Isis Could 'Strike Us on British Soil', Warns Philip Hammond

Islamic State turning Iraq and Syria into launchpads for future attacks on West, says Foreign Secretary Philip HammondReuters

Islamic State militants are turning large swathes of Iraq and Syria into launchpads to stage terror attacks on Western nations, says Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

With the "barbaric ideology" of the Sunni insurgents, "sooner or later they will seek to strike us on British soil", Hammond said in an article in the Sunday Times.

He poured scorn on the British jihadist, who is known among his fellow extremists as "Jihadist John", for undermining the values which "British people stand for" by beheading US journalist James Foley.

"It is horrifying to think that the perpetrator of this heinous act could have been brought up in Britain. It is an utter betrayal of our country, our values and everything the British people stand for."

Hammond echoed concerns of other government ministers that the threat from the Islamic State militants could last for several years.

His remarks come a day after Home Secretary Theresa May announced proposals to come down heavily on British extremists.

Meanwhile, former shadow home secretary and Conservative MP David Davis has criticised the government's steps to tackle the Iraqi situation calling them "tentative, uncertain and almost limp".

"Since these young men are in effect swearing allegiance to a hostile state, they should all forfeit their British citizenship - not just those who are dual nationals.

"Since this is an incredibly serious penalty, it should be done only after a proper public trial carrying all the public seriousness and opprobrium of a murder trial, because in many cases that is what it would be.

"As the home secretary reiterated yesterday, lawyers would say you cannot render someone stateless," Davis writes in the Mail on Sunday.

Taiwan: Restaurant Apologizes for 'Long Live the Nazis' Dish

Godofredo Rodriguez Pacheco displays a sign with a swastika at the President General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte art school in Chiloe, off the coast of Chile. The curriculum will include workshops on Nazism, said Pacheco, a nationalist who supports Pinochet and has some sympathies with Nazi ideologiesReuters

Italian restaurant, Rockmill, in northern Taiwan has made headlines for serving up a pasta dish on their menu called 'Long Live the Nazis', reported the Digital Journal.

Rockmill manager, Chao Ya-hsin, said that the controversial name was inspired by the German ingredients in the pasta and sausage dish.

After a local TV station featured the dish, the news went viral, prompted by rising tensions between several religious groups, as war rages on in Israel, Gaza, Iraq and Syria.

“It never occurred to us that the word Nazi would stir up such controversy. In fact, it is considered one of our most popular dishes.”

- Chao Ya-hsin, Rockmill restaurant manager

"It never occurred to us that the word Nazi would stir up such controversy. In fact, it is considered one of our most popular dishes. We hope from now on, customers who eat this dish will enjoy it in sheer joy," said an apologetic Ya-hsin.

A number of Israeli and German officials have expressed their shock over the dish's name, saying it displays a lack of understanding about the history, according to the European Pressphoto Agency.

The dish has now been renamed 'Long Live Purity'.

Gaza Crisis: 22 Injured as Israeli Airstrike Demolishes Apartment Block

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza city that left 22 people wounded.Reuters

A 12-storey apartment block in Gaza City has collapsed after being struck by an Israeli missile.

According to eyewitness reports, Israeli aircraft fired an early warning, non-explosive rocket at the roof of the building, which was followed by two missiles, sending a fireball into the sky and causing nearby buildings to shake.

Ayman Sahabani, the head of the emergency room at Gaza City's Shifa Hospital confirmed that 22 people, including 11 children, were wounded in the airstrike.

Israel justified the attack, claiming Hamas militants were using the building as a command centre.

The bombardment came hours after an attack on the southern Israeli village of Sdot Negev, in which a four-year-old died.

The boy is the fourth civilian in Israel to be killed in an attack since the outbreak of conflict on July 8.

Israel warned of reprisals vowing that "Hamas will pay a heavy price" for the death of the Israeli child.

The latest round of airstrikes marks an escalation in military action following a breakdown of Egyptian-brokered cease-fire talks and the collapse of a temporary truce earlier this week.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has now urged Israel and Hamas to resume indirect talks and agree to an open-ended cease-fire.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev had no immediate comment regarding the renewed call for a cease-fire.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Gaza's ruling Hamas, said the group would consider the Egyptian appeal, but there was no sign it would budge from longstanding demands.

So far more than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, many of them children.

64 Israeli soldiers have also been killed in the conflict.

Lost Ancient Mayan Cities Discovered in Mexican Jungle

A National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) worker shows the remains of a building at the newly discovered ancient Maya city Chactun in Yucatan peninsula(Reuters)

Archaeologists have found two ancient cities of the Mayan civilisation, and have dated them back to 600AD.

Lead researcher Ivan Sprajc, associate professor at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts says there could be many more in the area. "There are dozens of sites that I already have seen on the aerial photographs."

