Headline: Ack! Distant fires leave California's capital city in a haze

No major wildfires are burning near Sacramento but for two weeks a dull haze and the faint smell of smoke from distant blazes has blanketed California's capital region.

It's forced summer campers to stay inside, obscured normally bright skylines and left ash on cars.

Experiencing smoky air from blowing winds is nothing new in many California cities, but Sacramento air quality experts say it's rare for the dirty air to linger for so long, a reality of ever-larger fires that take longer to extinguish.

The haze stretches to the Sierra Nevada mountain range and nearly every major population center in between has suffered air quality considered dangerous for children, the elderly and people with asthma.

Winds often blow smoky air around California during intense fires, but Sacramento air quality experts say it's rare for the dirty air to linger for so long, a reality of ever-larger fires that take longer to extinguish.

There are two major wildfires _ one called the Mendocino Complex Fire that is the largest in California history _ burning more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Sacramento and another huge fire near Yosemite National Park a little farther to the southeast. Firefighters made significant process against the Mendocino Complex for the first time Wednesday but said the blazes will likely continue through September.

Wednesday marked the Sacramento region's 13th straight "Spare the Air" day, when people are encouraged not to drive and add further pollutants to the air _ the longest stretch since at least 2001. A similar warning is effect in the San Francisco Bay Area, and air quality experts in California's Central Valley and areas southeast of Los Angeles are warning residents to limit outdoor exposure because of wildfires there.

A day earlier, dozens of summer campers sat inside watching a movie at a Sacramento YMCA.

"Normally that doesn't happen on a regular day at camp," said Jay Lowden, president of the YMCA for a nine-county region that serves more than 700 kids weekly at 13 summer camps. His counselors monitor the air quality on a daily basis, and Lowden said he may cancel a planned family camp this weekend in the foothills because of the smoke.

Lori Kobza, spokeswoman for the Sacramento Air Quality Management District, said it's hard to predict when things will improve because of the unpredictably of the fires and the winds.

Because the city is located in a valley, it's easier for smoky air to get trapped here when high pressure systems blow in, making Sacramento like a smoke-filled bowl that's had a lid placed tightly on top.

Sacramento, California - 8 August 2018

1. Various of kids playing indoors at YMCA Sacramento day camp (YMCA says parents signed waivers allowing kids to be on camera)

2. Various of playground equipment not being used

3. SOUNDITE (English) Jay Lowden, president of YMCA of Superior California

"The wildfires and the air quality and lack of good air quality has impacted our camps. We have to keep the kids inside more. A lot of the outdoor physical activities we've had to curtail and cut back on. And it's frustrating because the kids are spending more time inside. They get a little bit of cabin fever."

4. California State Capitol building in hazy air

5. Sacramento River and skyline in hazy air

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Kobza, spokeswoman, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District

"We're just most concerned right now with the wildfire smoke and the particulate matter. So we do encourage people to stay indoors and limit their outside activities."

7. Screen showing air quality index

8. Kobza on computer showing air quality map

9. Screen showing air quality map of Sacrament region

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Kobza, spokeswoman, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District

"Now the Mendocino Complex Fires right now are so huge are burning over 300,000 acres and they are contributing the majority of the smoke. Right now however we are still seeing impacts from the Carr Fire, which is burning up near Redding and the Ferguson Fire which is burning in the Yosemite Valley area."

11. Various of kids playing indoors at YMCA day camp

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Braylin Sligar, YMCA camp director

"So air quality wise, so it limits our outdoor time which is hard during summer because it's all about being outdoors and using the outdoors to have fun and to play. So we've had to incorporate a lot more indoor activities in developing our program to accommodate the weather."

13. Boys playing basketball in gym

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Nolasco, 11, YMCA day camper

"It's a very good idea to have a stay indoors because sometimes the pollution can make us sick and stuff."

15. Kids sitting in gym with camp counselor

Headline: Ack! Distant fires leave California's capital city in a haze

No major wildfires are burning near Sacramento but for two weeks a dull haze and the faint smell of smoke from distant blazes has blanketed California's capital region.

It's forced summer campers to stay inside, obscured normally bright skylines and left ash on cars.

Experiencing smoky air from blowing winds is nothing new in many California cities, but Sacramento air quality experts say it's rare for the dirty air to linger for so long, a reality of ever-larger fires that take longer to extinguish.

The haze stretches to the Sierra Nevada mountain range and nearly every major population center in between has suffered air quality considered dangerous for children, the elderly and people with asthma.

Winds often blow smoky air around California during intense fires, but Sacramento air quality experts say it's rare for the dirty air to linger for so long, a reality of ever-larger fires that take longer to extinguish.

There are two major wildfires _ one called the Mendocino Complex Fire that is the largest in California history _ burning more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Sacramento and another huge fire near Yosemite National Park a little farther to the southeast. Firefighters made significant process against the Mendocino Complex for the first time Wednesday but said the blazes will likely continue through September.

Wednesday marked the Sacramento region's 13th straight "Spare the Air" day, when people are encouraged not to drive and add further pollutants to the air _ the longest stretch since at least 2001. A similar warning is effect in the San Francisco Bay Area, and air quality experts in California's Central Valley and areas southeast of Los Angeles are warning residents to limit outdoor exposure because of wildfires there.

A day earlier, dozens of summer campers sat inside watching a movie at a Sacramento YMCA.

"Normally that doesn't happen on a regular day at camp," said Jay Lowden, president of the YMCA for a nine-county region that serves more than 700 kids weekly at 13 summer camps. His counselors monitor the air quality on a daily basis, and Lowden said he may cancel a planned family camp this weekend in the foothills because of the smoke.

Lori Kobza, spokeswoman for the Sacramento Air Quality Management District, said it's hard to predict when things will improve because of the unpredictably of the fires and the winds.

Because the city is located in a valley, it's easier for smoky air to get trapped here when high pressure systems blow in, making Sacramento like a smoke-filled bowl that's had a lid placed tightly on top.

Sacramento, California - 8 August 2018

1. Various of kids playing indoors at YMCA Sacramento day camp (YMCA says parents signed waivers allowing kids to be on camera)

2. Various of playground equipment not being used

3. SOUNDITE (English) Jay Lowden, president of YMCA of Superior California

"The wildfires and the air quality and lack of good air quality has impacted our camps. We have to keep the kids inside more. A lot of the outdoor physical activities we've had to curtail and cut back on. And it's frustrating because the kids are spending more time inside. They get a little bit of cabin fever."

4. California State Capitol building in hazy air

5. Sacramento River and skyline in hazy air

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Kobza, spokeswoman, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District

"We're just most concerned right now with the wildfire smoke and the particulate matter. So we do encourage people to stay indoors and limit their outside activities."

7. Screen showing air quality index

8. Kobza on computer showing air quality map

9. Screen showing air quality map of Sacrament region

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Kobza, spokeswoman, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District

"Now the Mendocino Complex Fires right now are so huge are burning over 300,000 acres and they are contributing the majority of the smoke. Right now however we are still seeing impacts from the Carr Fire, which is burning up near Redding and the Ferguson Fire which is burning in the Yosemite Valley area."

11. Various of kids playing indoors at YMCA day camp

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Braylin Sligar, YMCA camp director

"So air quality wise, so it limits our outdoor time which is hard during summer because it's all about being outdoors and using the outdoors to have fun and to play. So we've had to incorporate a lot more indoor activities in developing our program to accommodate the weather."

13. Boys playing basketball in gym

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Nolasco, 11, YMCA day camper

"It's a very good idea to have a stay indoors because sometimes the pollution can make us sick and stuff."

15. Kids sitting in gym with camp counselor

California Governor Jerry Brown says world leaders are "sound asleep" as the threat of nuclear annihilation and climate disruption loom, worsening wildfires and other natural disasters.

Brown spoke about the climate crisis, California's catastrophic wildfires, the 2020 presidential campaign and Democratic control of state politics during an interview with the Associated Press at the governor's mansion in Sacramento.

The Democrat helped his party become dominant in California politics during his eight years leading the nation's most populous state, and less than a month before leaving office, he is predicting it will be difficult for his successor to control Democrats' hunger for more spending and rules.

Democrats hold all statewide offices and expanded their supermajority in the Legislature last month, allowing them to approve tax hikes and virtually any law without Republican support.

In the interview, Brown, 80, called for more blunt discussions about the danger of wildfires to force officials and residents to act, pushed back against critics who say he's too friendly to oil companies, and chided world leaders for failing to tackle climate change with urgency.

He leaves office on January 7 after wrapping up a record four terms, first from 1975 to 1983 and again since 2011.

The governor's comments on Democratic priorities reflect the more frugal attitude he brought to Sacramento. He entered office with a US$27 billion deficit and leaves a nearly US$15 billion rainy day fund and a surplus.

Brown is leaving office on the heels of the deadliest US wildfire in a century. Flames tore through the town of Paradise last month, killing at least 86 people and destroying 14,000 homes. He's blamed climate change for more destructive blazes in recent years and warned things will worsen.

The governor called the need to limit building in areas at high risk for wildfires "obvious" but said it's "politically painful" to implement when people want to rebuild their homes and developers see opportunities.

People who choose to live in high-risk areas need to plan escape routes, build cellars and manage vegetation, he said. And the state must provide more information about the true danger of wildfires, he said.

Wildfires offer Brown an opportunity to call for swifter action against climate change, which is making California drier and more prone to flames. He's urged action beyond California, working with the UN, creating a global coalition to reduce climate emissions and holding meetings in China and Russia.

Sacramento, California - 18 December 2018  

1. California Governor Jerry Brown on stage at fundraiser for Sacramento Press Club

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Governor Jerry Brown, Democrat, California:

"Emissions are rising in China, are rising in Germany and probably will start rising again in America. So the world leadership class is sound asleep and the threat of nuclear annihilation and climate disruption on a permanent basis looms. And therefore it is time for new leaders to rise up and make the case and mobilize the people for what needs to be done. But what needs to be done is unprecedented, and therein lies the dilemma where we are today."

3. Brown talks during Q&A at fundraising lunch

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Governor Jerry Brown, Democrat, California:

"I think there are a lot of solutions that have to be pursued. They all cost money. They're all going to be difficult politically. They're probably slow to come. And on top of all that we still have to do everything we can to reduce carbon emissions because the threats are mounting. And you're going to see more fires. I believe in the next five to ten years, not in 2050 but in 2025 and 2030. California in some sense is burning up."

5. Brown on stage with journalists

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Governor Jerry Brown, Democrat, California:

"I think people really need to personally figure out how they can handle a fire that is unlikely but possible. And then of course from a government point of view, we need a proper zoning and the state should make the dangers very clear. I don't think that the governments lay out for people the stark warning: you may you may die in this particular environment."

7. Framed campaign poster from early Jerry Brown campaign

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Governor Jerry Brown, Democrat, California:

"And the Democrats are a big tent with many different points of view. Having said all that, I think there will be a tendency to pass too many laws and spend too much money. And I would say the governor is going to have to correct that but he won't be able to correct it all because in order to govern he's got to please some of these groups enough of the time still be viable as a political leader."

9. Brown in interview at governor's mansion

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Governor Jerry Brown, Democrat, California:

"Look it's not the skin colour. It's who's the right person with the right set of qualities to lead the nation. And that can be a man or woman, it can be someone of other background other than what we've seen for most of our history. But at the end of the day whoever the person is he has to be a unifying figure. We don't need any more divisiveness."

11. Audience applauds for Brown at fundraiser

California Gov. Jerry Brown says world leaders are "sound asleep" as the threat of nuclear annihilation and climate disruption loom, worsening wildfires and other natural disasters.

Brown spoke about the climate crisis, California's catastrophic wildfires, the 2020 presidential campaign and Democratic control of state politics during an interview with the Associated Press at the governor's mansion in Sacramento.

The Democrat  helped his party become dominant in California politics during his eight years leading the nation's most populous state, and less than a month before leaving office, he is predicting it will be difficult for his successor to control Democrats' hunger for more spending and rules.

Democrats hold all statewide offices and expanded their supermajority in the Legislature last month, allowing them to approve tax hikes and virtually any law without Republican support.

In the interview, Brown, 80, called for more blunt discussions about the danger of wildfires to force officials and residents to act, pushed back against critics who say he's too friendly to oil companies, and chided world leaders for failing to tackle climate change with urgency.

He leaves office Jan. 7 after wrapping up a record four terms, first from 1975 to 1983 and again since 2011.

The governor's comments on Democratic priorities reflect the more frugal attitude he brought to Sacramento. He entered office with a $27 billion deficit and leaves a nearly $15 billion rainy day fund and a surplus.

Brown is leaving office on the heels of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century. Flames tore through the town of Paradise last month, killing at least 86 people and destroying 14,000 homes. He's blamed climate change for more destructive blazes in recent years and warned things will worsen.

The governor called the need to limit building in areas at high risk for wildfires "obvious" but said it's "politically painful" to implement when people want to rebuild their homes and developers see opportunities.

People who choose to live in high-risk areas need to plan escape routes, build cellars and manage vegetation, he said. And the state must provide more information about the true danger of wildfires, he said.

Wildfires offer Brown an opportunity to call for swifter action against climate change, which is making California drier and more prone to flames. He's urged action beyond California, working with the U.N., creating a global coalition to reduce climate emissions and holding meetings in China and Russia.

Sacramento, California - 18 December 2018  

1. Gov. Jerry Brown on stage at fundraiser for Sacramento Press Club

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Gov. Jerry Brown, (D) California:

"Emissions are rising in China, are rising in Germany and probably will start rising again in America. So the world leadership class is sound asleep and the threat of nuclear annihilation and climate disruption on a permanent basis looms. And therefore it is time for new leaders to rise up and make the case and mobilize the people for what needs to be done. But what needs to be done is unprecedented, and therein lies the dilemma where we are today."

3. Brown talks during Q&A at fundraising lunch

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Gov. Jerry Brown, (D) California:

"I think there are a lot of solutions that have to be pursued. They all cost money. They're all going to be difficult politically. They're probably slow to come. And on top of all that we still have to do everything we can to reduce carbon emissions because the threats are mounting. And you're going to see more fires. I believe in the next five to ten years, not in 2050 but in 2025 and 2030. California in some sense is burning up."

5. Brown on stage with journalists

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Gov. Jerry Brown, (D) California:

"I think people really need to personally figure out how they can handle a fire that is unlikely but possible. And then of course from a government point of view, we need a proper zoning and the state should make the dangers very clear. I don't think that the governments lay out for people the stark warning: you may you may die in this particular environment."

