Family of Steven Sotloff Grieving After News of his Beheading by Isis

Steven Sotloff is shown in the video with a thicker beard and longer hair.(YouTube)

A family spokesman has said that Steven Sotloff's relatives are aware of the beheading video by the Islamic State (formerly known as Isis) and are grieving, according to an AP report.

In the video, a masked man describes the act he is committing as retribution for US air strikes. The executioner appears to be the same man who killed James Foley – known as 'Jihadi John' - and tells the camera: 'I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State... despite our serious warnings."

"We take this opportunity to warn those governments that enter this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State to back off and leave our people alone."

The video ends with the black-clad militant threatening to kill a captive, believed to be British hostage, David Haines.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: "If the video is genuine, we are sickened by this brutal act."

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said: "Our thoughts and prayers, first and foremost, are with Mr Sotloff and Mr Sotloff's family and those who worked with him."

He added that the US would be closely scrutinising the video. "If there is a video that's been released, it's something that will be analysed very carefully by the US government and our intelligence officials to establish its authenticity."

UK Prime Minister David Cameron described the apparent beheading as an "absolutely disgusting, despicable act".

Sotloff, of Florida, was abducted while reporting in Syria in 2013, sources told Checkpoint last month. He had reported from several other dangerous countries, including Yemen and Libya. He had worked for Time magazine, Foreign Policy and the Christian Science Monitor, and reported from Egypt, Libya and Syria.

The journalist had lived in Yemen for many years and spoke good Arabic.

At the time of his capture, his family chose not to go public with details, on the advice of officials.

Last month a video was released showing the beheading of James Foley. Sotloff is shown at the end, as an Islamist militant gives the warning that his fate depends on President Obama's next move.

Foley's family released a statement after Sotloff's execution, calling it "just horrific," according to WHDH-TV.

On Thursday, Sotloff's mother Shirley Sotloff went on television to make a direct appeal for her son's life. She addressed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-claimed caliph of Isis.

"My son is in your hands," Ms Sotloff said. "As a mother I ask Your Justice to be merciful and not punish my son for matters he has no control over. I ask you to use your authority to spare his life."

The SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S. terrorism watchdog, first reported about the video's existence. Unlike Foley's beheading, which was widely shared on Twitter accounts affiliated with the Islamic State group, the video purporting to show Sotloff's killing was not immediately posted online, though several jihadi websites told users to expect it on Tuesday.

Robin Hood Monkey Steals Thousands and Gives Cash Away in India

Macaque monkey handed out stolen cash in Indian holiday resort of ShimlaGeoff Gallice, Wikimedia Commons

Stunned holidaymakers in India were showered with money by a monkey who stole a wad of cash from a house, last weekend.

Banknotes were falling from the sky in a popular tourist spot in the Shimla forest, in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.

It happened when a macaque monkey broke into a house in search of food, but instead grabbed a paw full of rupees.

The primate then fled the scene and took up position on a tin roof, where it began throwing away the notes one by one.

Delighted passers-by were chasing the notes around, which totalled around 10,000 rupees, for up an hour, reported the BBC.

Eye-witness Amit Kanwar said: "Surprised by the attention it was attracting, the cash-loaded monkey then decided to move into the thick pine trees. But as it continued to shower notes, the money collectors naturally followed it."

No surprise then that macaque monkeys have now been listed as a menace in Himachal Pradesh province, despite being sacred in the religion of Hinduism.

Pakistan Reforms up in Smoke as Protests Strangle Economy

Anti-government demonstrators beat a riot policeman in Islamabad(Reuters)

Pakistan could struggle to meet promises it made to the International Monetary Fund in return for a multi-billion dollar bailout, according to government officials.

Anti-government protests have brought parts of the capital Islamabad to standstill, as demonstrators fought running battles with state security services.

Some have staged sit-ins near the country's parliament and even overran parts of Parliament House on August 30 after crashing through the outer fence.

Amid the chaos, an IMF team cancelled a planned visit to Pakistan, and the country's commerce minister said the government could fail to deliver the agreed reforms as a result.

"The government has very painstakingly been building a house of international confidence, and the foundation of this was the IMF package and abiding by our reforms' promises," Khurram Dastgir Khan told Reuters news agency.

