Israeli Shells Pound Gaza As Fighting Resumes

Hamas has vowed it will not back down as Israel pounded Gaza with a fresh wave of strikes, killing five Palestinians.

The Israeli military has launched 21 airstrikes on Gaza since midnight on Saturday as talks to extend the temporary ceasefire stalled.

Palestinian health officials claim senior Hamas official Moaaz Zaid was among three Palestinians killed in an attack on a mosque. Two people travelling on a motorcycle died when they were struck by a bomb.

Another two Palestinians were shot dead by soldiers and dozens wounded in clashes with Israeli forces amid violent protests in occupied West Bank.

Palestinians pray over the bodies of three members of the same family

The deaths bring the number of dead in the month-long conflict to nearly 1,900. The United Nations, which has condemned Israel's actions, say 1,354 of those killed have been civilians.

Israel has lost 64 soldiers during the conflict, while three civilians have died from rocket fire into the country.

Israel says Hamas has fired six rockets across the border since the 72-hour ceasefire ended on Friday morning, while Israel has carried out strikes on a total of 30 sites.

Smoke rises from what witnesses said was an Israeli strike on Gaza City

Hamas spokesman Fawzy Barhum said: "There will be no going back, the resistance will continue. The occupier's intransigence will get it nowhere and we will make no concessions on the demands of our people."

The resumption of violence came as Britain announced it would send a team of NHS experts to help victims wounded in Gaza.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "The conflict in Gaza has taken a terrible toll.

"The NHS has always stepped up to the plate to help those in need and this expert team will play a crucial role in helping hundreds caught up in this conflict."

Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli border guards in West Bank

The UK team consists of doctors, nurses, surgeons, anaesthetists and paramedics - and their specialities include trauma and plastic surgery.

Mr Cameron is under increasing pressure to suspend arms exports from British manufacturers to Israeli forces following the resignation of foreign minister Baroness Warsi over the Government's line on Gaza this week.

Lady Warsi said the Government's approach had been "morally indefensible" and has stepped up her call for action to be taken.

A Palestinian boy sleeps in a UN-organised shelter

"For me at that moment the concern that I had was that even if the ceasefire had held, and I sincerely hoped it had, there was still no clear language from the Government in relation to the condemnation of what had happened," she said.

"There was no clear commitment that we would lead the international effort on accountability on both sides for what had happened.

"Our language was not there. It was lagging behind. I don't think it was just words that would have stopped me from doing what I did.

Baroness Warsi's resiganation has placed pressure on David Cameron

"I think it was a combination of issues. It was the language that we were using, I think it was our lack of support for international justice and accountability for the crimes that had been committed."

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has urged the coalition to halt arms export licences for ammunition, drone parts and armoured vehicles, which are being used in Operation Protective Edge. He had indicated on Thursday an announcement would be imminent.

The United States said it still hoped the three-day ceasefire could be revived and Egypt, which attempting to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians with US and European mediators, insisted negotiations were making progress.

However, little movement seems to have been achieved and the two sides are still far apart on meeting terms of agreement.

In an interview with the New York Times on Friday, Barack Obama urged Israel to recognise Palestinians had a right to land and space to live.

He said: "It has consistently been my belief that you have to find a way to live side by side in peace with Palestinians ... You have to recognise that they have legitimate claims, and this is their land and neighbourhood as well."

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Don't Drink Two Days In A Row, Government Says

People should only drink alcohol every other day to avoid health problems like cancer, heart attacks and liver disease, government officials are warning.

The new guidelines drawn up by Public Health England, a government quango promoting healthy living, will recommend drinkers follow a "one day on, one day off" rule.

The 92-page paper says: "Daily drinking is a key contributor to increased risk, so it is possible that promoting a simple approach such as never drinking two days in a row would have a positive impact."

However, the advice has been criticised as "nannying" and experts questioned whether it would decrease health risks and encourage heavy drinkers to cut back.

"Giving up alcohol on alternate days is not something most doctors would recognise as a helpful strategy to curb excessive drinking," GP Martin Scurr told the Daily Mail.

"It's hard to see how this plan from Public Health England will persuade excessive drinkers to rein back."

Conservative MP and former minister Gerald Howarth said the advice was "completely unrealistic" and an example of the "nanny state".

"People have the common sense to know how to look after themselves," he told the Mail.

The Public Health England strategy said changes to alcohol pricing as well as the availability and strength of alcohol are more likely to have "immediate positive impacts" and it would continue to work on those areas.

