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on a visit to the Netherlands that a team of 68 Malaysian police officers had arrived in Kiev to help with the investigation.

Speaking at a news conference, he and his Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte, said they were united in mourning.

The Dutch prime minister outlined their three shared priorities: to repatriate the rest of the passengers' remains from Ukraine, to establish the cause of the crash and to bring those responsible to justice.

The crash area appears to be still under the control of rebel fighters, an AP news agency journalist at the scene said.

A Russian delegation led by Oleg Storchevoy, deputy head of Russia's federal air transport agency Rosaviatsia, arrived in Kiev earlier.

"Russian experts intend to meet the head of the investigative commission... and hand over all the materials that the chairman of the commission had previously asked for," Rosaviatsia said in a statement.

"Today, the Russian representatives will also try to reach the crash area of the Boeing 777 and together with specialists from the international investigative commission examine the state of parts of the aircraft at the site."

There was no comment on the Russians' involvement from Ukrainian and Dutch officials approached by AP.

The press service for Ukraine's "anti-terrorist operation" said troops would refrain from combat operations in the Donetsk region, except in self-defence, in order to allow investigators to do their work on Thursday.

Well over 1,000 civilians and combatants have been killed since the new Ukrainian government sent troops into east Ukraine in mid-April to quell the insurgency.

The rebels have been forced back towards their strongholds in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, which have come under heavy bombardment.

“There has been a privatisation of religion,” said Michael Wallace, a sociology professor at the University of Connecticut and co-author of the recently published studies. “We’re perfectly willing to acknowledge the right to religious freedom, but we prefer that religion not be present in public places like schools or workplaces, where there will likely be people with diverse religious beliefs.”

Religion is an important way in which people define themselves. — Joyce Dubensky

Employers may harbour personal prejudices against certain faiths. They also could fear that people who decide to reveal their religious beliefs — or their atheism — on resumes are more likely to discuss religion and potentially clash with co-workers.

“The religious aspect of the resume may jump out to recruiters and raise the questions of whether such people will disrespect others with a different religious identity — or no religious beliefs at all,” Wallace said.

Religious affiliation, however, could work in an applicant’s favor in some cases. In the study of southern states, Jews actually seemed to have an edge over other applicants. What’s more, religious organizations in the US are allowed to give employment preference to members of their own faith.

But business owners who apply their personal religious beliefs to their companies’ policies would rarely be allowed to show hiring preference to people of their own faith. The exception would be when religion “is a bona fide occupational qualification reasonably necessary [for the company’s] normal operation,” according to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

That means Hobby Lobby, which the US Supreme Court recently ruled could deny insurance coverage for some female contraceptives because of its owners’ Christian beliefs, probably couldn’t favour Christians in its recruiting. The company runs a chain of arts and crafts stores, where an employee’s religious beliefs would be unlikely to affect business operations. However, companies like Hobby Lobby might try to use their religious beliefs to justify discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender job candidates.

Studies in France and Greece have found hiring bias for certain religious groups. The French research revealed that a Muslim with African heritage was two-and-a-half times less likely to get called for a job interview in France than an equally qualified Christian with the same ethnic background.

“We find a good deal of evidence that [people] in Christian heritage societies, although themselves secular — and many of them self-declared atheists — see Muslims as presenting a set of cultural norms that are threatening to them,” said David Laitin, a political science professor at Stanford University and one of the authors of the study.

In the Greek study, fictitious applications were sent to employers to gauge reactions to the majority Greek Orthodox faith and three minority religions. Compared to the Greek Orthodox applicants, the job seekers who were identified as Pentecostal, Evangelical or Jehovah’s Witnesses had less access to job interviews and received lower entry-level wages. What’s more, they also were less likely to be chosen for more prestigious jobs, according to Nick Drydakis, who conducted the research and is a senior lecturer in economics at Anglia Ruskin University in the UK.