7. Framed campaign poster from early Jerry Brown campaign

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Gov. Jerry Brown, (D) California:

"And the Democrats are a big tent with many different points of view. Having said all that, I think there will be a tendency to pass too many laws and spend too much money. And I would say the governor is going to have to correct that but he won't be able to correct it all because in order to govern he's got to please some of these groups enough of the time still be viable as a political leader."

9. Brown in interview at governor's mansion

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Gov. Jerry Brown, (D) California:

"Look it's not the skin color. It's who's the right person with the right set of qualities to lead the nation. And that can be a man or woman, it can be someone of other background other than what we've seen for most of our history. But at the end of the day whoever the person is he has to be a unifying figure. We don't need any more divisiveness."

11. Audience applauds for Brown at fundraiser

Rumbling bulldozers have started scraping up the ash, charred wood and crumbled bricks left from thousands of homes and buildings destroyed by wildfires in California wine country.

The second phase of cleanup launched this week in a Santa Rosa neighborhood that saw some of the worst destruction last month.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractors began the work this week in flattened, blackened blocks of Santa Rosa's Coffey Park neighborhood. It saw some of the worst destruction last month when fierce winds drove flames that killed at least 43 people and destroyed 8,900 houses and other buildings in four counties.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finished the first phase at most properties in hard-hit areas, with crews carting away hazardous waste.

Rick Brown, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers, says that allowed crews with heavy equipment to move in to scrape up foundations and the top layer of ash, debris and soil. The soil will be tested for contaminants such as asbestos or other metals and chemicals.

Brown says they're in contact with property owners about the cleanup process.

"When we come out for the phase two portion and conduct that site assessment, that initial site assessment, we're going to look at that right of entry form and any notes the property owner made and we'll try to make those determinations then, whether or not we can save something they're wanting us to save, or remove something they want us to remove," Brown said.

Agencies also are sampling for air contamination and any hazardous water runoff into waterways.

Santa Rosa, California – November 8, 2017

1. Medium view of clean up crew in hazmat suits and worker walking into burn damaged property for inspection

2. Close view of worker sifting through debris

3. Medium view of homeowner standing on property destroyed by wildfire

4. Medium view of car destroyed by wildfire

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Larry Keyser, property owner:

"The police came and yelled at us, to get out…'right now you gotta get out'. So we basically got our shoes on and a sweatshirt and left, with literally the clothes we were sleeping in. And that was it."

6. Wide view of EPA official sifting through debris

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Larry Keyser, property owner:

"My wife had her mother's wedding ring. Trying to find it and they didn't have any luck, I don't think they had any luck with it. I had a coin collection from my childhood, and we had silver plates, silver coffee pots. So, they did their best."

8. Medium view of U.S. flag standing in burn debris, pan to wide view of Keyser standing in burned out property

9. Wide view of construction crews removing soil from burn damaged property

10. Close view of sign posted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the status of the property

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Rick Brown, Spokesman, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:

"When we come out for the Phase Two portion and conduct that site assessment, that initial site assessment, we're going to look at that right of entry form and any notes the property owner made and we'll try to make those determinations then, whether or not we can save something they're wanting us to save, or remove something they want us to remove."

12. Medium view of construction crews digging up soil on burn damaged property

HEADLINE: Wildfires causing poor air quality in N. Calif.

---------------------------------------

CAPTION: Wildfires raging across California are being blamed for unhealthy air quality throughout the San Joaquin Valley. The heavy smoke and particulate pollution has prompted an air quality warning. (June 24)

----------------------------------------

[Notes:ANCHOR VOICE]

NB. THIS IS A VOICEOVER TRANSCRIPT, NOT A FULL SHOT LIST.

(locator - Napa, CA)

RIGHT NOW THE SMOKY AROMA IN CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY ISN'T COMING FROM THE OAK AGED MERLOT.

Ripple Sharma, Tourist, says: "Normally there's a great view of the ocean but all you see are these dry hills and haze."

THE HAZE IS COMING FROM HUNDREDS OF SMALL WILDFIRES BURNING ALL OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.

Elaine St. Clair, Black Stallion Winery, says: "At night we could see an orange glow at the very top of the hill and there was smoke."

THAT SMOKE IS EVERYWHERE. AIR QUALITY OFFICIALS TO PUT OUT AN ADVISORY TO AVOID THE OUTDOORS IF POSSIBLE.

Kristine Roselius, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, says: "We do have some smoke effects here in the Bay Area. We have higher than usual levels of particulate matter. So we're advising people that are sensitive to the smoke to stay inside, keep their children inside and just use common sense."

(camp counselor tells kids: "We're gonna play indoor baseball with the rubber ball.")

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS ARE KEEPING CHILDREN INDOORS.

Eric Dreikosen, Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley, says: "It's much darker. You can absolutely smell the smoke in the air."

THE KIDS SHOULD BE ALLOWED BACK OUTSIDE WEDNESDAY AS OFF-SHORE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BLOW MUCH OF THE SMOKE AWAY. HAVEN DALEY, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, NAPA, CALIFORNIA.

188396

Greece - Wildfires

APTN

Pilion Mountain region nr Volos, Central Greece, Suburb of Patras, Peloponesus, southern Greece and Ageoianergiri, 150km (100 miles) south of Athens - 13-14 July 2000

July 13 NIGHT SHOTS - Pilion Mountain region nr Volos, Central Greece

1. Various of fires

July 14 Daytime - Suburb of Patras, Peloponnese peninsula, southern Greece

2. Man trying to beat out fires

July 14 Ageoianergiri, 150km (100 miles) south of Athens

3. Various of plane dropping water over fires

4. Various of fires on hill side

522379

US - Firefighters battle wildfires in California and Florida

AP TELEVISION

Various - 11 May 2007

Avalon, Catalina Island, California

1. Aerial shot of huge plumes of smoke rising from mountains

2. Various aerials of fire

Osceola National Forest, Columbia County, Florida

3. Various of forest fire

349148

Russia - Forest Fires Causing Smog That Is Enveloping Moscow

APTN

Moscow/Novaya - 5 Sept 2002

Novaya, 30 kilometres east of Moscow

1. Forest near the village of Novaya, 30 kilometres east of Moscow

2. Burnt trees with the haze in the background

3. Two firefighters

4. Close up fire

5. Firefighter

6. Pan smoke

Moscow

7. Haze in Moscow

8. Red star on the Kremlin

349380

Russia - Smog Blankets Moscow

APTN

Moscow - 8 Sept 2002

1. Kremlin in smog

2. Bridge over river in smog

3. Pedestrians walking along a bridge

4. Woman passing by and covering face with a handkerchief

1208

USA - Los Angeles Smog

APTV

Los Angeles - 2 December 1994

1. GV Los Angeles smog

2. Traffic in Los Angeles

350425

Mexico - Pollution

APTN

Mexico City - 19 September 2002

1. WS Mexico City skyline in heavy smog

2. HS traffic at Angel de la Independencia in Mexico City

3. Zoom out skyline in smog

4. VS traffic and smog

Most schools in San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland and Folsom will be closed Friday as a deadly wildfire in Northern California sends smoke into the Bay Area.

School districts announced the closures Thursday as the region experienced some of the worst air quality since the fire started a week ago about 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of San Francisco.

An Environmental Protection Agency website says the air quality in Sacramento is "hazardous" Thursday and San Francisco's is "very unhealthy." Many people walking around the cities wore face masks.

Several Northern California universities had announced closures earlier Thursday.

The wildfire that started a week ago has killed dozens of people and charred nearly 220 square miles (570 square kilometers).

Smoke masks. Eye drops. No outdoor exercise. This is how Californians are trying to cope with wildfires choking the state, but experts say an increase in serious health problems may be almost inevitable for vulnerable residents as the disasters become more commonplace.

"It just feels very smoky and full of particulates. I'm definitely worried about my son who's breathing this stuff. We've got air filters at home and we're running them at full speed but I'm not sure it's enough to get rid of all the toxic particulates so I'm definitely worried about the health of my family and the city in general," San Francisco resident Daniel Horn said.

Research suggests children, the elderly and those with existing health problems are most at risk.

Short-term exposure to wildfire smoke can worsen existing asthma and lung disease, leading to emergency room treatment or hospitalization, studies have shown.

Increases in doctor visits or hospital treatment for respiratory infections, bronchitis and pneumonia in otherwise healthy people also have been found during and after wildfires.

Some studies also have found increases in ER visits for heart attacks and strokes in people with existing heart disease on heavy smoke days during previous California wildfires, echoing research on potential risks from urban air pollution.

For most healthy people, exposure to wildfire smoke is just an annoyance, causing burning eyes, scratchy throats or chest discomfort that all disappear when the smoke clears.

But doctors, scientists and public health officials are concerned that the changing face of wildfires will pose a much broader health hazard,

In an overview published earlier this year, Cascio wrote that the increasing frequency of large wildland fires, urban expansion into wooded areas and an aging population are all increasing the number of people at risk for health problems from fires.

Wood smoke contains some of the same toxic chemicals as urban air pollution, along with tiny particles of vapor and soot 30 times thinner than a human hair. These can infiltrate the bloodstream, potentially causing inflammation and blood vessel damage even in healthy people, research on urban air pollution has shown. Studies have linked heart attacks and cancer with long-term exposure to air pollution.

Whether exposure to wildfire smoke carries the same risks is uncertain, and determining harm from smog versus wildfire smoke can be tricky, especially with wind-swept California wildfires spreading thick smoke hundreds of miles away into smoggy big cities.

San Francisco - 15 November 2018

1.Two men sit in foreground, barely visible Golden Gate Bridge in background

2. Dogwalker wears masks while six dogs on leashes follow along the beach

3. View of Golden Gate Bridge from smoky Crissy Field

4. Woman wearing mask holds small dog with bridge in background

5. Walking shot of man with dog on Crissy Field beach

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Chloe Allegret, San Francisco resident:

"It's pretty uncomfortable. It's definitely causing shortness of breath, pressure in the sinuses so we're taking it easy."

7. Food delivery workers loading up van while wearing masks

8. Postal worker delivers mail while wearing mask

9. UPS driver wears mask while making delivery

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Daniel Horn, San Francisco resident:

"It just feels very smoky and full of particulates. I'm definitely worried about my son who's breathing this stuff. We've got air filters at home and we're running them at full speed but I'm not sure it's enough to get rid of all the toxic particulates so I'm definitely worried about the health of my family and the city in general."

11. Man walks along city's Embarcadero wearing mask

12. Embarcadero cleaning crew rides by on bicycle while wearing mask

13. Two women sit on park bench wearing masks

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Kylie Garcia, San Francisco resident:

"It sucks for people who are allergic to this stuff. Even me, I'm walking out here and my god, now my throat is feeling raspy. I walk here everyday on my work lunch break. It's crazy. I can't believe it. It's really sad and hopefully they'll be able to stop it. We'll see how long it goes."

15. Fire boat floating on Bay in foreground, Bay Bridge in smog in background

Most schools in San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland and Folsom will be closed Friday as a deadly wildfire in Northern California sends smoke into the Bay Area.

School districts announced the closures Thursday as the region experienced some of the worst air quality since the fire started a week ago about 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of San Francisco.

An Environmental Protection Agency website says the air quality in Sacramento is "hazardous" Thursday and San Francisco's is "very unhealthy." Many people walking around the cities wore face masks.

Several Northern California universities had announced closures earlier Thursday.

The wildfire that started a week ago has killed dozens of people and charred nearly 220 square miles (570 square kilometers).

Smoke masks. Eye drops. No outdoor exercise. This is how Californians are trying to cope with wildfires choking the state, but experts say an increase in serious health problems may be almost inevitable for vulnerable residents as the disasters become more commonplace.

"It just feels very smoky and full of particulates. I'm definitely worried about my son who's breathing this stuff. We've got air filters at home and we're running them at full speed but I'm not sure it's enough to get rid of all the toxic particulates so I'm definitely worried about the health of my family and the city in general," San Francisco resident Daniel Horn said.

Research suggests children, the elderly and those with existing health problems are most at risk.

Short-term exposure to wildfire smoke can worsen existing asthma and lung disease, leading to emergency room treatment or hospitalization, studies have shown.

Increases in doctor visits or hospital treatment for respiratory infections, bronchitis and pneumonia in otherwise healthy people also have been found during and after wildfires.

Some studies also have found increases in ER visits for heart attacks and strokes in people with existing heart disease on heavy smoke days during previous California wildfires, echoing research on potential risks from urban air pollution.

For most healthy people, exposure to wildfire smoke is just an annoyance, causing burning eyes, scratchy throats or chest discomfort that all disappear when the smoke clears.

But doctors, scientists and public health officials are concerned that the changing face of wildfires will pose a much broader health hazard,

In an overview published earlier this year, Cascio wrote that the increasing frequency of large wildland fires, urban expansion into wooded areas and an aging population are all increasing the number of people at risk for health problems from fires.

Wood smoke contains some of the same toxic chemicals as urban air pollution, along with tiny particles of vapor and soot 30 times thinner than a human hair. These can infiltrate the bloodstream, potentially causing inflammation and blood vessel damage even in healthy people, research on urban air pollution has shown. Studies have linked heart attacks and cancer with long-term exposure to air pollution.

Whether exposure to wildfire smoke carries the same risks is uncertain, and determining harm from smog versus wildfire smoke can be tricky, especially with wind-swept California wildfires spreading thick smoke hundreds of miles away into smoggy big cities.

San Francisco - 15 November 2018

1. Two men sit in foreground, barely visible Golden Gate Bridge in background

2. Dogwalker wears masks while six dogs on leashes follow along the beach

3. View of Golden Gate Bridge from smoky Crissy Field

4. Woman wearing mask holds small dog with bridge in background

5. Walking shot of man with dog on Crissy Field beach

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Chloe Allegret, San Francisco resident:

"It's pretty uncomfortable. It's definitely causing shortness of breath, pressure in the sinuses so we're taking it easy."

7. Food delivery workers loading up van while wearing masks

8. Postal worker delivers mail while wearing mask

9. UPS driver wears mask while making delivery

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Daniel Horn, San Francisco resident:

"It just feels very smoky and full of particulates. I'm definitely worried about my son who's breathing this stuff. We've got air filters at home and we're running them at full speed but I'm not sure it's enough to get rid of all the toxic particulates so I'm definitely worried about the health of my family and the city in general."