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Smart Glasses For Blind 'In Shops By 2016'

By Gemma Morris, Sky News Reporter

Pairs of high-tech smart glasses, designed to help millions of blind and partially sighted people to see, could be in shops in 2016.

The specs use a specially adapted 3D camera to maximise a person's remaining vision by separating and highlighting objects ahead.

They were created by researchers at the University of Oxford, who linked up with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to develop them further.

RNIB Solutions managing director Neil Heslop said trialists had experienced extraordinary things while testing the glasses.

Iain Cairns tries on the hi-tech specs

He told Sky News: "They've recognised faces, they've avoided obstacles, they've even seen their own guide dogs for the first time."

Participant Iain Cairns was impressed with the glasses, despite saying he felt like Star Trek character Geordi La Forge when wearing them.

He said: "To have something that will help me to keep independent, able to walk to work, to make tea - I think it will make a big difference to my quality of life."

The glasses help Mr Cairns to pour a cup of tea without spilling a drop

Around 360,000 people in Britain are registered blind or partially sighted.

The RNIB believes the new smart glasses could help as many as 150,000 of those and around 15 million people could benefit worldwide.

At the moment, the glasses are rather bulky. They are also fairly expensive and participants have to carry around a connected laptop with them.

But the project recently won £500,000 from the Google Impact Challenge - a competition to develop tech to transform lives - which means the team can now modify the headset further.

Sky's Gemma Morris, as seen through the smart glasses

Project leader Dr Stephen Hicks said: "The Google Impact Grant will allow us to make smaller, lighter and cheaper versions that people can carry around.

"It will be powered by something about the size of a mobile phone that can slip into your pocket."

He said nothing like their prototype has ever been made before.

"This is really pushing the limit of what we can do in wearable displays and it's great to be able to have a chance to use this in a way which is potentially going to help millions of people," he said.

Wider trials are soon to get under way and the team hopes to have a smaller version of glasses in shops as early as 2016 with a target price of around £300.

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Laughing Gas Crackdown Amid 'Disturbing' Craze

A "deeply disturbing" laughing gas craze sweeping the country is being fuelled by internet videos that glamorise use of the substance, council leaders say.

Hauls of canisters are confiscated from UK streets every night, with one London council - Hackney - seizing 1,200 on one Saturday alone.  

Officials in Norfolk, Hertfordshire and Thames Valley have also reported increasing numbers of canisters being found.

Council leaders are so concerned they have launched a campaign to highlight the dangers of the chemical.

Thousands of canisters are seized every weekend (pic Rob Brewer/Flickr)

In particular, the Local Government Association (LGA) is calling for web giants, such as YouTube, to crack down on internet videos which promote the use of laughing gas.

The association, which represents around 400 councils in England and Wales, said it was "deeply disturbing" that people widely view nitrous oxide as a "safe" legal high.

And the LGA warned that the chemical - which is regularly taken at nightspots, festivals and parties by almost half a million young people across the country - has been linked to a number of deaths.

It said abusing nitrous oxide can lead to oxygen deprivation resulting in loss of blood pressure, fainting and even heart attacks.

"It is deeply disturbing that this drug, which can be highly dangerous, is still widely viewed as safe," said Katie Hall, chairwoman of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board.

"It is imperative that users understand just how harmful it can be. This gas can kill and much more needs to be done to get this message across.

"We are particularly concerned about internet pages and uploaded clips which are effectively 'promoting' this as a harmless drug.

"The web giants must do more to crack down on this, they cannot simply sit on their hands and ignore what is happening on their own sites.

"We are calling on the big internet corporations to step up to the plate and show responsibility by providing health warnings and links to drug awareness charities."

While inhaling nitrous oxide is not illegal, council officers are able to seize canisters under unauthorised street trading regulations.

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Britain Braced For Flash Floods From Bertha

Heavy rain has caused flash flooding in parts of the UK - and forecasters are warning of further storms on Sunday as the remnants of Hurricane Bertha hit.

The Met Office says Bertha's transition from a tropical to an extra-tropical storm is a "particularly hard one to forecast" but it is expected to affect the UK tomorrow.

The British Red Cross said it was on standby and has enlisted hundreds of volunteers to help people in affected areas.

Lightning hits Eggborough Power Station in Yorkshire. Pic: Phil Lowe

Residents had to be evacuated after heavy rain flooded several streets in the Lincolnshire town of Louth on Friday.

Downpours also led to waterlogged roads in and around York and in Maidstone, Kent.

There were reports of power outages in Cambridgeshire, where the A14 was flooded.