Comparatively, a US study found that in New England, Muslim applicants were shunned the most, receiving one-third fewer responses from employers than those who listed no religious affiliation. There was also evidence of discrimination against atheists, Roman Catholics and pagans. 

In southern states, where the dominant religion is Christianity, Muslims, pagans and atheists were targets of the most prejudice, followed by Roman Catholics. Even evangelical Christians experienced a little discrimination based on the number of applicants contacted by employers compared with those whose resumes were entirely secular.

In addition to resume information, religious content on social-media sites also could be problematic. Recruiters these days routinely check applicants’ social-networking activity and could screen out members of religious denominations or atheists.

“There’s a belief that people come to work and leave religion at the office door — and that they should,” said Joyce Dubensky, CEO of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding in New York City. “The truth is, that just doesn’t happen. Religion is an important way in which people define themselves and employers need to learn how to manage people of different religions as the workplace becomes more and more diverse.”

The center surveyed American workers last year and found that not only do members of religious minorities and atheists feel “marginalized” by employers, but that the Christian majority also considers discrimination a serious issue.

Employees usually have little doubt when they experience religious discrimination in the workplace. But job candidates rarely ever learn that religious information on their resumes or social media sites took them out of the running.

If applicants get to the interview stage, however, religious bias may become more overt. The EEOC has received a number of complaints from job candidates charging employers with religious discrimination during interviews. Overall, the annual number of EEOC religious discrimination cases, including those from both applicants and employees, has nearly doubled since 9/11, peaking at 4,151 in 2011.

Muslims particularly encounter bias. Clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, for example, agreed to pay $71,000 last year to settle two separate religious discrimination lawsuits brought by the EEOC on behalf of Muslim teenagers whose hijabs conflicted with the company’s “Look Policy” dress code.  In one case, the EEOC lawsuit alleged that Halla Banafa was asked about her headscarf and religion during her interview and then denied a job at one of Abercrombie’s California stores. A federal judge dismissed the company’s undue hardship defense, citing the lack of proof linking store performance or brand image to “Look Policy” compliance.

In recent years, the EEOC also has won cases involving a Sikh who failed to land a Lexus car dealership sales position because he wouldn’t shave his beard; a Rastafarian who wasn’t hired by a moving and storage company because he wore his hair in dreadlocks; a female fundamental Baptist who refused to wear trousers and was rejected for a staffing agency job; and several people, including a Jew and Seventh-day Adventist, who didn’t get jobs because they wouldn’t work on their Sabbath.

Employers often fear that visible signs of religious affiliation, such as hijabs or crosses, will offend customers or clients. “But customer preference is not a defense” in a religious discrimination case, said Jeanne Goldberg, senior attorney advisor at the EEOC.

She believes “the 24/7 economy” has contributed to more religious bias because many employers want to avoid hiring people who will ask for scheduling accommodations to attend religious services.

Religious discrimination is especially problematic for students and recent graduates with little work experience who may want to show their potential by including leadership positions in campus religious groups on their resumes.

“It’s a troubling phenomenon that people have to consider hiding their religion, but it’s something that you have to think about if you want to get the job,” Dubensky said. On the other hand, some candidates may want to reveal their religious identity to steer clear of discriminatory employers.

“I know a star candidate who received a management job offer from a global financial services company,” Dubensky said. “But she went to a competitor that was known to be more hijab-friendly.

Are plane cabins hotbeds of disease? Frequent flyers are often on guard against sneezing or coughing co-passengers, in fear of catching what they have. And the possibility that much more serious epidemics or pandemics could spread by air travel has been a worry for years, whether it is avian flu, Sars or tuberculosis.

Now we are in the middle of one of the deadliest outbreaks of Ebola virus ever: the outbreak started in Guinea last March and soon reached Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Concern in the West has heightened after it emerged that a man had flown on internal flights while carrying the virus, with fears growing that air travel could quickly carry the terrifying disease around the world. British Prime Minister David Cameron described Ebola as a “serious threat”.

