Britain to analyse MH17 black boxes

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REUTERS

A pro-Russian separatist places black boxes belonging to Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on a desk, before their handover to Malaysian representatives, in Donetsk. Picture: Maxim Zmeyev

Kuala Lumpur -

The black boxes recovered from the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine will be sent to British aviation investigators for analysis, Malaysia has said.

The decision by the Dutch-led team probing the disaster came after pro-Russian rebels controlling the crash site handed the boxes over to Malaysian officials on Tuesday, following an intense international outcry.

Transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said in a statement late Tuesday that it was normal procedure to send the boxes, which record cockpit activity and flight data, to the nearest laboratory approved by the United Nations aviation agency, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

“The international investigation team, led by the Netherlands, has decided to pass the black boxes to the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch for forensic analysis,” he said.

The boxes will be flown to Farnborough, England, accompanied by Malaysian officials and other members of the investigation team, Liow added.

All 298 people, including 193 from the Netherlands, aboard MH17 were killed when it went down over crisis-hit eastern Ukraine on Thursday. The jet is believed to have been shot by a surface-to-air missile.

Malaysia had announced late Monday a breakthrough deal with separatists from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, following direct negotiations.

Besides the handover of the black boxes, the agreement also says that bodies from the crash will be sent to the Netherlands for analysis before being returned home, and provides for a safe route to the site controlled by the insurgents.

The pro-Russia rebels currently stand accused by the US and some other nations of bringing down the aircraft, allegedly with a missile supplied by Moscow. - Sapa-AFP

Gay sex: Singapore top court tackles challenge to colonial ban

Singapore's highest court is hearing challenges to a 76-year-old ban on gay sex.

Lawyers for Kenneth Chee and Gary Lim argued that the ban, first adopted under British colonial rule in 1938, discriminated against gay men and violated rights to equal protection guaranteed by Singapore's constitution. A two-day hearing before a three-judge panel began on Monday.

Singapore lawmakers agreed in 2007 to keep the law, known as Section 377A, when they repealed related provisions that made heterosexual oral and anal sex a crime. The government says it has not actively enforced the ban since the mid-1990s.

"The majority of the population still favours the current legal framework," Law Minister K. Shanmugam said last month when asked about the case and its background. While society is evolving and social mores are changing, "the government has taken the position that this is a situation where it is best to agree to disagree".

Police issued an advisory asking attendees at this year's annual gay-pride rally Pink Dot on June 28 to "keep the peace" and avoid comments on race and religion. The warning followed Muslim and Christian groups calling on their followers to wear white on the day to signify "purity" and to oppose the event.

Gay activists started an online petition early last year for abolition before a lower court hearing on the law's constitutionality, and a group of pastors met Mr Shanmugam to present their views on defending the nation's "moral future".

Battles over gay rights have gained prominence in the past two years. India overturned a 2009 verdict in December legalising consensual gay sex. Russia enacted anti-gay laws, stoking international ire, and New Zealand became the first Asia-Pacific nation to legalise gay marriages.

Singapore Judges Andrew Phang, Belinda Ang and Woo Bih Li will hear the arguments on behalf of Mr Chee, 38, and Mr Lim, 46, as well as a parallel appeal by another man, Tan Eng Hong, against the ban on acts of "gross indecency" between males. Offenders face mandatory jail terms of as long as two years.

There were a total of 185 people convicted under section 377A over a 10-year period from 1997 to 2006, according to figures from the Home Affairs Ministry.

In the early 1990s, undercover police arrested several men in sting operations, charging them with molestation and public solicitation, according to reports in The Straits Times. A magazine with advertisements targeting homosexuals had its publishing license suspended and some theatre plays deemed as promoting homosexual lifestyles were censored.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/gay-sex-singapore-top-court-tackles-challenge-to-colonial-ban-20140714-zt6us.html#ixzz37U3CfLQr

Cambodia Military Helicopter Crash Kills Five, Injures One

A military helicopter has crashed near the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, killing five individuals. According to The Cambodia Daily, the helicopter was carrying a total of six people. Most of the people inside the helicopter were pilot trainees. The helicopter crashed in Phnom Penh's Dangkao district this morning killing five of them on the spot. One individual was rescued with serious injuries, say local police officials. Fresh reports add that the helicopter crash occurred at about 9 a.m. local time in a quarry in the village of Prey Tituy village.