11. Man walks along city's Embarcadero wearing mask

12. Embarcadero cleaning crew rides by on bicycle while wearing mask

13. Two women sit on park bench wearing masks

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Kylie Garcia, San Francisco resident:

"It sucks for people who are allergic to this stuff. Even me, I'm walking out here and my god, now my throat is feeling raspy. I walk here everyday on my work lunch break. It's crazy. I can't believe it. It's really sad and hopefully they'll be able to stop it. We'll see how long it goes."

15. Fire boat floating on Bay in foreground, Bay Bridge in smog in background

Most schools in San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland and Folsom will be closed Friday as a deadly wildfire in Northern California sends smoke into the Bay Area.

School districts announced the closures Thursday as the region experienced some of the worst air quality since the fire started a week ago about 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of San Francisco.

An Environmental Protection Agency website says the air quality in Sacramento is "hazardous" Thursday and San Francisco's is "very unhealthy." Many people walking around the cities wore face masks.

Several Northern California universities had announced closures earlier Thursday.

The wildfire that started a week ago has killed dozens of people and charred nearly 220 square miles (570 square kilometers).

Smoke masks. Eye drops. No outdoor exercise. This is how Californians are trying to cope with wildfires choking the state, but experts say an increase in serious health problems may be almost inevitable for vulnerable residents as the disasters become more commonplace.

"It just feels very smoky and full of particulates. I'm definitely worried about my son who's breathing this stuff. We've got air filters at home and we're running them at full speed but I'm not sure it's enough to get rid of all the toxic particulates so I'm definitely worried about the health of my family and the city in general," San Francisco resident Daniel Horn said.

Research suggests children, the elderly and those with existing health problems are most at risk.

Short-term exposure to wildfire smoke can worsen existing asthma and lung disease, leading to emergency room treatment or hospitalization, studies have shown.

Increases in doctor visits or hospital treatment for respiratory infections, bronchitis and pneumonia in otherwise healthy people also have been found during and after wildfires.

Some studies also have found increases in ER visits for heart attacks and strokes in people with existing heart disease on heavy smoke days during previous California wildfires, echoing research on potential risks from urban air pollution.

For most healthy people, exposure to wildfire smoke is just an annoyance, causing burning eyes, scratchy throats or chest discomfort that all disappear when the smoke clears.

But doctors, scientists and public health officials are concerned that the changing face of wildfires will pose a much broader health hazard,

In an overview published earlier this year, Cascio wrote that the increasing frequency of large wildland fires, urban expansion into wooded areas and an aging population are all increasing the number of people at risk for health problems from fires.

Wood smoke contains some of the same toxic chemicals as urban air pollution, along with tiny particles of vapor and soot 30 times thinner than a human hair. These can infiltrate the bloodstream, potentially causing inflammation and blood vessel damage even in healthy people, research on urban air pollution has shown. Studies have linked heart attacks and cancer with long-term exposure to air pollution.

Whether exposure to wildfire smoke carries the same risks is uncertain, and determining harm from smog versus wildfire smoke can be tricky, especially with wind-swept California wildfires spreading thick smoke hundreds of miles away into smoggy big cities.

San Francisco - 15 November 2018

1.Two men sit in foreground, barely visible Golden Gate Bridge in background

2. Dogwalker wears masks while six dogs on leashes follow along the beach

3. View of Golden Gate Bridge from smoky Crissy Field

4. Woman wearing mask holds small dog with bridge in background

5. Walking shot of man with dog on Crissy Field beach

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Chloe Allegret, San Francisco resident:

"It's pretty uncomfortable. It's definitely causing shortness of breath, pressure in the sinuses so we're taking it easy."

7. Food delivery workers loading up van while wearing masks

8. Postal worker delivers mail while wearing mask

9. UPS driver wears mask while making delivery

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Daniel Horn, San Francisco resident:

"It just feels very smoky and full of particulates. I'm definitely worried about my son who's breathing this stuff. We've got air filters at home and we're running them at full speed but I'm not sure it's enough to get rid of all the toxic particulates so I'm definitely worried about the health of my family and the city in general."

11. Man walks along city's Embarcadero wearing mask

12. Embarcadero cleaning crew rides by on bicycle while wearing mask

13. Two women sit on park bench wearing masks

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Kylie Garcia, San Francisco resident:

"It sucks for people who are allergic to this stuff. Even me, I'm walking out here and my god, now my throat is feeling raspy. I walk here everyday on my work lunch break. It's crazy. I can't believe it. It's really sad and hopefully they'll be able to stop it. We'll see how long it goes."

15. Fire boat floating on Bay in foreground, Bay Bridge in smog in background

SHOTLIST:

Lake City, Florida

1. Wide shot of trees on fire

2. Firefighter moving burnt branches, as surrounding area smoulders

3. Pan across bush area to firefighters hosing burnt area with water

4. Firefighter in foreground as bush burns

5. Bush burning

6. Helicopter carrying water flying

7. Firefighters lined up on side of road

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Richard Dolan, Baker County Fire Chief:

"As far as the stress levels for my fire department is concerned, it's high. They're getting exhausted. They're getting tired."

9. Various of smoke and the city streets

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ken Disbrow, evacuee:

"Everything I own is there, so I've got a lot to lose."

11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Vox Pop, evacuee:

"We live 18 miles (29 kilometres) out on a farm. So we had to leave the animals."

12. Wide shot of firetrucks in midst of smoke-filled air

13. Smoke covering city

Miami, Florida

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr. Tahir Ahmed, Pulmanologist, Mt. Sinai Hospital:

"The dust causes problems, you do get a lot of calls and patients with severe diseases end up in emergency rooms."

Lake City, Florida

15. Police cars on road obscured by smoke

16. Cars driving through thick smoke

17. Sign saying road 441 closed (due to accident)

18. Emergency services on road

19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Colonel Chris White, Florida Highway Patrol:

"We have had several traffic crashes, traffic accidents that have involved injuries."

20. Various of burned-out remains of a home

21. Burnt trees

Lake City, Florida

22. Plane dropping anti-fire material onto forest

23 View of city and smoke

Catalina Island, California

24. Wideshot of town of Avalon showing harbour

25. Avalon houses overlooking harbour

26. Medium shot of ferry arriving

27. Wideshot of ferry docking

28. Close-up of ferry

29. Wide shot of passengers disembarking

30. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bruce Wright, resident

"I haven't slept in a couple of days. I'm a little worried. I'm one of the highest buildings on the hill so if the fire got anybody it got me pretty good, so I'm a little worried."

31. Close up of sign (English): 'Thank you firefighters'.

32. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bruce Wright, resident:

"I've just, thank God they (firefighters) were here, an amazing group of people. I think they saved the city because when I left Thursday night the flames were rolling down the hillside as fast as could be. It was extremely scary."

33. Wide shot of residents leaving ferry returning to Avalon.

STORYLINE:

Wildfires were raging in Florida in the United States on Saturday, burning thousands of acres of forest and forcing people to leave their homes.

Firefighters have been battling two gigantic fires.

Officials said that the first wildfire, that raced through the Okefenokee Swamp in southeast Georgia and into northern Florida, has charred nearly 300 square miles since a lightning strike ignited it a week ago.

The other fire began more than three weeks ago after a tree fell on power lines.

That fire has burned nearly 124-thousand acres of swampland and forest in Georgia and windy conditions are fuelling blazes in every corner of the state.

The hundreds of firefighters battling the blaze in Northern Florida have battled the blaze for six days and the fire is still out of control.

Richard Dolan, Baker County Fire Chief said his fire department is very stressed and exhausted.

About 500 people were evacuated from their homes in Lake City Saturday.

"Everything I own is there so I've got a lot to lose." said Ken Disbrow one evacuee.

Firefighters say it seems like every time they extinguish one fire, another one pops up in its place.

Hampering the crews is thick smog, which is forming as smoke meets rising humidity levels, and is causing concerns over people's ability to breathe.

Officials said the smog is enveloping roads and making safe driving difficult, forcing officials to shut down parts of major interstates.

Officials are blaming smoke from wildfires for at least four highway accidents.

The largest accident appeared to be a five-car crash that occurred on the interchange between the two highways that is northwest of Lake City.

Haze from the fires had travelled more than 300 miles (482 kilometres) to the Miami area.

Officials said the fire has burned to within about six miles (almost 10 kilometres) north of Interstate 10, where heavy smoke blanketed the area and visibility on the highway was reduced to about a quarter of mile.

In north Florida, about 600 families were still unable to return home Saturday morning, said Jim Harrell, of the Florida Division of Forestry.

Meanwhile residents of an island off the southern California coast in the US have begun returning to their homes after firefighters and favourable weather halted a wildfire's advance onto the island's most populated area.

Nearly four thousand evacuated residents in Avalon on Catalina Island began heading back to inspect their homes and apartments and reopen businesses that largely cater to tourists.

Ferry's arrived from Long Beach with weary residents, some who had hardly slept in days, anxious to see that all is well.

Avalon resident Bruce Wright who returned by ferry to Catalina on Saturday said he hadn't "slept in a couple of days" and that he was worried about his home, which is on one of the highest buildings on the hill.

Wright described Thursday's evacuation as "extremely scary".

The cause of the fire, which erupted on Thursday afternoon in the 76-square-mile island's rugged interior, had not yet been determined.

Keyword-fire- wildfires

T/I: 10:12:24

Three specially adapted US Hercules planes arrived in Jakarta on Saturday (18/10) to help firefighting efforts in Indonesia where about 40 forest blazes were reported late on Friday (17/10). US Ambassador J. Stapleton Roy and Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare Azwar Anas, who also heads the National Disaster Control Committee, were present to greet the aircraft. The planes, each capable of carrying 3,000 gallons (11,400 liters) of water to drop on fires, were the latest to join Indonesia's efforts to douse forest and ground fires which have covered much of Southeast Asia with a pall of smoke in the past months.

Satellite images taken by the government's Environmental Impact Agency (BAPEDAL) showed a total of 42 blazes across the country. There are fears that more fire spots have been hidden under the haze.

SHOWS:

INDONESIA 10+18/10 + FILE

JAKARTA 18/10

WIDE of two hercules planes on tarmac;

MS propeller and name of american group;

Nose of plane;

wide of plane taxiing;

US crew on standby;

SOT Ambassador J. Stapleton Roy: "the 150 airlift wing is a very experienced fire fighting unit it has literally flown 100s of missions fighting forest fires in three US states, california, arizona and wyoming with a land area approx as large as the land of indonesia that has the fire problem;

CA american firefighters;

SOT Aswar Anas, Indonesian coordinating official: "The present problems of fires, haze and smoke which occurs in many parts of our country is actually a new experience to us;

CA American listening;

SOT continues:

"We welcome and appreciate the US assistance in the forms of aerial firefighting aircraft";

US Ambassador and Indonesian coordinating official meeting firefighters;

VS plane interiors showing water storage units;

media watching;

hercules in air dropping load of water;

KALIMANTAN, AUGUST 1997

VS Burnt out areas in Kalimantan;

haze in Kalimantan - aerials:

fire shots in Kalimantan:

SUMATRA, 10 OCTOBER 1997

VS fire spots in Sumatra;

smoke;

2.47

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus016878

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger lifted the curtain on his official portrait on Monday, revealing a photograph-like giant image of the onetime bodybuilder standing in front of the official California seal.

Schwarzenegger revealed the portrait at a ceremony in the state Capitol in which he made a rare appearance in Sacramento nearly four years after he left office.

The portrait, which will eventually hang on the third floor, was done by Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein, a realist who previously illustrated Andy Warhol and John F. Kennedy.

Schwarzenegger, a movie star before he ran for governor in the chaotic recall election of 2005, said he owes all his successes in life to California, which he called a mythical place "where nothing is impossible." As a boy growing up in Austria, he dreamed about the state, he said.

"I dreamt about California every day, and I knew that one day I would have to come here to this beautiful state if I wanted to make my dreams a reality," he said.

Schwarzenegger said that while he always dreamed big, he never envisioned his portrait hanging in the state Capitol, joking "I might have envisioned a sculpture on Muscle Beach."

Two of Schwarzenegger's five children attended the unveiling, Christopher, 16, and Patrick, 20, which also included political notables including at least three former speakers of the state Assembly, Willie Brown, Bob Hertzberg and Fabian Nunez.

It followed an event earlier Monday in which Schwarzenegger's University of Southern California-based institute hosted a climate symposium that also featured Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat.

The seminar, titled "Lessons from California," highlighted the state's aggressive efforts to tackle issues such as reducing carbon emissions.

"While the politicians in Washington can't get anything done because of being stuck in these ideological foxholes, we here in California have two governors from two different parties, together in the same room fighting for the same green energy future," Schwarzenegger said at the summit.

Organizers are using the state's policies to prompt further action ahead of United Nations climate-change conferences in Peru and Paris.

During his tenure, Schwarzenegger signed California's landmark 2006 global-warming law, called AB32, which paved the way for the state's cap-and-trade system for controlling greenhouse-gas emissions by the worst polluters.

Monday's gathering featured research experts, businesses executives from Apple Inc. and UPS Inc., as well as actor-activist Ed Begley Jr.

Schwarzenegger said that California leaders of all political stripes have chosen to address climate change because not doing so will cost much more in the long run in things such as state infrastructure at risk of failure because of flooding, increased heat- and pollution-related deaths, and a never-ending wildfire season that stretches state budgets.

As governor, Schwarzenegger had promised to bring fiscal accountability, but the state faced a huge budget deficit when he left office. Brown has been credited with passing a tax increase, cutting services and bringing the budget back in balance.

In one of his final acts in office, Schwarzenegger commuted the involuntary-manslaughter sentence of the son of Nunez, a former political ally.

Months after Schwarzenegger left office, embarrassing revelations emerged about an affair he had with his maid that resulted in a son born out of wedlock. The disclosure devastated his marriage to Maria Shriver, and the two are separated.

Since then, Schwarzenegger has largely committed to a Hollywood comeback. He appeared in this summer's "The Expendables 3," and he returns to his cyborg assassin character in a new "Terminator" film due out next year.

Schwarzenegger previously told The Associated Press that he has no plans to run for elected office again. "I never wanted to be a career politician," he said.

AP TELEVISION

Sacramento, California - 8 September 2014

1. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Arnold Schwarzenegger / Former California Governor

"And I knew that one day I would have to come to this beautiful state if I want to make my dreams become a reality. But not in my wildest dreams did I ever think that one day that I would be governor or that one day that there would be a portrait hanging here in the state Capitol."

2. Close: Arnold's face on portrait

3. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Arnold Schwarzenegger / Former California Governor

"My seven years as governor were the most fulfilling years that I'd ever have in my life. I did not accomplish everything I had on my to-do list, but I don't think any governor ever does. But I'm very proud of the things that we did get done - from investing in our infrastructure to reforming our political system to protecting the environment."