Old Trafford, where England's test match has been disrupted by heavy rain

Environment Agency flood warnings and alerts remain in place in numerous parts of the country.

Friday's rainy weather - which saw more than a month's rainfall overnight - was unconnected to Hurricane Bertha, which has been travelling across the Atlantic.

Bertha wreaked havoc in the Caribbean islands with gusts of more than 90mph, leaving thousands of homes without power.

A flash flood following heavy rain in Maidstone, Kent

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "Ex-hurricane Bertha has become more of a typical depression now, albeit with very warm, moist air wrapped up within it.

"It is looking likely that the storm will reach southwest England and Wales by around 6am on Sunday and then track northeast across northern England during the afternoon, to eventually lie off the east coast of Scotland on Sunday night.

There could be more floods on Sunday

"Gusts of 50mph to 60mph are expected, especially along the south coast with large waves, spray and the chance of some coastal flooding.

Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said there was still a chance that the storm may pass to the south of the country, giving the UK a brighter day.

But Environment Agency flood risk manager, Craig Woolhouse, said: "Heavy rain on Sunday may lead to localised surface water flooding in some parts of England and Wales.

"On Sunday and Monday a combination of high spring tides and strong westerly winds brings a risk of large waves and spray and possible flooding to the South West coast of England and along the Severn Estuary."

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Penguin Defends 'Creepy' Roald Dahl Cover

Publisher Penguin is standing by its decision to use an image of a doll-like girl for the cover of a new edition of Roald Dahl's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.

The image of a young girl wearing a pink fur coat and make-up has been criticised for its lack of relevance to the storyline of the classic.

Author Joanne Harris tweeted: "Seriously, Penguin Books. Why not just get Rolf Harris to design the next one?"

Dahl wrote about Charlie Bucket in 1964

Writer Lucy Coats, the author of more than 30 books for children, told The Bookseller: "It is sexualised and has nothing to do with the book."

Other people have called it "lewd", "bizarre" and "creepy".

A Penguin spokeswoman told Sky News the girl is not meant to represent any of the female characters in the book such as Veruca Salt.

The book is now 50 years old

The picture is used on the Penguin Modern Classic version of the book which is intended for adults and one of three editions of the novel being published to mark 50 years since it first came out.

The publisher said: "This design is in recognition of the book's extraordinary cultural impact and is one of the few children's books to be featured in the Penguin Modern Classics list.

"This new image for Charlie And The Chocolate Factory looks at the children at the centre of the story, and highlights the way Roald Dahl's writing manages to embrace both the light and the dark aspects of life."

The spokeswoman said the company is "happy to split opinions" and that they welcome the debate about the choice of picture.

Dahl's novel, which has inspired several film versions and a hit stage musical, was written in 1964 and follows the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory owned by the eccentric Willy Wonka.

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Breast Cancer Drug 'Too Expensive' For NHS

By Adele Robinson, Sky News Correspondent

A life-extending breast cancer drug has been rejected for routine use by the NHS because it is "too expensive".

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has issued a final draft blaming the high price for making it "impossible to recommend".

The drug, Kadcyla, is known to increase life expectancy by an average of around six months, with minimum side effects.

It treats people with HER2-positive breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.

Kim Mawby, 45, has been trialling the drug for three years after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

She was initially given six months to live but now lives a normal life with her husband and three children.

Kim Mawby says the drug has given her a normal life

"I think it costs about £6,000 a month," she said.

"A lot of people are going to say that's too much money but I don't think you can put a price on someone's life.

"When I wake up I do feel incredibly lucky that I am still here, that I am able to just get up and go to work, see the kids off to school.

"I do sit back and think 'wow, if it wasn't for this drug I wouldn't be watching (my son) going to school on his first day'."

Sir Andrew Dillon, Chief Executive of Nice, says the cost of the drug works out at £90,000 per patient, per year.

Jennifer Cozzone, from Roche, says Kadcyla is good value for money

"This drug is so expensive that it's way beyond even that additional flexibility that we can offer," he said.

"I can't negotiate the price with the manufacturer. It's entirely in Roche's hands, the manufacturer's hands, now. They know what they need to do."

However, Roche says the price reflects the value it provides to patients.

Jennifer Cozzone, from Roche, told Sky News that Nice was the first organisation to reject the drug, which she said demonstrated the system in the UK was broken.

A campaign made breast cancer drug Herceptin more widely available

"Every other country, including countries nearby like Norway or Sweden or Switzerland, who have very similar economies to ours, have considered Kadcyla to be good value for money and made it available routinely at very similar prices to what we're talking about here," she said.