According to a local from the village, the lone survivor from the crash was rushed to the local Calmette hospital for treatment. The bodies of other victims of the helicopter crash were also taken to the hospital later.

"From preliminary information that I received, I just know that five people died and one survived, but was seriously injured," the villager added.

From what is being now known the military helicopter had taken off from the Phnom Penh International Airport earlier in the morning. Military police officials were dispatched to the location of the crash to investigate the wreckage and begin investigations as to what caused the helicopter to go down.

According to Khuon Yano, Choeung Ek commune police chief, the helicopter was owned by the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and had been originally donated to Cambodia by China. Preliminary reports add that the helicopter involved in the crash was a Chinese-made Zhi-9 (Z-9) utility helicopter. This model is widely known to be a licensed clone of the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin and is made by Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation of China.

"This helicopter was donated by China and belonged to the RCAF and those victims were training pilots," he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian news website Bernama has said that the helicopter in fact crashed in to a pond and not a quarry as earlier reported.

At least three killed, 11 wounded in clashes at Tripoli airport-medics

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - At least three people have been killed and 11 wounded in clashes near the Libyan capital Tripoli's airport on Sunday, medics said.

Fighting started in the early hours of the morning between rival militias vying for control of the airport, and explosions could be heard throughout Tripoli as the clashes continued into the afternoon.

No Iran breakthrough with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Vienna

• US Secretary of State John Kerry

Joint efforts by US Secretary of State John Kerry and three other Western foreign ministers failed on Sunday to advance faltering nuclear talks with Iran, with the target date for a deal only a week away. "There has been no breakthrough today," said British Foreign Secretary William Hague after meetings with Kerry and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Iran.

The trip gave Kerry a chance to ease an espionage dispute with Germany. After meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, both stressed the importance of their cooperation in solving global crises, yet offered little indication they have fully mended ties. Separately, Kerry spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the escalating Mideast violence. Like the others, he also met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. "We're working, we're working, we just got here," said Kerry, chiding reporters asking about progress as today's meetings wound down.

But the dispute over Iran's enrichment program appeared to be defying the Western foreign ministers' combined diplomatic muscle. Tehran says it needs to expand enrichment to make reactor fuel but the US fears Tehran could steer the activity toward manufacturing the core of nuclear missiles.

The US wants deep enrichment cuts; Iran wants to greatly expand enrichment. "There is a huge gap" over enrichment, said Hague, in comments echoed by the other foreign ministers. Steinmeier and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius left on Sunday, a few hours after they arrived. Kerry und Hague stayed on for another day of diplomacy.

Still, the dispute and other differences strongly indicated that six world powers and Tehran will need to continue negotiations until July 20 and could decide to extend their talks past that informal deadline for a deal. Such an agreement would buy time to negotiate a pact limiting the scope of such programs in exchange for a full end to nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran. "Obviously we have some very significant gaps still, so we need to see if we can make some progress," Kerry told reporters before a meeting with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who is convening the talks.

Gigi Reyes asks court for longer stay in Philippine Heart Center

Jessica Lucila "Gigi" Reyes. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–For fear of a heart attack or a stroke, accused pork barrel scam player Jessica Lucila "Gigi" Reyes has asked the Sandiganbayan to allow her to extend her stay at the Philippine Heart Center (PHC).

In a motion submitted before the court's third division on Saturday, Reyes asked the court to allow her continued confinement at the PHC until her previous motion for a bigger hospital is resolved.

"Indeed, given Reyes' fragile medical condition, her continued confinement at the Philippine Heart Center – a tertiary hospital equipped and capable of effectively evaluating and addressing her condition as well as properly managing any emergency situation – is the only way that Reyes would have the best possible chances of survival if and when an acute coronary event occurs," the motion read.

