Hong-kong braces for national day protest

Protesters demand Hong Kong leader resign and for China to
drop plans to select candidates for 2017 polls.
Thousands of protesters have thronged the streets of Hong
Kong, ratcheting up pressure on the pro- Beijing government
that has called the demonstrations illegal , and vowing to
press ahead with their biggest protest so far.
As Hong Kong observed National Day on Wednesday , marking
the 65 th anniversary of the founding of Communist China ,
protesters continued to occupy the Central business district
and movement leaders said they would announce plans to
escalate civil disobedience .
In a speech on Tuesday , President Xi Jinping did not make
any direct reference to the ongoing protests , but pledged that
China would protect Hong Kong 's interests .
" The central government will unswervingly implement the
guidelines of 'one country , two systems ' and the Basic Law
and steadfastly safeguard the long - term prosperity and
stability of Hong Kong and Macau ," Xi said.
Al Jazeera's Scott Heidler , reporting from Hong Kong , said
that it was unlikely that the government would give in to
protesters ' demands for Chief Executive CY Leung to step
down , and for the Chinese government to drop plans to
handpick candidates for Hong Kong 's leadership election in
2017.
Heidler said that thousands of protesters refused to leave the
site of the demonstration , and braved the rain overnight,
with organisers expecting " a lot more people to show up" due
to the holiday .
He said that protesters had also started to gather in a
separate part of the city , which is popular among mainland
Chinese tourists and shoppers .
Earlier on Tuesday, Alex Chow, the secretary general of the
Hong Kong Federation of Students, the organiser of the
university class boycotts that led to the street protests , said it
was considering its options, including widening the protests ,
pushing for a labour strike and occupying a government
building .
Despite widespread fears that police may use force to move
crowds before the start of celebrations marking the
anniversary of the Communist Party's foundation in 1949 ,
there was little sign of the momentum of the protest
flagging .
In the early morning hours of Wednesday, hundreds of
demonstrators were milling around outside luxury stores and
setting up makeshift barricades in anticipation of possible
clashes.
As in most parts of Hong Kong , the police presence was
small .
Show of solidarity
M Lau , a 56 - year - old retiree , said he had taken to the
streets of Hong Kong to protest in the 1980s and wanted to
do so again in a show of solidarity with a movement that has
been led by students as well as more established activists .
" Later this morning I will come back , " he told the Reuters
news agency.
" I want to see more . Our parents and grandparents came to
Hong Kong for freedom and the rule of law . This [protest] is
to maintain our 160- year - old legal system for the next
generation . "
The protests are the worst in Hong Kong since China resumed
its rule of the former British colony in 1997 .
They also represent one of the biggest political challenges for
Beijing since it violently crushed pro- democracy protests in
Tiananmen Square in 1989 .
Cracking down too hard could shake confidence in market -
driven Hong Kong, which has a separate legal system from
the rest of China .
Not reacting firmly enough , however , could embolden
dissidents on the mainland .
Online appeal
Underlining nervousness among some activists that
provocation on National Day could spark violence , students
from Hong Kong University made an online appeal for people
not to disturb the flag - raising ceremony, which took place on
Wednesday morning .
That ceremony was attended by hundreds of Hong Kong
government officials and several thousand supporters of the
government.
Hundreds of protesters lined up in the early hours to view the
ceremony at Bauhinia Square on the Hong Kong waterfront .
China rules Hong Kong under a " one country , two systems "
formula that accords the former British colony a degree of
autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China , with
universal suffrage set as an eventual goal .
However, when Beijing decreed a month ago that it would vet
candidates wishing to run for Hong Kong 's leadership ,
protesters reacted angrily.
Communist Party leaders in Beijing now worry that calls for
democracy could spread to the mainland, and have been
aggressively censoring news and social media comments about
the Hong Kong demonstrations .

Another Kardarsian poses naked,this time it's Kendall

Kendall Jenner wants to be taken seriously as
a model and one of the things models are
known to do is pose nude. The 18 year old
followed in her big sister's footsteps by posing
completely nude for famed photographer
Russell James. Kendall is featured in his book,
Angels, alongside other models and female
celebs.

