'Devastating': Tributes For UK Plane Victims

Ten Britons are now confirmed to have been among the 298 people on board flight MH17, which was shot down in Ukraine.

Friends and colleagues today paid tribute to the British victims named, including Leeds University student Richard Mayne, 20, from Leicestershire.

He had recently completed a charity trek to Everest Base Camp was described as a man who had a "great thirst for life" and "wanted to make the world a better place" by his former headteacher.

John Wood, from the Dixie Grammar School in Nuneaton, said: "Richard was an extremely pleasant and thoughtful young man who gave his time generously for everyone."

Richard Mayne during a trip to Nepal (L) and Ben Pocock (R). Pics: Facebook

His sister Scarlett posted a picture of her and Richard on Instagram with the caption: "Always been my hero. Forever loved, never forgotten."

Ben Pocock was flying to Australia to begin a professional placement and study, Loughborough University said.

His family have spoken of their "devastation".

"He was a gifted academic, talented athlete but more importantly a warm, caring, fun-loving son and brother who had an extremely bright future ahead of him," they said.

"Ben is going to be terribly missed not only by his family but by the wider Keynsham community where he made so many long-lasting friends."

Helicopter pilot Cameron Dalziel. Pic: Facebook

The latest British victim to be confirmed is Cameron Dalziel, a 42-year-old helicopter pilot living in South Africa.

His brother Campbell Dalziel said he "couldn't believe" his brother was gone: "It was [Thursday evening] while we were watching Sky News - he had been in Amsterdam at a conference.

"If the reports are credible and true we are saddened by this news. It's not only him that was taken away from us.

"From an early age he always believed in helping people you know and encouraging people from being a lifeguard on the beach to flying helicopters.

"He was part of the sea rescue team. He never ever wanted recognition just you know he enjoyed it. He loved doing it. If he didn't love it he wouldn't do it."

Newcastle United fans Liam Sweeney (L) and John Alder

Newcastle United fans, John Alder and Liam Sweeney, who were travelling to see their football team play in New Zealand, also died in the crash, according to NUFC.com and the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.

Newcastle United said the pair were among the club's most loyal supporters.

Managing Director Lee Charnley said: "The loss of John and Liam is truly devastating news.

"Both men were dedicated supporters of our Club and were known to thousands of fans and staff alike."

Glenn Thomas was on his way to an Aids conference. Pic: Facebook

Glenn Thomas, 49, from Blackpool, was among 100 delegates reportedly on their way to the International Aids Society (IAS) summit in Melbourne, Australia.

Friends spoke of their shock and loss of the media officer at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva.

WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said: "We have lost a wonderful person and a great professional. Our hearts are broken. We are all in shock."

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Sky 'Rained People' After Airliner Shot Down

Children have described how it was "raining people" after the shooting down of a passenger jet with 298 people on board in eastern Ukraine, reports Sky's Stuart Ramsay.

Human remains and debris from the plane are scattered everywhere, and bodies can be seen hanging from telegraph wires, he said.

Ramsay said local volunteers had been left traumatised, such was the scene of devastation.

Amid the carnage of the crash site, the sound of rockets being fired can be heard in the distance as the conflict between Ukrainians and pro-Russian separatists continues to rage.

A pro-Russian separatist at the site of the downed plane

A large number of armed militia are in control of the area, aiming to help preserve the scene for aviation investigators.

But officials face a difficult task as the situation on the ground remains volatile, and the potential for tension high.

Ramsay said: "There's fighting in a town to my west and fighting in the town to the east, and we are stuck in the middle."

Given this it was hard to see how a thorough investigation of an extensive crime scene could be carried out.

"They need to get on with it but it's going to be difficult to do this because it's so volatile," he said.

Crash investigators are yet to arrive at the scene

Ramsay said the downing of the plane had left people living nearby in a state of shock.

"Most of them saw the plane coming down. It was in bits," he said.

"Parts of bodies are absolutely everywhere.

"In some of the villages there are bodies hanging from telegraph wires and on roofs."

Children, who witnessed the plane coming down, said: "It was raining people."

Ramsay said the plane attack and horrific loss of life had affected people's attitudes to the continuing violence.

"The thing that's struck them is the pointlessness," he said.

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Israel Launches Ground Offensive In Gaza

Israeli military forces have launched a large-scale ground campaign in Gaza aimed at destroying Hamas' weapons arsenal and infrastructure.

"The prime minister and defence minister have instructed the IDF to begin a ground operation tonight in order to hit the terror tunnels from Gaza into Israel," said a statement from Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

A Hamas spokesman called the ground offensive "foolish", adding that Israel will "pay a heavy price".

