Islamic State: Can its savagery be explained?

Since the sudden appearance of the extremist Sunni Islamic State (IS), the group has seized headlines with a shocking level of blood-letting and cruelty - but can its savagery be explained, asks Fawaz A Gerges. Islamic State has become synonymous with viciousness - beheadings, crucifixions, stonings, massacres, burying victims alive and religious and ethnic cleansing. While such savagery might seem senseless to the vast...

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Apple unveils watch and new iPhones

By Leo Kelion Technology desk editor The Apple Watch offers a range of displays and allows the owner to change its straps Continue reading the main story Related Stories Smartwatch specifications compared Hackers take aim at iCloud users Apple - follow the mobile money Apple has unveiled a smartwatch - the Apple Watch - its first new product line since the first iPad and...

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MH17 crash: Dutch experts say numerous objects hit plane

Download Flash Player now You need to install Flash Player to play this content. Footage emerged on Tuesday showing rebels among the wreckage Dutch experts say Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 broke up in mid-air after being hit by "objects" that "pierced the plane at high velocity" in July. The new report also said there was "no evidence of technical or human error". Correspondents say this matches claims...

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Ebola: How bad can it get?

The death toll has passed 2,000 and shows every sign of getting worse This isn't just the worst single Ebola outbreak in history, it has now killed more than all the others combined. Healthcare workers are visibly struggling, the response to the outbreak has been damned as "lethally inadequate" and the situation is showing signs of getting considerably worse. The outbreak has been running...

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Why Icelanders love an explosive eruption

Do you remember that feeling of being a kid, running after your older siblings and you just couldn't keep up? Your little feet would move as fast as they could, but still you'd lag behind? Well, that's how I feel these days - the reason being a volcano. Every morning I set my alarm for 06:00, not to jump in the shower, but to refresh every website with volcano news from my home country, Iceland....

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Sierra Leone's Ebola lockdown will not help, says MSF

Analysts say enforcing the lockdown in crowded areas will be difficult A three-day lockdown announced by Sierra Leone to combat Ebola will not help contain the virus, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says. The charity said a lockdown would force people underground, destroy trust between doctors and the public and ultimately help spread the disease. Sierra Leone officials say the measure, due to begin...

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Al-Shabab names new leader after Godane death in US strike

Al-Shabab fighters want to overthrow the UN-backed Somali government Somalia's Islamist group al-Shabab has named Ahmad Umar as successor to former leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed in a US air strike. The group announced the move in an online statement, vowing to take revenge for Godane's death. Somalia's authorities earlier put the country on alert for possible retaliatory attacks by al-Shabab. The...

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Ukraine crisis: Ceasefire is 'largely holding'

Download Flash Player now You need to install Flash Player to play this content. The BBC's Fergal Keane in Mariupol: "Today the guns are silent" The Ukrainian and Russian presidents have agreed that a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine is "largely holding". Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke by phone to discuss steps to make Friday's truce durable. The comments come despite...

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Rory McIlroy misses out on early BMW Championship lead

BMW Championship, first round (US unless stated) -3 McIlroy (NI), Spieth, Woodland -2 Horschel, Henley, Kaymer (Ger), Hadley, Chappell, Every, DeLaet (Can), Garcia (Spa) Rory McIlroy shares a three-way lead in the opening round of the BMW Championship in Denver. Bogeys on the Northern Irishman's 15th and...

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Aviva Premiership: Jeremy Guscott on the new rugby union season

  This season promises to be even more exciting than normal because it leads into the 2015 World Cup in England.  There will be constant references to it being "X" days away, and all paths lead to Twickenham for the next 12 months. Every match this season will be viewed in that sort of context - every...

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