4. White Flash

5. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Gov. Jerry Brown / (D) California

"When my father saw my portrait, he was angry. He said, 'You'll never be elected to another office again.' Well, it did take me 28 years to get back."

WIRE STORY:

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger lifted the curtain on his official portrait on Monday, revealing a photograph-like giant image of the onetime bodybuilder standing in front of the official California seal.

Schwarzenegger revealed the portrait at a ceremony in the state Capitol in which he made a rare appearance in Sacramento nearly four years after he left office.

The portrait, which will eventually hang on the third floor, was done by Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein, a realist who previously illustrated Andy Warhol and John F. Kennedy.

Schwarzenegger, a movie star before he ran for governor in the chaotic recall election of 2005, said he owes all his successes in life to California, which he called a mythical place "where nothing is impossible." As a boy growing up in Austria, he dreamed about the state, he said.

"I dreamt about California every day, and I knew that one day I would have to come here to this beautiful state if I wanted to make my dreams a reality," he said.

Schwarzenegger said that while he always dreamed big, he never envisioned his portrait hanging in the state Capitol, joking "I might have envisioned a sculpture on Muscle Beach."

Two of Schwarzenegger's five children attended the unveiling, Christopher, 16, and Patrick, 20, which also included political notables including at least three former speakers of the state Assembly, Willie Brown, Bob Hertzberg and Fabian Nunez.

It followed an event earlier Monday in which Schwarzenegger's University of Southern California-based institute hosted a climate symposium that also featured Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat.

The seminar, titled "Lessons from California," highlighted the state's aggressive efforts to tackle issues such as reducing carbon emissions.

"While the politicians in Washington can't get anything done because of being stuck in these ideological foxholes, we here in California have two governors from two different parties, together in the same room fighting for the same green energy future," Schwarzenegger said at the summit.

Organizers are using the state's policies to prompt further action ahead of United Nations climate-change conferences in Peru and Paris.

During his tenure, Schwarzenegger signed California's landmark 2006 global-warming law, called AB32, which paved the way for the state's cap-and-trade system for controlling greenhouse-gas emissions by the worst polluters.

Monday's gathering featured research experts, businesses executives from Apple Inc. and UPS Inc., as well as actor-activist Ed Begley Jr.

Schwarzenegger said that California leaders of all political stripes have chosen to address climate change because not doing so will cost much more in the long run in things such as state infrastructure at risk of failure because of flooding, increased heat- and pollution-related deaths, and a never-ending wildfire season that stretches state budgets.

As governor, Schwarzenegger had promised to bring fiscal accountability, but the state faced a huge budget deficit when he left office. Brown has been credited with passing a tax increase, cutting services and bringing the budget back in balance.

In one of his final acts in office, Schwarzenegger commuted the involuntary-manslaughter sentence of the son of Nunez, a former political ally.

Months after Schwarzenegger left office, embarrassing revelations emerged about an affair he had with his maid that resulted in a son born out of wedlock. The disclosure devastated his marriage to Maria Shriver, and the two are separated.

Since then, Schwarzenegger has largely committed to a Hollywood comeback. He appeared in this summer's "The Expendables 3," and he returns to his cyborg assassin character in a new "Terminator" film due out next year.

Schwarzenegger previously told The Associated Press that he has no plans to run for elected office again. "I never wanted to be a career politician," he said.

AP TELEVISION

Sacramento, California - 8 September 2014

1. Wide: Schwarzenegger pulls curtain off portrait

2. Close: Arnold's face on portrait

3. Medium: Schwarzenegger poses with sons next to portrait

4. Wide: Spectators watch from balcony

5. Wide: Schwarzenegger takes the stage in Capitol

6. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Arnold Schwarzenegger / Former California Governor

"And I knew that one day I would have to come to this beautiful state if I want to make my dreams become a reality. But not in my wildest dreams did I ever think that one day that I would be governor or that one day that there would be a portrait hanging here in the state Capitol."

7. Medium: Schwarzenegger poses with sons, young girls

8. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Arnold Schwarzenegger / Former California Governor

"My seven years as governor were the most fulfilling years that I'd ever have in my life. I did not accomplish everything I had on my to-do list, but I don't think any governor ever does. But I'm very proud of the things that we did get done - from investing in our infrastructure to reforming our political system to protecting the environment."

9. Medium: Schwarzenegger poses with supporter

10. Medium: Spectators shoot photos from balcony

11. Medium: Schwarzenegger greets Gov. Jerry Brown, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom

12. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Gov. Jerry Brown / (D) California

"When my father saw my portrait, he was angry. He said, 'You'll never be elected to another office again.' Well, it did take me 28 years to get back."

11. Wide: Woman poses next to Schwarzenegger portrait

Environmentalists and city leaders in San Francisco said that they will push ahead with aggressive climate change policies despite President Donald Trump's executive order that seeks to boost the coal industry.

Trump, who has called global warming a "hoax" invented by the Chinese, said during his campaign that he would kill Obama's climate plans and bring back coal jobs.

But the senior environment advisor to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said clean energy creates thousands of new jobs...and the idea that environmentalism is bad for business is false.

The director of the clean energy advocacy group "SF Environment" said the agency is also prepared to go to court if necessary to fight the order that eliminates many restrictions on fossil fuel production.

Meanwhile California Governor Jerry Brown said the state will help fill the void left by Trump's decision to unravel former President Barack Obama's plan to curb global warming.

Brown also signed a statement released by West Coast political leaders calling climate change one of the region's greatest threats due to wildfires, ocean acidification and drought.

California, along with New York, has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050.

They also have mandated that half of each state's electricity be generated from renewable sources by 2030.

San Francisco, California - March 29, 2017

1. wide shot of San Francisco City Hall

2. close up of solar panels on City Hall roof shot from ground

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Tyrone Jue, Mayor's Senior Advisor on the Environment

"We're on the rooftop of San Francisco City Hall which just celebrated its centennial anniversary. This is a classic example of the direction we're heading in our city. We can take an historic building like this, add solar panels to help power the building and also do a bunch of energy efficiency and water conservation projects in order to improve the output from here."

4. pan down from City Hall dome to solar panels on rooftop

5. electric vehicle charging station outside City Hall

6. green vehicle parking spot outside City Hall

7. wide shot of SF Environment agency electric vehicle

8. close up of SF Environment logo on electric car

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Deborah Raphael, Director - SF Environment

"It was a really tough day to be an American for me and for those of us here in San Francisco. We are so committed and so convinced of the importance of this work, to heal the planet, to get CO2 out of the air, to stop polluting our environment. When we hear from our top leader that this work is not only not valued but that they also want to go backwards in time, it's very demoralizing."

10. Composting Means Jobs sign in Raphael's office

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Deborah Raphael, Director - SF Environment

"Every one of us is asking the question: is it legally defensible, what they're doing? We are reading those same documents. We are looking at the Constitution. We are looking at the laws of our land. We are prepared to fight and prepared to demand that the law of the land remain in tact."

12. side profile shot of rows of solar panels on City Hall roof

13. close up of one solar panel

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Tyrone Jue, Mayor's Senior Advisor on the Environment

"We've definitely been keeping a close eye on where those funds are coming into our city and how they may impact our programs. But, to be clear, the Mayor has made a very firm commitment that we're going to move forward our climate action plan in the city. This is something that we've embraced for over a decade now because it's the right thing to do. It's also the right thing to do both economically and from a public health perspective. If you look at San Francisco's thriving economy, we've managed to reduce our emissions by 24 percent while our economy has grown by over 50 percent. To say that going to a clean energy economy is somehow bad for business, that's just not the case in San Francisco, the Bay Area and many of the major cities throughout the United States are clear examples of that being the case."

15. medium static shot of City Hall dome above solar panels

Environmentalists and city leaders in San Francisco said that they will push ahead with aggressive climate change policies despite President Donald Trump's executive order that seeks to boost the coal industry.

Trump, who has called global warming a "hoax" invented by the Chinese, said during his campaign that he would kill Obama's climate plans and bring back coal jobs.

But the senior environment advisor to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said clean energy creates thousands of new jobs...and the idea that environmentalism is bad for business is false.

The director of the clean energy advocacy group "SF Environment" said the agency is also prepared to go to court if necessary to fight the order that eliminates many restrictions on fossil fuel production.

Meanwhile California Governor Jerry Brown said the state will help fill the void left by Trump's decision to unravel former President Barack Obama's plan to curb global warming.

Brown also signed a statement released by West Coast political leaders calling climate change one of the region's greatest threats due to wildfires, ocean acidification and drought.

California, along with New York, has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050.

They also have mandated that half of each state's electricity be generated from renewable sources by 2030.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus074523

San Francisco, California - March 29, 2017

1. wide shot of San Francisco City Hall

2. close up of solar panels on City Hall roof shot from ground

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Tyrone Jue, Mayor's Senior Advisor on the Environment (partially covered by shots 1-2 & 4-5)

"We're on the rooftop of San Francisco City Hall which just celebrated its centennial anniversary. This is a classic example of the direction we're heading in our city. We can take an historic building like this, add solar panels to help power the building and also do a bunch of energy efficiency and water conservation projects in order to improve the output from here."

4. pan down from City Hall dome to solar panels on rooftop

5. electric vehicle charging station outside City Hall

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Deborah Raphael, Director - SF Environment (partially covered by shots 7-9)

"It was a really tough day to be an American for me and for those of us here in San Francisco. We are so committed and so convinced of the importance of this work, to heal the planet, to get CO2 out of the air, to stop polluting our environment. When we hear from our top leader that this work is not only not valued but that they also want to go backwards in time, it's very demoralizing. Every one of us is asking the question: is it legally defensible, what they're doing? We are reading those same documents. We are looking at the Constitution. We are looking at the laws of our land. We are prepared to fight and prepared to demand that the law of the land remain in tact."

7. green vehicle parking spot outside City Hall

8. wide shot of SF Environment agency electric vehicle

9. close up of SF Environment logo on electric car

10. Tyrone Jue, Mayor's Senior Advisor on the Environment (partially covered by shots 11-12)

"We've definitely been keeping a close eye on where those funds are coming into our city and how they may impact our programs. But, to be clear, the Mayor has made a very firm commitment that we're going to move forward our climate action plan in the city. This is something that we've embraced for over a decade now because it's the right thing to do. It's also the right thing to do both economically and from a public health perspective. If you look at San Francisco's thriving economy, we've managed to reduce our emissions by 24 percent while our economy has grown by over 50 percent. To say that going to a clean energy economy is somehow bad for business, that's just not the case in San Francisco, the Bay Area and many of the major cities throughout the United States are clear examples of that being the case."

11. composting Means Jobs sign in Raphael's office

12. medium static shot of City Hall dome above solar panels

Environmentalists and city leaders in San Francisco said that they will push ahead with aggressive climate change policies despite President Donald Trump's executive order that seeks to boost the coal industry.

Trump, who has called global warming a "hoax" invented by the Chinese, said during his campaign that he would kill Obama's climate plans and bring back coal jobs.

But the senior environment advisor to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said clean energy creates thousands of new jobs...and the idea that environmentalism is bad for business is false.

The director of the clean energy advocacy group "SF Environment" said the agency is also prepared to go to court if necessary to fight the order that eliminates many restrictions on fossil fuel production.

Meanwhile California Governor Jerry Brown said the state will help fill the void left by Trump's decision to unravel former President Barack Obama's plan to curb global warming.

Brown also signed a statement released by West Coast political leaders calling climate change one of the region's greatest threats due to wildfires, ocean acidification and drought.

California, along with New York, has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050.

They also have mandated that half of each state's electricity be generated from renewable sources by 2030.

San Francisco, California - March 29, 2017

1. wide shot of San Francisco City Hall

2. close up of solar panels on City Hall roof shot from ground

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Tyrone Jue, Mayor's Senior Advisor on the Environment

"We're on the rooftop of San Francisco City Hall which just celebrated its centennial anniversary. This is a classic example of the direction we're heading in our city. We can take an historic building like this, add solar panels to help power the building and also do a bunch of energy efficiency and water conservation projects in order to improve the output from here."

4. pan down from City Hall dome to solar panels on rooftop

5. electric vehicle charging station outside City Hall

6. green vehicle parking spot outside City Hall

7. wide shot of SF Environment agency electric vehicle

8. close up of SF Environment logo on electric car

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Deborah Raphael, Director - SF Environment

"It was a really tough day to be an American for me and for those of us here in San Francisco. We are so committed and so convinced of the importance of this work, to heal the planet, to get CO2 out of the air, to stop polluting our environment. When we hear from our top leader that this work is not only not valued but that they also want to go backwards in time, it's very demoralizing."

10. Composting Means Jobs sign in Raphael's office

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Deborah Raphael, Director - SF Environment

"Every one of us is asking the question: is it legally defensible, what they're doing? We are reading those same documents. We are looking at the Constitution. We are looking at the laws of our land. We are prepared to fight and prepared to demand that the law of the land remain in tact."

12. side profile shot of rows of solar panels on City Hall roof

13. close up of one solar panel

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Tyrone Jue, Mayor's Senior Advisor on the Environment

"We've definitely been keeping a close eye on where those funds are coming into our city and how they may impact our programs. But, to be clear, the Mayor has made a very firm commitment that we're going to move forward our climate action plan in the city. This is something that we've embraced for over a decade now because it's the right thing to do. It's also the right thing to do both economically and from a public health perspective. If you look at San Francisco's thriving economy, we've managed to reduce our emissions by 24 percent while our economy has grown by over 50 percent. To say that going to a clean energy economy is somehow bad for business, that's just not the case in San Francisco, the Bay Area and many of the major cities throughout the United States are clear examples of that being the case."

15. medium static shot of City Hall dome above solar panels

Three years after sealing a landmark global climate deal in Paris, world leaders will be gathering again to agree on the fine print in Katowice, Poland from 2 December.

The euphoria of 2015 has given way to sober realisation that getting an agreement among almost 200 countries, each with their own political and economic demands, will be challenging, as evidenced by President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the Paris accord, citing his mantra "America First."

"Looking from the outside perspective, it's an impossible task," Poland's deputy environment minister, Michal Kurtyka, said of the talks that he will preside in Katowice from December 2-14.

Top of the agenda will be finalising the so-called Paris rulebook, which determines how countries had to count their greenhouse gas emissions, transparently reporting them to the rest of the world and reveal what they are doing to reduce them.

Seasoned negotiators are calling the meeting, which is expected to draw 25,000 participants, 'Paris 2.0' because of the high stakes at play in Katowice.