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sherine Tadros, on the ground in Gaza, reported heavy shelling and bombardment.

She said: "The power has gone out over most of Gaza so we can't see very much, but what we can hear is terrifying.

Flares fired by the Israeli military are seen above Gaza

"We have heard the sounds of constant bombardment coming from the naval ships for the past few hours. We have also seen flares lobbed over essentially to light up targets in Gaza and they were then shelled by the naval ships.

"We have also been hearing airstrikes and reports of many casualties going to the various hospitals.

"The power outage is causing havoc."

Gaza health officials said eight Palestinians were killed in the early stage of the operation, including a three-month-old boy who died after a shell hit his family's Bedouin tent in southern Gaza.

The operation comes after 10 days of intense fighting between Israel and the Islamic militant Hamas.

It is the first major Israeli ground offensive in Gaza in just over five years. 

The army has confirmed that a draft of 18,000 more reserve soldiers has been authorised by the government.      

Mr Netanyahu's chief spokesman Mark Regev told Sky News the decision to launch the offensive had not been taken "lightly" but that action needed to be taken to "protect our citizens".

He said the chance of a ceasefire is now very unlikely: "This operation is only happening because Hamas rejected the ceasefire proposal supported by Egypt, a proposal supported by the United Nations.

"Hamas alone torpedoed the chance of a ceasefire and now Hamas is paying the price," Mr Regev said.

Earlier, Israel said it had foiled an attack by 13 Palestinian gunmen who tunnelled in from Gaza.

The Israeli army said the ground offensive is meant to strike a "significant blow to Hamas' terror infrastructure". 

"We know that Hamas terrorists are operating underground, and that's where we will meet them," Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said via Twitter.

Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal said the operation was destined to fail, in remarks to AFP in the Qatari capital.

"What the occupier Israel failed to achieve through its air and sea raids, it will not be able to achieve with a ground offensive. It is bound to fail," Meshaal said from his exile in Doha.

Egypt's foreign ministry denounced Israel's "escalation" in Gaza and again demanded both sides accept a Cairo-proposed truce.

Thousands of Israeli soldiers had massed on the border with Gaza in recent days.

The ground campaign followed a brief truce earlier on Thursday in which Israel held fire to allow Gazans to stock up on food and other necessities after being largely holed up at home since the conflict began last month.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he regrets the escalation in Israel-Palestinian hostilities and urged Israel to do more to stop civilian deaths.

Israeli strikes have hit more than 2,000 targets in Gaza and Hamas launched nearly 1,500 rockets at Israel, the Israeli military has said.

Gaza health officials said 237 Palestinians, most of them civilians, had been killed since Israel began the air and sea offensive on July 8.

Israel has confirmed one death in the conflict.

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Plane 'Shot Down': Britons Among 298 Killed

A plane which crashed in eastern Ukraine with 298 people, including nine Britons, on board was reportedly shot down as it flew near airspace deemed unsafe for passenger jets.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was travelling at an altitude of 33,000 feet (10,000 metres) when contact was lost.

An adviser to the Ukrainian interior ministry told the Interfax news agency the Boeing 777 was brought down by a Buk ground-to-air missile, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew members.

As well as the Britons, the victims included 154 Dutch, 45 Malaysians, 27 Australians, 12 Indonesians, four Germans, four Belgians, three Filipinos and one Canadian.

The wreckage of the Boeing 777, which came down in Grabovo, Donetsk

Three infants are among the dead, and the nationalities of 41 passengers have yet to be verified. These are thought to include a number of Americans.

Some of the passengers were on their way to a UN Aids conference in Melbourne, the Australian government has said.

Plumes of thick, black smoke could be seen rising high into the air near the village of Grabovo, Donetsk, where the airliner came down.

Emergency services search through the wreckage of the crashed plane

The plane, which one eyewitness said split in half on impact, is almost unrecognisable in pictures of the crash site, with burning wreckage scattered across a vast area.

US President Barack Obama has told the Netherlands Prime Minister that Washington would support a "prompt, full, credible and unimpeded international investigation" into the disaster.

Malaysia Airlines, still reeling from the loss of flight MH370 in March, has said all its European flights will be taking alternative routes with immediate effect.

Flight MH17 was heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Pic: Andreas Fietz

It revealed the route taken by flight MH17 had been declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

The Interfax news agency has reported that the plane's 'black box' flight recorder has been recovered.

Officials in Kiev were quick to deny any involvement, with President Petro Poroshenko lamenting what he called an "act of terrorism".

Smoke rises from the scene of the crash. Pic: PainkillerBOH/YouTube

US Vice-President Joe Biden said the jet appeared to have been deliberately "blown out of the sky", with an unnamed US official blaming Ukrainian separatists backed by Russia in an interview with the Reuters news agency.