Reyes was transferred to the PHC on Friday from the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital after she complained of chest pains and difficulty of breathing.

In the motion, Reyes' doctor Anthony Lontoc said Reyes could suffer from an acute coronary event such as a heart attack or a stroke.

Reyes' motion said the Taguig-Pateros hospital is not equipped with the facilities for such an acute coronary event.

Reyes also said in her motion that she should be detained at a jail nearest to a tertiary hospital, citing her seizures after she was detained in Camp Bagong Diwa.

She even said that in Camp Bagong Diwa, where she was first transferred, she had to be carried by several men down eight steep flights of stairs to the ground floor of the Taguig jail when she was first rushed to the Taguig hospital.

Reyes reiterated her motion to be transferred to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center, which is nearest to the PNP General Hospital, a tertiary hospital.

The court had junked Reyes' plea for detention in the PNP for lack of merit.

"The events … where Reyes.. had to travel a considerable distance from Taguig City Jail to the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital (which is however, not a tertiary hospital), clearly shows that Taguig City jail is not a suitable place to hold Reyes pending trial given her medical condition," the motion read.

"On the other hand, PNP Custodial Center is just a stone throw's away from the PNP General Hospital, (which) unlike the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital, is a tertiary hospital equipped and capable to handle any likely emergency situation," the motion added.

"From the foregoing, accused Reyes respectfully implores that this Honorable Court authorize and allow accused Reyes to be transferred to and confined at a tertiary hospital, preferably the Philippine Heart Center or the Sta. Ana Hospital where her attending physicians are connected so that the cardiac condition and neurologic pathology status of accused Reyes can be properly evaluated and addressed," Reyes' motion stated.

Reyes, the former aide of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, also her co-accused in the pork barrel scam case, surrendered to the court after an arrest warrant was issued for her plunder case.

She is now at the PHC Coronary Intensive Care Unit.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/619458/gigi-reyes-asks-court-for-longer-stay-in-philippine-heart-center#ixzz37TjjID9f 

Main Libya airport shut down as rival militias clas

TRIPOLI: Heavy fighting broke out between rival militias vying for control of Libya’s main airport Sunday, killing seven people and forcing a halt of all flights in the worst fighting in the capital for six months.
The assault on the Zintan militia which controls the airport by Islamist militants came after the U.N. pulled staff from Libya citing security reasons, and as the United States warned of further escalation.
An airport official said “rockets struck inside the airport perimeter around 6 a.m.,” followed by heavy clashes between the rival gunmen.
Loud explosions and heavy gunfire were heard in the city center, 25 kilometers away, AFP correspondents reported.
An airport source said Zintan fighters pushed back the assailants from the western city of Misrata but that clashes continued to rage around the facility, as locals reported seeing tanks deploy and smoke billowing. At least 36 people were wounded in the clashes, officials said.
Authorities closed the airport for at least three days from Sunday after initially halting flights.
Zintan forces from the northwest, which have controlled the airport since Gadhafi’s ousting, and Misratis had been put on the state payroll in an unsuccessful attempt by the government to win their cooperation and establish the rule of law.
The heavily armed group, named after a hill town southwest of the capital, is considered the armed wing of the liberal movement jockeying for power with Islamists who dominate parliament.
Sunday’s attack was claimed by the Operations Cell of Libyan Revolutionaries, a coalition of Islamist militias seen as the armed wing of Islamists within the General National Congress or parliament.
“The revolutionary forces arrive within the perimeter of Tripoli airport and clash with armed groups inside,” it said on its Facebook page.
Local news channel Al-Nabaa showed men in military vehicles with Misrata insignia opening fire with heavy weapons.
Nabaa TV showed a Libyan Airlines plane and a transport aircraft engulfed in smoke while vehicles fired anti-aircraft volleys and fighters took up positions next to field of sheep.
Britain’s Minister for the Middle East Hugh Robertson in a statement urged an immediate end to the fighting and called on all parties to engage in “meaningful dialogue.”
European Union presidency holder Italy meanwhile called for United Nations-led diplomacy in Libya to aid the democratic transition.
“All too often these crises have been ignored and there has not been adequate support for transitions after regimes are toppled and we are still paying the price,” Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini told the ANSA news agency.
The fighting comes weeks after a contested June 25 general election to replace the Islamist-dominated GNC, which has been mired in controversy and accused of hogging power.
Libya, awash with weapons since the uprising three years ago, has also been plagued by growing lawlessness, while on the political front rival cabinets are jostling for power.
The embattled Tripoli government has been powerless to act and has struggled to establish a strong army and police force, allowing ex-rebels a free hand to act.
Sunday’s clashes came just hours after the United States warned that the conflict could become “widespread” unless a new parliament is seated quickly and a new constitution drafted.
“The United States is deeply concerned by the ongoing violence in Libya and dangerous posturing that could lead to widespread conflict there,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
July 6, Libya’s electoral commission scrapped the election results from 24 polling stations, citing fraud, and said final results would be announced July 20.
Commentators say liberals will fill most seats in the new parliament, unlike in the former assembly.
But the future makeup of parliament will become clear only after the formation of political blocs, since the vote was open only to “individual candidates” and lists were barred.
The mounting violence prompted the United Nations Support Mission in Libya to announce Thursday that it was pulling out dozens of staff.
The well-armed and disciplined Zintan militia is officially under the jurisdiction of the Defense Ministry, and had claimed a May 18 attack on the GNC to demand its dissolution.
The group has sided with rogue Gen. Khalifa Haftar who has launched a deadly offensive in eastern Libya, cradle of the 2011 uprising, aimed at crushing Islamist militias.