Forest fires from California to Greece, droughts in Germany and Australia, tropical cyclones Mangkhut in the Pacific and Michael in the Atlantic: scientists say this year's extreme weather offers a glimpse of disasters to come if global warming continues unabated.

A recent report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that time is running out if the world wants to achieve the most ambitious target in the Paris agreement, keeping global warming at 1.5 Celsius.

The planet has already warmed by almost 1 degree since pre-industrial times and it is on course for another 2-3 degrees of warming by the end of the century unless drastic action is taken.

The Katowice conference will have "quite significant consequences for humanity and for the way in which we take care of our planet," Kurtyka told the Associated Press ahead of the talks.

Experts agree that the Paris goals can only be met by cutting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to net zero by 2050.

But the Paris agreement let countries set their own emissions targets. Some are on track, others are not. Overall, the world is heading the wrong way.

Last week, the World Meteorological Organization said globally averaged concentrations of carbon dioxide reached a new record in 2017, while the level of other heat-trapping gases such methane and nitrous oxide also rose.

2018 is expected to see another 2 per cent increase in human-made emissions, as construction of coal-fired power plants in Asia and Africa continue while the number of carbon-absorbing forests are felled faster than they can regrow.

"Everyone recognised that the national plans, when you add everything up, will take us way beyond 3, potentially 4 degrees Celsius warming," said Johan Rockstrom, the incoming Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

"We know that we're moving in the wrong direction," said Rockstrom. "We need to bend the global carbon emissions no later than 2020, in two years' time, to stand a chance to stay under 2 degrees Celsius."

Convincing countries to set new, tougher targets for emissions reduction by 2020 is a key challenge in Katowice.

Doing so will entail a transformation of all sectors of their economies, including a complete end to burning fossil fuel.

Poor nations want rich countries to pledge the biggest cuts, on the grounds that they're responsible for most of the carbon emissions in the atmosphere.

Rich countries say they are willing to lead the way, but only if poor nations play their part as well.

"Obviously not all countries are at the same stage of development," said Lidia Wojtal, an associate with Berlin-based consultancy ClimateKos and a former Polish climate negotiator.

"So we need to also take that into account and differentiate between the responsibilities. And that's a huge task," she added.

Among those likely to be pressing hardest for ambitious measures will be small island nations, which are already facing serious challenges from climate change.

The US, meanwhile, is far from being the driving force it was in Paris under President Barack Obama.

Brazil and Australia, previously staunch backers of the accord, appeared to be following in Trump's footsteps.

Some observers fear nationalist thinking on climate could scupper all hopes of meaningful progress in Katowice. Others are more optimistic.

"We will soon see a large enough minority of significant economies moving decisively in the right direction," said Rockstrom.

"That can have spillover effects which can be positive," he added.

Poland could end up playing a crucial role in bringing opposing sides together.

The country presided over three previous rounds of climate talks, and its heavy reliance on carbon-intensive coal for energy is forcing Warsaw to mull some tough measures in the years ahead.

The 24th Conference of the Parties, or COP24 as it is known, will be held on the site of a Katowice mine that was closed in 1999, after 176 years of coal production.

Five out of the city's seven collieries have been closed since the 1990s, as Poland phased out communist-era subsidies and moved to a market economy.

Still, in another part of the city, some 1,500 miners continue to extract thousands of tons of coal daily.

Poland intends to send a signal that their future, and by extension that of millions of others whose jobs are at risk from decarbonisation, aren't being forgotten.

During the first week of talks, leaders are expected to sign a Polish-backed declaration calling for a "just transition" that will "create quality jobs in regions affected by transition to a low-carbon economy."

Then, negotiators will get down to the gritty task of trimming a 300-page draft into a workable and meaningful agreement that governments can sign off on at the end of the second week.

"I hope that parties will be able to reach a compromise and that we will be able to say that Katowice contributed positively to this global effort," Kurtyka said.

ARCHIVE: Redding, California, US - 28 July 2018

1. House burning down in Northern California wildfire

2. Firefighter spraying water on fire

3. House and forest on fire

4. Fire and ashes on the ground

ARCHIVE: Venice, Italy - 1 November 2018

5. People walking through flooded archway in boots

6. People in flooded archway

7. Flooded St Mark's Square in front of St Mark's Basilica, with seagull swimming in water

ARCHIVE: Manila Bay, Philippines - 15 September 2018

8. Palm trees waving as typhoon Mangkhut hits  

9. Traffic driving through floodwaters, with waves crashing in the background

Katowice, Poland - 20 November 2018

10. COP24 conference centre in front of adjacent "Spodek" Arena accommodating NGO area and exhibits

11. Logo of "COP24 Katowice" on COP24 conference centre

12. Workers applying design elements on COP24 conference centre

13. COP24 conference centre

14. COP24 conference site with tents, "Spodek" Arena and green areas

15. COP24 conference site in front of closed mine turned into Silesian museum and culture centre

Warsaw, Poland - 9 November 2018

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Michal Kurtyka, COP24 President and Polish Deputy Environment Minister:

"Looking from the outside perspective, it's an impossible task, getting agreed 196 countries, and I take it really in a very humble way, so I hope that parties will be able to reach a compromise and that we will be able to say that Katowice contributed positively to this global effort."

Katowice, Poland - 20 November 2018

17. Workers inside plenary hall of COP24 conference

18. Tables and screens in COP24 plenary hall

19. Workers unfolding posters reading (English) "Touch points in Katowice"

20. Hall in COP24 conference venue

21. People on stairs from COP24 conference entrance

Warsaw, Poland - 9 November 2018

22. Close up of Kurtyka's hands

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Michal Kurtyka, COP24 President and Polish Deputy Environment minister:

"It will be, I think, one of the important COPs, and we must remain humble, but it will be the one which will have also quite significant consequences for humanity and for the way we take care of our planet."

ARCHIVE: Panama City, Florida, US - 10 October 2018

24. Debris and damaged vehicle, hit by Hurricane Michael

25. View from inside hotel looking out front window as canopy collapses and Hurricane Michael sends debris flying

26. Damaged vehicle in debris

ARCHIVE: Near Magdeburg, Germany - 25 October 2018

27. River Elbe at record low level, with sandbanks

ARCHIVE: Cologne, Germany - 25 October 2018

28. Sandbanks at river Rhine

Berlin, Germany - 7 November 2018

29. Former Polish climate negotiator Lidia Wojtal walking down hallway

30. SOUNDBITE (English) Lidia Wojtal, an associate with ClimateKos consultancy and former Polish climate negotiator:

"In Paris, we decided that everybody is going to contribute to this new system, so no exceptions, everybody is doing something. And the Paris rulebook is actually about who and how we are going to contribute to that. Obviously not all countries are at the same stage of development and capacity building, so we need to also take that into account and differentiate between the responsibilities. And that's a huge task."

Katowice, Poland - 20 November 2018

31. Former mine shaft tower beside high-rise building

32. Site of 2018 COP24 UN climate conference in front of Silesian museum and Culture Centre

33. "Spodek" arena on conference site

34. Cars on street in Katowice

Berlin, Germany - 7 November 2018

35. Designated Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Johan Rockstrom talking to colleague at briefing

36. SOUNDBITE (English) Johan Rockstrom, ecologist and designated Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research:

"Everyone recognised that the national plans, when you add everything up, will take us way beyond 3, potentially 4 degrees Celsius warming, so these national plans have to be revised and updated. And we know scientifically that we have to bend the global curve of emissions no later than 2020, so just the year after Katowice. We know that we're moving in the wrong direction. So, 2018 and 2019 are decisive years for all countries in the world to revise their plans, and really start implementing de-carbonisation policies and pathways."

37. Close up of Johan Rockstrom's hands

38. SOUNDBITE (English) Johan Rockstrom, designated director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research:

"We are starting to see a momentum rising, not yet, you know, universally all countries. But I foresee that we will soon see a large enough minority of significant economies moving decisively in the right direction, that can have spillover effects which can be positive."

ARCHIVE: Hambach Forest, Germany - 27 October 2018

39. Anti-coal demonstrators marching in protest against coal, climate change, and to save ancient Hambach Forest, a forest at risk of being felled for mining operations by energy giant RWE

40. Demonstrators marching

41. Large coal excavator moving

42. Protesters gathering at edge of RWE mine beside large coal excavator

43. Coal mine with large coal excavator

SHOTLIST

AP Archive Instant Library - World News Review 2007

Tape Number: WNR/IL 2007

Sound: Nat Sot

Duration: 80 minutes 48 seconds

IRAQ

10:00:13

In January President Bush acknowledged for the first time that he had made a mistake by not ordering a military build-up in Iraq in 2006 and said he was increasing U.S. troops by 21,500 to quell the country's near-anarchy. "Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me," Bush said. The build-up puts Bush on a collision course with the new Democratic Congress and pushes the American troop presence in Iraq towards its highest level yet. It also runs counter to widespread anti-war passions among Americans and the advice of some top generals. In addition to extra U.S. forces, the plan envisions Iraq's committing 10,000 to 12,000 more troops to secure Baghdad's neighbourhoods.

509270

POOL

Washington DC - 10 Jan 2007

SOUNDBITE: (English) George W. Bush, US President:

"The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people, and it is unacceptable to me. Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have done everything we have asked them to do."

SOUNDBITE: (English) George W. Bush, US President:

"...our commanders say the Iraqis will need our help. So America will change our strategy to help the Iraqis carry out their campaign to put down sectarian violence and bring security to the people of Baghdad. This will require increasing American force levels. So I have committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq."

10:00:54

In January two of Saddam Hussein's co-defendants, the half-brother of Saddam Hussein, former intelligence chief Barzan Ibrahim and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court, were executed. Both were previously convicted and sentenced to hang on November 5th 2006 but the verdict was upheld by the appellate court on December 26th. The two men were sentenced to death alongside Saddam Hussein for the killing of 148 Sunni Muslims from the town of Dujail after a failed 1982 assassination attempt against Saddam in the northern city.

Barzan Ibrahim, one of three half-brothers of Saddam Hussein, was formerly head of the Iraqi secret service, the Mukhabarat, and was also Iraq's former representative to the United Nations until 1998. Awad Hamed al-Bandar presided over the Revolutionary Court's death sentencing after the attempt on Saddam's life in Dujail.

508468

AP/POOL

Baghdad - FILE

FILE: Baghdad, Iraq - 2006

1. Wide of defendants in dock

2. Close up of Barzan Ibrahim, Saddam's half brother and former chief of intelligence, rising to his feet

3. Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court

4. Wide shot of defendants in the dock

10:01:15

In February a suicide truck bomber obliterated a Baghdad market in a mainly Shiite area, killing at least 132 people in the deadliest single suicide bomb strike in the capital since the US invasion in 2003. Suspicion fell on Sunni insurgents.

An explosive laden truck carrying a ton (0.9 metric tons) of ammunition hidden beneath cooking oil, canned food and bags of flour, levelled about 30 shops and 40 houses, witnesses said. The blast shaved the walls off nearby buildings, sending bricks, desks and other debris spilling onto Kifah Street, where the Sadriyah market was located. As people gathered around the scene of the blast, police fired into the air to disperse crowds fearing further attacks. The Health Ministry said more than 300 people were injured in the explosion that sent a column of smoke into the sky on the east bank of the Tigris River.

511800

AP TELEVISION

Baghdad - 4 Feb 2007

al-Sadriyah Neighbourhood

1. Various of bomb site, people gathered among rubble and wreckage

10:01:37

message traffic and provides counter-terrorism intelligence services for the American government. Al-Furqan is the media production house of the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella organisation for Sunni insurgency groups in Iraq including al-Qaeda.

Graphics overlaid onto the video footage claimed the attack took place in Iraq's Anbar province. No other details were provided.

The video depicted a man crawling under a stationary US armoured vehicle twice, each time to allegedly place explosives under the vehicle. At one point, graphics overlaid on to the video claim to indicate, with a red circle, US soldiers nearby completely unaware of the man's presence as he crawls away. Shortly afterwards the explosives are detonated destroying the vehicle.

516349

IntelCenter

Unknown Location, Unknown Date

++AP TELEVISION HAS NO WAY OF INDEPENDENTLY VERIFYING THE CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS AUDIO AND VIDEO++

++THIS VIDEO WAS MADE AVAILABLE TO AP TELEVISION BY INTELCENTER, A FIRM BASED IN ALEXANDRIA, IN THE US STATE OF VIRGINIA, THAT PROVIDES COUNTER-TERRORISM INTELLIGENCE SERVICES TO THE US GOVERNMENT

++PERMISSION IS GRANTED FOR USE IN PRINT, BROADCAST AND INTERNET MEDIA AS LONG AS THE INTELCENTER BUG REMAINS UNOBSCURED AND THE VIDEO IS CREDITED TO INTELCENTER ++

++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

++AUDIO INCLUDES SONGS AND ALSO SPEAKERS NOT RELATED TO THE VIDEO++

1. Man picks up more explosives and crawls back under tank - zoom out to wide shot - red circle graphic overlaid on to video claims to indicate nearby US soldiers - zoom in as man crawls away from vehicle.

2. Wide of vehicle explosion ++first seconds replayed three times++

10:02:01

In March Iraq's Sunni Vice-president Tariq al-Hashimi visited victims of a chlorine gas bomb attack at a military hospital inside Baghdad's Green Zone. Al-Hashimi spent a few minutes at the bedsides of several of the patients, many of them children. Some of the patients were on respirators.

In the attack, three suicide bombers drove trucks rigged with tanks of toxic chlorine gas and struck targets in heavily Sunni Anbar province, killing at least two people and sickening 350 Iraqi civilians and six US troops, the US military said. Seven children were among those affected in the attacks.

Chlorine, which irritates the respiratory system, eyes and skin at low exposure and can cause death in heavier concentrations, is easily accessible. It is used for water purification plants, bleaches and disinfectants. The primary effect of the chlorine attacks has been to spread panic. Although chlorine gas can be fatal, the heat from the explosions can render the gas non-toxic. Victims in the recent chlorine blasts died from the explosions, and not the effects of the gas.

516480

POOL

Baghdad, 19 March 2007

1. Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi visiting hospital, talking to a patient on a respirator

2. Mid of patient

3. Al-Hashimi at the bedside of a sick child

4. Close-up of child showing a swollen eye, various tubes attached to face

5. Al-Hashimi standing to next to another ill child lying on stomach in hospital bed

10:02:22

On February 12th Saddam Hussein's former deputy was hanged for the killing of 148 Shiites, an official with the prime minister's office said. Taha Yassin Ramadan, who was Saddam's vice president when the regime was ousted four years ago, was the fourth man executed in the killings of 148 Shiites following a 1982 assassination attempt against the former leader in the city of Dujail.