However, separatist leader Alexander Borodai said the aircraft was shot down by Ukrainian government forces - a claim backed by another separatist, who told Reuters the rebels do not have weapons capable of shooting down a plane at such height.

Sky's Katie Stallard, in Moscow, said Igor Strelkov, the commander of the pro-Russian Donetsk People's Republic, appeared to have boasted about the incident on social media.

Debris from the Malaysia Airlines plane was strewn over a vast area

In one deleted message recovered by Sky News, he allegedly wrote: "We warned you not to fly over our sky."

Ukraine's security service also released what it claimed was a recording of an intercepted phone call between two Russian military intelligence officers, discussing the downing of the plane.

Sky's Mark White, citing aviation sources, said the aircraft appeared to have been flying close to a block of airspace deemed "unsuitable for civilian aircraft".

Air traffic controllers confirmed the plane was flying in open airspace but just 1,000 feet (300 metres) above a restricted zone.

"It raises questions about why the plane was near an area it had been advised not to fly through," White said.

"Did it stray into that area by accident or did the pilot decide it was a risk worth taking, perhaps as a fuel saving measure?"

A distressed woman waits for information in Kuala Lumpur

Stallard said the plane came down in an area that had seen heavy fighting in recent days, as tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue.

Data from Flightradar24 indicates the plane, which took off from Schiphol airport at 12.15pm local time, had just passed the city of Kremenchuk, around 300km (186 miles) from the Russian border, when it disappeared.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the incident was "absolutely unacceptable" and an "awful tragedy", but added: "This would not have happened if there were peace on this land ... and, certainly, the state over whose territory this occurred bears responsibility."

Vladimir Putin: Tensions in Uktraine to blame for 'awful tragedy'

Meanwhile, relatives of the victims of the MH370 tragedy have released a statement, saying: "Who would do such a poisonous thing to a civil aeroplane?

"Passengers on board are ordinary people, just like our relatives. Why let them experience the torture? Why let other people feel the same pain as we do?"

The disaster is the latest in a line of reported attacks on planes in Ukrainian airspace and comes a day after one of the country's Sukhoi-25 fighter jets was shot down.

:: Malaysia Airlines has set up an emergency line, 00 6 037 884 1234, for people worried their relatives may be on the flight.

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Putin: Sanctions Could Cause 'Serious Damage'

Vladimir Putin has warned a fresh wave of sanctions will take US relations with Russia to "a dead end" and damage America's business interests.

The US and the EU have stepped up measures over what is viewed as Russia's interference in Ukraine.

President Barack Obama has imposed the most wide-ranging sanctions yet, targeting major banks, energy and defence firms including Gazprombank and Rosneft Oil Co.

Steps are also being taken to prevent rebel groups and senior officials in Ukraine getting hold of funds.

"Sanctions have a boomerang effect and without any doubt they will push US-Russian relations into a dead end, and cause very serious damage," Mr Putin said.

Mr Obama announces fresh wave of sanctions

"And I am convinced that this will harm the national long-term interests of the American state, the American people."

Mr Obama said the US measures were "significant but targeted".

"I've repeatedly made it clear that Russia must halt the flow of weapons and fighters across the border into Ukraine.

"So far, Russia has failed to take any of the steps that I mentioned."

Meanwhile, EU leaders meeting in Brussels agreed a more limited package.

They agreed to impose asset freezes against around 11 more individuals but said measures will be expanded significantly at the end of July to cover "entities and persons" helping to undermine Ukraine's "sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence".

The European Commission will also "reassess and potentially suspend" co-operation programmes with Russia.

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More Than 600 Paedophile Suspects Arrested

An operation by the National Crime Agency involving 45 police forces has seen 660 suspected paedophiles arrested across the UK.

Thirty-nine of the 660 were registered sex offenders but the vast majority had not come to the authorities' attention before. More than 800 properties were searched.

One arrested man had access to 17 grandchildren - two of them had already made allegations against him.

Two men, one of whom is a doctor, had between them more than a million indecent images of children on their phones and computers.

Care workers and former police officers were also among the hundreds arrested.

As a result of the six-month investigation across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - which has only now been revealed - more than 400 children have been safeguarded, the NCA said.

A total of 431 children now under official protection had been in the "care, custody or control" of suspects, 127 of those children were considered to be at immediate risk of harm, the agency revealed.

None of those arrested is a serving or former MP or member of the Government, it said.

Charging decisions are still due in most cases because of continuing inquiries, but charges brought so far range from possessing indecent images of children to serious sexual assault.

The NCA's deputy director general, Phil Gormley, said: "This is the first time the UK has had the capability to coordinate a single targeted operation of this nature.