Russian mother leaves baby to starve and goes to party

19 year old Russian woman Alyona Ipatova
(pictred left) who left her five-month-old
baby to starve to death while she went out
partying for two weeks has been sentenced to a
minimum of 10 years' hard labour. Alyona,
dubbed 'Monster mum' by Russian media
admitted in court to leaving her baby alone in
her apartment in Russia and went partying for
two whole weeks with friends.
Prosecutors said when the teen got back, she
found her infant daughter(pictured right)
dead. Continue
Alyona pictured above in another pic said in
court during sentencing
"I really regret what I did. I did not
want that to happen. I realise what I
have done," she told the sentencing
hearing.
Her lawyer claimed she had asked the child's
father to help look after their daughter.
"Yes, she left the child at times. Although
she left her, sometimes she came back in
the morning or the father was at home, so
he could still look after the girl," he
claimed.
Her lawyer wanted the court to change the
charge from 'murder of a minor with cruelty'
to 'causing death by negligence' but the judge
rejected the plea and sentenced her to 10
years hard labour.

Ukraine rebels open path for trapped army

Separatists to allow "humanitarian corridor " for
encircled troops after intervention by Russian
president .
Ukraine's pro - Moscow separatists have agreed to
let encircled Ukrainian government forces leave
the rebel - held areas following intervention
from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We are ready to give a humanitarian corridor, "
Alexander Zakharchenko , a rebel leader , told
Rossiya 24 TV on Friday , adding that troops
would have to leave their heavy armoured
vehicles and ammunition .
The move came hours after Putin issued a
statement published on the Kremlin ' s website
overnight on Thursday , urging the separatists to
"avoid unnecessary casualties ".
"I call on the rebel forces to open a
humanitarian corridor for the Ukrainian troops
who are surrounded , so as to avoid unnecessary
casualties and to give them the opportunity to
withdraw from the zone of operations, " said
Putin.
The Ukrainian military said in a statement
published on Friday that Putin' s call testified to
only one thing - " these people (separatists ) are
led and controlled directly from the Kremlin ".
According to the rebels , up to 7 , 000 Ukrainian
troops are trapped at several locations in the
Donbass region .
Ukraine said on Thursday that the rebels had
captured Novoazovsk with the help of Russian
troops who had crossed over into Ukraine in "up
to 100 " tanks along with heavy weaponry .
Russia dismissed the allegations , describing the
fighters as "Russian volunteers ".
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied arming and
supporting the separatists who have been battling
Ukrainian troops for four months in the gravest
crisis between Russia and the West since the end
of the Cold War .
Satellite photos
NATO said on Thursday that at least 1 , 000
Russian troops were in Ukraine and later
released what it said were satellite photos of
Russian self -propelled artillery units moving last
week.
Two columns of tanks and other equipment
entered southeastern Ukraine at midday ,
following heavy shelling of the area from Russia
that forced overmatched Ukrainian border
guards to flee, said Colonel Andriy Lysenko , a
spokesman for Ukraine's national security
council .
"Russian forces have entered Ukraine, " President
Petro Poroshenko said in Kiev , cancelling a
foreign trip and calling an emergency meeting of
his security council .
Poroshenko urged Ukrainians to remain calm.
"Destabilisation of the situation and panic , this
is as much of a weapon of the enemy as
tanks, " he told the council .
Obama condemnation
US President Barack Obama spoke with German
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday , with both
leaders agreeing that Russia must face
consequences for its actions.
"We agree - if there was ever any doubt - that
Russia is responsible for the violence in eastern
Ukraine, " Obama said .
"The violence is encouraged by Russia . The
separatists are trained by Russia , they are
armed by Russia , they are funded by Russia. "
He added that Russia "has deliberately and
repeatedly violated the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Ukraine, and the new
images of Russian forces inside Ukraine make
that plain for the world to see ".
But Obama ruled out a military confrontation
between the US and Russia .