"But... our struggles of 14 months have gone up in smoke in a matter of 14 days. We are pushed to a point where we have to go back to the drawing board," the minister said.

Protesters loyal to the former Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan and opposition cleric Tahir ul-Qadri had camped out in the Pakistani capital for two weeks, before advancing on government buildings.

Both the leaders have called on the government to resign, saying that last year's landslide election victory was rigged and that the system is corrupt and favours a select, elite group.

The country's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has refused to resign, saying he will protect democracy in Pakistan. His 2013 election was the first democratic transition of power in the country's history.

The crisis has temporarily halted two planned visits from foreign heads of government, while Sharif has expressed concerns that China's President Xi Jinping could cancel his visit due in September.

"These people should realise they have disrupted the journey to progress," Sharif told reporters. "We want to set up many energy plants and electricity projects in Pakistan in partnership with Chinese corporations. They may also be disrupted."

A year ago, the IMF agreed to lend Pakistan $6.6bn (£4bn, €5bn) over a three-year period. The release of the funds was dependent on the government passing wide-ranging reforms, including privatising a range of state companies.

Philippines Foils Anti-China Group's Bomb Attack on Manila Airport

Three Filipino men detained over illegal possession of incendiary bombs in Manila.(JAY DIRECTO/AFP/Getty Images)

Filipino authorities said they have foiled a bomb attack against Manila airport by an anti-Chinese nationalist group named after a World War II US army command in south East Asia.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said three men were arrested in a van which was full of improvised explosive devices at a parking lot outside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the capital.

De Lima said the three planned to set off a bomb there in what was supposed to be the first of a series of attacks in protest to the government's alleged "soft" stance towards Beijing.

Other targets of the group included the Chinese embassy and a major shopping mall in Manila owned by an ethnic Chinese billionaire.

De Lima described the arrested as members of a "misguided group" of utra-rightist "frustrated over the stance of the government against China".

She said they claimed to be defenders of the Filipino people and considered China and wealthy ethnic Chinese businessman as enemies.

"They want this administration to espouse a tougher stance," she said.

Beijing and Manila are embroiled in a bitter dispute over territories in the South China Sea.

The attackers, identified as Grandeur Pepito Guerrero, Emmanuel San Pedro and Sonny Yohanon, were caught by government agents thanks to an informer's tip-off.

According to an investigation by the Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) the three claimed to be members of a secretive organisation with links to police and military figures named United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), De Lima said.

USAFFE was a US army formation that operated in the Philippines under the command of General Douglas MacArthur during WWII and included Filipino troops.

De Lima said that detectives were investigating how many people are involved in group and its political agenda.

"We want to know how big this group is, what is their capacity really to create all this havoc, and what is their real agenda," she said. "Are they on their own or are there [people] behind them? We will investigate all these."

Authorities said they were filing charges of illegal possession of explosive materials against the three, who are likely to also face charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism.

Sinopec Ranked No. 1 Revenue Generator in China for 10th Straight Time

Sinopec LogoReuters

State-owned oil giant Sinopec was ranked first for the tenth consecutive time on a list of top 500 Chinese enterprises based on 2013 revenues.

In the latest edition of the Top 500 Chinese Enterprises list released by the China Enterprise Confederation and the China Enterprise Directors Association, Sinopec claimed the top spot with total revenues of 2.95tn yuan ($478.48bn, €364.36bn, £288.1tn).

Another oil company, China National Petroleum Corporation, was ranked second, while China's largest electric utilities company, State Grid, became No. 3. The top three companies had 2013 revenues more than 2tn yuan.

The top 10 list, comprised entirely of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), also include another oil giant, a construction group, a telecom operator and four major banks.

The companies that were ranked No. 4 to No. 10 are Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, China State Construction, China Mobile, Bank of China and China National Offshore Oil Corporation.

All companies on the list reported revenues above 20bn yuan for 2013, with the lowest-ranked company having revenues of 22.86bn yuan. A total of 131 companies recorded revenues more than 100bn yuan, according to the list.

The top 500 companies recorded combined revenues of 56.68tn yuan for 2013, up 13.31% year on year. The amount is almost equivalent to the country's 2013 GDP figure of 56.88tn yuan.

