Plane Scare: Man Held Over Hoax Bomb Threat

Manchester Police have arrested a man on suspicion of making a hoax bomb threat after a plane was escorted into the city's airport by an RAF fighter jet.

The emergency came when the pilot of Qatar Airways flight QR23 from Doha to Manchester reported concerns about a possible device. It landed safely. 

Josh Hartley, who boarded the plane at Doha, said: "The flight was pretty calm all the way through, but some people are shaken up, quite a few. It was scary.

A man is escorted of the Qatar Airways flight by police in Manchester

"One guy has been escorted off the plane already but we're still on it. We've heard nothing yet."

The alarm is thought to have been raised when a passenger passed a note to a member of the cabin crew.

The message is understood to have been  passed on to the captain, who alerted air traffic control - prompting the quick reaction alert Typhoon to be scrambled.

In a statement Qatar Airways said the plane was an Airbus A330-300 with 269 passengers and 13 Qatar Airways crew on board.

Qatar Airways flight QR23 on the ground at Manchester Airport

The airline said: "The crew onboard had received a threat about a possible device on board and Qatar Airways immediately took all the necessary precautions to alert British authorities.

"The crew is now fully assisting police at the airport with their inquiries. 

"The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is our top priority."

Greater Manchester Police tweeted that officers were working to get other passengers off "as swiftly and safely as possible".

Passenger @MattPeterC took this picture from the plane

"The plane has been moved to allow specialist officers who are dealing with the incident to board," said another tweet.

Chief Superintendent John O'Hare said in a statement as events unfolded: "An incoming plane has been escorted into the airport by the Royal Air Force as a result of information received by the pilot about a possible device on board.

"We don't know how genuine this threat is but it is absolutely vital we deal with the situation as a full emergency.

"As a result people will see the police and other agencies at the airport and on the airfield.

The RAF Typhoon escorts the Qatar Airways flight. Pic @Josh Hartley

"At this time I would urge them not to be alarmed.

"Our response will be as comprehensive as it is proportionate with the safety of those on board and in and around the airport our paramount concern."

Eye witness Paul Bell, who is heading for a holiday flight due to leave from the airport's Terminal 1, told Sky News his family saw the drama unfold as they were heading to the airport.

"We heard the fighter jet circling over Stockport and about 10 minutes later we saw the aircraft coming in.

The airport lies south of the city centre

"It was literally looping round the aeroplane."

Manchester Airport said nine incoming flights had to be diverted to other airports, with five of these landing at Leeds Bradford airport.

"There are a few minor delays to outgoing flights but we're pretty much back to normal," said an airport spokesman.

An RAF spokesman said: "We can confirm that Typhoon aircraft were launched from RAF Coningsby in their quick reaction alert role this afternoon to investigate a civilian aircraft whose pilot had requested assistance."

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Chancellor Backs £15bn Northern Transport Plan

George Osborne has backed a £15bn plan to create a "northern global powerhouse" which will rebalance the country's economy.

The vision to connect five cities will see improvements in transport across the north of England, including a 125mph transpennine rail link dubbed "HS3" or the "Crossrail of the North".

The Chancellor was presented with the One North plan, drawn up by the cities of Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Newcastle upon Tyne, in Manchester where he was speaking.

Mr Osborne said: "Of course £15bn is a lot of money - it's about the size of the Crossrail project in London.

"It's a project over a number of years, out to 2030. We have got a £100bn capital budget to the end of the decade.

"I think this kind of proposal is affordable."

He added: "I'm prepared to roll up my sleeves and get it done, so let's get on with it."

The plan could mean up to 150% additional capacity on roads and as much as 55% quicker journey times on a faster, more frequent interconnected rail network.

The One North plan looks ahead to the next 15 years.

Cutting travel times across the Pennines would be worth billions

Speaking about the proposals to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds City Council leader Keith Wakefield, said: "Getting the right investment in our transport systems would deliver unprecedented change to better connect people and jobs, which is crucial if we also want to rebalance the national economy.