Nice says other countries have different arrangements for funding pharmaceuticals.

Kadcyla is available to some patients in the UK through the Cancer Drugs Fund, but Nice says that is not a "long-term mechanism".

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "Nice is an independent expert body that is responsible for evaluating what drugs should be available from the NHS, taking into account cost, demand and effectiveness.

"Kadcyla will still be available to patients through the Cancer Drugs Fund if their doctor thinks it is right for them and we remain open to discussions with the manufacturer about the price of Kadcyla to the NHS."

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Caroline Graham: Man Held Over 1989 Murder

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent

Police in Northern Ireland have arrested a man on suspicion of murdering a young woman who disappeared 25 years ago.

Caroline Graham, 19, was living in Portadown, County Armagh when she went missing in 1989.

The arrest comes as forensic scientists examine items of potential interest found during a search of Caroline's last known address.

The items were uncovered by specialist victim recovery dogs brought into the Hanover Street flat.

A spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: "Detectives from Serious Crime Branch investigating the murder of Caroline Graham in Portadown in 1989 have arrested a 53-year-old man.

"He has been arrested on suspicion of Caroline's murder and possession of a firearm. He was arrested in County Antrim this morning and is being questioned at the Serious Crime Suite in Antrim town."

Police re-opened the case two years ago following a search of waste ground near the flat.

The search of Caroline's flat was conducted under warrant but with the consent of the current owner of the property.

Detectives do not believe the owner has any knowledge of the events of 1989.

They have appealed without success for two soldiers, who gave Caroline a lift in a black XR3i, to come forward.

Earlier this week, Detective Chief Inspector Pete Montgomery said: "Despite all the hurdles posed by the passage of time, I still believe that a form of closure is possible for Caroline and her family.

"It is appropriate to once again begin a planned search operation, primarily to locate Caroline's remains but also as an important part of the overall investigation into her murder."

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Lib Dems 'To Stop Drug Users Going To Jail'

By Joanna Simpson, Sky News Reporter

The Liberal Democrats are announcing that if they win the next General Election they will stop people found in possession of drugs for personal use being sent to jail.

The manifesto pledge will state that if no other offence has been committed an alternative sentence should be given instead of a prison term.

The effective decriminalisation they say would be more effective as it should be regarded as a health issue therefore the drugs and alcohol policy would be removed from the Home Office brief and given to the Department of Health.

The party states that each year more than 1,000 people in England in Wales are jailed for possession of drugs for their own personal use.

It says the £5m would be better spent tackling addiction in the community as many of those imprisoned have a medical problem.

Civil penalties such as warnings or fines could be among those imposed instead or criminal cautions, probation or community service.

Currently the maximum penalty for possession of a Class A drug in the UK is seven years in prison. For a Class B drug it's up to five years and Class C up to two years.

For all classes of drugs there can also be an unlimited fine given either as an alternative or in addition to the jail term.

In 2012, the UK Drug Policy Commission published a report called "A Fresh Approach to Drugs".

It was based on a six-year study which recommended that possession of certain drugs for personal use should become a civil rather than a criminal offence.

The independent advisory body, which included scientists and senior police officers, wrote: "The evidence from other countries that have done this is that it would not necessarily lead to any significant increase in use, while providing opportunities to address some of the harms associated with existing drug laws."

The Home Secretary Theresa May rejected it, telling MPs: "People can die as a result of taking drugs, and significant mental health problems can arise."

The report stated that the UK has 2,000 drug-related deaths each year and more than 380,000 problem drug users.

Support services warn that criminalising people means those in need may be reluctant to ask for help.

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Britons Told To Leave Kurdish Capital Irbil

Britons have been warned to leave Irbil, the capital of Kurdish Iraq, as Islamist fighters advance towards the city.

The move comes as UK Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon said that Britain was offering help to the Americans in their efforts to provide humanitarian support to people trapped by the advance.

Thousands of of Iraqis are said to be stranded in mountains in the north of the country, many without food or water, after ISIS swept into their cities, forcing them to flee.

ISIS, also known as the Islamic State, have moved across northern Iraq and are also said to be threatening Kurdish territory.

The Foreign Office has advised Britons not to travel to Kurdish Iraq, as the security situation there deteriorates.

Britons already in Kurdistan, including those in Irbil, have been told to remove themselves from areas close to the fighting.

Anyone in towns south west of Irbil was advised to leave immediately.

More follows...

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