Meanwhile, they had total profits amounting to 2.4tn yuan, up 10.6% from the previous year.

There were about 300 SOEs on the list, and 42 out of them recorded combined losses of 72.66bn yuan in 2013. In contrast, only one out of the 200 private companies on the list recorded a loss for the year.

While aggregate revenues of the SOEs increased at a pace of 10.6%, with profits improving by 5.84%, private firms recorded 14.51% and 17.62% growth in aggregate revenues and earnings, respectively.

China: Home Prices Drop Further in August

Tourists visit at an upside-down house at Fengjing Ancient Town, Jinshan District, south of Shanghai, in May.Reuters

China's home prices fell further in August over the previous month, two private surveys showed.

Prices of new homes in 288 cities were down 0.3% in August from July, the fifth straight drop on a monthly basis, a survey by real estate services firm E-House China Holdings showed.

However, prices in August were still up 3% when compared to a year ago.

A separate survey by China Real Estate Index System (CREIS) showed average prices in 100 of the biggest cities dropped 0.6% in August from July, the fourth successive monthly drop.

However, prices were still up 3% in August when compared to a year ago, CREIS said.

China's property price growth will slow further, despite an expected improvement in sales in the remainder of 2014, a Moody's report said.

Price rises will probably be constrained as property developers are more willing to keep prices low to attract buyers, amid a rich supply of new projects in the coming months, the report added.

Government data showed China's home prices dropped 0.9% in July from June but were still up 2.5% when compared to a year ago.

Home prices in the world's second largest economy have been falling for several months, particularly after the government stepped in to control price rise in what was, a year ago, a red-hot property market.

Yemeni al-Qaeda Executes Three Suspected Spies

Police troopers ride atop a police vehicle as they secure a pro-government demonstration in SanaaKhaled Abdullah Ali Al Mahdi/Retuers

The Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has executed three suspected spies for allegedly helping US forces to launch drone attacks against Islamist militants in Yemen.

The three suspected spies were executed in the eastern Hadramout province, said local reports.

"The greatest help they give to the crusaders against the warriors is the placing of trackers for American spy planes," the al-Qaeda group, which is widely regarded as the most powerful and active al-Qaeda arm, said in an online statement.

The men had "become the eyes of the infidels ... (who) use their aircraft from the sky," said the militant group, adding: "We say to ... whoever considers becoming an eye and guide for the Americans and other infidels that the hands of the mujahedeen will reach every spy."

The US-operated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) usually require ground assistance to pin-point their target and such drone strikes have been inflicting serious damage on the dreaded Islamists in Yemen.

"Al-Qaeda militants executed the three men with gunfire after having tortured them," a Yemeni security official told AFP.

It is unclear whether the slaughtered men were civilians or local security personnel.

The American drone attacks evoke a mixed response among the Yemeni government and forces. Though the strikes are helpful in getting rid of the Islamist extremists, Yemen says many civilians are also killed.

Turkish Policeman 'Takes Selfie' During Bosphorus Bridge Suicide Stand-Off

A Turkish police officer appears to take a selfie while assisting a suicidal man in Istanbul.(Twitter)

A photo depicting a Turkish policeman taking a selfie near a suicidal man who was threatening to jump off Istanbul's landmark Bosphorus Bridge has sparked online outrage.

The man, identified as Sadrettin Şaşkın, 35, eventually leaped to his death in the waters of the strait separating Europe from Asia.

Şaşkın climbed over the bridge's rails in a suicide bid at 6.30am local time on Monday.

Police were called at the scene and attempted to talk him out of it.

As the rescue effort was ongoing, an official turned his back to Şaşkın and seemingly snapped a selfie on his mobile phone - with the would-be-suicide victim on the background.

The moment was captured by a passer-by on the highly trafficked bridge and posted online, causing the ire of many netizens who accused the policeman of insensitive behaviour, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

After three hours of unsuccessful negotiations, Şaşkın, who local media said was known to have attempted suicide in the past, jumped off the bridge.

Naval police officials said the man was alive when they pulled his body from the water.

The 64-meter fall had however left him unconscious and he was later pronounced dead as attempts to revive him failed.