"This report demonstrates once again that only through tackling our out-dated transport system will the North be able to fulfil its true economic potential, benefiting our own local communities and the country as a whole."

Speaking on the BBC's Today programme, Labour Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said the Government could not forget the North if it was serious about rebalancing the economy.

He said: "When we talk about economic powerhouses, Manchester and Liverpool, if you just take those two cities in the North together, of course we are one economic powerhouse, it is just we haven't got the connectivity."

Mr Osborne told the programme: "If the North of England's GDP grew at the rate of the average GDP of the UK, we would add over £50bn to our economy to 2030. That is a massive benefit to the people living in the north of England, over £1,600 per person but is also of huge benefit to our country."

The North will play a significant part come the 2015 General Election as both Labour and UKIP could deliver a significant blow in the region so Mr Osborne will be keen to be seen to be backing development.

Shadow Treasury minister Shabana Mahmood said: "We welcome this report and the city regions of the north of England working together to strategically plan to deliver the growth and jobs we need.

"But only Labour will properly back our city and county regions with ambitious plans to devolve more funding and economic power to them."

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Referendum TV Debate Could Be A Game-Changer

When Hollywood gets its hands on the Scottish referendum, maybe in a few hundred years, it'll be a smash hit.

A swashbuckling adventure in which a boisterous, William Wallacey guy wages war against the swotty nemesis who can inflict death by grey hair and treasury statistics. It'll be box office.

Tonight's TV debate? Not so much.

Alex Salmond versus Alistair Darling. Independence versus the Union. Like The Odd Couple without the gags.

And yet it will be compulsive viewing.

Sure, the audience knows it will trawl through a familiar script - currency, defence, EU, border controls, etc.

Yes, it might well feel like a repeat we've been watching for years - the one where both sides batter each other to a standstill on the key issues. 

The referendum is set to take place next month

But the attraction of STV's debate - and similar events to follow - is that it is the arena most likely to produce a 'game-changer'.

Bear in mind that Scots have lived this referendum campaign for years and many just want the noise to stop. The big arguments on the big issues don't resonate the way they once did, and still should.

What television provides is the opportunity to make a judgement on who to trust. The presentation under pressure in which voters will assess degrees of assurance and conviction. It will be critical in the effort to sway undecided voters. 

There will be no Nick Clegg-style national awakening - Darling and Salmond have been around too long to benefit from any new-discovery status. Both men face different challenges. 

Of the two, it's Darling who has most to lose. He has retained a consistent poll lead for the pro-Union Better Together campaign and, as such, he needs not to lose.

It is the challenge facing a football manager who's team's playing for a nil-nil draw - the position you might choose, yet fear. Too little ambition can lead to defeat and frequently does.

Alex Salmond might consider he has an advantage. If the arguments have become tired by repetition and neutralised by claim and counter-claim, then the point-scoring could lie with the independence message. 

Whatever the context, independent is something that people, generally, want to be. It is something the 'Yes' campaign benefits from in a way that its 'No' opposition does not. 

So listen for the buzzwords of independence from Scotland's First Minister as he reaches through the ribcage to squeeze the Scottish heart.

The word 'victory' might yet hinge on it.

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Scotland's Future Up For Debate In TV Contest

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

The two men leading the fight for Scotland's future will go head to head in a TV debate tonight.

First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond will face Alistair Darling MP, leader of the Better Together campaign, with just over six weeks to go until the September 18 referendum on independence.

Broadcast by STV, it is the first such encounter between the pair during the campaign and kicks off its closing stages. 

Alex Salmond had initially refused to face Mr Darling, instead insisting he would only take on David Cameron. The Prime Minister has consistently refused the offer. 

Tonight's two-hour debate will take place at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow and the men will cross-examine each other, as well as take audience questions.

