World War One Centenary: Britain Remembers

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A service in Liege marks 100 years since the German invasion of Belgium, and the solemn tributes continue at a cemetery in Mons.

2:35pm UK, Monday 04 August 2014

Video: Britain and Europe honours the dead of The Great War

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  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are met in Liege, Belgium, by King Filip and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, for a service marking the German invasion of Belgium in 1914 and Britain's entry into the conflict

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  Queen Mathilde and King Philippe-Filip With Spain's King Filipe VI

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  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge talk to French president Francois Hollande

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  Queen Mathilde and King Philippe-Filip with Grand-Duke Prince Guillaume, of Luxembourg

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  Kate with Mr Hollande

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  The ceremony gets under way in Liege

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  Prince William gives a speech during the ceremony

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  Across the Channel in Folkstone, Kent, Prince Harry officially opens a Memorial Arch in dedication to the veterans of the Great War

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  The Prince of Wales lays a wreath at a ceremony in George Square, Glasgow

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  British Prime Minister David Cameron attends a remembrance service at Glasgow Cathedral

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  Ceramic poppies are displayed in the moat of the Tower of London as part of the capital's commemorations

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  Prince and Princess Michael of Kent with a group of Chelsea Pensioners before the start of a drive through London by 100 Edwardian cars

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  Two of the pensioners admire some of the cars due to take part in the drive through

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  Prince Michael at the wheel of one of the cars as it leaves Kensington Palace

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  Another of the cars leaving the forecourt in front of the palace

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  One of the 100 cars driving past the Cenotaph on Whitehall

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  The cars drive in a line as the make their way through the centre of London

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  Ex servicemen parade through Glasgow as part of the commemoration

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  Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond prepares to leave a wreath of remembrance

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  Leader of the opposition Ed Miliband and deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg leave wreaths at Glasgow's war memorial

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  Prince Charles and David Cameron chat after the service in Glasgow

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  Ireland's President Michael Higgins and his wife Sabina Higgins meet the King and Queen of Belgium in preparation for the ceremony in Liege

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  Servicemen and ex servicemen hold a candle during the service to remember those who lost their lives at Glasgow cathedral

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  Ex service men from Belgium hold standards at their ceremony in Liege

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  Prince Charles during the service at Glasgow Cathedral

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  The King of Belgium Philippe-Filip lays a wreath in Liege

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  Prince Charles walk down the aisle of Glasgow Cathedral with others in the congregation

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  Folkestone held a minute's silence in memory of the 10 million armed service personnel who went through the town on the way to the front

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  Prince Harry saluted and laid a wreath during and after the silence

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  Ex servicemen lower their banners while the silence was taking place

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  The silence began after the pipers played the last post

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Gallery: World Remembers Start Of WWI

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• Prince Harry has attended a WW1 memorial service at Folkestone. Around ten million men passed through the town on their way to fight on the Western Front.

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• Prime Minister David Cameron says it is right to commemorate the Great War because it "had a massive impact on every community, every family in our country".

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    Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophia leaving Sarajevo's city hall to get into their car on June 28, 1914. Moments later, they were assassinated by a 19-year-old Bosnian Serb nationalist. This was a critical moment in the chain of events that led to the start of the First World War

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    Kaiser Wilhelm II ruled the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. He was the eldest grandson of Britain's Queen Victoria and first cousin of King George V. After setting Germany on a path to war, he eventually lost the support of the army, stepped down in 1918 and ran to exile in the Netherlands where he died in 1941

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    Britain's King George V took the throne in 1910. During the war, to calm a rise in anti-German sentiment, he changed the royal name from the house of Saxe-Coburg to the house of Windsor

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    Herbert Henry Asquith became British Prime Minister in 1908 and he led the nation to war. Renowned as a strong peacetime leader, he proved a weak head of state during the war and was replaced in 1916 by David Lloyd George

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    British statesman and soldier Horatio Herbert Kitchener (1850 - 1916) was Secretary Of State For War. He was a veteran military man who knew the war would be long and bloody and he understood Britain only stood a chance of success if the country boosted its small army

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    Kitchener set out on a massive poster campaign appealing for new recruits. But he was never to see the end of the war ... he died in June 1916, aged 65