Meanwhile police said they have launched an administrative investigation into the officer's conduct.

People feeling distressed who feel the need to talk to somebody should call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 9008457 90 90 90 or email jo@samaritans.org.

Iraq: Isis 'is Massacring Women and Children from Ethnic Minorities', Amnesty Warns

Yazidis who fled their home due to the assaults of IS, take shelter under a bridge in Dohuk, Iraq on 28 August, 2014.(Getty Images)

The Islamic State (formerly known as Isis) is targeting ethnic minorities in northern Iraq, Amnesty International has warned.

The human rights organisation collected evidence that the Islamic insurgents have launched a "campaign of ethnic cleansing" against non-Arabs and non-Sunni Muslims, and said they are responsible for war crimes including extrajudicial executions and mass abductions.

The NGO interviewed people from the Yazidi community in the Sinjar region, who said the insurgents took dozens of people, including many women and children, to the outskirts of their village where they massacred them.

Thousands of people have also been abducted since the IS started their offensive against the Iraqi government last June, prompting more than 800,000 people to flee the occupied areas.

"There was no order, they [IS] just filled up vehicles indiscriminately," Said, who survived after being shot five times by the insurgents in Kocho, told Amnesty.

Another survivor, Salem, who managed to hide and survive near the massacre site for 12 days, said: "Some could not move and could not save themselves; they lay there in agony waiting to die. They died a horrible death. I managed to drag myself away and was saved by a Muslim neighbour; he risked his life to save me; he is more than a brother to me."

One man who gave Amnesty a list of 45 names of missing relatives, all of whom are women and children, said: "We get news from some of them but others are missing and we don't know if they are alive or dead or what has happened to them."

Sunni Muslims and Arabs believed to be against IS have also been targeted.

Amnesty urged the Iraqi government to intervene and stop the killings of innocent civilians.

“Iraq's government should focus on protecting all civilians regardless of their ethnicity or religion.”

Donatella Rovera - Amnesty International

"Instead of aggravating the fighting by either turning a blind eye to sectarian militias or arming Shi'a militias against the Islamic State as the authorities have done so far, Iraq's government should focus on protecting all civilians regardless of their ethnicity or religion," said Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International's senior crisis response adviser.

IS is well known for its brutal killings, which are often recorded and shared on social media. The group recently sparked worldwide outcry after posting a video showing an IS militant beheading American journalist James Foley.

The Islamic insurgents, who already control large swaths of Iraq and Syria, are attracting dozens of young fighters from abroad.

Hot Shots Photos of the Day: Sikh Warriors, West Indian Day, Maradona and the Pope

Diego Maradona gives Pope Francis an Argentina football shirt during an audience before the Inter-religious Match For Peace in Rome(Getty)

Diego Maradona takes a penalty during the Inter-religious Match for Peace, watched by Pope Francis, at the Olimpico Stadium in Rome(Getty)

May Myat Noe, winner of Miss Asia Pacific World 2014, attends a press conference in Yangon, Myanmar. The dethroned beauty queen said she would not return her jewel-encrusted Swarovski tiara, said to be worth between £60,000 and £120,000 until the pageant's organisers apologised for calling her a liar and a thief. The pageant committee reportedly paid for her to undergo breast enhancement surgery(AFP)

Costumed women walk out of a train as they arrive for the West Indian Day Parade in the Brooklyn borough of New York(Reuters)

Men participate in the annual West Indian Day parade in the Brooklyn borough of New York City(Getty)

A Sikh man performs a stunt with fire during celebrations of the 410th anniversary of the installation of the Guru Granth Sahib, the religious book of Sikhs, in the northern Indian city of Amritsar(Reuters)

A Nihang, or Sikh warrior, poses at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on the 410th anniversary of the installation of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikh religion(AFP)

Tourists have dinner as fish swim around them, at the Tianjin Haichang Polar Ocean World in Tianjin, China(Reuters)

Droplets of dew cling to a spider's web in Godewaersvelde in northern France along the Belgian border(AFP)

A piece of a mortar projectile is embedded in a road near the airport in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine(Reuters)