The undercover operation involved 45 police forces

"Over the past six months we have seen unprecedented levels of cooperation to deliver this result.

"Our aim was to protect children who were victims of, or might be at risk of, sexual exploitation. A child is victimised not only when they are abused and an image is taken. They are re-victimised every time that image is viewed by someone.

"Some of the people who start by accessing indecent images online go on to abuse children directly. So the operation is not only about catching people who have already offended - it is about influencing potential offenders before they cross that line.

"We want those offenders to know that the internet is not a safe anonymous space for accessing indecent images, that they leave a digital footprint, and that law enforcement will find it."

Mr Gormley said he was "profoundly disappointed" at the scale of the problem and the number of arrests police were forced to make.

It was necessary, he said, to take a harder look at the amount of people looking at child abuse images on the internet.

"The alternative," he said, "is not to look under the stone, and we cannot afford not to look under this stone."

Claire Lilley, Head of Online Safety at the NSPCC said: "This is an important two-pronged operation which has rescued children from abuse and also identified many previously unknown sex offenders.

"Direct action like this sends a strong message to those who subject children to harrowing sexual assaults that they can and will be traced and prosecuted."

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Palestinians Urged To Leave Homes As Truce Fails

Israel's military has urged tens of thousands of Palestinians living in northern and eastern Gaza to leave their homes.

The move could signal more airstrikes are planned for those areas after Israel warned the ruling Hamas militant group would "pay the price" for rejecting a ceasefire plan.

Israel says it will "expand and intensify" its offensive as aerial assaults resumed on Tuesday after being briefly suspended following its acceptance of the Egypt-brokered truce.

Palestinian militants fired dozens of rockets in the first six hours of the ceasefire plan which led to Israel restarting its strikes in Gaza - that has a population of 1.7 million.

The fresh raids hit Gaza City, southern Khan Younis, Rafah and central Johr al Deeq, killing five people, reported the AFP news agency.

Israel has confirmed its first death of the week-long conflict - a man who was delivering food to soldiers suffered fatal wounds when a Hamas rocket struck the Erez crossing on the Gaza border.

People carry their belongings among building debris in Gaza

The Israeli military has told residents of the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya and the Gaza City neighbourhoods of Shijaiyah and Zeitoun in automated telephone calls to leave their properties.

Sami Wadiya, a resident of one of the areas likely to be targeted, said he would not leave his home. "We know it's risky, but there are no secure places to go to."

Prior to the calls, the raids have already prompted around 17,000 people to flee their homes, particularly in northern Gaza, with many taking refuge in UN schools.

Hamas officials said they had not been consulted on the ceasefire proposal and would not halt violence without a fully-fledged deal including Israeli concessions.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

More than 190 Palestinians, including many civilians - some children - have been killed by the bombardment over the last week and the Israelis say the raids are designed to stop rocket fire from Gaza.

Since July 8, Gaza militants have fired more than 1,200 rockets at Israel - hundreds which have been intercepted by the Iron Dome air defence system - while Israeli aircraft have struck close to 1,700 times.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "It would have been preferable to have solved this diplomatically, and this is what we tried to do when we accepted the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire.

"But Hamas leaves us no choice but to expand and intensify the campaign against it."

He added: "Hamas chose to continue fighting and will pay the price for that decision. When there is no ceasefire, our answer is fire."

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the movement had not been consulted on the truce bid.

"We didn't get to see the Egyptian proposal except through the media," he said.

"The idea of halting fire before there is any agreement on the conditions laid out by the resistance is unacceptable and we reject it."

Hamas has said it wants the end of Israel's blockade of Gaza and the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt as part of a truce deal.

It also wants Israel to free Palestinians it re-arrested after releasing them in a 2011 exchange for an Israeli soldier held by Gaza militants for more than five years.

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Failing England Care Homes Risk Being Shut Down

By Thomas Moore, Health Correspondent

Every care home in England is to be inspected and rated in a new drive to prevent abuse and neglect of residents.

All 25,000 care homes and homecare services will be assessed by the Care Quality Commission, starting in October.

And from April next year, those rated as inadequate face being put into special measures.

If they fail to improve care within a set time limit they could be closed down.

The move follows the success of a turnaround programme in hospitals identified last year by NHS England as having a high death rate.

Details released by the Department of Health show that of 11 hospitals that were put into special measures, five have improved to such an extent that they have now been cleared, or are expected to be shortly.

Another four have made significant improvements but are expected to be kept under special measures for another six months. A decision on the final two is expected later this week.

Chief inspector of hospitals Professor Sir Mike Richards said: "We have seen significant improvements in almost all of the 11 trusts that were put into special measures, with exceptional progress in two trusts and very good progress in a further three.