Ramadan was convicted in November 2006 of murder, forced deportation and torture and sentenced to life in prison. A month later, the appeals court said the sentence was too lenient, and returned his case to the High Tribunal, demanding he be sentenced to death. The court agreed to turn it to a death sentence and an appeals court upheld the death sentence in February

516489

AP TELEVISION

Baghdad - February 12, 2007

1. Various of former Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan in court as judge passes death sentence

10:02:39

A suspected suicide bomber blew himself up in the Iraqi parliament cafeteria on Thursday 12th April, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens in a stunning assault in the heart of the heavily fortified, US-protected Green Zone. The security breach occurred in the third month of a US-Iraqi crackdown on violence in the capital.

State television said at least 30 people were wounded in the attack. The parliament bomber struck the cafeteria while several lawmakers were eating lunch, officials said. After the blast, security guards sealed the building and no one - including lawmakers - was allowed to enter or leave.

No-one claimed responsibility for the attack.

519098

POOL

Baghdad - 12 April 2007

1. Mid shot of parliament in session with members voting

519113

Agency Pool

Baghdad - 12 April 2007

2. Zoom in and out of smoky hallway, men running past UPSOUND: shouting

3. Tracking shot of smoke filled room, men dragging out man on chair

10:03:00

Four large bombs exploded in mostly Shiite areas across Baghdad on Wednesday 18th April, killing at least 183

people and wounding scores as unrelenting violence severely undermined a two-month old US-Iraqi crackdown to secure the capital.

It was the worst single day of violence since the US-led security clampdown in capital began in February.

In the bloodiest of the attacks, a parked car bomb detonated in a crowd of workers at the Sadriyah market in central Baghdad, killing at least 112 people and wounding 115, according to a hospital official. A police official confirmed the toll, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release the information.

Among the dead were several construction workers, who had been rebuilding the mostly Shiite marketplace after a bomb destroyed many shops and killed 137 people there in February, the police official said.

The market is situated on a side street lined with shops and vendors selling produce, meat and other staples.

About an hour earlier, a suicide car bomber crashed into an Iraqi police checkpoint at an entrance to Sadr City, the capital's biggest Shiite Muslim neighbourhood and a stronghold for the militia led by radical anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The explosion killed at least 30 people, including five Iraqi security officers, and wounded 45, police said.

Earlier, a parked car exploded near a private hospital in the central neighbourhood of Karradah, killing 11 people and wounding 13, police said.

The blast damaged the Abdul-Majid hospital and other nearby buildings.

The fourth explosion was from a bomb left on a minibus in the north-western Risafi area, killing four people and wounding six others, police said.

519721

AP TELEVISION

Baghdad - 18 April 2007

SADRIYAH - AT LEAST 112 KILLED

1. Thick plumes of smoke rising from scene of blast

2. Various of people gathered around looking at wreckage from bombings, women grieving on balcony

SADR CITY - AT LEAST 30 KILLED

4. Wide of blast scene with ambulances and smoke rising UPSOUND: siren

5. Crowd attempting to move wrecked car

6. Fire-fighters alongside cars, spraying water

519827

AP TELEVISION

Baghdad - 19 April 2007

Sadriyah - Baghdad

7. Wide pan of burnt out minibuses

10:03:44

It was reported on Tuesday 1st May that the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq Abu Ayyub al-Masri had reportedly been killed on Monday 20th April in an area north of the capital Baghdad. But Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, Barham Saleh emphasised the fact that these reports had yet to be been confirmed.

"I insert the word, it is 'preliminary' reports that he was killed probably yesterday in Taji area in a battle involving a couple of insurgents groups, and possibly some tribal people who have been having problems with al-Qaeda,'' he said.

Tribesmen in the western Anbar province have been fighting al-Qaeda for weeks and claim to have killed dozens of them.

However The Islamic State of Iraq - an Iraqi insurgent umbrella group - published a statement on the internet denying that al-Masri had been killed.

The statement, on a website commonly used by insurgents, said al-Masri was alive and "still fighting the enemy of God".

Al-Masri, an Egyptian militant also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, took over leadership of the group and was endorsed by Osama bin Laden after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed last June in a US air-strike in Diyala province.

521128

AP PHOTO/AP TELEVISION

Baghdad - 1 May 2007/File

AP PHOTO: (made available by US military)

1. STILL of Abu Ayyub al-Masri who is purportedly the man claiming to be leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq and is apparently the same person as a man identified by the nom de guerre, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer

++AP TELEVISION HAS NO MEANS OF INDEPENDENTLY VERIFYING THE CONTENT OF THE VIDEO BEING PLAYED TO REPORTERS AT THE NEWS CONFERENCE++

AP Television

FILE: Baghdad - 1 October 2006

2. Zoom in to screen showing a video, purportedly of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, being shown on screen to reporters when there were reports claiming he had been killed

10:03:54

US-led forces in Iraq conducting a crackdown on al-Qaeda killed a senior member of the insurgent group who was responsible for the high-profile kidnappings of several Westerners, a US military spokesman told journalists on Thursday 3rd May whilst the Iraqi Interior ministry further clouded days of confusion by stating that two different operatives, one of whom the US said it had killed, were in fact the same man.

US Major General William Caldwell said the killing of Muharib Abdul-Latif al-Jubouri, described as al-Qaeda's information minister, had apparently led to confused reports that two other men had been killed - Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the head of an umbrella group of insurgents which includes al-Qaeda, and Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Al-Jubouri was killed while trying to resist detention in an operation about six kilometres (four miles) west of the Taji air base, north of Baghdad, early on Tuesday morning, he said.

Caldwell said the body was initially identified by photos, then confirmed by DNA testing on Wednesday.

Al-Jubouri was alleged to have been deeply involved in the kidnapping of American reporter Jill Carroll, who was released, and Tom Fox, one of four men from the Chicago-based peace group Christian Peacemaker Teams who was found fatally shot in Baghdad on March 10, 2006.

521384

POOL

Baghdad, 3 May 2007/File

1. Zoom into close up of photo of bloated dead body of man Iraqi Interior Ministry claim is Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, at Iraqi Interior Ministry news conference

2. Photo of Muharib Abdul-Latif al-Jubouri, shown at news conference

10:04:04

In June an Iraqi court sentenced Saddam Hussein's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, and two other former regime officials to death by hanging for their roles in a 1980s scorched-earth campaign that led to the deaths of 180-thousand Kurds.

Al-Majid, the former head of the Baath Party's Northern Bureau Command, trembled and stood silently as the judge read the verdict. Al-Majid was better known as "Chemical Ali", a nickname he earned for his alleged use of chemical weapons

The judge, Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa, said al-Majid was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for ordering army and security services to use chemical weapons in a large-scale offensive that killed or maimed thousands.

Saddam's former defence minister and his armed forces deputy director were also sentenced to hang for their roles in the so-called "Operation Anfal" campaign.

The judge sent former minister Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai to the gallows after ruling that the defendant ordered a large-scale attack against civilians and used chemical weapons and deportation against the Kurds.

The former deputy director of operations for the Iraqi Armed Forces, Hussein Rashid Mohammed, was sentenced to death after he was convicted of drawing up military plans and other allegations against the Kurds.

Two other former regime officials - Farhan Mutlaq Saleh, former head of military intelligence's eastern regional office, and former director of military intelligence under Saddam Hussein and Sabir al-Douri, were sentenced to life in prison.

The judge announced that the charges had been dropped against Taher Tawfiq al-Ani, the former governor of Mosul and head of the Northern Affairs Committee, because of insufficient evidence.

That decision had been expected as the prosecutor had requested that al-Ani be released.

Kurds welcomed the verdicts as their chance to taste vengeance, although the case did not deal with the most notorious gassing - the March 1988 attack on the northern city of Halabja that killed an estimated five thousand Kurds.

A Kurdish resident of Halabja, scene of a notorious chemical attack which claimed the lives of thousands, said he wanted al-Majid and his co-defendants to be executed in the cemetery where many of the victims are buried.

527274

AP TELEVISION/POOL

Baghdad/Halabja - 24 June 2007

1. Wide of Ali Hassan al-Majid, Hussein Rashid Mohammed, Farhan Mutlaq Saleh, Sabir al-Douri, Taher Tawfiq al-Ani and Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai in dock

2. Chief Judge Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa

3. Ali Hassan al-Majid

4. Ali Hassan al-Majid (Chemical Ali)

Halabja north of Baghdad

5. Sign reading: ''Welcome to Halabja''

6. Gravestones and monument representing man disfigured due to chemicals

7. Man reciting verses from Holy Quran

10:04:30

Tension was high on the border between Iraq and Turkey in October. Funerals were held on Monday 8th October for 13 Turkish soldiers killed in an ambush in the south-eastern province of Sirnak. After the funeral, at a military compound in Sirnak, the bodies of the soldiers were taken to their hometowns by ambulance and helicopter. Mehmet Gungor, one of the attendees, blamed the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers' Party, for the attack.

On 8th October, the Turkey's government met to discuss what to do next after Turkish troops shelled an area near Iraq to try to stop the rebels from escaping across the border. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey would take up the issue of fight against the PKK.

Turkey has been pressing Iraq and the United States to hit PKK bases in northern Iraq, and has considered a unilateral military operation across the border to root out the rebels.

539166

AP TELEVISION

Sirnak - 8 Oct 2007

1. Wide of military at gate to Sirnak Military Compound

2. Close-up of photos of the 13 killed soldiers

3. Wide of helicopters taking bodies of soldiers back to their hometowns, zoom-in to one of helicopters, zoom-out to helicopters flying away

10:04:42

Residents of a Kurdish village near the Iraqi-Turkish border said their village and surrounding area was "bombarded by Turkish army artillery" late on the evening of Monday 8th October.

On Tuesday 9th October, a villager from Dera Loc - near the Ibrahim al-Khalil border crossing between Kurdistan and Turkey - pointed out the village which he says "was bombarded by Turkish army artillery.''

Villagers in Dera Loc pointed out craters in the ground which they said were a result of the alleged bombardment.

Turkish officials did confirm that troops had shelled an area, in Turkey, near the Iraqi border to try to stop rebels from escaping across the border following the rebel attack.

539275

AP TELEVISION

Dera loc, Iraq - 9/8 Oct 2007

Dera Loc, Iraq - 9 October 2007

1. Smoke rising from mountains around Dera Loc village

2. Wide of village

3. Various of craters in ground

4. Wide of smoke rising over mountains surrounding village ++MUTE++

5. Wide village ++MUTE++

10:04:56

Turkish soldiers continued patrolling the Iraq border on Friday 12th October, as Turkish prime minister said his country would be ready to pay the price of an Iraq campaign, if it decided to go ahead with a cross-border offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

Turkey accuses Kurdish rebels of crossing back and forth from bases in Iraq, using remote, mountain passes that are difficult to monitor.

In recent months, Turkey has increasingly criticised both the US and Iraq for failing to eliminate the Kurdish rebel bases, and most parties in the 550-seat Turkish assembly were expected to support the motion for an incursion.

Rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, have been fighting for autonomy in southeast Turkey since 1984 in a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Turkey conducted two dozen large-scale incursions into Iraq between the late 1980s and 1997.

The last such operation, in 1997, involved tens of thousands of troops and government-paid village guards.

539652

AP TELEVISION

Sirnak - 12 Oct 2007

1. Patrol platoon with armoured vehicle and signal jammer truck to avoid remote controlled mine explosions

2. Soldiers searching for mines

3. Close of soldier using binoculars to check mountains for extremists

4. Armoured vehicle driving over camera on road

ISRAEL / PALESTINE

10:05:27

A senior Palestinian security officer allied with Fatah was killed when Hamas militants laid siege to his house in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials and witnesses said. The officer, Colonel Mohammed Ghayeb, was the chief of the Preventive Security Service in northern Gaza. His killing was expected to trigger revenge attacks by the men under his command. Ghayeb was on the phone to Palestine TV just moments before his death and appealed for help as his house in Beit Lahiya came under attack. The battle outside the house raged for much of the day and killed four of Ghayeb's guards and a Hamas gunman. About three dozen people, including eight children, were also wounded.

508650

AP TELEVISION

Jebaliya, 4 Jan 2007

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Ambulance arriving with body of Colonel Mohammed Ghayeb

2. Close up of Ghayeb's face

10:05:36

Palestinian militants allied to President Mahmoud Abbas marched into a Nablus bank on January 28th and snatched a local Hamas leader in front of news crews and startled tellers, as violent confrontation between Abbas' Fatah movement and the radical Islamic Hamas spilled over from the Gaza Strip into the West Bank. A group of about 15 Al-Aqsa gunmen had been roaming the streets of Nablus looking for known Hamas members, and attracting a tail of newsmen as they went, when they stormed into the city's Arab Islamic Bank and spotted Fayyad Al-Arba. Without bothering to mask their faces or stop news cameras recording the scene they hustled the protesting Hamas man out of the building and into a car, which sped away. Abu Jabal, head of Al-Aqsa Brigades in Nablus, said his men had abducted between ten and fifteen people. "Our demand is the resignation of the interior minister (Said Siyam) and the suppression of the executive force in Gaza," he said.

511101

AP TELEVISION

Nablus - 28 Jan 2007

1. Various of Abu Jabal, head of Al-Aqsa Brigades in Nablus in street

2. Gunmen taking Hamas official out of the building plus shots fired

3. Gunmen putting Hamas official in vehicle outside

10:05:56

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas urged gunmen to withdraw from Gaza City's streets in February, after both Hamas and the rival Fatah movement violated a ceasefire deal. Fatah spokesman Abdel Hakim Awad said both sides involved in the factional clashes affecting Gaza were in constant contact to end the violence and preserve an agreed truce. Hamas and Fatah gunmen have clashed at Cabinet ministries, universities and security headquarters in defiance of the truce that it was hoped would calm the seething Gaza Strip. Gunmen set up roadblocks at various points in the city, stopping cars and searching them for rivals.

More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in internal violence since Hamas, which rejects Israel's right to exist, won parliamentary elections a year ago and wrested power from Fatah, which advocates peacemaking with the Jewish state.

511760

AP TELEVISION/ AGENCY COMMON

Gaza City - 3 Feb 2007

1. Armed masked gunmen walking in street, AUDIO: Gunshot

2. Medium shot of Shefa hospital entrance with people sheltering from gunfire

10:06:10

In February Israeli workers began a dig at a centuries-old walkway that leads to a holy site disputed by Muslims and Jews. Palestinians have warned the work just outside the site, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, would inflame already high tensions and officials suggested Israel is planning to damage the compound, Islam's third-holiest site.