The discovery was made by examining aerial photographs of the Mexican Jungle on the Yucatan peninsula, revealing the two cities of Lagunita and Tamchen.

An area of over 1,800 square miles around Chactun was explored. This site was first located and visited in the 1970s by Eric Von Euw, an American archaeologist. He documented details of the facade and other stone monuments with drawings.

However, the exact location of one of the cities, Lagunita as referred to by Von Euw was never found.

At each archaeological site, palace-like buildings, pyramids and plazas were found. One of the pyramids is almost 20m (65ft) high.

One of the most exciting discoveries is an entrance representing the open jaws of an earth monster.

A sculpted stone shaft called stelae with mysterious markings.(Reuters)

"The monster-mouth facade represents a Maya earth deity related with fertility. These doorways symbolize the entrance to a cave and, in general, to the watery underworld, place of mythological origin of maize and abode of ancestors," Sprajc told Reuters.

Other discoveries include a number of huge palaces-like structures, a ball court and a temple pyramid with a height of 65 ft along with 10 stelae (tall sculpted stone shafts) and three altars were found. They featured well-preserved hieroglyphic inscriptions.

Sprajc said his team mapped 10-12 hectares (25-30 acres) at each site, but the cities were probably larger.

"We elaborated a map but only of the religious and administrative centres of the two sites," he said, "that's only like downtown."

His team have not yet excavated the sites, as further funding is need for this to take place.

Some speculate the Mayan civilization's mysterious decline in 900 A.D. was caused by overpopulation, endemic warfare, overuse of the land and environmental factors like severe drought, but the true cause remains unknown.

Sexual Violence In Uttar Pradesh [GRAPHIC IMAGES]

The state of Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous region. This year it has become infamous for a high rate of brutal rapes and murders of women, and ineffectual policing, after two teenaged girls were raped and hung from a tree in May. Public anger and political controversy over the attacks are gaining momentum, as a culture of sexual assault in India and incidents of violence between Hindu castes, is revealed to the world.

This unnamed woman was hung from a tree in Moradabad, in Uttar Pradesh on 12 June. Another was allegedly raped in a police station, according to police reports.(Reuters)

The veiled mother of one of the two teenage girls who were raped and hung in Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh, sits inside her house. The two cousins, from a low-caste community, aged 14 and 15, went missing from their village home after going out to the toilet. The next morning, villagers found their bodies hanging from a mango tree in a nearby orchard.(Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters)

The father of one of the two teenage girls, who were raped and hanged from a tree, weeps in his home, in Budaun, Uttar Pradesh.(Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters)

Villagers watch the house of one of the two teenaged girls, who were raped and hung in Budaun, Uttar Pradesh.(Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters)

In May, India's Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi called for justice for the two teenagers. He visited the tree where the girls were found and spoke to members of the local community.(Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters)

Indian policemen show two men (left and second-right), accused of gang raping and hanging two girls in Budaun. Three men were arrested for the rape and murder of the girls, and two policemen were held on suspicion of attempting to cover up the killings.(Reuters)

Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shout slogans during a protest against the rape of the cousins, as police use a water cannon to stop them from moving to the office of Akhilesh Yadav. The protestors demanded the state government be dismissed and the imposition of direct, presidential rule.(Pawan Kumar/Reuters)

Indian policemen stand guard inside the house complex of the murdered teenage. Police officers were arrested, suspected of attempting to cover up the rape and murder. Since May, there have been repeated accusations of Indian police officers covering up sexual assaults, and failing to investigate reports of rape.(Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters)

Women workers of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shout slogans and burn an effigy of Akhilesh Yadav, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, during a protest against the killings of two girls. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yadav ordered that the case be handled by a fast-track court "to ensure that the guilty are brought to book without the usual procedural delay", his spokesman Navneet Sehgal said.(Jitendra Prakash/Reuters)

Men have also been protesting against the high rate of sexual violence in. Here students hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the killings of the teenaged girls in Bundaun, Uttar Pradesh.(Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

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Isis Threat to Ancient Buddhist Temple Puts Indonesia Police on Alert

Central Java Police are on alert after Isis threatened to bomb the ninth-century Borobudur Temple, a Unesco World Heritage Site.(Dwi Oblo/Reuters)

Indonesian police are on terrorist alert following threats made by extremist Islamist group Isis (now known as 'Islamic State') to attack the Borobudur Temple cultural heritage site.

Security has been tightened around the Unesco World Heritage Site in Magelang, Central Java, after the Islamic State posted a threat on Facebook last Friday.

"God willing, (Borobudur) will be demolished by Islamic caliphate mujahidin," the statement read.

The statement also quoted an article from a radical website in which cleric Hartono Ahmad Jaiz condemned several statue construction projects around Indonesia as un-Islamic.