"The hard work by trust staff that has underpinned this progress should be recognised.

"Special measures brings a new focus on quality improvement in trusts which have previously struggled to provide high quality care."

The failing hospitals were paired up with successful NHS Trusts to implement an action plan for improving care.

Overall, they recruited 603 more nurses, 721 nursing support staff and 101 doctors.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "Mid Staffs was a wake-up call which uncovered how staff in a minority of isolated hospitals believed poor care was somehow normal and acceptable.

"Thanks to a sharp focus on admitting problems rather burying heads in the sand, some of these hospitals have tackled their deep-rooted failings for the first time and are on the road to recovery.

"Everybody wants to know they can get safe, compassionate care from their local hospital."

Tom Sandford, of the Royal College of Nursing, added: "Staffing levels must never again be dictated by finances rather than patient need.

"Getting staffing levels right will ensure that patients receive the care they deserve."

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William Hague Steps Down As Foreign Secretary

William Hague is stepping down as Foreign Secretary as David Cameron's Government reshuffle gets under way.

Mr Hague, 53, will become Leader of the House Of Commons before he stands down as the MP for Richmond, Yorkshire at the next General Election in 2015.

Downing Street said he would also help to co-ordinate Government policy, while also becoming a "leading campaigner in key constituencies, particularly in the north of England".

He will also be the Prime Minister's special representative on preventing sexual violence in conflict, where he has been working with UN special envoy and Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie.

Mr Hague with Angelina Jolie and US Secretary of State John Kerry

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond will become the new Foreign Secretary, according to Sky sources.

Meanwhile, Ken Clarke is retiring from Government and other high-profile Tory MPs have emerged as casualties of the reshuffle, including Policing minister Damian Green and Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC.

Mr Clarke, 74, is stepping down as minister without portfolio, bringing to an end a front bench career stretching back to 1972.

Mr Cameron is expected to promote more women into key posts ahead of next year's general election.

Mr Hague photographed in Downing Street on Monday

Those tipped for promotion include employment minister Esther McVey - who was also seen entering No 10 - education minister Liz Truss and ministerial aide Penny Mordaunt.

Mr Hague said: "By the time of the General Election next year, I will have served 26 years in the House of Commons and it will be 20 years since I first joined the Cabinet.

"In government there is a balance to strike between experience on the one hand and the need for renewal on the other, and I informed the Prime Minister last summer that I would not be a candidate at the next General Election. 

"Accordingly I am stepping aside as Foreign Secretary, in order to focus all my efforts on supporting the government in Parliament and gaining a Conservative victory in the General Election."

Ken Clarke pictured arriving at Number 10

The Prime Minister said: "William Hague has been one of the leading lights of the Conservative Party for a generation, leading the party and serving in two cabinets.

"Not only has he been a first class Foreign Secretary - he has also been a close confidante, a wise counsellor and a great friend.

"He will remain as First Secretary of State and my de facto political deputy in the run up to the election - and it is great to know that he will be a core part of the team working to ensure an outright Conservative victory at the next election."

Esther McVey, with Iain Duncan Smith, may be promoted

Mr Damian Green has been sacked in a "shock" move and Mr Grieve has also left the government, Sky sources say.

Welsh Secretary David Jones, Transport minister Stephen Hammond, and Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd are also out.

International Development Minister Alan Duncan is standing down at his own request, while Universities minister David Willetts has also stood down and declared his intention to quit as an MP next year.

Mr Jones is set to be replaced by Pembrokeshire MP Stephen Crabb, according to Sky sources.

Owen Paterson is rumoured to be heading to the exit as Environment Secretary.

Sky's Political Editor Adam Boulton said: "It's the biggest upheaval in David Cameron's government since he came to power in 2010.

"He is clearly cutting out a lot of - as people are saying - 'pale, male and stale' ministers.

"A lot of them frankly are thought to be doing quite good jobs in their ministerial positions."

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William Hague Ends 40-Year Tory Career

William Hague burst on to the political scene at the aged of 16 when he took the 1977 Conservative Party conference by storm.

Nearly 40 years later he has stolen the headlines again with his bombshell resignation announcement overshadowing the rest of David Cameron's reshuffle.

"Role as Leader of the House means I will finish in politics as I began - speaking in Parliament and campaigning among the voters," he tweeted.

He says after the General Election, when he will step down as MP for the "All Creatures Great and Small" constituency of Richmond in the Yorkshire Dales, he will return to writing, supporting the Tories and campaigning on international issues.

So he's likely to continue his high-profile trips with Angelina Jolie campaigning against sexual violence in conflict, while giving up the dross of EU foreign ministers' meetings and other tiresome international summits.