Palestinians demonstrated outside the Holy Land's most contentious religious site throughout February, protesting against construction work being carried out by Israel on a new ramp up to the hilltop compound. Israeli police stormed the shrine after noon prayers on February 9th, firing stun grenades and tear gas to disperse hundreds of Muslim worshippers who threw stones, bottles and refuse in an eruption of outrage over contentious Israeli renovation work. The clash came after days of mounting tensions over the work and raised concern that protests could spread to the West Bank and Gaza, as they did at the start of the second Palestinian uprising in 2000. About 200 police streamed on to the hilltop compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, to try to quell the violence, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. As many as 300 protesters barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa mosque at the compound. Seventeen protesters and 15 police officers were slightly injured, police said.

511973

Israel - Israel begins contentious renovation near disputed holy site

AP TELEVISION

Jerusalem - 6 Feb 2007

1. Wide of Old City and Al-Aqsa mosque

512246

Israel - Protests continue against Israeli construction at Muslim holy site

AP TELEVISION

Jerusalem, 8 Feb 2007

2. Bulldozer working near site

512371

Israel - Violence at disputed Jerusalem holy site

AP TELEVISION

Jerusalem - 9 Feb 2007

3. Protester being arrested by police

4. Soldiers in positions on wall of Old City AUDIO: gunfire and sirens

512395

Israel - Police, Muslim worshippers clash at disputed Jerusalem holy site

AP TELEVISION

Jerusalem - 9 Feb 2007

5. Muslim worshippers throwing stones inside mosque compound, tear gas being fired

6. Man praying in midst of clashes

7. Policemen firing tear gas at protesters, storming mosque

8. Various of clashes

10:07:19

The new Hamas-Fatah coalition won overwhelming parliament approval on March 17th, clearing a final formal hurdle before taking on the challenge of persuading a sceptical world to end a crippling year-long boycott of the Palestinian government. Speaking after the vote, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, a close ally of President Mahmoud Abbas, said he hoped "everyone in this government, including the Prime Minister will act as the prime minister, minister of all the Palestinians, and not just to serve their interests." After the 83-3 vote was announced, lawmakers jumped up from their seats and clapped. In all, parliament has 132 members, but 41 of them are in Israeli detention.

516315

AP TELEVISION

Gaza City - 17 March 2007

Gaza city, Gaza strip

1. Parliament speaker Ahmad Bahar, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hold hands and wave

2. Various of Parliament members raising hands in favour of government

3. Bahar talks and then hugs and kisses Haniyeh, the two shake hands

10:07:35

Kidnappers freed a Peruvian news photographer held since January 1st, according to officials from the Palestinian Fatah movement. The photographer, Jaime Razuri, worked for the French news agency AFP. The 50-year-old was abducted at gunpoint from a part of central Gaza City where many foreign journalists have offices. There was no immediate word on who the kidnappers were.

508908

AP TELEVISION

Gaza City, 7 Jan 2007

1. Mid of Peruvian photographer Jaime Razuri with Tayeb Abdel Rahim, Abbas aide

2. Close-up of Razuri

10:07:44

In March masked Palestinians kidnapped a BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) reporter at gunpoint from his car in Gaza City, Palestinian security officials said. As he was being taken, the journalist threw a business card on the street that identified him as Alan Johnston of the BBC, the officials said. Four gunmen carried out the kidnapping, and Johnston's car was found abandoned near his Gaza City apartment, security officials said, who asked that their names not be used as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Police found the lease of the rental car, which stated the vehicle was rented to the BBC.

Palestinian journalists later held a sit-in, to call for the release of Johnston.

515774

Gaza - BBC TV reporter kidnapped in Gaza

AP TELEVISION

Gaza city - 12 March 2007

1. Alan Johnston's BBC car in Gaza police station

516305

Gaza - Protesters ask for the release of kidnapped BBC journalist

AP TELEVISION

Gaza City, 17 March 2007

++PLEASE NOTE: VIDEO QUALITY AS INCOMING++

2. Medium of demo outside Shawa building

3. Close up of sign with Alan Johnston's picture on it

10:07:59

In March three masked Palestinian gunmen fired on a vehicle carrying the chief of the U.N. refugee mission in Gaza and tried to kidnap him. The target of the attempt was John Ging, head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) in Gaza. He said no one was hurt in the kidnap attempt, in northern Gaza. Ging said he, a driver and a security official were travelling in an armoured vehicle when the gunmen jumped out of a white Subaru and opened fire. He said the men had tried to force the car door open, but the driver managed to speed away, under continued gunfire. The vehicle was clearly marked with the U.N. insignia and a U.N. flag, he said. Eleven bullets pierced the car, Ging added. The incident took place about half a mile (one kilometre) from the Erez passenger crossing into Israel, he said.

No one claimed responsibility

516226

AP TELEVISION

Gaza City - File

FILE: Gaza City - 3 November 2006

1. John Ging, head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency in Gaza walking into room

10:08:06

Hamas reluctantly brought Fatah into the coalition in March 2007 to quell an earlier round of violence, but the uneasy partnership began crumbling in May over control of the powerful security forces.

The two factions have warred sporadically since Hamas took power from Fatah last year, but never with such intensity.

A militant commander affiliated with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement was shot dead in May, in the most serious attack since Abbas launched a new effort to calm a wave of violence in the Gaza Strip earlier in the month.

Fatah quickly blamed the rival Hamas group, with which it shares power in the Palestinian government, and the dead man's comrades vowed revenge.

.

Hamas fighters launched a fierce offensive on Gaza City in June, attacking the main security bases and the president's compound with mortars and rockets and sending some of the rival Fatah forces fleeing in disarray as the Islamic group appeared close to taking over the entire Gaza Strip. At least 60 died in the June campaign

Khan Younis fell to Hamas when militants detonated a one-ton bomb underneath a security headquarters there, demolishing the building and killing at least one person, Palestinian security and medical officials said.

Security forces later said they lost control of the town.

The building was destroyed by a bomb planted in a tunnel underneath it, said Ali Qaisi, a presidential guard spokesman.

At least one person was killed and eight others were injured, medics said.

A group of boys ran to the local mosque to seek shelter from the crossfire of a fierce gunfire they found themselves caught in. They were trapped inside the mosque for almost an hour.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas moved quickly to cement his rule in the West Bank on the 15th of June, as major political fallout from Hamas' military rout of Fatah in Gaza continued.

He replaced the Hamas Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh, with Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, an internationally respected economist, and a new moderate government was to be formed later in the day.

A Hamas military victory in Gaza would split Palestinian territory into two, with the Islamic militants controlling the coastal strip and Western-backed Fatah ruling the West Bank, pushing hopes for statehood even further away. Hamas fighters who wrested control of most of the Gaza Strip focused their firepower on 14th June on the battle's top prizes - Fatah's security and political command centres in Gaza City.

526281

AP TELEVISION

Gaza - 14 June 2007

1. Wide of Gaza City skyline at dawn/UPSOUND: gunfire

2. Wide of skyline/ UPSOUND: Gunfire

522497

AP TELEVISION

Gaza City - 13 May 2007

3. Two women crying

4. Male relatives kissing face of militant commander Baha Abu Jarad, of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades

5. People grieving around body

526224

AP TELEVISION

Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Gaza City's Shojaiyeh District, Gaza Strip, and Gaza City, near the Egyptian Representation Office, Gaza Strip - 13 June 2007

Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip

6. Walking shot of people in the street running to hide from gunfire, UPSOUND: gunfire

7. Boys hiding at local mosque, pan right to people hiding from gunfire underneath tin roof, UPSOUND: gunfire

8. Various of boys taking refuge inside mosque, UPSOUND: gunfire

Gaza City's Shojaiyeh District, Gaza Strip

9. UPSOUND: gunfire, people scatter

Gaza City, near the Egyptian Representation Office, Gaza Strip

10. Man in traditional dress with flags of all Palestinian factions tied together, waving at gunmen on street corner, UPSOUND: gunfire

11. Gunman firing, man stopping him, pushing him back, UPSOUND: gunfire

526448

AP TELEVISION

Ramallah, West Bank and Gaza City, Gaza Strip - 15 June 2007/File

Gaza City, Gaza Strip - 15 June 2007

12. Various of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh arriving at demonstration and waving to crowd UPSOUND: cheering and gunfire

Ramallah, West Bank - 15 June 2007

13. Close-up on Palestinian flag

14. Mid of Abbas at Friday Prayers

526224

AP TELEVISION

Nablus, West Bank - 13 June 2007

15. Gunfire exchanged with Al Aqsa Brigades gunmen

16. Mid of gunmen

526232

AP TELEVISION

Khan Younis - 13 June 2007

17. Back shot of militant holding rifle, UPSOUND: gunfire

526327

AP TELEVISION

Rafah, Gaza Strip -14 June 2007

18. Wide of the explosion of a Fatah-allied security building, (also called Preventive Security building) pull out to show crowd cheering and clapping and running towards the scene: UPSOUND: gunfire

19. Masked Hamas fighters rising up from their kneeling position on the road, after prayers, other gunmen firing into the air

20. Masked Hamas gunmen carrying away computers from scene

526447

AP TELEVISION

Gaza city, Gaza Strip - 15 June 2007

21. Wide of jeep carrying masked Hamas military wing spokesman Abu Obeideh with other fighters

22. Close-up of masked fighter

10:10:15

Palestinian security forces allied with Fatah arrested three dozen Hamas members in the West Bank on 14th June.

The move came as Hamas were close to a military takeover of the Gaza Strip.

Fatah leaders said a decision was made by security commanders to crack down on Hamas in the West Bank, to prevent it from taking any positions in that territory, a Fatah stronghold.

Arrests of Hamas activists were reported in the West Bank towns of Jenin, Nablus, Jericho, Ramallah and Bethlehem.

In Nablus, masked security agents and Fatah gunmen rode together in cars, searching for Hamas members, and broke into several homes of Hamas activists.

In one area, a brief firefight erupted, with Fatah and Hamas gunmen exchanging fire in the centre of the West Bank city.

On Saturday16th June Fatah gunmen took over the Hamas-controlled city council in Nablus and other Hamas-run institutions in the West Bank.

Gunmen arrived at the council building shooting in the air, walked in and then climbed to the roof where they hung flags of Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, from the roof.

In Ramallah, at the parliament building, Fatah supporters chanted, "Hamas Out," climbed on the roof of the building and fired in the air.

They placed Fatah and Palestinian flags on the building.

Gunmen entered the office of Deputy Speaker Hassan Kreisheh and tried to seize him, but Fatah employees stopped them.

526309

AP TELEVISION

Nablus, West Bank - 14 June 2007

1. Fatah gunman gathering in city centre

2. Mid of gunman aiming weapon

3. Gunfire erupting, people running to take cover, gunmen aiming weapons, UPSOUND: gunfire

4. Various of office supply and furniture thrown from offices of Palestinian Legislative Council

526497

AP TELEVISION

Nablus - 16 June 2007

5. Fatah gunmen approaching building while shooting in the air, pan to gunmen gathered outside building entrance

6. Pan from mid of masked gunmen to fighters at entrance

7. Tilt up from gunmen in street to rooftop with two flags, pan back to gunmen shooting into the air

8. Zoom in to more gunmen on rooftop

526529

AP TELEVISION

Ramallah, West Bank - 16 June 2007

9. Top shot Fatah gunmen coming out of building pulling Deputy Speaker Hassan Kreisheh, out of the building, Kreisheh stumbling in the scrum

10. Various of Fatah gunmen approaching another building

11. Exterior of the Council of Ministers building, gunmen entering

10:11:22

Deposed Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas on Sunday 24th June called for the kidnapping of British journalist Alan Johnston to end, as a new video recording was seen, which shows Johnston wearing what appears to be an explosives belt.

In the video, Johnston warns the belt, which is of the type suicide bombers use, will be detonated if an attempt is made to free him by force.

The one-minute-42-second tape, called "Alan's Appeal," was posted on a Web site used by militant groups to post their messages.

The video was made by the Army of Islam, a shadowy group with apparent al-Qaeda links that claimed responsibility for snatching Johnston, a correspondent with the British Broadcasting Corporation, from a Gaza City street on 12th of March.

527327

INTELCENTER

Video date and Location Unknown

++AP TELEVISION HAS NO WAY OF INDEPENDENTLY VERIFYING THE CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS AUDIO AND VIDEO.++

++THIS VIDEO WAS MADE AVAILABLE TO AP TELEVISION BY INTELCENTER, A FIRM BASED IN ALEXANDRIA, IN THE US STATE OF VIRGINIA, THAT PROVIDES COUNTER-TERRORISM INTELLIGENCE SERVICES TO THE US GOVERNMENT.++

++PERMISSION IS GRANTED FOR USE IN PRINT, BROADCAST AND INTERNET MEDIA AS LONG AS THE INTELCENTER BUG REMAINS UNOBSCURED AND THE VIDEO IS CREDITED TO INTELCENTER. ++

++AP TELEVISION HAS NOT EDITED THE MILITANT VIDEO.++

1. SOUNDBITE: (English) Alan Johnston, Kidnapped BBC Journalist: (Includes on-screen graphics)

"Captors tell me that very promising negotiations were ruined when the Hamas movement and the British government decided to press for a military solution to this kidnapping and the situation is now very serious. As you can see I've been dressed in what is an explosive belt, which the kidnappers say will be detonated if there's any attempt to storm this area. They say they are ready to turn the hideout into what they describe as a death zone if there's an attempt to free me by force."

10:12:03

An Israeli aircraft attacked a car in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday 7th May, saying the vehicle was carrying militants preparing to fire rockets into Israel.

The air strike occurred shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned of severe consequences if recent rocket fire out of Gaza continued.

The attack occurred near Beit Hanoun, allegedly a frequent launching ground for Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel.

The Islamic Jihad, a militant group in northern Gaza, said its members were in the car on a 'holy mission.'

Israeli citizens in Sderot ran to shelters in panic on Wednesday 16th May as Hamas militants fired eight rockets into Israel, following a barrage of around 20 rockets that seriously wounded an Israeli woman on Tuesday.

Wednesday's rocket salvo at the southern Israeli town of Sderot, just outside Gaza, continued a barrage that began in earnest on Tuesday 15th and wounded 21 Israelis, one seriously, a woman whose house took a direct hit.

There were no casualties on Wednesday morning, but school was cancelled in Sderot and residents huddled in bomb shelters.