Aquino's doctrine: good intentions superior to Constitution

 
President Aquino defends DAP and Budget Secretary Butch Abad. By Ellen. T. Tordesillas
Finally, President Aquino will speak to the people of the Philippines on the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP today, Malacañang announced.
Today is exactly two weeks after the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision declared as unconstitutional Aquino and his Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad pet project.
Malacañang sources said Aquino was stunned by the voting (13-0. Not even his appointees especially Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno sided with him!) he threw tantrums. He wants to wage war against the Supreme Court justices.
Wonder no more why House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. wants an investigation on the Judiciary Development Fund being administered by the Supreme Court.
Last Friday Aquino gave the public a preview of what he is going to say today. During the cabinet meeting on the 2015 budget, Aquino announced that he was rejecting the resignation of Abad. “I have decided not to accept his resignation. To accept his resignation is to assign to him a wrong and I cannot accept the notion that doing right by our people is wrong.”
Yesterday Abad, who was silent the past two weeks issued a statement taking responsibility for the illegal DAP which was the reason, he said, he tendered his resignation. But there was no apology or remorse for making a mockery of the budget process with the juggling of P374 billion.
He just said: Yesterday, however, before we deliberated on the proposed 2015 budget, the President announced that he would not accept my resignation. He explained that accepting it was tantamount to acknowledging wrongdoing on my end, contrary to the fact that the DAP—as conceived and implemented—proved beneficial to the country’s economy and the Administration’s bid for rapid and inclusive growth.”
We do not know what Abad means by “rapid and inclusive growth.” Definitely it does not include me and my friends, my neighbors and a lot of people I know. We also do not know what formula they used to specifically attribute to DAP their claim of “rapid and inclusive growth.”
Aquino’s doctrine of governance is a takeoff from the Florentine philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli’s “The end justifies the means.”
Cabinet members were seen applauding when Aquino announced his rejection of Abad’s resignation. The only one who was not clapping was Vice President Jejomar Binay , the housing czar.
Cabinet members applaud Aquino's rejection of Abad's resignation
Following Aquino’s doctrine that as long as you have good intentions, it is right, we should applaud the New People’s Army for killing soldiers who, in their mind, are agents of an oppressive regime. They say their intention is to liberate the Filipino people from oppressive forces.
We should call for the abolition of the Commission on Human Rights for criticizing Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and condemning vigilantes, who kill people without going through the justice system. The vigilantes say what they want is peace and order, which we all want.
Since good intentions is a good excuse to trash the Constitution, the late President Ferdinand Marcos should then be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani because he claims to have saved the Philippines from becoming a communist state by declaring Martial Law.
Imelda Marcos, should be given an award for building all those edifices and medical institutions – Cultural center, Philippine International Convention Center, Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney Center, and many more – all in pursuit of her wish for the Filipino people to have “The True, the Good, and the Beautiful.”
There’s an added problem though: Aquino believes he has the monopoly of good intentions.