How likely is it to catch a deadly disease mid-flight, and what might stop a sick passenger carrying it between countries? To get a sense of the risks involved, BBC Future talked to infectious disease researchers to find out what we know about transmission during air travel – and what this can tell us about the risk of Ebola spreading across the world.

Transmission problems

The risks of catching an infection from an ill passenger are not as high as you would think, says Christine Pearson, a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. “It’s not any more dangerous than any place where you are in touch with lots of people – like a shopping mall food court for example.

John Oxford, a virologist at Queen Mary University, London, agrees. He points out that the aeroplane ventilation goes from the ground to the ceiling, where the air is filtered for bacteria and viruses before it recirculates. Simulations looking at the potential spread of germs have found that they are generally confined to just a couple of rows either side of the carrier. Even then, the chances appear to be small, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. The paper looked at a flight involving nine school children who were later found to be carrying the swine flu virus. Just two other passengers, of more than 100 questioned, later developed the illness – and they were both sitting within two rows of the ill school kids. As a result, the researchers concluded that there was just a 3.5% risk of catching the illness if you were sitting in those seats. A handful of other studies, looking at measles and TB, also suggest that in-flight transmission rates are similarly low. From studies such as these, Oxford says that “the biggest risk is not on the plane, but in the taxi on the way to the airport”.

However, John Edmunds, professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, points out that it is difficult to come to any firm conclusions, even for the more prevalent diseases. The number of studies is small, he says, meaning you can’t find absolute figures for the risk and compare that to the risk of infection in a school, say. So it is even harder to assess the risk of in-flight transmission of rare and unstudied diseases like Ebola.

Mode of transmission is clearly a factor. There are a few documented cases of norovirus spreading among passengers – probably due to people sharing the same toilet. But we know that Ebola is relatively difficult to catch: unlike respiratory diseases like colds and flu, it can only be transmitted through contact with bodily fluids like saliva, vomit, or blood, which begins to secrete out of every orifice. Although it is unlikely that someone suffering the full-blown attack would attempt to fly, it is not impossible. Patrick Sawyer, a US citizen who died from the virus last week, showed some of these symptoms on a flight from Liberia to Nigeria, raising fears for the other passengers. Airline staff and public health officials should be more aware of the dangers now, however, and should place anyone suspected of having the disease in quarantine. “Everyone is on the lookout,” says Oxford.

There is always the chance that a passenger could board a flight before they have developed the full-blown symptoms. But so far, the evidence suggests you are unlikely to catch it from someone in the early stages of the disease, before they have started vomiting and bleeding. “I wouldn’t want to be a passenger next to a guy with Ebola,” admits Edmunds. “But if they are just sitting there with a fever, I can’t imagine the situation being high risk.” Oxford points out that basic hygiene measures should further reduce the chance of infection – even if it can’t eliminate the danger completely. “The Ebola virus is very easily killed; you can kill it with hot water and soap,” he says. “Alcohol rubs get rid of it in a microsecond.”

“Small risk”

If an apparently healthy person carrying the virus lands in a country, there is still room for a second stage of contagion. This is perhaps the greater risk for a global epidemic – undetected carriers are the way that swine flu and Sars spread across the world. “The history of the spread of infectious diseases is infinitely entwined with improvements in travel,” says Edmunds. He points out that in the past, the spread of diseases was limited by the length of travel; measles develops quickly, so all the cases would have burnt out by the end of a long voyage. Since Ebola has an incubation period of up to 21 days, carriers could arrive in a country weeks before symptoms develop – potentially transmitting it to the people they know. “It is an issue,” admits Oxford, but he is optimistic that the infection could still be contained. Anyone showing the symptoms would have a rapid diagnosis before being quarantined, and health authorities would also check anyone who had been in contact with them – such as air crews, passport officials and their families. “All of that can stop it spreading – and it will be stopped.”