He will also, I predict, return to the lucrative after-dinner speaking circuit, where he made a handsome income after stepping down as Tory leader until his recall to the front line by David Cameron in 2005.

Mr Hague, flanked by wife Ffion, resigns after 2001 election defeat

His replacement as Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, has none of the flair or wit of Mr Hague, though he has proved to be a safe pair of hands at the Ministry of Defence and won the trust of previously sceptical military chiefs.

After his barnstorming conference speech at 16, William Hague waited another 12 years before becoming an MP in the by-election caused when Leon Brittan – back in the news again now – went to Brussels as an EU commissioner.

He only won the by-election because the Liberals and Social Democrats, then going through an acrimonious merger, fought against each other. But since then, Mr Hague has turned Richmond into one of the safest Tory seats in the country.

He was a junior minister, then Welsh Secretary when John Redwood challenged John Major for the Tory leadership and then party leader at just 36 after Tony Blair's landslide victory in 1997.

The Foreign Secretary has campaigned with Hollywood star Angelina Jolie

But while Mr Hague outwitted Mr Blair in the Commons, the Conservatives were still trounced by Labour again in 2001 in an result almost identical to 1997 and it seemed his top flight political career was over until Mr Cameron persuaded him to return.

Nearly a decade after his comeback, in what looks like a purge of middle-aged men by the Prime Minister, at least Mr Hague's departure from the Foreign Office was his own decision.

And the Tories will benefit enormously from his skills in the Commons as Leader of the House and campaigning on the domestic front - particularly in the north of England - in the run-up to the next election.

Plenty of other middle-aged men have been ruthlessly sacked by David Cameron in what one of them called "the cull of all the innocents".

Downing Street listed seven ministers - all men - who had resigned. They were Kenneth Clarke, David Willetts, Alan Duncan, Hugh Robertson, Sir George Young, Andrew Robathan and Greg Barker.

Damian Green is one of the high profile cabinet casualties

But the No 10 list did not include the names of David Jones (Wales), Dominic Grieve (Attorney General), Damian Green (Policing) and Stephen Hammond (Transport). All were sacked. And all were shell-shocked by their dismissal.

As news of the sackings spread through Westminster, middle-aged male Tory MPs stood around in conspiratorial huddles of three or four, whispering and muttering.

For the moment, there is a lot of ill-feeling on the back benches.

But after the disappointed will come the appointed - promotion for younger, telegenic women MPs. The traditional parade up Downing Street and the smiles for the cameras.

Mr Cameron has got the bad news out of the way first. Labour has called his reshuffle a "massacre of the moderates". The PM will be hoping for more favourable publicity for day two of his changes.

But William Hague quitting is a serious blow. And if things go badly for the Tories at the next election, don't bet against Lord Hague of Richmond taking the Conservative Party conference by storm once again.

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Israeli Troops Launch First Ground Raid On Gaza

Israeli troops have launched a ground operation in the northern Gaza Strip, the first since the offensive against Hamas began, as Palestinian deaths continue to mount.

The navy commandos' brief incursion - which ignored a United Nations call for a ceasefire - targeted a rocket launcher site, according to Israeli public radio.

The armed branch of Hamas confirmed that Israeli troops had exchanged gunfire with Palestinian fighters.

Thousands of residents in northern Gaza have fled their homes, after a warning from Israel's military that they should leave "for their own safety".

Artillery flares illuminate the sky following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza

Leaflets have been dropped into the town of Beit Lahiya near Gaza's northern border which read: "Those who fail to comply with the instructions to leave immediately will endanger their lives and the lives of their families. Beware."

Israel says it plans to step up its offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza over the next 24 hours in an effort to stop missiles being fired into Israel.

It has been massing military hardware and troops close to the border with northern Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was hitting Hamas "with growing force," warning there was no end in sight. 

A picture tweeted by Israel claiming to target a militant rocket site

"We do not know when this operation will end," he told ministers.

In an interview on CBS's Face the Nation, he defended the offensive.

"When we began this interview we were under bomb alert and as the minutes passed now we're told people can go out into the open air again," he said.

"This is the kind of reality we're living in. And we'll do whatever is necessary to put an end to it."

Tel Aviv residents take cover during an air raid siren warning of an attack

Mr Netanyahu urged Americans to imagine US cities from the East Coast to Colorado, or 80% of the population, were under threat of rocket attack, with only 60 to 90 seconds to reach a bomb shelter.

"That's what we're experiencing right now, as we speak," he said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has phoned Mr Netanyahu to renew a US offer to help mediate a truce.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is to ask the United Nations for international protection as the six-day offensive continues.