Cuba and Russia Create Latin American Center against Disasters

Havana, Cuba, Jul 12.- A Cuba-Russia Regional Rescue and Firefighter Training Center (CRESB) was inaugurated on Friday in this capital by authorities of the two countries to contribute to counteract the effects of natural disasters and fires in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The institution was inaugurated by Vladimir A. Puchkov, Minister of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense Affairs, Emergency Situations and Relief of the Consequences of Disasters; and Army Corps General Abelardo Colome, member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party and Minister of the Interior.

Puchkov presented Colome; Major General Ramon Pardo, head of the General Staff of the National Civil Defense; and Colonel Luis Carlos Guzman, head of the Fire Department of Cuba, with the State Order "Participants in Emergency Humanitarian Operations."

Likewise, they unveiled a plaque identifying the Center, located at the National Firemen School of Firefighters created on September, 1963, and toured its areas.

Guzman expressed his gratitude for the Russian technical assistance received by the School and also for the help received from the International Civil Defense Organization.(ACN)

Ukraine: thousands of people flee Donetsk as government forces get closer

Thousands of residents were heading out of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on Saturday, fearing more violence as government forces moved closer to the city.

Families queued for hours to get on a train that would take them to a safer part of the country.

Separatist leaders estimate 70,000 residents have already left the city.

One woman said: "We're going to Crimea. We'll return if the Donetsk People's Republic holds out and if the monstrous Ukrainians come, then there will be no return. How can you live with them if they're killing people."

Rebel fighters have been holding out against government forces although the the airport is still controlled by Ukrainian forces.

The Ukrainian military say they have a plan to deliver a "nasty surprise" to the rebels.

President Poroshenko also promised a crackdown saying: "for every soldier's life, the militants will pay with scores and hundreds of their own. Not a single terrorist will avoid responsibility; each will get what they deserve."

On Friday the Ukrainian army suffered heavy losses when a missile attack by rebels killed 23 servicemen and wounded nearly 100.

Copyright © 2014 euronews

Red hot Warriors

HOST University of the East (UE), under newly installed Head Coach Derrick Pumaren, crushed University of the Philippines (UP), 87-59, at the start University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 77 men's basketball tournament on Saturday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The Red Warriors used the vaunted full-court press to frustrate their counterparts from Diliman and zoomed ahead with a 26-10 spurt in the second quarter to pull away early.

Dan Alberto put up 15 points, eclipsing his previous best of 14 last season, and gave UE its first opening-day victory since upsetting De La Salle, 65-46, in 2009.

Chris Javier added 12 points and nine rebounds while RR de Leon and Gino Jumao-as contributed 10 markers each to give Pumaren, who previously steered La Salle to back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990, his first win in the UAAP with the Red Warriors.

Abad to stay in Aquino Cabinet

EMBATTLED Budget Secretary Florencio "Butch" B. Abad said he has decided to stay in President Benigno S.C. Aquino III's Cabinet after the latter rejected his offer to resign over the Supreme Court-disallowed Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Mr. Abad, however, said he assumes "full responsibility" for the controversial program -- hence his move to relinquish his post.

In a statement on Saturday, the Budget chief said he tendered his resignation on Thursday in the wake of the controversy surrounding the DAP and the high court's recent ruling declaring parts of the program unconstitutional.