A spokesperson for the World Health Organization, Gregory Härtl, says its official stance currently is that a global epidemic is a “small risk”, although it is currently working with the International Air Transport Association to review their recommendations. Currently, it does not recommend screening passengers at airports – since the thermal scanners used to detect a fever are unlikely to find people incubating the first stages of the disease – and there are no recommended travel restrictions.

However; the situation is evolving fast and the recommendations may change in the coming days. At the moment, no one can yet predict whether other air travellers have been infected with the disease, but the hope is that heightened vigilance will help to minimise any potential risk. However, even if it is successfully contained and the outbreak peters out, Ebola shows, yet again, the fact that no disaster or epidemic is too distant in the highly-connected modern world.

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All content within this column is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. The BBC is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of this site. The BBC is not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites. Always consult your own GP if you're in any way concerned about your health

He said he was determined to destroy the tunnels, which militants use to infiltrate Israeli territory, "with or without a ceasefire".

Some 425,000 people - about a quarter of Gaza's population - have been displaced by the fighting, the UN says.

It said the people there were "facing a precipice", and called for action.

Since Israel began its offensive in Gaza on 8 July, 1,400 Palestinians have been killed, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

It said 173 people had been killed within the past 24 hours.

Some 58 Israelis have been killed, of whom 56 were soldiers and two civilians. A Thai worker in Israel has also died.

Most of Hamas' rockets into Israel are intercepted and destroyed by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system.

The BBC has seen evidence that appears to confirm hackers stole several secret military documents from two government-owned Israeli companies that developed the Iron Dome.

Continue reading the main story

The UN has strongly condemned the continuing violence, urging both sides to agree to daily pauses in the fighting to help relief efforts.

"The reality of Gaza today is that no place is safe," UN humanitarian chief Baroness Valerie Amos told the Security Council.

The head of Unrwa, the main UN relief agency in Gaza, warned that "the population is facing a precipice".

"Should further large-scale displacement indeed occur, the occupying power (Israel), according to international humanitarian law, will have to assume direct responsibility to assist these people," Pierre Kraehenbuehl said.

Earlier on Thursday Israel called up 16,000 reservists, fuelling speculation that the ground campaign would be widened.

But the Israeli army told the BBC that the new reservists would relieve a similar number who were standing down.

The army said a total of 59,000 reservists were deployed in Gaza.

Tunnel threat

 

Israel's offensive, named Operation Protective Edge, began with a focus on Hamas' rocket-launching capability.

But it has since expanded to take in the threat from tunnels.

After air strikes began, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) discovered an extensive network of tunnels leading from Gaza into Israel.

Hamas militants have launched several attacks from the tunnels, penetrating Israeli territory and killing a number of soldiers.

Reports from Israel suggest the discovery of the tunnels - and the reality that infiltrators have used them to kill Israelis inside their own country - has shocked many Israelis and bolstered support for the operation.

It launched a ground operation to destroy the tunnels on the night of 17 July, and insists that any ceasefire deal includes the right to continue that mission.

"I won't agree to any proposal that will not enable the Israeli military to complete this important task for the sake of Israel's security," Mr Netanyahu said.

The tunnels would allow Hamas to "abduct and murder civilians and IDF soldiers while simultaneously attacking from the tunnels penetrating our territory," he added.

Gaza 'desperate'

On the ground in Gaza, Israeli shelling continued on Thursday morning, the BBC's Jon Donnison reports.

Meanwhile, a series of rocket alert sirens sounded across southern Israel. Sirens in the town of Sderot sounded several times as Mr Netanyahu spoke.

In the most controversial incident on Wednesday, at least 16 people were killed when shells hit a UN-run school in the Jabaliya district of Gaza City.

The UN said "all available evidence" suggested Israeli artillery was the cause.

Spokesman Mark Regev told the BBC that Israel would apologise if it discovered it was responsible.

"We have a policy - we don't target civilians," he said.

"It's not clear to us that it was our fire but we know for a fact there was hostile fire on our people from the vicinity of the school."

Later on Wednesday at least 17 were killed in a strike on a busy market in Shejaiya - a district already badly damaged by Israeli artillery.