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    In 1914, Winston Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty. He resigned from government after taking much of the blame for the Gallipoli disaster and feeling frustrated at not being able to work more. From there, he served on the Western Front. He eventually returned to politics and became Secretary of State For War in 1919

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    Churchill, showing his prowess on the polo field in 1914

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    Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian politician and military man who came out of retirement to lead German forces in WWI. He headed-up one of the Empire's most significant victories, the Battle of Tannenberg, early in the war. His brutal attack on Verdun was said to be designed to "bleed France white"

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    While the rest of the world went into battle, US President Woodrow Wilson was determined to stay out of it, firmly insisting it had all been caused by European corruption. But several major naval incidents, including the sinking of the Lusitania, eventually forced his hand. The turning point came in 1917 when he discovered Germany had offered to help Mexico win back three US states. Several more US ships were sunk and Teddy Roosevelt famously said: "If he does not go to war I shall skin him alive." America joined the war in March 1917

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    As Britain worried about the prospect of war, Labour leader and founder Keir Hardie gave speeches telling people they had no quarrel with Germany. He was outraged by the prospect of war and attempted to spark a pan-European general strike to stop the war. Hardie was a major supporter of conscientious objectors

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    War was declared by Britain at 11pm on August 4, 1914. All day, people had gathered in the capital waiting for news - sometimes in silent crowds, sometimes rising into patriotic song

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    This is the tombstone of Private John Parr, the first British soldier to be killed in World War One. A golf caddy from north london, he had joined the Army to better his prospects in life. When he was killed, on August 21, 1914, he had been out on a bicycle just outside the Belgian town of Mons on the lookout for the enemy. He was spotted by a German patrol and shot. Pte Parr is buried at the military cemetery of St Symphorien near Mons

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• The Duke of Cambridge speaks of the importance of reconciliation across Europe during a WWI remembrance ceremony at the Cointe Inter-allied Memorial, Liege, Belgium.

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• The Royal family and political leaders have taken part in ceremonies to honour the dead of the First World War.

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  Europe Honours WW1 War dead

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  World Remembers Start Of WWI

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  Prince Harry Takes The Last Post

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  PM: Great War Shaped Our World

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  WWI Centenary - Who's Who In 1914

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  William: We Will Remember You

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  Solemn Tribute To WW1 Fallen

• Video: Britain and Europe honours the dead of The Great War

• Gallery: World Remembers Start Of WWI

• Video: Prince Harry at the ceremony in Folkestone

• Video: PM: Great War Shaped Our World

• Gallery: WWI Centenary - Who's Who In 1914

• Video: William: We Will Remember You

• Video: Prince Charles lays a wreath at George Sq, Glasgow

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Miliband Slams Cameron's Handling Of Gaza Crisis

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

Labour leader Ed Miliband has accused David Cameron of failing to speak out about an Israeli military operation that he describes as "wrong and unjustifiable".

In a strongly worded statement, he said Mr Cameron had been right to call Hamas an appalling, terrorist organisation.

"But the Prime Minister is wrong not to have opposed Israel's incursion into Gaza," said Mr Miliband.

The Opposition leader added: "And his silence on the killing of hundreds of innocent Palestinian civilians caused by Israeli's military action will be inexplicable to people across Britain and internationally."

Downing Street reacted angrily to the statement, insisting the Prime Minister had been clear that both sides in the conflict need to observe a ceasefire.

"We are shocked that Ed Miliband would seek to misrepresent that position and play politics with such a serious issue."

A Labour source said the situation on the ground in Gaza had led Mr Miliband to speak out.

He said he supported Israel and believed it had the right to defend itself.

"But its military actions in the past two weeks have been wrong and unjustifiable.

The crisis in Gaza is set to continue

"The escalation of violence engulfing Gaza has led, and is leading, to suffering and destruction on an appalling scale, and is losing Israel friends in the international community day by day."

It came amid claims that Britain is selling arms to Israel that could be being used against Palestinian citizens.

Katy Clark, a Labour MP on the Committee on Arms Export Controls, told Sky News arms had been sold since 2010 under hundreds of licences that were still in place.

Her committee found the UK can sell 22 different types of equipment to Israel including components for military combat vehicles, communications equipment, sniper rifles and water cannon.