Alex Salmond (L) will go head-to-head with Alistair Darling

Alistair Darling's Better Together campaign has consistently been ahead in the polls and he is expected to press the First Minister for answers on independence.

Blair McDougall, his campaign director, said: "Voters in Scotland have been listening to the independence debate for over two years now.

"Surely if Alex Salmond had convincing answers on the details of separation, we would have heard them by now.

"Scots tuning in deserve to finally get straight answers from Mr Salmond to the questions they have been asking. What would separation mean for our pound, pensions and public services?

"Unlike the leaders' debates in the 2010 General Election, this debate isn't a job interview between candidates.

"Instead, it is a discussion about what separation would mean for our children and grandchildren's futures."

The big vote on Scotland's future is little more than a month away

For Alex Salmond, the TV debate and similar events that are expected to follow present an opportunity to strive for the game-changing moment that his campaign needs to turn the polls around.

Blair Jenkins, chief executive of the Yes campaign, said: "Independence is the opportunity of a lifetime for the people of Scotland, and the Yes campaign are looking forward immensely to the debate.

"We know that Scotland is one of the richest countries in the world, wealthier than the UK, France and Japan, and only the powers offered by a Yes vote will enable us to make this wealth work better for everyone in Scotland.

"Viewers will get the chance to hear why decisions made on Scotland's future should be taken here in Scotland.

"Our experience is that most undecided voters choose Yes when they hear both sides of the debate, and therefore we believe the mass TV audience will benefit our positive campaign.

"We also believe that the No campaign have a problem with both the negativity of their message and the unpopularity of their messengers."

On the morning of the debate, the three main UK party leaders announced they had signed a pledge to increase the powers of the Scottish Parliament. 

David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg all put their name to a declaration made earlier this year by their parties' Scottish leaders to guarantee an increase in Scotland's powers under devolution.

It is a pre-debate move to bolster Alistair Darling before the big event and protect "their man" against accusations that increased devolution is an empty promise that won't be delivered.

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Typhoon Jet - The Quick Responder

The deployment of Typhoon fighter jets on short notice is known as QRA - Quick Response Alert.

It is something the RAF has been doing since the Second World War when Spitfires and Hurricanes would be scrambled to meet the German Luftwaffe over the skies of Britain.

QRA operates out of two stations: RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire which covers the southern sector and RAF Leuchars in Fife which covers the northern United Kingdom.

Typhoon pilots do a QRA shift normally once or twice a month. Each shift lasts 24 hours and is normally uneventful. Ground crew do week-long shifts.

The jets are based in Lincolnshire and Fife, covering north and south

The pilots wait to be scrambled in a small building called the Aircrew Ready Room. Either side, the single-seater Typhoons stand ready in what are called Q-sheds, a nickname that dates back to Cold War days when the teams were much busier than they are now.

If an air traffic controller notices a plane behaving erratically, then they might alert the QRA team. This could be because the plane is not "talking or squawking" - not sending out the right data or not responding to communications.

In other scenarios, as seems to be the case in the Manchester incident, a pilot might send out a distress signal.

Pilots wait to be scrambled in the Aircrew Ready Room

It is a monitored at RAF Scampton, also in Lincolnshire, the old home of the Dambusters.

Analysts at the CRC (Control and Responding Centre) monitor all civilian, commercial and military air traffic and receive information from the security services daily - Radar maps, flight plans, aircraft squarks.

They will build a 3D model of planes movements - this is called a Recognised Air Picture to identify any anomalies.

RAF Air Command in High Wycombe decides what to do next.

The QRA pilots could be put on high alert, known as a "call to cockpit".

The pilots will race to the plane and do everything short of turning the engines on so they are ready to take off within minutes.

The aircraft are armed.

They first came into operation for WW II

Everything possible will be being done to make contact with the suspect plane and resolve the situation, but if unsuccessful, the order comes via a black box called a telebrief. The words haven't changed since WW2: "Scramble, scramble, scramble."

The jets will taxi to the runway.