Israel occupied Gaza in the 1967 Middle East war and only pulled its troops and settlers out in 2005.

Israel considered this the end of the occupation, but it still exercises control over most of Gaza's borders, water and airspace. Egypt controls Gaza's southern border.

Hamas says it will not stop fighting until a blockade, maintained by both Israel and Egypt, is lifted.

The veteran Scottish actor and director had played swinger Donald Stewart in the ITV show since 2007.

He was also part of Victoria Wood's fictional rep company in the BBC series Victoria Wood As Seen On TV.

Kenny Ireland was director at Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre for more than a decade until 2003.

More recently, he was director at His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen and was a leading voice in the campaign to establish a National Theatre for Scotland.

The actor was written out of the latest series of Benidorm in June so he could concentrate on his cancer treatment.

He and co-star Janine Duvitski played a sex-mad couple who holiday at the Solano hotel in the Spanish resort every year.

'Dark days'

Mr Ireland's other TV credits include Taggart, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, the UK version of House of Cards, Drop The Dead Donkey and Heartbeat.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond led online tributes to the star.

He tweeted: "Sad to hear Kenny Ireland - a great actor & former director @lyceumtheatre - has passed away. Deepest condolences to his family and friends."

Benidorm co-star Danny Walters, who plays Tiger Dyke in the show, said: "Very sad news about Kenny Ireland (Donald Stewart). Thanks for teaching me how to play backgammon. RIP Kenny."

TV chef Rustie Lee worked alongside Kenny Ireland when she had a cameo role in Benidorm.

She said: "RIP Kenny Ireland (Donald from @BenidormTweets). My sincere condolences go out to his wife and family xx"

Former Brookside actor Louis Emerick tweeted: "Ah man! Only just heard the sad newz bout #KennyIreland(deceased). Only met him briefly last yr during my time on #Benidorm! Im a fan he a Gent!"

Graham McLaren, associate director at the National Theatre of Scotland, posted: "The man my daughter called Santa has passed away. Dark days indeed. Kenny Ireland RIP."

Prices rose in the single currency area by 0.4% in July, from 0.5% in June.

The ECB considers that an inflation rate of below 1% poses a risk of deflation.

Separate figures show that unemployment in the region fell slightly to 11.5% in June compared to 11.6% in May.

The new inflation figures from the European Union's statistical office, Eurostat, show that the rate remains persistently below the ECB's target rate of 2%. Prices have risen at an annualised rate of less than 1% for the last ten months.

Central Bank governor, Mario Draghi, has previously warned that he would deem inflation below 1% to be in a "danger zone", which could lead to prices tipping into a deflationary spiral.

Analysis: BBC economics correspondent, Andrew Walker

Deflation - falling prices or below zero inflation - in the eurozone has come a step closer.

Several individual countries have already had at least a brush with it. Spain's new figures show a fall in prices over the previous twelve months. Greece and Portugal already had inflation below zero.

It can be a serious problem - not inevitably; it depends on the circumstances. But it is clear that the European Central Bank is very keen to avoid deflation.

The new figures increase the chance that the ECB will embark on a full scale programme of quantitative easing (QE), buying financial assets such as government debt with newly created money in an effort to push inflation up (yes really).

It's a sign of how weak the eurozone economy is that this debate is underway just as the US Federal Reserve seems close to ending its own QE programme.

In June the ECB introduced a package of measures to boost growth and tackle the threat of inflation.

It cut interest rates, including reducing the bank deposit rate to below zero, and made available cheap long term loans to banks. It promised to stand ready to take more action if inflation continued to fall.

Lower still

Brian Tora, from the investment managers J.M. Finn and Co said it was hard to see what more the ECB could do if inflation fails to respond to the measures already taken.

"They could instigate a programme of asset purchases. But it's more complicated for the ECB than for a central bank that's just responsible for one nation state."

The ECB has not undertaken large-scale asset purchases in the same way as the UK and US central banks.