People mourn inside School Number One during a ceremony commemorating the victims of the 2004 hostage crisis in the southern Russian town of Beslan(Reuters)

Members of the Polish military take part in a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland, at the World War Two Westerplatte Memorial in Gdansk(Reuters)

Kurdish Peshmerga forces celebrate after they recaptured Sulaiman Pek, north-west of Tikrit, from Islamic State militants(Reuters)

Rebel fighters with fake weapons take part in a military display as part of a graduating ceremony at a camp in eastern al-Ghouta, Syria(Reuters)

Malaysian Airline Shares Gain on Khazanah's Restructuring Plan

Malaysia Airlines

Shares in troubled Malaysian Airline System (MAS) have gained as much as 4% as investors seem happy with the company's restructuring announced by state fund Khazanah Nasional, the majority shareholder in the company.

The shares opened 2% higher at 0.255 ringgit from 0.25 ringgit when the stock was suspended on 29 August, and rose as much as 4% at 0.26 ringgit. They are trading at 0.255 ringgit as at 7:30am BST.

Khazanah Nasional earlier announced a restructuring plan to return disaster-hit MAS to profitability by 2017.

It will take over minority shares for 1.38bn ringitt ($429m, €321m, £255m) to become the sole owner of the airline, leading to the delisting of the company from the country's stock exchange.

The 12-point plan includes creating a new company to house MAS's operations by July 2015, and spending up to 6bn ringgit to fund the restructuring exercise. As part of the plan, the company will axe 6,000 jobs, representing 30% of its workforce.

The shares are expected to be relisted by 2020 if the measures become successful.

Adding to its longstanding financial problems, MAS was hit by two major disasters in 2014.

In March, its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared with 239 people on board. A search is under way in the Indian Ocean for the missing plane.

In July, another MAS flight heading to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam was shot down in eastern Ukraine, which is controlled by pro-Russian separatists, killing 298 people.

MAS earlier reported that its second-quarter net loss widened to 307m ringgit from 176m ringgit a year earlier.

Ebola: Liberia Nurses On Strike Demanding Higher Pay And Protective Gear

Nurses on strike at Monrovia hospital are demanding protective equipment which they say has not been provided.REUTERS

Nurses at Liberia's largest hospital have gone on strike demanding higher salaries as well as protective equipment against Ebola.

At the John F Kennedy hospital in Monrovia, the nurses sought personal protective equipment, hazmat-style suits that protect against the spread of the disease, reports AFP.

Despite the deadly nature of the disease which places health care workers at maximum risk, local health care workers, including nurses, are not adequately protected, said a spokesperson.

"From the beginning of the Ebola outbreak we have not had any protective equipment to work with. As result, so many doctors got infected by the virus. We have to stay home until we get the PPEs," he said.

The protective equipment includes scrubs, gum boots, gloves, suit, mask, hood, apron and goggles to ensure that no part of the body is left exposed.

Ebola spreads by contact with bodily fluids.

There have been 694 registered deaths in Liberia alone from the present Ebola outbreak.

US Launches Airstrikes in Somalia Targeting Key al-Shabab Figures

Ugandan soldiers serving in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) patrol in a formation near the Jilacow underground cell inside a national security compound after an attack by suspected militants in MogadishuFeisal Omar/Reuters

The US has launched airstrikes in Somalia targeting key al-Shabab Islamist figures, the Pentagon has announced.

It is still unclear who the exact targets of the bombardment were, as US officials said they were assessing the impact of the attack.

"We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information as and when appropriate," Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.

The US has also not revealed the timing of the operation nor where it took place.

US media outlets cited a military official as saying "a senior al-Shabab operative" was the target of the attack.

Local reports from Somalia suggest the airstrikes were carried out by US drones which launched Hellfire missiles near the port city of Barawe, a stronghold of al-Shabab.

It is not known if US ground forces were involved in the operation.

Last October, the US Navy Seals carried out an anti-terror operation, including a ground attack, in Barawe in a bid to capture senior commander Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulkadir.

The operation proved unsuccessful following a brief gunfire with the insurgents.

African forces retook the country from the al-Qaeda-inspired group in 2011 but the armed Islamist organisation, which controlled southern Somalia from 2006, remains a dominant force in the region, frequently staging major attacks.