Palestine joy as Israel agree truce with Gaza

Hamas and Israel agree long -term deal which
will ease Israeli blockade of enclave after talks
brokered by Egypt .
Thousands of Palestinians are celebrating in
Gaza after Israel and Palestinian groups agreed
an open- ended ceasefire to end seven weeks of
fighting in Gaza .
The Palestinian president , Mahmoud Abbas , said
on Tuesday from the occupied West Bank that a
formula had been accepted by all parties and
that a ceasefire had gone into effect at 16. 00
GMT.
He hailed the agreement as a chance to "build a
new nation and end the occupation ", before
thanking Egypt , Qatar and the US for their roles
in brokering the agreement made during indirect
talks in Cairo .
The Reuters and AP news agencies quoted Israeli
officials as saying that the Israeli government
had accepted the deal . Israeli media reported
the same .
Hamas 's exiled deputy leader , Moussa Abu
Marzouk, said the agreement was a "victory for
the resistance ".
Crowds took to the bombed -out streets of Gaza
to celebrate the end of hostilities . Many used the
v- sign to signify Palestinian victory over Israel .
Al Jazeera 's Andrew Simmons , reporting Gaza ,
said that the deal agreed an immediate easing
of Israel 's blockage of crossings into Gaza , and
a gradual lifting of restrictions on fishing off
the coast of the strip .
"The embargo will be lifted and the five border
posts will see considerable changes, with the
Rafah border crossing opening , " he said in
reference to the crossing between Egypt and
Gaza .
Discussions on the creation of a seaport and
airport will take place in a month, when indirect
talks betwen Israel and Palestinians will resume.
Ofir Gendelman, the Israeli prime minister 's
spokesman for the Arab world , said operations in
Gaza were a victory for Israel . "Hamas gave in
and accepted the same Egyptian proposal for a
ceasefire it rejected until now . The reason for
the change .. . airstrikes , " he said .
Raids end
Israeli air raids continued in the run up to the
ceasefire on Tuesday , as jets attacked two Gaza
City high -rise buildings , collapsing one and
severely damaging the other.
One attack levelled the 15 -storey Basha tower
and severely damaged a 13 -storey building
known as the Italian complex , which was home to
70 families and dozens of shops and offices .
Palestinian health officials said 20 people were
wounded in the Italian complex attack .
In Israel , one civilian was killed and two others
seriously wounded by a mortar round fired from
Gaza hit a kibbutz in the Eshkol regional council
area.
A total of 2 , 142 people , most of them civilians
including more than 490 children, have been
killed in Gaza since war broke out on July 8 . A
totoal of 69 people have been killed on the
Israeli side , nearly all of them soldiers .

Nigeria rejects boko haram's 'caliphate' claims

Military rejects armed group's claim that it
recently established an " Islamic caliphate " in
northeastern town of Gwoza.
The leader of Boko Haram has claimed that the
Nigerian armed group will rule a northeastern
town as part of an " Islamic caliphate ", a claim
quickly rejected by the military.
"Thanks be to Allah who gave victory to our
brethren in [the town of] Gwoza and made it
part of the Islamic caliphate , " Abubakar Shekau
said in the 52 - minute video revealed on Sunday.
The military rejected the claim, saying in a
statement that the "sovereignty and territorial
integrity of the Nigerian state is still intact " .
Reacting to Shekau's video, Nigerian Defence
Spokesman Chris Olukolade said : "Any group of
terrorists laying claim to any portion of the
country will not be allowed to get away with that
expression of delusion and crime .
"Operations to secure that area from the
activities of the bandits [ are ] still ongoing ."
Earlier this month , heavily armed Boko Haram
fighters stormed Gwoza, spraying the town with
automatic gunfire , burning houses and
overrunning the palace of its traditional ruler ,
the Emir of Gwoza .
Days later , the military launched strikes to push
the Boko Haram fighters out of Gwoza , and the
garrison town of Damboa , which Boko Haram
sacked a month ago.
In the new video, members of the group can be
seen carrying out attacks, with Boko Haram
leader Abubakar Shekau declaring that the
armed group has taken over the town .
"We did not do it on our own . Allah used us to
captured Gwoza , Allah is going to use Islam to
rule Gwoza, Nigeria and the whole world , " the
Boko Haram leader said .
"Some of these messages are preaches so that
people can repent , some of the messages are
advises , while in another way the message is a
display of the way we use the power of Allah so
you can fight him and that is it, " he added .
No word of Baghdadi
In a July video, Shekau voiced support for Abu
Bakr al - Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic
State armed group.
In the previous months, the Islamic State group
has captured large swaths of in Syria and Iraq
and in late June, Baghdad declared himself
"the caliph " and "leader of Muslims
everywhere" .
But there was no indication from Shekau in the
latest video that he was associating himself with
Baghdadi, whose Sunni Muslim fighters have
taken over parts of Iraq and Syria.
As such , it was not clear if Shekau was declaring
himself to be a part of Baghdadi' s call or if he
was referring to a separate Nigerian caliphate .
The military has struggled to stamp out the
highly mobile , combat -hardened fighters of Boko
Haram, who want to carve an Islamic state out of
religiously mixed Nigeria.
The group is seen as the main security threat to
Africa's biggest economy and leading energy
producer .
The violent five- year- old campaign of Boko
Haram has been in the international spotlight
since the group kidnapped more than 200 girls
from a school in the village of Chibok in April .
The girls are still missing .