"But it's worth remembering that [Mr] Draghi said last autumn it would do whatever it took to keep Europe out of recession," said Mr. Tora.

Analysts also point to a fall in energy prices as contributing to lower inflation.

"There is undeniably a very real risk that eurozone consumer price inflation could go lower still ... barring an appreciable rise in oil and gas prices resulting from geopolitical factors hitting supplies,'' said Howard Archer, economist at analysis group IHS.

Core inflation which excludes food and fuel costs was unchanged for July at 0.8%.

More jobs

The eurozone jobs data provided a gentle pointer in the opposite direction, however, towards stronger growth.

The number of registered unemployed in the eurozone stood at 18.41 million in June, down 152,000 from May.

The unemployment rate in the 18-nation single currency region June dipped to 11.5% compared to 12% a year ago.

In the wider 28-member European Union the jobless rate also edged lower from 10.3% in May to 10.2% in June.

Austria's unemployment rate is the lowest in the region at 5%, followed by Germany at 5.1%.

However, Greece, with an unemployment rate of 27.3% and Spain, at 24.5%, are still grappling with severe levels of joblessness.

Jonathan Loynes at Capital Economics said: "There is still a lot of spare capacity in the labour market, adding to the downward pressure on wages and prices."

In a recent interview with africanFootbal, Coach Stephen Keshi has finally told the world that he would love to continue his job as Eagles coach.

The coach popurlarly known as Big Boss told the press that he met Deji Tinubu in Lagos before heading out for America to see his family.

He said: “It’s my country, I am ready to serve. I have started something I would love to finish.”

“But I cannot work the way I worked last time. It’s not possible! All my staff, no!no!!no!! We have to be professional, everybody has to do what they are supposed to do,” he stated.

“I cannot be paying another staff salary, when I am not the Nigeria Football Federation. We will see how it goes. If the conditions are met, we will be there, no wahala.”

However the NFF have told the media that it will soon send a new contract to the coach, they said: “We have made tremendous progress. “We will first send a letter of our intent for a renewal of his contract and expect a reply from him as quickly as possible.

“This would allow us to start working on the terms of contract. We would have our terms and we know he would have his terms. But we would be working in such a way that we would arrive at an agreeable term that would suit both parties and then hopefully he signs.

The Edo State Police has arrested a 19 year- old boy identified as Peter Momoh for raping a nursing mother.

The incident happened at Agenebode in Estako East local government area of the state, where both Momoh and his victim resides.

According to the Nation, Momoh gained access into the victim’s room who was reported to have given birth through a Caesarian operation three months ago and was staying with her mother.

Five men were paraded by Ekiti State Police Command on suspicion of committing various crimes, including robbery, car snatching and other.

According to the information provided by he Ekiti Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Victor Babayemi, all the suspects were paraded at the Police Headquarters in Ado Ekiti.

In his poignant message to Naij.com, Alhaji Danbaba expresses disappointment in the way our government and military authorities are mistreating and humiliating soldiers of the Nigerian Army.

"First of all, I want the whole world to know that we, the Nigerian Military, are very brave and capable of fulfilling our responsibilities. We have done it Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali, etc.

"But the era of us giving our best, sacrificing our lives for the nation that doesn’t value us the soldiers is now over.  We’re done waiting patiently, enough is enough!

"Nigeria’s leaders, however, don’t love this country. That is why they are gambling with citizens’ lives.

"We, your protectors, are thrown in the middle of a battle with an empty stomach. Our families lack simplest amenities.

"We are not cowards but we die like chickens because of our leaders’ selfish cravings to enrich themselves even at the cost of our lives and subdue our families to everlasting suffering.

"Our weapons are very poor. We buy our uniforms and our kits on our own. Is it supposed to be like that? You want the best from us how?

"We are also human beings. We have very much loved families.

"For the past couple of years, how much does a soldier earn, can his salary feed him and cover his children’s school fees? Can he even dream of building a house for himself after retirement?