The latest American attack has come on the heels of the extremists launching a car bomb attack on an intelligence facility in the capital Mogadishu in an effort to release al-Shabab detainees.

The encounter left seven militants and five others dead.

Israel: Aerial Video Shows Devastated Gaza City's Al-Shejaiya Suburb

Palestinians walk on the rubble of their destroyed houses in the Tufah neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City.(MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images)

The scale of the devastation caused by Israeli shelling on Gaza during the recent two-month conflict has been shown in an online video.

The brief footage by Palestinian-based production company Media Town was taken from the air above Gaza City's eastern suburb of Al-Shejaiya.

A series of buildings shattered or completely reduced to rubble can be seen in the one-minute footage that was recorded at the end of August.

Al-Shejaiya was the site of fierce fighting and, on 19-20 July, underwent one of Israel's heaviest bombardments during Operation Protective Edge.

At least 60 residents of the densely populated neighbourhood were killed and thousands were forced to flee their homes.

Some 13 Israeli soldiers from the Golani Brigade were also killed during the clashes, Arutz Sheva 7 reported.

Fighting in the Gaza strip has ceased as an open-ended truce between Israel and Hamas was agreed last week.

According to international organisations, at least 17,000 Gaza housing units were destroyed or severely damaged during the conflict, adding to a pre-existing shortage of 75,000 homes.

Inter-agency Shelter Cluster, which is chaired by the Norwegian Refugee Council with the participation of the UN refugee agency and the Red Cross, said that if the current blockade on the strip remains in place, it will take up to 20 years to rebuild the necessary housing stock.

Palestinian officials have estimated that total costs of reconstruction could surpass $6bn (£3.6bn).

In the seven-week conflict, over 2,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians and 68 Israelis - of whom all but five were soldiers - were killed.

Vladimir Putin Continues Soviet Rhetoric by Questioning Kazakhstan's 'Created' Independence

Presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan (front L) and Vladimir Putin of Russia arrive at the Summit of Head of States of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in Moscow.(Reuters)

Fears are growing in Kazakhstan over Moscow's rhetoric towards the country following Russia President Vladimir Putin's claim that "Kazakhs never had any statehood", it was "created".

The Russian leader told a pro-Kremlin youth camp at Lake Seliger near Moscow that Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev had "created a state on a territory that never had a state."

"Kazakhs never had any statehood, he has created it," he said.

It is believed by analysts that Putin's statement of Kazakh independence only being achieved because of Nazarbayev is a warning that it could easily vanish when the 74-year-old is no longer in office.

In response, Nazarbayev warned that Kazakhstan may leave the Russian-led Customs Union, an economic coalition which includes Belarus, if it feels that its independence is threatened in any way by Moscow.

"Kazakhstan has a right to withdraw from the Eurasian Economic Union," he told the Kazakh television station Khabar.

"Kazakhstan will not be part of organisations that pose a threat to our independence."

Kazakhstan was the last Soviet republic to declare independence from the Soviet Union when it finally did so in December 1991.

"Our independence is our dearest treasure, which our grandfathers fought for," Nazarbayev added. "First of all, we will never surrender it to someone, and secondly, we will do our best to protect it."

Putin's comments conjure memories of a statement he made to former US President George Bush in 2008 when he said that "Ukraine is not even a state!" during a Bucharest summit.

According to The Moscow Times, many Kazakhs have taken to social media in counter Putin's claims that Kazakhstan "never had any statehood", demanding that people "send a history textbook to Putin".

Russia's annexation of the Crimea Peninsula and its alleged incursion into eastern Ukraine and support of pro-Russian separatists have contributed to fears in Astana that Moscow may set its sights on other areas of the former Soviet Union.

China Warns European Union Against Fresh Sanctions on Russia

Pro-Russian separatists walk towards destroyed war memorial at Savur-Mohyla, a hill east of the city of Donetsk.(Reuters)

China has said it opposed any new EU sanctions against Russia over accusations it is fuelling the separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine.

The European Union announced plans on Sunday to tighten sanctions against the Kremlin, a move that was welcomed by Washington.

Beijing said that the European Union's plan to implement fresh economic penalties against Russia would complicate the crisis.