Israeli soldiers rest in the shade of trees near central Gaza

Israel began its offensive on Tuesday in response to weeks of rocket attacks from Hamas militants in Gaza, who are understood to have fired more than 600 missiles into the country.

Two more rockets shot from Gaza were destroyed over the Tel Aviv area by the Iron Dome missile defence system on Sunday, several hours after another two rockets were intercepted over Lod, close to the country's main airport.

Hamas has denied being behind a rocket attack on Israel from Lebanon on Saturday evening.

A rocket fired from Syria hit the Golan Heights, falling on open ground and causing no casualties, an army spokeswoman told AFP.

Israeli soldiers walk across a field near central Gaza strip

Earlier that day an Israeli warplane bombed the home of Gaza's police chief and damaged a nearby mosque, killing at least 18 people and wounding 50.

It was the deadliest single attack during the five-day conflict, which has now claimed 165 Palestinian lives and left more than 1,000 injured.

No Israelis have died so far in the latest conflict, and many of the rockets fired into the country have been intercepted by Iron Dome.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) defended its military campaign via social media.

"To warn civilians of an impending strike, the IDF drops leaflets, makes personalized phone calls & sends SMSes. How many militaries do that?" it tweeted.

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World Cup: Germany Win Trophy For Fourth Time

Terrific World Cup That Swept Aside The Doubts

Updated: 11:40pm UK, Sunday 13 July 2014

By Nick Powell, Sports Editor

It was entirely appropriate that a competition where predictions became impossible should be settled in extra-time by a German who came on as substitute for the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer.

After a gripping but goalless opening 90 minutes, Mario Gotze, replacement for Miroslav Klose, beat Argentina with a sublime piece of skill befitting what we have seen this past month.

For sustained team excellence throughout, Germany are worthy champions.

It was unquestionably a terrific tournament.

Best ever? Too subjective. One of the best, certainly. 1970 and 1998, to name but two, gave us plenty to enjoy.

But football has changed since then, and World Cups too.

Fitter, faster, stronger players. Bigger tournaments. More countries, for heaven's sake, and more finalists (after an expansion to 32 countries in 1998).

One argument against that has been exploded this past month in Brazil, namely that too many weak teams would feature.

Costa Rica, Algeria? Both reached the last 16, where the former won again and the latter took Germany to extra-time.

The competition's compelling nature proved enough to quell most of the Brazilian protests about its cost, and help us generally forget the questions about FIFA's competence and propriety.

But match-fixing allegations surrounding Cameroon were an in-tournament reminder of football's seamy side, or more accurately of the sport's attractiveness to criminals seeking a fast illegal million bucks or a money laundry.

Luis Suarez snaffled himself more column inches through his incisors than his prodigious talent or his noteworthy comeback from knee surgery to blast England out of the World Cup.

Ah yes, England ... no, let's move on, as they might yet successfully do themselves if Roy Hodgson can get them playing consistently as they did for long periods against Italy.

FIFA acted quickly and strongly against Suarez, less so against the brutality which many teams realised they could get away with - not least Brazil, who themselves ironically lost poster boy Neymar to a crude knee in the back.

That must be sorted by Russia 2018 - always assuming investigator Michael Garcia has not found reasons to switch the venue (unlikely).

Which brings us to Qatar 2022, and a welter of unanswered questions guaranteed to keep journalists busy and lawyers rich.

And to Teflon-coated FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

Like the poor, always with us, and set on asking in 2015 for another four-year term to stay as football's overload until he's 83.

The politics are on the doorstep.

But it's acceptable for now to put our fingers in our ears, draw the curtains, and replay in our minds (or on video) the sporting delights served up this past four weeks by unheralded talents like Colombia forward James Rodriguez and Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas, and acknowledged superstars like Neymar, Dutch wizard Arjen Robben.

Not to mention the wonderfully gifted Argentinian Lionel Messi, who fell one step short of football's ultimate prize.

His team's fans ended the night in tears.

Only four more years ....

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Ambulance Response Times 'Putting Lives At Risk'

Ambulances are taking longer to reach patients suffering from life-threatening conditions compared to three years ago, according to a new report.

Figures from NHS England suggest that in some areas of the UK, heart attack and stroke victims have to wait almost three minutes more to be seen by a paramedic.

Category A calls where a patient's life is in danger should arrive within eight minutes. But ambulances are taking more than a minute longer to arrive on average and experts warn this is putting lives at risk.

Dr Dale Webb, director of research and information at the Stroke Association, said: "When a stroke strikes, the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off which causes brain cells in the affected area to die.

Paramedic Danny Wroe says increases in traffic are causing longer delays

"So time lost is brain lost. These figures are a concern because stroke patients need to get specialist treatment as soon as possible.