Central Java Police are scouring internet data for possible clues about the potential terrorist attack.

National police spokesman Ronny F Sompie told The Jakarta Post: "The Central Java police chief has ordered an investigation into the threat, and we expect cooperation from the temple's security personnel and the Indonesian Military, to safeguard the temple from any possible damage."

Temple security increased

Major-General Sunindyo, the commander of the Diponegoro Military Command, added that he was on standby to bolster security around the temple.

Marsis Sutopo, head of the Borobudur Conservation Agency, said the body has increased the number of security personnel in and around the temple.

"We've increased the number of security officers and have coordinated with PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur (which manages tourism activities at the temple) and the local police," he said.

The Borobudur Temple was built in the ninth century and is regarded as one of the world's largest and greatest Buddhist monuments.

In 1985, the relic was targeted by extremists, who detonated bombs at the site, damaging nine stupas: commemorative monuments which house scared relics associated with Buddha or other religious figures.

Last August, officials tightened security around the Borobudur Temple after the Buddhist temple Ekayana Graha Vihara was bombed in Jakarta.

Dozens Feared Dead after Libya Boat Carrying African Immigrants Sank Off

Migrants sit in their boat during a rescue operation by Italian navy ship Scirocco, about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Libya.(Reuters file photo)

Dozens of people are feared dead after a boat carrying about 200 African immigrants sank off a coast near Libyan capital Tripoli.

At least 20 bodies have been recovered by the authorities and some of the passengers have been rescued alive. Up to 170 people are yet unaccounted for.

"We are looking for 170 African passengers on a wooden boat that has foundered off the Guarabouli area. A few miles off the coast, we found the remains of a wooden boat which had some 200 migrants on board," a Libya coastguard official Abdellatif Mohammed Ibrahim told AFP.

The rescue personnel do not have enough resources to carry out the emergency measures as they are struggling with a single patrol boat in the region.

Although the identities of the travellers are unclear; some are believed to be Eritreans and Somalis, who are en route to Europe most likely seeking asylum.

Libya has turned into a haven the people smugglers who capitalise on the political turmoil and the desperate Africans who are looking to escape from the perils of their nations.

In recent months, dozens of such asylum-seekers have been reported missing or presumed drowned as their poorly-equipped boats capsize.

Gold Prices to Drop Further on Upbeat US Economic Data

Gold prices are set to drop further next week.Reuters

Gold prices are set to drop further next week as improving economic data from the US, and hints from the American central bank about a likely interest rate hike next year, are expected to dent the precious metal's safe-haven status.

As many as 12 of 23 analysts polled in a Kitco Gold Survey said they expected gold prices to trade lower next week, while eight predicted that prices will rise and three forecast prices to trade sideways.

Ralph Preston, principal, Heritage West Financial, said: "From a momentum and technical point of view, the pass of least resistance is down."

BofA Merrill Lynch said in a note to clients: "[Gold's] push below 1280 says that our game plan to wait for a bounce to 1345/1385 before selling is likely misplaced. However, with the [US dollar] at increasing risk of a temporary pullback, we want to see more before acting.

"The next level to watch is Triangle support at 1269. Below here exposes 1258/1241. Bears need a break 1241 to confirm a resumption of the larger, long term downtrend for 1180 and below."

Nordea Bank said in a note: "In a much-anticipated speech in Jackson Hole the [US Federal Reserve] Chair [Janet] Yellen repeated the balanced discussion of the monetary policy outlook expressed in her congressional testimony in July. Yellen's comments made clear that she isn't ready to start raising rates."

"Going forward, all eyes will remain on inflation data and especially wage data as this well certainly set the stage for how fast the Fed will normalise policy. Until Yellen sees clear evidence of higher wage increases, she will likely remain content with normalising policy slowly.

"We continue to believe that the Fed is underestimating inflation risks. Thus we still expect the Fed to turn more hawkish later this year and that markets will start pricing in more rate increases from the Fed as the economy continues to strengthen and the geopolitical concerns fade," Nordea added.

Gold Ends Lower

US gold futures for delivery in December finished $4.80 lower at $1,280.20 an ounce on 22 August.

Prices are down some 2% for the week as a whole.

Spot gold inched up 0.2% to $1,280 an ounce on 22 August.

Japanese Firms Suffer from Labour Shortage as Working Population Ages Rapidly

Japan currently has a rapidly aging population.REUTERS

Japanese firms are finding it difficult to hire enough workers due to its rapidly ageing population, according to a Reuters survey.

The survey, conducted from Aug 4-18 by Nikkei Research for Reuters, found that about 60% of companies, mostly from the retail and construction sectors, are facing labour shortage, prompting them to rethink expansion plans and close stores.

Further, some of the firms expect a significant decline in their profitability due to the development, according to the study based on responses from 270 firms capitalised at more than 1bn yen.