Air Traffic controllers at whichever station has been given the order - Coningsby or Leuchars - will make sure the skies above are clear and free of traffic.

The RAF is still scrambled to observe Russian military jets flying close to UK airspace. That has happened a number of times in the past 12 months.

The pilots record images of the plane or planes they are tracking, and feed them back to base.

It remains a relatively secret process as it is always in an emergency scenario.

No QRA aircraft has had to fire its weapons over British skies in peacetime but they could if ordered to. That order would probably come from the Prime Minister himself.

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World War One And The 'Short-War Illusion'

By Professor David Stevenson

In August 1914 German Emperor Wilhelm II famously promised to his departing troops that they would return before the autumn leaves fell.

Yet most of Europe's military chiefs did not, in fact, expect a short war.

The Chief of the German General Staff had predicted a struggle lasting between 18 months and two years. His French and Austrian opposite numbers took a similar view.

A clash between two great alliance blocs, each fielding armies that numbered millions and were supported by the resources of entire nations, would not be settled in weeks. 

Even the direst military predictions, however, failed to foresee a conflict lasting four and a half years that would claim at least 10 million lives.

Lord Kitchener warned the Cabinet of a drawn-out bloodbath in Europe

And civilian politicians seem not to have been informed about the military leaders' pessimism.

When Europe's governments decided for war, they expected heavy casualties, but nothing resembling what actually occurred.

Lord Kitchener, the colonial hero who was brought in as Britain's Secretary of State for War, stunned the Cabinet by warning them to prepare for a three-year bloodbath.

And as for members of the ordinary public, evidence from diaries and letters suggests that many really did expect a struggle that would last only a few months.

Newspaper sellers in the run-up to war on August 1, 1914

Much of this optimism may have been wishful thinking. And research by historians has made clear that 'war enthusiasm' was skin-deep.

To be sure, there was excitement, and cheering crowds gathered round the royal palaces in Berlin and London, but these demonstrations were quite small, composed mostly of well-to-do young men, and most prominent after war had been declared.

Up until then, pacifist and anti-war protests rivalled them - for example in Trafalgar Square as late as Sunday August 2, only two days before Britain came in.

British soldiers in a shallow trench during the Battle of the Somme

On 31 July the London Stock Exchange was closed for the first time in its history, due to a run on the Bank of England's gold reserves and sell-offs of government bonds across Europe, while both in Britain and on the Continent queues formed outside savings banks and there was panic food-buying.

Although The Times consistently advocated British intervention, The Manchester Guardian remained unconvinced, and many civilian diarists expressed anxiety and foreboding.

In all the combatant countries political parties suspended their differences for the duration of the war effort.

But it seems to have been only later, once reports came in of heavy fighting and massive casualties, that a deeper pro-war consensus formed on both sides.

The public had not begun this business, but now they were in it they would see it through.

In Britain, hundreds of thousands flocked to the recruiting offices in late August and September. Although the volunteers had many motives, patriotism was certainly one of them.

And even after the campaigning bogged down into opposing lines of trenches, many still (without the benefit of hindsight) expected it to carry on for only a few more months. The short-war illusion did not end in 1914.

:: Professor David Stevenson is the author of With Our Backs To The Wall: Victory And Defeat in 1918, and 1914-1918: The History Of The First World War. He teaches at London School of Economics & Political Science

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Driver 'Lucky To Survive' Pub Toilet Smash

A driver had a lucky escape after his car travelled over a wall and smashed into a pub toilet block in Staffordshire.

Emergency blood supplies were taken to the scene of the crash on the A5 in Cannock as firefighters cut the motorist free of the wreckage.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "Crews arrived to find a car that had left the road, travelled over a wall and entered the toilets of the Longford House Beefeater public house.

"The car was embedded in the building and the man driving the car was significantly trapped."

The driver suffered leg injuries in the accident

Pictures of the scene showed the flattened, mangled wreckage of the car had destroyed a large portion of the wall. Firefighters could be seen working to release the driver.

