Six In The Morning Thursday July 3

3 July 2014 Last updated at 08:15

Palestinians to bury teenager killed in Jerusalem

Palestinians are preparing to hold the funeral of a teenager abducted and murdered in Jerusalem.

The killing of 17-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdair on Wednesday was condemned by both Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

The murder sparked fierce clashes amid claims it was in revenge for the killing of three Israeli youths.

Israel carried out a series of air strikes on Gaza early on Thursday in response to Palestinian militants launching rockets at Israel.

Israeli officials said militants had fired dozens of mortars and rockets since Wednesday morning and two had struck houses, but no-one was injured.

China bans Ramadan: Fasting and ‘taking part in religious activities’ forbidden in controversial crackdown on minority Uighur Muslims

Statements from local government departments and schools say ban is to prevent Muslims from 'instilling religion' into public bodies

ADAM WITHNALL 

Thursday 03 July 2014

Chinese authorities across the country’s restive northwest region of Xinjiang have banned Muslim students and civil servants from taking part in all “religious activities” during the holy month of Ramadan.

In a region where around 45 per cent of the population is Muslim, a series of notices issued by schools and government departments have “strictly forbidden” anyone from taking part in fasting, and some have even been banned from performing their daily prayers in mosques.

Notices said the bans were designed to prevent the use of schools and government offices to “promote religion”, while local political organisations have been reminded of the ruling party’s officially atheist stance.

But the decision to ban Ramadan is particularly controversial for Xinjiang, coming amid an extensive security crackdown on the minority Uighur Muslim population.

French police ‘lose’ explosives at airport

Gendarmes face disciplinary action after forgetting where they placed explosives

Kim Willsher

French gendarmes in Marseille face being disciplined after reportedly “losing” explosives during a training exercise.

The officers were believed to have hidden the 100g block C-4 plastic explosive – known to experts as a form of Composition C – in the freight section at the city airport for their sniffer dogs to find.

However, the sniffer dogs failed to find the explosives and the gendarmes apparently forgot where they had hidden them.

“There was a surveillance failure,” a local official told La Depeche newspaper.

“The explosive was lost.” However, he insisted that without a fuse there was no real danger.

Fears raised over Pakistan's nuclear dreams

Pakistan's government is pushing ahead with the construction of two nuclear power plants near Karachi. The reactors aim to ease the country's energy crisis, but those living in their shadow fear for their livelihoods.

Abdul Rehman Goth is a centuries old fishing village just a short drive from Pakistan's financial hub, Karachi. A little way back from the shore, small homes made of concrete brick line the narrow streets. This sleepy coastal town is home to hundreds of fishermen who depend on the ocean for their livelihood.

Just a few kilometers west of here, near a promontory called Paradise Point, Pakistan's government has decided to build two nuclear power plants. The reactors, known as KANUPP 2 and KANUPP 3, will form part of the already existing Karachi Nuclear Power Complex.

Fears of more violence after suspected revenge killing of Palestinian teen

July 3, 2014 - 1:47PM

Ruth Eglash

Jerusalem: The abduction and suspected revenge killing of a Palestinian youth sparked intense clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem, raising the spectre of wider violence two days after three kidnapped Israeli teenagers were found dead in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli police said late on Wednesday that they had yet to confirm the circumstances of 16-year-old Mohammad Abu Khieder's disappearance or identify a badly burned body found in a forest outside Jerusalem, but Israeli news media, citing anonymous security officials, said authorities had determined that Mohammad was probably killed by Jews in a "nationalistic crime".

World Cup: Colombia remembers murdered Escobar ahead of Brazil test

By Chris Murphy, CNN

For Colombia this week, two worlds collide.

Its captivating side -- led by the tournament's star man James Rodriguez -- is preparing for its first ever World Cup quarterfinal on Friday, hinting at a future full of promise.

But that glamor tie against hosts Brazil also comes 20 years after perhaps Colombian football's darkest hour -- the murder of former national team player Andres Escobar.

The 27-year-old defender was a victim of a volatile and violent chapter in the country's history, seemingly executed as punishment for scoring an own goal at the 1994 World Cup.