"This was not without thought or reflection… it became clear to me that I must abide by the highest standards of accountability that we in the Aquino administration hold ourselves to," Mr. Abad said.

"I take full responsibility for my role in developing and implementing the DAP, as well as for the impact of the resulting controversy on the Administration's governance agenda. It was therefore only fitting that I resign."

On Friday, however, Mr. Aquino announced ahead of a Cabinet meeting that he has decided to reject Mr. Abad's resignation.

The President explained that allowing the Budget chief to quit was tantamount to acknowledging wrongdoing on Mr. Abad's part.

"Although I was wholly prepared to relinquish my post, I am grateful for the President's expression of his continuing trust and confidence in my leadership of the [Budget] department," Mr. Abad said.

"I have thus chosen to defer to his better judgment and stay. I am determined, as I have always been, to do justice to the President's faith in my integrity and competence."

He noted that developments over the last year on matters concerning the use of public funds will only spur the Budget department to "carry out (its) responsibilities with greater vigilance and meticulousness."

"I assure the people that we will proceed with a keener awareness of the standards against which our work will be measured, but also with a deeper appreciation of the great opportunities for reform ahead of us," the Budget chief said.

The Supreme Court last July 1 struck down parts of the DAP --implemented in 2011-2102 as an 'economic stimulus' program -- for violating constitutional provisions on the transfer of appropriations and separation of powers.

Mr. Abad, who is said to have pushed for the DAP, has since come under fire -- plunder charges were filed by cause-oriented groups earlier this week -- even as the Aquino government insists that the program was executed in "good faith" and the money ended up benefiting the public.

The Aquino administration halted the DAP last year after the program was dragged into the so-called "pork barrel' controversy involving the misuse of legislators' allocations.

The "pork barrel" scam, which surfaced in July last year, involves the alleged diversion of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to bogus nongovernment organizations. Several legislators and former congressmen have been slapped with plunder and malversation charges.

The Supreme Court last November declared PDAF as unconstitutional.

Philippines admits six soldiers died in 'friendly fire'

The Philippine military announced on Friday  that six soldiers who died in clashes with the Abu Sayyaf terror group last month were hit by friendly fire. Investigators established that an artillery round killed the six men and wounded 13 others in Patikul town, Sulu province, on June 19. "Although they died from friendly fire, it does not diminish their acts or courage. They are still part of operations against terrorists and we consider them heroes," said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala. The military had earlier said the fighting left seven soldiers dead, six of them killed by Abu Sayyaf mortar shells. At least 24 other soldiers were wounded, the original military report said. Armed forces chief General Emmanuel Bautista has ordered another investigation into the incident.  He said he wants to "find out what we do and the appropriate actions that we need to take, to address the issue [of friendly fire]." He described the purported death of the six soldiers an "unfortunate incident". "Nobody wants that, but it happens," the military chief said. "As you all know, even among the best armies in the world," he added. Bautista said the military will be conscious of the incident and learn from it so it does not happen again. "War is a very complex matter and there are fogs of war [so] that we really cannot predict what will happen and definitely we will try to address this issue," he said. The Philippine military has been battling the Abu Sayyaf, which has been linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network, since the 1990s. The group was blamed for the 2004 bombing of a ferry that left more than 100 dead. It is also accused of abductions of foreign missionaries and tourists, and the beheadings of kidnap victims.

by ucanews

Mideast Conflict: Israeli Air Strikes On Gaza Claim More Lives As Palestinian Rocket Sparks Huge Blaze

GAZA/JERUSALEM July 11 (Reuters) - Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed four more Palestinians before dawn on Friday, raising the death toll from the four day offensive to at least 85, while a Palestinian rocket hit a fuel tanker at an Israeli petrol station causing a huge blaze.

Israeli leaders, determined to end Palestinian rocket attacks deep into the Jewish state, have hinted that they could order the first ground invasion of the coastal strip in five years. Some 20,000 army reservists have been mobilized.

The Israeli military said it launched fresh naval and air strikes early on Friday, giving no further details.