The Government said it had started a review into all the licences, with the ultimate decision to suspend any lying with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

It is led by Lib Dem minister Vince Cable, who will be under pressure to act given the outspoken interventions from senior figures in his party.

Deputy Prime Minister and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has called on Israel to open direct talks with the political arm of Hamas.

Writing in The Guardian, he said the "daily images of human torment in Gaza have been harrowing and heartbreaking".

And he insisted Israel's "disproportionate" military response was only worsening the long-term situation.

Mr Clegg pointed to how the Queen shook hands with the former IRA commander Martin McGuinness as a reminder "that even the most intractable conflicts can be resolved".

Former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown said any arms sales contributing to this conflict should be stopped.

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Deadly Quake Topples 12,000 Homes In China

At least 150 people have been killed and more than 1,400 injured by an earthquake in southwest China.

China's state media reported the casualties after the quake toppled more than 12,000 homes in Yunnan province.

The US Geological Survey said it was of 6.3 magnitude, while China Earthquake Networks Centre measured it at 6.5.

Thousands of homes have been toppled near the epicentre in Ludian

Ma Liya, a resident of Ludian county, which was at the epicentre, said the streets were like "battlefield after bombardment". 

She added that her neighbour's house, a new two-story building, had toppled.

The earthquake hit at a depth of six miles at about 4.30pm (9.30am UK time).

Pictures posted online by state media showed troops stretchering people away.

Photos on the Chinese social media site Weibo showed several people apparently injured amid toppled bricks.

Power lines and communications have been badly affected by the strongest earthquake to hit Yunnan in 14 years.

Communications in the area have been hampered

In 1970, a magnitude-7.7 earthquake in Yunnan killed at least 15,000 people, and a magnitude-7.1 quake in the province killed more than 1,400 in 1974. In September 2012, 81 people died and 821 were injured in a series of quakes in the Yunnan region.

More follows...

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Ten Dead As Israel 'Fires On UN Shelter'

Ten Palestinians have been killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike on a UN school turned shelter.

Another 30 people were wounded at the shelter in the Gazan city of Rafah. The Israeli military has yet to comment on the attack.

Robert Serry, the UN's Middle East Special Coordinator, confirmed the school was housing 3,000 displaced people.

"It is simply intolerable that another school has come under fire while designated to provide shelter for civilians fleeing the hostilities," he said.

Palestinians carry an injured man after an Israeli strike on a UN school

The second strike on a school this week comes as Israel confirmed a solider they feared had been kidnapped by Hamas militants in fact died in combat.

"A special committee led by the Israel Defence Forces Chief Rabbi, announced the death of the IDF infantry officer of the Givati Brigade, Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, who was killed in battle in the Gaza Strip on Friday, August 1, 2014," an army statement said.

Confirmation of the soldier's death follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's warning to Hamas that he is prepared to continue the operation in Gaza for as long as it takes to return his citizens to safety.

"We do not accept a continuation of the shooting," he told reporters, referring to ongoing Hamas rocket attacks.

"It (Hamas) will have to understand, however long that takes, that it will pay an intolerable price, from its perspective, for continuation of the shooting."

Quadruplets born in Gaza this week

Strikes claimed another 30 Palestinian victims overnight, emergency services in the territory said.

Meanwhile, a set of quadruplets born in Gaza on Wednesday have been discharged from hospital - but the shelling means they cannot return to their family home.

Grandfather Mefleh al Arjah said: "We live in Jenah but when the airstrikes and shelling started we fled to Tal Sultan, staying with extended relatives of our son, Ali. We left everything behind staying with them. We had nowhere else to go.

"We hope the war will end soon so we can return to our home."

Troops in an Israeli tank give a thumbs up after withdrawing from Gaza

Israel launched its aerial offensive on July 8 with the declared aim of ending "persistent" rocket fire by militants.

It subsequently sent in ground troops, shifting the focus of the operation to the destruction of a complex system of cross-border tunnels.

Israeli military officials have reported that 31 tunnels have been destroyed, fuelling speculation the offensive could soon wind down. Tanks have been seen returning to Israel and Palestinians in northern Gaza were told this weekend they could return to their homes.

Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said: "We are releasing troops from the front line but the mission is ongoing. Ground forces are operating. Air forces are operating."