"The man, believed to be in his late 30s, continued to receive treatment to his leg injuries for the 90 minutes that he was trapped," the ambulance spokesman said.

"Considering the damage to the car and the extensive damage to the building, it is extremely fortunate no one was more seriously or fatally injured in the crash."

After the man was released, he was taken to a major trauma unit for emergency medical treatment. His condition was unknown.

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Tourists Left On Drips After Sickness Bug

British holidaymakers have told how they needed intravenous drips after contracting a sickness bug while at a four-star Egyptian resort.

Tourists took to the TripAdvisor review website to express their anger after suffering from diarrhoea, sickness and fever at the Coral Sea Waterworld in Sharm el Sheikh.

One poster, Bristols, wrote: "Sickness and diarrhoea was rife throughout the hotel, seven out of our party of nine were really poorly including myself.

"I became ill on the second night and was unable to eat, drink, use the pools or waterpark for the whole holiday.

"I had two drips, injections, antibiotics, tablets coming out of my ears."

Another, tim308, wrote: "Just as I was recovering from my illness when my wife was struck down with one far worse, sickness, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever that continued for the duration of our holiday and is still not 100% now."

The Red Sea resort is popular with British holidaymakers

And Rebecca R added: "By 3am on the Tuesday morning went down with terrible diarrhoea, feeling sick and raging temperature, spent the next few days mainly lying on the bathroom floor, never felt so ill."

Reports claim staff at the resort were made to wear latex gloves after the sickness bug broke out and extra doctors were brought in to cope with the numbers of people becoming ill.

Simpson Millar LLP Solicitors is representing a group of between 70 and 80 people who became unwell while staying at the resort.

Nick Harris, head of international travel law at the firm, said: "At present we are representing approximately 70-80 holiday makers who fell ill with gastric infections, including Shigella, whilst on holiday at Coral Sea Waterworld in Egypt.

"This figure is rising sharply, as we continue to receive calls from holiday makers returning from the resort complaining of vomiting, diarrhoea and painful stomach cramps.

"This is a serious outbreak at a hotel supplied by the UK's most prominent tour operators, Thomson and First Choice."

On its website, Simpson Millar states: "Complaints include cases of faecal contamination incidents in swimming pools, undercooked buffet food and the use of what seemed to be untreated water to irrigate the hotel lawns and gardens."

A statement from First Choice Holidays said: "First Choice is aware of a small number of cases of sickness at the Coral Sea Water World, Egypt, with symptoms similar to a virus.

"Reported cases of sickness have reduced and an independent health and safety consultant has been undertaking a thorough investigation in resort, ensuring that the correct containment procedures are in place.

"We would like to reassure customers that we closely audit all the resorts to which we operate to ensure that health, hygiene and comfort levels are maintained."

In May 2013, five-year-old Chloe Johnson, from Forest Hill, southeast London, drowned in one of the swimming pools at the hotel.

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World War One Centenary: Britain Remembers

Commemorations are taking place across Europe to mark the centenary of the day Britain entered the First World War.

An estimated 37 million people were killed or injured in the conflict which lasted from 1914 until 1918.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a service in Liege to mark 100 years since the German invasion of Belgium at the start of World War One.

William and Kate with Mr Hollande at a ceremony in Liege, Belgium

The Royals were received at L'Abbaye Saint-Laurent by King Philippe of Belgium, from where they walked to the Cointe Inter-allied Memorial for a service, during which Prince William gave a speech and spoke of the importance of reconciliation across Europe.

"We were enemies more than once in the last century, and today we are friends and allies," he said.

"We salute those who gave us our freedom. We will remember them."

Prince Charles lays a wreath in George Square, Glasgow

Among the more than 50 heads of state joining them were French President Francois Hollande and German President Joachim Gauck.

William and Kate will attend a special ceremony at Belgium's St Symphorien Cemetery this evening, outside the town of Mons, where the solemn tributes to the fallen will continue.