"How were the bodies of those who lost their lives in battles treated? What benefits did their families receive?

"Our Army generals are deceiving the world. They have joined the politicians and help them to enslave us and indeed the entire country.

"They think the lives of simple, ordinary soldiers are useless, and it is only them and their families who have deserved good living.

"I want them to hear us: we know our left from right and we want equal treatment. Pay us our real salaries. Make our allowances be again paid by the Central Bank to each and every soldier’s account so that our so-called generals would stop cutting what is ours!"

Suspected political thugs on Wednesday invaded Oredo Local Government Council secretariat in Benin City, Edo State capital.

 

Daily Independent reports that, the thugs stormed the secretariat and stopped the councillors from impeaching the council chairman, Osaro Obaze.

 

It was gathered that the councillors had on Thursday impeached the leader of the legislative arm, Monday Oboigba, his deputy, Esohe Usiobaifo, and elected Nohayi Obaseki as the new leader.

 

The councillors, however, denied the allegation that they were planning to impeach the council boss. They said majority of the councillors, precisely eight out of twelve, passed a vote of no confidence on the former leader because of his high handedness and dictatorial tendencies in running the affairs of the legislative arm.

For most people, a job is just a job, little more than a way to pay the bills. But what if work were more like play?What if, instead of living for the weekend, you lived for Monday morning? There are people who feel that way and Cara Houiellebecq is one of them.

Cara is as a professional sex toy tester who has 15 orgasms a week and gets paid for that $25,000 a year

Cara is as a professional sex toy tester who has 15 orgasms a week and gets paid for that $25,000 a year. Initially the woman was working in a bank and started her own erotic blog with sex toys reviews just for fun. Gradually her reviews became more prolific and professional and the woman was noticed by a sex toy company who wanted her to work for them.

Related: 5 Reasons Why Every Woman Should Own a Sex Toy – By Victoria Beth 

While the recent reports provide the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) offered Stephen Keshi N7 million monthly for coaching the Super Eagles, the Big Boss says nobody spoke with him about that sum.

Photo: Stephen Keshi

It was yesterday allegedly discovered that Keshi was “willing to continue” as the Eagles’ head coach with the improved financial conditions of the renewed contract. 

However according to FCNaija.com, when contacted in the USA for confirmation, the former Togo and Mali boss debunked the reports saying:

“No! I have not discussed anything with anybody! I left Nigeria before the Sallah break. I didn’t speak with any of the committee members before I left and I haven’t spoken with any of them on the matter since then. It was only Deji Tinubu who said they want me to continue and I said fine; let them bring up their offer that I may see. That’s it. I don’t know where they came up with N7 million offer from. I am not aware of that.”

Numerous controversies and speculations have been recently surrounding the relationship saga between the NFF and the team’s ex-captain.

The immediate reports after the Eagles’ knock-out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup indicated that he did not intend to stay with the Nigerian team any longer, however later the NFF officials were said to have expressed their interest in continuing cooperation with the coach, who lead the squad to 2013 AFCON victory and to 1/8 of the 2014 Mundial. Various sources provided information on the new versions of the contract with Keshi. Still, the official confirmation on the final deal is yet expected.

In a bid to show their support for President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election ambition, reports state that over 500 groups have stormed the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

According to a report published by Punch newspaper, the groups are expected to participate in a solidarity rally scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 31, 2014, in Abuja ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Though the incumbent president is yet to officially declare his intention to contest in next year’s presidential elections, many Nigerians believe Jonathan would announce his candidature later this year.

* President Jonathan

Political analysts believe the 2015 polls would be keenly contested between Jonathan’s ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC.

However, the APC, led by former Lagos State governor, Senator Ahmed Tinubu, is yet to declare who would represent the opposition party in the general election.

Commenting on the planned rally, the Patron of Jonathan Youth Vanguard, George Turnah, informed that each of the 500 groups had signed to mobilise supporters for the 2015 project.