The Palestinian death toll now stands at more than 1,700.

Another 440,000 people, a quarter of Gaza's population, have been displaced by the fighting.

On the Israeli side, 64 soldiers and three civilians have lost their lives.

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Fugitive UK Drug Dealer Found In South Africa

One of the UK's most wanted men has been captured in South Africa.

Drug trafficker Martin Evans, 52, a former Welsh businessman of the year, went on the run from prison in August 2011 after a home visit.

He had been serving 21 years for drug smuggling.

Martin Evans was a former young businessman of the year in Wales

Sky's crime correspondent Martin Brunt said detectives swooped on Evans in Johannesburg and described his capture as "a real scalp".

"There's a lot waiting for him when he gets back," Brunt said.

It is understood the fugitive will appear in court in Pretoria before being extradited back to Britain.

Evans, from Pontardulais, was once an award-winning businessman running a successful double glazing firm in Port Talbot.

Detectives arrested Evans in Johannesburg

But his business collapsed and Evans turned to fraud, cheating investors in a new ostrich farm business out of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Much of the money was channelled into offshore accounts in Jersey and the Bahamas and Evans was known to have a £2m villa in Marbella.

He also had properties in Miami and Florida.

Shortly before his trial for fraud, Evans went on the run for the first time, first to Spain and then to Holland.

Evans bought properties in Marbella (above) and Florida (Pic: Tomas Fano)

The National Crime Agency said it was while on the run that he masterminded a multimillion-pound drugs and money laundering operation.

He supplied huge quantities of cocaine and MDMA between 1999 and 2001.

He was caught when he tried to use a false passport to enter the US in November 2001. He was later jailed for 21 years back in the UK.

But he went on the run for a second time when he was released on a temporary licence to an address in Swansea in August 2011.

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Gatwick Fliers Advised Over Swissport Problems

Passengers at Gatwick are being advised to pack essential items in their hand luggage ahead of more possible disruption at the airport this weekend.

Baggage-handling company Swisspornt is under fire after many travellers reported waiting several hours for their bags to make it off planes last weekend.

Some were even told to go home without their luggage and the airport hit out at the company, saying it had "failed to meet standards".

A spokeswoman for travel organisation Abta said: "We hope people can pass through Gatwick smoothly this weekend. But if people are concerned it would be a good idea for them to put essential items in their carry-on bags.

"Both Gatwick and Swissport are putting on extra people and we are confident this should help address the problem."

Swissport has called up 40 extra staff to help, and Gatwick itself is also drafting in extra manpower to help ease any delays during one of the airport's busiest weekends.

However, it is understood that Swissport is using staff on zero-hours contracts who could be reluctant to work unsocial hours.

The baggage problem was at its worst late on Saturday evening and into the early hours of Sunday.

Gatwick Airport is scheduled to have one of its busiest weekends

Swissport, which operates at 263 airports in 45 countries, has denied the problems at Gatwick were down to zero-hours workers.

Richard Sargent, 23, a wheelchair basketball player for Team GB who returned on Sunday from holiday in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh, had to wait more than four hours for his wheelchair.

"I was left stranded in baggage reclaim. I was not asking for special treatment, just to be able to freely move around the terminal and use the toilet," Mr Sargent told the Daily Telegraph.

Swissport denied problems were due to zero-hours contract workers

Some 276,000 passengers are expected to use the airport this weekend and Swissport says it is doing all it can to avoid a repeat of the delays.

It said: "Nothing that has happened during the past week gives an indication that this weekend will cause the baggage chaos being suggested.

"In order to accommodate the expected higher level of movements this weekend, Swissport has continued its policy of recruitment to Gatwick and increased its ramp staff accordingly."

It added: "The summer peak season puts pressure on all baggage handling companies.

Gatwick, in West Sussex, is currently lobbying for an extra runway

"Swissport is disappointed that we have fallen below our standards during this time and will do all possible to ensure the travelling public are not inconvenienced in any way."

Willie Walsh, the boss of the company that owns BA and Iberia, has also defended Swissport.

He told Sky News: "I think Swissport is a good company - they provide us with services around the world.