Ukraine seizes 10 Russian soldiers

Moscow says its personnel crossed border
"accidentally" , as presidents of Russia and
Ukraine set to hold talks .
Ukraine has said that its forces have captured 10
Russian soldiers in the east of the country but
Moscow has claimed the soldiers crossed the
border accidentally .
The development comes as the president of
Russia, Vladimir Putin, and his Ukrainian
counterpart Petro Poroshenko were getting ready
to meet on Tuesday in Belarus in the presence of
EU foreign affairs chief .
The Facebook page for the Ukraine's anti- rebel
operation, which includes the military , the
national guard and interior ministry forces, said
on Tuesday that the soldiers were from a Russian
paratrooper division and were captured on
Monday in the area of Amvrosiivka , near the
Russian border in the Donetsk region .
The posting did not give details of how the
capture took place. It posted videos of five men
it said were among the captives, one of whom
said the soldiers had been told they were being
mobilised to take part in military exercises .
'Accidental crossing'
Russian news agencies quoted an unnamed source
in the Russian defence ministry as saying that
the soldiers were patrolling the border area and
probably crossed the border inadvertently .
"The soldiers really did participate in a patrol of
a section of the Russian -Ukrainian border ,
crossed it by accident on an unmarked section ,
and as far as we understand showed no
resistance to the armed forces of Ukraine when
they were detained , " a source from Russia 's
defence ministry was quoted by Russian news
agency RIA Novosti as saying on Tuesday .
Ukraine said on Tuesday that Russian helicopters
had attacked a border post in Luhansk region
the previous day, killing four border guards .
The Ukrainian troops have been fighting pro-
Russia rebels in the east of the country for
around four months.
Kiev and the US have repeatedly accused Moscow
of stoking the rebellion , but this is the first time
Ukrainian authorities claimed to have taken
captive soldiers from Russia 's regular army .
On Monday, Ukraine said 10 tanks and two
armored vehicles belonging to the Russian
military crossed into southeastern Ukraine
bearing the flags of the self - proclaimed Donetsk
People 's Republic.
On the same day, the Ukrainian president
dissolved parliament and called for early
elections on October 26 .
"Many deputies who are in the Rada
[parliament ] are direct sponsors or accomplices ,
that is to say allies of the militant separatists , "
Poroshenko said in a statement posted on his
website.
Tuesday 's talks , expected to begin after 1100 GMT
in the Belarussian capital of Minsk , will include
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine
Ashton and the leaders of Belarus and
Kazakhstan, partners in a Russian - led customs
union.
Since Putin and Poroshenko last met on June 6 in
France , Ukraine has turned the tide of the
conflict and largely encircled pro- Russian rebels
holding out in two cities in the east of the former
Soviet republic.