"A political solution is the only way out, sanctions do not help to solve the underlying problems in Ukraine," said China's foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang.

"It may lead to new and more complicating factors."

In a bid to remain neutral, China has remained relatively quiet over Russia's behaviour in Ukraine since it annexed the peninsula of Crimea, neither endorsing nor condemning its ally's actions.

Qin called on all parties to "avoid taking further actions that could lead to an escalation of tensions."

The EU and US have imposed a raft of incremental sanctions against Moscow since March. The latest measures, passed in late July, targeted Russia's arms, defence and energy industries.

While sanctions have thwarted economic growth and sparked a rush of capital flight from Russia, they have proved less effective in curbing the violence in eastern Ukraine.

The UN's human rights agency said on August 29 that 2,593 people had been killed since fighting erupted in eastern Ukraine in mid-April, which did not include the 298 people that were killed in the MH17 plane crash.

The death toll rose sharply after Ukraine's President launched an offensive against the pro-Russian separatists that appeared to hamper the rebellion.

However, the separatists appeared to have been re-armed with Russia's assistance in recent weeks, as they fought back against Ukrainian government forces.

Hot Shots Photos of the Day: Volcanoes and Airshows Dominate Today's Gallery

Fighter jets of the Patrouille Suisse (Swiss Patrol) perform at the Air14 airshow in Payerne, western Switzerland(AFP)

The Breitling Wingwalking team perform during the Air14 airshow in Payerne, Switzerland. The Swiss Air Force is celebrating its 100th anniversary with the biggest airshow in Europe this year(Reuters)

Scandinavian wingwalking duo Skycats perform on a Grumman-164A aircraft at the Slovak International Air Fest SIAF 2014 in Silac(AFP)

Legendary aerobatic pilot Zoltan Veres of Hungary demonstrates his skills at the Slovak International Air Fest SIAF 2014 in Sliac(AFP)

Burning lava flows after the Bardabunga volcano in Iceland erupted at a fissure estimated to be at least 1.5km long(Reuters)

Tungurahua volcano erupts near Banos, Ecuador(Reuters)

Smoke and ash fills the air as Mount Tavurvur erupts in Rabaul in eastern Papua New Guinea(AFP)

A 41-year-old man going by the name of "Chibatman" rides his self-designed "Chibatpod" on the road in Chiba, east of Tokyo(Reuters)

Fireworks explode above the Man just before it is set alight(Jim Urquhart / Reuters)

Attendees dance during the Made in American music festival in Los Angeles(Reuters)

Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora perform on the Marilyn Stage at the 2014 Budweiser Made in America Festival at Los Angeles Grand Park(Getty)

Kanye West performs onstage during the Made in American music festival in Los Angeles(Reuters)

A competitor runs through a foam tunnel during the Brutal Run extreme obstacle course race in Budapest, Hungary(Reuters)

A man falls off a pole covered in grease during celebrations for the feast of St Julian near Valletta, Malta(Reuters)

Arsenal's Per Mertesacker catches Leicester City's David Nugent in the face with his boot during their Premier League match at the King Power Stadium in Leicester(Reuters)

AC Milan's Sulley Muntari celebrates after scoring a goal against Lazio during their Italian Serie A match at the San Siro stadium in Milan(Reuters)

Maria Sharapova of Russia uses an ice pack to cool off during a break in her match against Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark at the 2014 US Open tennis tournament in New York(Reuters)

A woman calls for assistance on an escalator in the flooded Ryparken S-train station during a heavy rainstorm in Copenhagen, Denmark(Reuters)

A devotee immerses an idol of the Hindu elephant god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, in a pond during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai(Reuters)

Members of the Band of the Moscow Suvorov Military Music College perform on the first day of an international military music festival on Red Square in Moscow(Reuters)

A vendor sells T-shirts printed with images of Russia's President Vladimir Putin at a stall in St Petersburg(Reuters)

A target depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen at a shooting range in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv(AFP)

Syrian army soldiers fire during a battle with rebels near the border fence with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights(Reuters)

A Somali government soldier holds his fighting position against suspected militants during an attack inside a national security compound in Mogadishu(Reuters)