Due to shortage, labour costs are on the rise in the country and firms are struggling to attract qualified employees and retain them.

According to the survey, 80% of retail firms and 72% of companies in construction and real estate said they were finding it difficult to secure enough workers.

Among manufacturers, 70% of firms in the auto sector, including suppliers, said they are also struggling.

In the survey, 44% of firms expect a squeeze in corporate earnings this financial year in the range of 1% to 10%. The remaining 56% do not expect any impact, with some respondents saying they were able to absorb costs as profits were growing.

Japan has a rapidly ageing society, and its working age population is expected to shrink by 13 million people by 2030. Further, the country's existing laws limit immigration into it.

"From the perspective of 30 to 50 years, maybe there will be a chance to reverse this trend, just like France did, but in the next five to 10 years the trend may continue," said Shintaro Okuno, a partner at consultants Bain & Co Japan, who reviewed the results of the survey.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been looking to shore up the ailing economy, which is suffering from deflation, huge public debt and slow rate of growth.

Japan's economy is expected to grow between 0.3% and 0.5% in 2015, down from an average 0.7% after the country raised sales tax. The country raised sales tax to 8% from 5% in April, and is looking to increase that further to 10% in 2015.

More than half of the respondents in the survey said the hike is unavoidable, while about one-fourth said the country should postpone or scrap it to avoid adverse impact on the economy.

Argentina Accuses US Judge of Using 'Imperialist Expressions'

Argentina has accused the US judge, who ruled the country's recent debt swap proposal as illegal, of using "imperialist expressions".

Argentina's Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich said US Judge Thomas Griesa's choice of words was "unfortunate, incorrect and even, I would say, imperialist expressions", Reuters reported.

Griesa earlier ruled the country's new proposal to restructure its debt as "illegal", but he did not hold Argentina in contempt of court over the proposal.

The judge noted that the proposal announced by President Cristina Fernandez was in violation of his earlier orders and it would not help resolve the country's dispute with the holdout funds.

In a bid to circumvent Griesa's ruling that banned payments to its restructured debt holders, Fernández said Argentina would service debt locally and allow bondholders to swap their debt issued under foreign law for bonds of the same value governed by local law.

As per the plan, the government would open an account at Banco de la Nación in Buenos Aires to make payments on its bonds, stopping services of its US intermediary bank, Bank of New York Mellon.

The government is seeking approval from the country's congress for the bond restructuring.

Already in recession, Argentina has been looking to repair its economy by attracting funds from the international capital market. In a major blow to its reputation, the country fell into a technical default as a result of a dispute with some holdout creditors.

The country has been engaged in a long legal battle with hedge funds led by Elliott Management and Aurelius, which refused to take part in the country's debt restructuring. About 92% of the country's creditors agreed to swap debts and accept less money.

The holdout funds later sued the government for full payment.

Griesa had earlier ruled in favour of the so-called vulture funds, barring Argentina from paying the holders of its restructured debt unless it pays the hedge funds. He has also blocked Argentina's coupon payment to restructured bondholders through the Bank of New York Mellon.

The country's settlement talks with the holdout creditors failed and it ended up defaulting on its debt at the end of July.

Chinese Su-27 Warplane 'Intercepts' US Navy's P-8 Poseidon

A Chinese SU-27 fighter jet flies over the East China Sea, in this handout photoReuters

An armed Chinese aircraft has made "several passes" by a US navy jet in a perilously close mid-air encounter, the Pentagon has said.

Following the incident, the US has launched a formal protest with the Chinese authorities through diplomatic channels.

"It was very, very close and very dangerous. ... I think the message they were apparently sending is they were resisting the flight of that patrol aircraft," Pentagon spokesperson Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.

The mid-air drama took place on 19 August in international airspace while the US Navy's P-8 Poseidon was on a routine patrol mission east of Hainan Island.

At first, the Chinese Su-27 warplane cruised directly under the American jet at least three times within a distance of about 50 to 100 feet.

Shortly after that, the Chinese jet zoomed past perpendicular to the American jet from underneath displaying the weapons payload in its belly, before performing a barrel roll above the US jet, the Pentagon said.

Beijing has not formally responded to the report.

This is not the first time the US has levelled such accusations against Chinese jets. According to the Pentagon, there have been many incidents of "unsafe intercepts" of US aircraft since 2013.

Kirby said: "You're not supposed to do a barrel roll over an aircraft. I think the message that they are apparently trying to send was [to prevent] the flight of this patrol aircraft. The message we're sending back to China is that's unacceptable and unhelpful to the military relationship that we would like to have with them."

"We have registered our strong concerns to the Chinese about the unsafe and unprofessional intercept, which posed a risk to the safety and the well-being of the air crew, and was inconsistent with customary international law."