It is one of a series of events marking Britain's entry into the Great War.

Thousands of poppies are on display at the Tower of London

Across the Channel, the Prince of Wales, dressed in the uniform of a British admiral of the fleet, attended a Service of Remembrance at Glasgow Cathedral where the 1,400 invited guests included representatives of Commonwealth countries, senior military figures and charities.

He was joined by Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond, who all laid wreaths at the Cenotaph in George Square.

Speaking outside Glasgow Cathedral, Mr Cameron said the war "profoundly changed our world".

The Great War in numbers

"It is right to commemorate this because this event had a massive impact on every community, every family in our country," he said.

"It is also right to remember the outbreak of the war because so many young British people thought they were rallying to a cause of defending the right of a small country, Belgium, to exist, and the prevention of the domination of Europe by one power.

"There are principles and thoughts that were in play at that time and are worth remembering today as well," he added.

The small Belgian cemetery of St Symphorien, nears Mons

In Folkestone, Prince Harry inspected a parade of troops - marking the route taken by millions of young men who marched through the Kent harbour town on their way to northern France and Belgium. For some, it was their last glimpse of British soil.

The Prince also officially opened a Memorial Arch in dedication to the veterans of the Great War.

On the other side of the globe, Australia and New Zealand marked the outbreak of the Great War with Prime Ministers Tony Abbott and John Key describing it as a conflict that shaped their nations too.

People are being urged to turn off their lights for an hour at 10pm to mark the moment Britain entered the war.

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'British Aid Worker Killed In Gaza Strip'

Key Dates In The Gaza-Israel Conflict

Updated: 10:36am UK, Monday 04 August 2014

Israel's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip continues with forces attempting to destroy Hamas' weapons arsenal and rocketing-firing capabilities.

Here are the key events from the fighting that preceded and have followed Israel's operation:

:: July 8 - Israel launches "Operation Protective Edge" in a bid to quell near-daily militant rocket attacks in the aftermath of the abduction and killing of a Palestinian teenager in what appeared to be a revenge attack for the seizure and slaying of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank in June.

:: July 9 - Hamas rockets rain deep into Israel as the military pummels Palestinian targets. The military says 74 rockets landed in Israel, including in the northern city of Hadera, the deepest rocket strike ever from Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas will pay a "heavy price".

:: July 10 - Israel intensifies its bombardment. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges an immediate ceasefire but neither side shows much interest in halting the fighting.

:: July 11 - Mr Netanyahu vows to press forward with a broad military offensive. The Israeli military says it has hit more than 1,100 targets, mostly rocket-launching sites, while Palestinian militants fired more than 600 rockets at Israel. The Lebanese military says militants there fired three rockets toward Israel and the Israelis retaliated with about 25 artillery shells.

:: July 12 - Gaza City becomes a virtual ghost town as streets empty, shops close and hundreds of thousands of people keep close to home. The death toll rises to more than 156 Palestinians after more than 1,200 Israeli air strikes.

:: July 13 - Israel widens its campaign, targeting civilian institutions with suspected Hamas ties, and briefly deploys ground troops inside Gaza to raid a rocket launching site. Four Israeli soldiers are hurt during the brief incursion. Egypt, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, continues to work behind the scenes.

:: July 14 - Israel says it's downed an unmanned drone along its southern coastline. Egypt presents a cease-fire plan that is praised by President Barack Obama at a White House dinner celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

:: July 15 - Israeli Cabinet accepts Egypt's truce plan, halting fire for six hours but Hamas rejects the proposal, instead unleashing more rockets at Israel and prompting Israel to resume heavy bombardment. Rocket fire kills an Israeli man delivering food to soldiers, the first Israeli fatality in the fighting. Four Gaza boys, all cousins, are killed on a beach by shells fired from a navy ship.