"The quicker someone arrives at a specialist stroke unit the quicker they should receive the right treatment and the more likely they are to make a better recovery."

In the East of England, ambulances are taking some 2.8 minutes longer to respond to the most serious calls. In the East Midlands, ambulances are taking 2.3 minutes longer compared to three years ago.

But an East Midlands Ambulance Service spokesperson cast doubt on the data.

''EMAS is an improving organisation and hit all of its key performance standards during the first quarter of 2014," he said.

One trust is recruiting more staff like Danny to help with response times

''The method used nationally to measure response times changed between years so the figures quoted do not compare like with like.

"The figure of 489 seconds for May 2014 uses the new criteria and is correct. However, if the new measurement criteria were applied to the May 2013 figure, it would read 476 rather than 376.

"This means the change from 2013 to 2014 is 13 seconds."

Portsmouth-based paramedic Danny Wroe told Sky News: "Traffic is on the increase and people's inability to use their mirrors is a major thing."

The chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Service said the service was dealing with delays by recruiting extra paramedics and putting additional ambulances on the road.

Dr Anthony Marsh said: "We are putting more staff on the front line and reducing the number of cars to increase the number of ambulances.

"We are recruiting 400 student paramedics by April 2015, the first group of which are already working from ambulance stations across the region, as well as up-skilling our existing emergency medical technicians and emergency care assistants.

"Additional ambulances are also on the road, and we launched a replacement programme to ensure no ambulance in our fleet is older than five years by next spring."

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Gaza Residents Told To Leave 'For Own Safety'

The Israeli military has ordered Palestinians living in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate "for their own safety".

Chief military spokesman Brigadier General Motti Almoz said Israel planned to step-up its offensive against militants and hit the area with heavy force in the next 24 hours.

Officials say the area has been used to fire rockets at Tel Aviv.

Artillery flares illuminate the sky following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza

Israel has been massing military hardware and personnel to the border with northern Gaza and says it will send messages to residents overnight telling them to leave.

Sky's Alex Rossi counted at least 100 armoured personnel carriers and tanks a few miles from the border though an Israeli Defence Force spokesman told Sky News a ground invasion was not imminent.

Four Israeli ground troops were hurt after they raided a rocket launching site in Gaza, according to the AP news agency.

A picture tweeted by Israel claiming to target a militant rocket site

Israel began its offensive on Tuesday in response to weeks of rocket attacks from Hamas militants in Gaza, who are understood to have fired some 600 missiles into the country.

On Saturday evening an Israeli warplane bombed the home of Gaza's police chief and damaged a nearby mosque, killing at least 18 people and wounding 50.

It was the deadliest single attack during the five-day conflict, which has now claimed more than 140 lives.

Injured Palestinians were rushed to al Shifa hospital in Gaza City as the bombardment continued.

Tel Aviv residents take cover during an air raid siren warning of an attack

Samah Al-Masri, the aunt of a 4-year-old girl injured in the strikes said: "As humans, you fear for your son and if you fear for your child or hear the sound of a rocket you will naturally want to hold them.

"When the child comes to hide in my arms and I find the entire house falling on top of us what do I do then?"

Dr. Ayman Al-Sahabany, Director of Emergency ward at al Shifa Hospital, said: "Women and children are more than half of the casualties. And children form a third of the total casualties."

No Israelis have died so far, and many of the rockets fired into the country have been intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system.

Two rockets fired from Lebanon hit the Nahariya region in northern Israel late on Saturday, an army spokeswoman told AFP.

Israeli soldiers rest in the shade of trees near central Gaza

The Israeli military said it responded with artillery fire toward "the source of fire", according to AP.

Hamas unleashed a barrage of rocket fire on Saturday after warning it planned to target Tel Aviv.

Three rockets apparently targeting the Jerusalem area fell short, hitting Hebron and Bethlehem, according to the Israeli army and Palestinian security sources.

The army said four rockets were fired at Tel Aviv. Three were intercepted above the city and the other hit open ground south of it.

Israeli soldiers walk across a field near central Gaza strip

Israel has been criticised for the civilian casualties that have resulted from its offensive on one of the most densely populated territories in the world.

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said a majority of those killed so far are civilians.

Israel says it is acting in self-defence and accuses Hamas of using Gaza's civilians as human shields by firing rockets from there.

It said Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Gaza militant groups use religious sites to conceal weapons and establish underground tunnel networks, deliberately endangering civilians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not end the campaign until he achieves his goal of stopping the rocket attacks from a "terrorist organisation which calls for our destruction".

Former Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya said: "(Israel) is the one that started this aggression and it must stop, because we are (simply) defending ourselves."

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