An air strike on a house in Gaza City killed a man described by Palestinian officials as a doctor and pharmacist. Medics and residents said an Israeli aircraft also bombed a three-story house in the southern town of Rafah, killing three people.

The salvoes into Israel have so far caused no fatalities, due in part to interception by Israel's partly-U.S. funded Iron Dome aerial defense system.

However, eight people were wounded, one in serious condition, by a rocket on Friday that hit a fuel tanker at a petrol station in Israel's port city of Ashdod, an ambulance service spokesman said. Firefighters doused the blaze.

Three rockets were intercepted over the Tel Aviv metropolitan area on Friday morning, the military said.

Fire was also exchanged across Israel's northern border. Lebanese security sources said two rockets were fired into northern Israel on Friday but they did not know who had fired them. Israel responded with artillery fire.

Israel's chief military spokesman, Brigadier-General Motti Almoz, said one rocket fell near Kibbutz Kfar Yuval and that there were no casualties or damage.

The Palestinians said Israeli tanks fired shells east of Rafah, naval forces sent shells into a security compound in Gaza City and aircraft bombed positions near the borders with Egypt and Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement on Thursday: "So far the battle is progressing as planned, but we can expect further stages in future. Up to now, we have hit Hamas and the terror organizations hard and as the battle continues we will increase strikes at them."

The four day offensive is the deadliest since October 2012, when around 160 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed during an Israeli campaign to punish Hamas for missile attacks. That conflict was eventually halted with Egyptian mediation.

If Israel launches a ground invasion of Gaza, it would be the first since a war in early 2009 when 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.

"We have long days of fighting ahead of us," Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri sounded a defiant note, when asked about Yaalon's remarks. "Our backs are to the wall and we have nothing to lose," he said. "We are ready to battle until the end."

The Israeli military said some 550 projectiles have been fired at Israel since Tuesday by Islamist group Hamas, the dominant force in Gaza, and by other militant groups.

Some rockets have landed more than 100 km (60 miles) from Gaza. Sirens sounded as far north as the Israeli city of Haifa on Friday, though police said no remnants of rockets, which Hamas said it had fired, were found.

The military added that it had targeted some 210 sites in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, among them "long-range rocket launchers, Hamas leadership facilities and terror and smuggling tunnels".


CHILDREN AMONG THE DEAD

Medical officials in Gaza said at least 70 civilians, including children, were among those killed since the offensive began on Tuesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama told Netanyahu by telephone on Thursday that the United States was willing to help negotiate a ceasefire, the White House said. A spokeswoman for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said: "Nobody wants to see a ground invasion."

French President Francois Hollande voiced his concern at the civilian deaths and called for a truce. Hollande and Kerry both spoke to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is based in the West Bank and entered a power-sharing deal with Hamas in April after years of feuding.

Kerry also spoke to Egypt's foreign minister in an attempt to get Cairo to use its influence to calm the situation, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. Kerry, she said, had also "reached out" to Qatar.

Israel's offensive followed a build-up in violence after three Israeli students were killed in the occupied West Bank last month and a Palestinian youth was killed in a suspected revenge attack in Jerusalem.

Palestinian rocket fire escalated after Israeli forces arrested hundreds of Hamas activists in the West Bank while searching for the youths, who Israel said were abducted and killed by Hamas.

Israel says it has struck more than 1,000 targets in Gaza from the air and the sea, including militant commanders' homes, which it describes as command and control centers.

Hamas says at least 200 houses have been bombed by Israel since Tuesday and that most of the fatalities have come as a result of the house bombings.

Owners of some of the targeted homes have received telephoned warnings from Israel to get out. In other cases, so-called "knock-on-the-door" missiles, which do not carry explosive warheads, were first fired as a signal to evacuate. Scenes of families fleeing their homes have played out daily.

Residents said in Friday's attack in Rafah no warning was issued and the victims were asleep when their house was bombed. (Additional reporting by Sylvia Westall in Beirut; Writing by Maayan Lubell and Ori Lewis; Editing by Peter Graff)