:: July 16 - Hamas fires dozens of rockets into Israel, vowing not to agree to a ceasefire until its demands are met. The Gaza Interior Ministry's website says Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of airstrikes, targeting 30 houses, including those of four senior Hamas leaders. Later, both Israel and Hamas agree to a five-hour UN brokered "humanitarian" pause to start the following day.

:: July 17 - both sides trade fire in run-up to the brief truce, which Gazans use to restock on food and other supplies. Israel says it foiled an attack by 13 Gaza militants who infiltrated through a tunnel. Fierce fighting resumes after the truce expires, including an airstrike that kills three Palestinian children. After nightfall, the Israeli military launches a ground invasion into Gaza Strip.

:: July 18 - eight members of the same Palestinian family - two men, two women and four children - are killed by Israeli tank fire as the ground offensive to date claims the lives of 51 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier.

:: July 19 - Mr Ban says he wants to meet both sides to try to secure a truce as Israel pledges to step up its ground offensive. Hamas says its fighters are "behind enemy lines" as security alerts are triggered in southern Israel.

:: July 20 - Fresh airstrikes, artillery shelling and gun battles overnight kill 12 Palestinians and two more Israeli soldiers, as Israel intensifies its ground offensive in Gaza. Israeli minister Naftali Bennett defends the ground offensive in Gaza and accuses Hamas of "self-genocide" by using women and children as human shields.

:: July 21 - another airstrike kills 26 members of the same family, while seven more Israeli soldiers die in gun battles with Hamas fighters. Thirty of those wounded in the attack are reportedly medical staff.

:: July 22 - the Palestinian leadership proposes a ceasefire plan to mediators in Egypt which would be followed by five days of negotiations to stop the fighting which has claimed the lives of more than 600 Palestinians, many of them women and children, and 29 Israelis, including 27 soldiers.

:: July 23 - an international inquiry into Israel's actions in Gaza is launched, after the UN's Human Rights Commissioner says there is a "strong possibility" the country is guilty of war crimes. Several major airlines from the US, Europe and Canada suspend flights to and from Israel after a rocket fired from Gaza lands near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport.

:: July 24 - British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond warns Mr Netanyahu the West is losing sympathy for Israel amid the rising number of civilian deaths during its offensive in Gaza, as international efforts to end the conflict intensify. However, hopes of an effective ceasefire quickly diminish after Israel vows to continue hunting Palestinian cross-border tunnels under any humanitarian truce, while Hamas also rejects a truce without the lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade of Gaza.

:: July 26 - the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza offensive reaches 1,000, according to the territory's health ministry. Meanwhile, Israel agrees to extend a temporary humanitarian ceasefire for a further day.

:: July 27 - Hamas agrees to a 24-hour temporary truce ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid.

:: July 28 - the UN Security Council calls for an "immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza following an emergency session in New York. Both sides criticise the presidential statement, which is one step below a legally-binding resolution.

:: July 30 - a reported 128 Palestinians die in the bloodiest day of the three-week conflict. One attack, on the Jebalya refugee camp, provokes international condemnation, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying there is "nothing more shameful than attacking sleeping children".

:: July 31 - the UN says the total number of displaced people in Gaza now stands at 440,000.

:: August 1 - the Israeli army says 23-year-old Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin has been kidnapped as a three-day ceasefire collapses within minutes.

:: August 2 - tanks and troops begin withdrawing from some parts of the Gaza Strip as an army spokesman says Israel is "quite close to completing" the destruction of Hamas' tunnels.

:: August 3 - Israel confirms missing soldier Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin died in combat.

:: August 3 - Ban Ki-moon describes an apparent Israeli airstrike on a UN school-turned-shelter in Rafah as a "moral outrage and a criminal act". The US says it is "appalled" by reports of a "disgraceful shelling" in which 10 casualties are reported.

:: August 4 - Israel begins a seven-hour humanitarian truce but is immediately accused of breaching it with an attack on a refugee camp in Gaza City.

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