"To be fair to them, it's not all their fault because Gatwick was affected by some adverse weather which meant schedules were running well off plan and aircraft were arriving at a time where they did not have resources in place."

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Why Obama's Hands Are Tied Over Gaza

On the day the White House said the Israeli military should do more to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the US confirmed it had agreed to supply the same military with more ammunition.

The Obama administration has hardened its criticism of the shelling of a UN school in Gaza calling it "indefensible" and saying there is little doubt the Israelis were responsible.

"We need our allies in Israel," said administration press secretary Josh Earnest "to live up to the high standards they have set themselves". Meanwhile those same allies were being invited to help themselves to more of the US arms stockpiles in Israel.

Duplicitous double standards or another sign of the complexity of US-Israeli relations? Depends on your point of view.

There is no doubt the Obama administration is concerned and frustrated by Israel's conduct. There is also no doubt the administration will continue to support it to the hilt for as long as required.

The US has agreed to supply Israel with more ammunition

Frustrated not least because of the trashing of the US Secretary of State John Kerry by Israeli cabinet ministers and media after his efforts to broker a ceasefire.

The Obama administration has not hidden its fury at the personal attacks on America's chief diplomat by senior members of the Netanyahu government.

The mounting civilian suffering is a concern to the US, for humanitarian and diplomatic reasons.

What's left of America's standing in the Arab world is further undermined by gruesome pictures of slaughter caused by US-supplied weaponry being fired into Gaza.  

A lot has been made of the dysfunctional relationship of the two countries' leaders. 

Mr Netanyahu's less-than-smooth relationship with Obama is well documented

Bibi and Barack have had more than their share of differences, and none of the political intimacy of George W Bush and Ariel Sharon. 

But these days Israel can take US support for granted far more than it could back then.

When Ariel Sharon wanted to send his military into Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank in 2002 he personally asked Bush to let him do so and give him enough time to finish the job.

The destruction in Jenin is nothing compared to what Israel has wrought in Gaza and it has done so without needing to ask for American permission. 

There are many reasons for US support for Israel, some historic, others more current.

Palestinians say more than 1,400 people have died in Gaza

The US-Israeli relationship is one of the fundamental constants of American foreign policy in the Middle East. With a region in ferment and in a state of flux, that is more important to Washington than ever.

The Israeli lobby is also hugely powerful in the US. 

Capitol Hill has been called Israeli-occupied territory; such is the sway the Jewish state holds over US politicians.

Multifarious pro-Israel organisations, millions given to Israel supporters at election time and masterful use of the media all mean that is unlikely to change.

Israel has the same hold on everyday Americans as it has on politicians.

US public opinion has been overwhelmingly sympathetic to Israel since the second intifada when the Palestinians began blowing up women and children on buses and since 9/11, which hardened US attitudes to violent Muslims of any description.

Fifty-six Israeli soldiers have died since the offensive began

More often than not the US media is inclined to accept the Israeli narrative. 

Coverage of tunnels out of Gaza is a case in point.

When Israeli military PR shifted the focus from rockets to tunnels, US coverage followed.

Too much talk of rockets is a threat to Israel economically now the country's main airport is within range.

Israel now claims Hamas tunnels are their main casus belli.

There has been little questioning of Israeli claims they are a terrorist threat to women and children, when thus far they have only been used by Hamas militants for military purposes to target Israeli soldiers. 

US support of Israel is mirrored by the attitude of some Arab nations in the region.

Egypt's recent ceasefire plan angered Hamas by including many of Israel's demands and few of the Palestinians'.

The Saudis and Jordanians are also quietly cheering the Jewish state from the sidelines. 

Since the last major Israeli operation in Gaza the faultlines have shifted in the Middle East because of the deepening chasm among Muslims, between Sunnis and Shia. 

On one side, Iran and its allies, the Assad regime in Damascus, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

On the other Tehran's enemies in the Gulf and Egypt who are in no mood to help out Iran's Sunni allies, Hamas in Gaza. 

While much of the Middle East remains silent as the carnage continues in Gaza, Israel will assume it is carrying out the wishes of at least some of its neighbours.

Washington will continue dishing out carefully worded criticism if Israel keeps facing claims it has shelled children sleeping in UN buildings.

But it is not going to be reducing its support for its closest ally in an increasingly troubled region.

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