Hamas said its rockets were retaliation for Israeli violence.

A Hamas compound in central Gaza City was one of three targets hit by Israeli air strikes on Thursday 17th May, adding a new layer of violence to internecine Palestinian fighting that has paralysed the Gaza Strip.

One person was killed at least 45 people were wounded at the compound, Palestinian witnesses and medical officials said.

Two other people were killed and scores injured in later air strikes in Gaza City.

526985

AP TELEVISION

Gaza City - 20 June 2007

Jebaliyah refugee camp

1. Hamas supporters burning Israeli flags

Gaza City

2. Masked Palestinian boy marching with Hamas ribbon round his head

521817

Islamic Jihad Video

Purportedly Gaza - 7 May 2007

++AP TELEVISION NEWS HAS NO WAY OF INDEPENDENTLY VERIFYING THE AUTHENTICITY, DATE AND LOCATION OF THE VIDEO HANDOUT++

3. Rocket being launched

522825

AP TELEVISION

Sderot, Israel - 15/16 May 2007

4. Children running towards shelter shouting, UPSOUND: rocket exploding

5. People walking away from house, camera tracks to window and films smoky interior

6. Various of damaged house

7. Various of damaged furniture and household items

523013

AP TELEVISION

Gaza City - 17 May 2007

8. Wide of smoke rising over Gaza skyline

9. Man gesturing to people inside the bombed out building, UPSOUND: Gunfire/Sirens

10. Top shot of rubble and rescuers

11. Body being carried out on stretcher

10:13:14

Kidnapped by Palestinian gunmen in Gaza for in March, British journalist Alan Johnston had only one link to the world, a radio that picked up British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) programmes reporting frantic efforts to free him. Confined to a dark room by his captors, Johnston told the BBC after his release on July 4th that he was often unsure if he was going to live or die.

He thanked his colleagues for standing by him; "I'm so immensely grateful for that, and I will be all my life," Johnston said in Jerusalem, addressing a BBC rally in London celebrating his release.

Johnston, a native of Scotland who reported from Gaza for the BBC for three years, was snatched from a Gaza City street by masked gunmen on March 12, shoved into a car and spirited away. Johnston was one of in a string of foreigners kidnapped in Gaza, though his time in captivity was by far the longest.

He was released before dawn on July 4th in a deal between Gaza's Hamas rulers and his kidnappers from the Army of Islam, a group run by one of Gaza's most notorious and heavily armed crime families, the Doghmush clan.

528410

AP Television

Gaza City - 4 July 2007

1. Deposed Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh, putting Palestinian sash around freed BBC journalist Alan Johnston's neck

528324

AP TELEVISION

Gaza City - 4 July 2007

2. Various of BBC Journalist Alan Johnston being escorted by Hamas security after being released from deposed Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's office

528398

POOL

Jerusalem - 4 July 2007

3. Johnston waving to crowds and shaking hands with British Consul-General in Jerusalem, Richard Makepeace

10:13:40

In September Police claimed to have cracked a cell of young Israeli neo-Nazis suspected in at least 15 attacks on foreign workers, drug addicts, homosexuals and observant Jews. Eight gang members have been arrested, and a ninth fled the country, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

"This was a cell, an active neo-Nazi group that in fact began here in Israel carrying out attacks and sabotage as well as different attacks on individuals. Unfortunately a number of individuals were injured," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

All are in their late teens or early 20s, immigrated from the former Soviet Union and have Israeli citizenship, Rosenfeld also said.

The gang documented its activities on film and in photographs, and Israeli TV stations showed grainy footage of people lying helpless on floors while several people kicked them.

535848

AP TELEVISION/POLICE HANDOUT

Various - 9 Sept 2007

Ramleh, near Tel Aviv - 9 September 2007

AP Television news

1. Members of Neo Nazi suspects getting out of car

2. Members of cell walking in court room

3. Courtroom symbol on wall

4. Mid of Neo Nazi suspects

Tel Aviv - Recent

Police Handout

6. Various of Neo Nazi cell members beating by-passers at central bus station in Tel Aviv

7. STILL of drawing of man holding Neo- Nazi flag

8. Cell members beating man

9. STILL of man giving Nazi salute

10. Various of cell members beating up a man

10:14:08

On September 28th some 20-thousand mourners gathered in Jerusalem to accompany the body of Rabbi Avraham Shapira, an Israeli spiritual leader, to its final resting place, the Mount of Olives. Shapira, famous for urging soldiers to disobey orders to evacuate the Gaza Strip, died in Jerusalem at the age of 94. A chief rabbi in Israel for 10 years beginning in 1983, Shapira spent much of his life fighting vigorously against territorial concessions to the Palestinians - emerging as one of the Jewish state's most divisive religious figures. To his followers, however, Shapira was a sage. When he was taken to the hospital earlier in the week, thousands prayed for his well-being at Jerusalem's Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site. Because the funeral took place during the joyous, week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot, or Feast of Tabernacles, rabbis told mourners it was best to avoid crying.

538115

Thousands at funeral of chief rabbi who opposed land handover

AP TELEVISION

Jerusalem - 28 Sep 2007

Mount of Olives, Jerusalem

1. Wide of mourners marching during funeral procession, Dome of the Rock in background

2. Wide of mourners marching in funeral

3. Mid of people carrying body of Rabbi Avraham Shapira to burial at cemetery

4. Mid of man crying

5. Wide of mourners at funeral, Dome of the Rock in background

LEBANON

10:14:34

Opposition protesters blocked roads with car tyres around the Lebanese capital of Beirut and other regions on January 23rd to enforce a general strike aimed at toppling Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's government. Opposition activists turned out early in the morning to burn tyres on major highways north, south and east of the city as well as a ring road around downtown Beirut, sending black clouds of smoke billowing in the air, witnesses said. Army troops and fire engines moved in to remove the obstacles. The road to Beirut international airport was blocked, as were the highway linking Beirut with the mountains and the highway to Damascus, the Syrian capital, Hezbollah's television stations reported. Scores of opposition supporters took the streets and in some instances security forces stood by and watched.

510522

AP TELEVISION

Beirut - 23 Jan 2007

++PRE DAWN SHOTS++

1. Wide top shot of city skyline with plumes of smoke rising from fires

2. Wide shot of protesters and tyres on fire

3. Wide shot of military vehicles arriving at the scene

4. Strikers protesting

510536

AP TELEVISION

Beirut - 23 Jan 2007

5. Lebanese army arresting a protestor

6. Various of clashes in the street

7. Lebanese army shooting in the air

10:15:17

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah told a crowd of mourners who had gathered in southern Beirut to commemorate the festival of Ashoura, that the US president , who he referred to as the "greatest satan", wanted to punish his group because they "stood fast and were victorious" in last summer's war against Israel.

Nasrallah was responding to a statement made by US President George W Bush earlier in January in the which the president condemned a recent outburst of violence in Lebanon.

511324

AP TELEVISION

Beirut, 30 Jan 2007

1. Wide shot of building with Nasrallah speaking from balcony

2. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah Secretary-General:

"(US President) George Bush wants to punish you because you stood fast and were victorious."

3. Crowd of women chanting

4. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah Secretary-General:

"When the greatest Satan declares his enmity and his war against us, this is a great honour of which we are proud."

10:15:47

Lebanese tanks pounded shells at a militant group's headquarters in a Palestinian refugee camp next to the northern city of Tripoli on the afternoon of Sunday 20th May.

The shelling came hours after clashes that left 13 soldiers and several militants dead, along with dozens of wounded.

Security officials reported a further 19 soldiers and 14 police officers injured in the fighting, the worst violence to hit the northern city in two decades.

A spokesman for the Fatah Islam group, Abu Salim, said two militants were killed and five wounded inside the Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp.

The group is considered by some Lebanese officials to be a radical Sunni Muslim group with ties to al-Qaeda, or at least al-Qaeda style militancy and doctrine.

The fighting threatens to further destabilise a conflict-ridden Lebanon that is facing its worst political fall out between the Western-backed government and pro-Syrian opposition since the end of the 1975-90 civil war.

Initially, gunfire erupted early on the 20th after police raided a militant-occupied apartment on Mitein Street, a major thoroughfare in Tripoli, looking for suspects in a bank robbery a day earlier in Amyoun, a town southeast of Tripoli, in which gunmen made off with 125-thousand US dollars in cash.

The armed militants resisted arrest and a series of battles then ensued that spread to surrounding streets and the nearby Palestinian refugee camp.

Lebanese troops pounded a Palestinian refugee camp with artillery and tank fire for a second day on Monday 21st May, raising huge palls of smoke as they battled a militant group suspected of ties to al-Qaeda.

The fighters holed up in the camp returned fire - lending credence to reports that they are far better armed than first thought.

Artillery and machine gun fire echoed around a crowded Palestinian refugee camp for a third straight day Tuesday 22nd May, as the Lebanese government ordered the army to finish off the Fatah Islam fighters holed up inside the camp in the country's north.

Black smoke billowed from the area after artillery and machine gun exchanges at the Nahr el-Bared camp on the outskirts of the port city of Tripoli.

Hundreds of Palestinian civilians continued to stream out of the besieged Nahr el-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon on Wednesday 23rd after a truce in the fighting mostly held overnight.

About 15-thousand, nearly half the camp's residents, fled late at night when the lull took hold in fighting between Lebanese troops and Islamic militants who were barricaded in the crowded Nahr el-Bared refugee camp, relief officials said.

About 1-thousand fled on Wednesday morning.

The Lebanese air force on Saturday 2nd June joined tanks and artillery in pounding Islamic militant hideouts on the second day of an intensifying offensive to uproot al-Qaeda-inspired gunmen barricaded in a Palestinian refugee camp.

A French-made Gazelle helicopter fired two missiles and directed machine gun fire at suspected militant hideouts on the western edge of the Nahr

el-Bared camp near the Mediterranean coastline, in an apparent attempt to block any sea escape route.

It was the first time the army used its limited air force capability in the battle, signifying the intensity of the ground fighting.

The army has helicopters, but no fixed-wing aircraft.

There was more heavy shelling on Wednesday 13th June in the Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, as Lebanese troops reportedly clashed with Muslim militants still holed up there.

More than 25,000 people have fled the Nahr el-Bared camp, near the northern city of Tripoli, since fighting between the Lebanese army and Fatah Islam militants began on May 20.

Dozens of people have been killed since then.

The army said that the number of troops killed since the fighting began to 61.

The fighting has also claimed the lives of at least 60 Fatah al-Islam militants and at least 20 civilians.

523344

AP TELEVISION

Tripoli - 20 May 2007

1. Tanks and soldiers in the streets of residential area

2. Soldiers firing from armoured vehicles at building occupied by militants

523379

AP TELEVISION

Tripoli and Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp - 20 May 2007

Tripoli

3. Lebanese army troops running across street and firing at building

4. Soldier firing at building

Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp

5. Tank firing missile on target inside refugee camp

523492

AP TELEVISION

Nr Nahr El-Bared - 21 May 2007

6. Wide of Tripoli skyline, building explodes

7. Wider shot of black smoke, AUDIO: loud explosion, pan to fresh white plume of smoke

523528

AP TELEVISION

Nahr El-Bared - 21 May 2007

8. Wide of skyline with smoke rising

523595

AP TELEVISION

Near Nahr el-Bared, Lebanon - 22 May 2007

9. Wide of explosion on top of building with black smoke billowing from building AUDIO: gunfire and shelling

523742

AP TELEVISION

Nahr el-Bared - 23 May 2007

10. Various of refugees leaving camp

11. Refugees getting out of red truck

12. Refugees in red truck

13. Various of damaged buildings inside camp

14. Pan across destroyed vehicle

524975

AP TELEVISION

Nahr el-Bared - 2 June 2007

15. Wide skyline shot of camp with explosion and smoke rising

16. Lebanese army helicopter flying over camp

524834

AP TELEVISION

Nahr el-Bared - 1 June 2007

17. Various of armoured cars and military vehicles on the move

526205

AP TELEVISION

Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp - 13 June 2007

18. Various of shelling at camp

19. Various of shelling

10:17:57

Lebanese troops on July 5th resumed pounding suspected hideouts of al-Qaeda-inspired militants entrenched in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. Lebanese troops, backed by artillery and tank fire, blasted suspected hideouts of Fatah Islam militants barricaded inside the Nahr el-Bared camp near Tripoli. The refugee camp and its remaining inhabitants have now endured more than forty days of gun battles between the Lebanese troops and militants.

Meanwhile Lebanese authorities and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) started distributing money to the displaced from Nahr El-Bared - 1350 US dollars for each family. Some of the money was contributed by Saudi Arabia, said Richard Cook, General Manager of the UNRWA. UNRWA launched a worldwide campaign to gather money to help the displaced Palestinians and to rebuild Nahr El-Bared camp once the violence stops.

On July 12th two Lebanese soldiers were killed as the army pounded a refugee camp with artillery fire, but the military denied reports that the barrage was part of a final assault on the al-Qaeda inspired Islamic militants barricaded inside. AP Television filmed heavy shelling, which began just before dawn just hours after more than 150 civilians fled on foot from the camp and the army moved tanks and armoured vehicles up towards the camp. The army said two soldiers were killed Thursday, bringing the number of military dead to 88 since fighting began at the Nahr el-Bared camp on May 20. Earlier an armoured personnel carrier was seen ferrying at least two wounded soldiers out of the camp. From five to 10 shells were slamming into the camp every minute.

Plumes of black smoke continued to rise from tank and artillery shellfire at the beleaguered Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon on July 14th as Fatah Islam gunmen holed up there exchanged heavy fire with the encircling Lebanese army troops. The army said two soldiers died on July 13th, one from wounds he suffered in fighting on the 12th. The fatalities brought to 94 the number of soldiers killed since fighting began on May 20.

Most of Nahr el-Bared's 30,000 residents had fled since the beginning of the battles, and conditions are desperate for those still inside. The Lebanese army said that it had seized control of a number of buildings in the camp that had been used by Fatah Islam militants to attack and snipe at soldiers.

On July 14th Lebanon's rival parties met at a French chateau for rare and long-awaited talks which it is hoped will start the process of healing the rift between enemies mired in a political and sectarian crisis which is threatening to tear their country apart. But the closed-door meetings, organised by France with U.S. and Iranian approval, were not expected to end the political deadlock between the Western-backed prime minister and the Hezbollah-led opposition. The meetings at La Celle Saint Cloud, a small town west of Paris, mark the first time that the 14 parties are meeting since a national dialogue conference in November that failed to resolve the tensions.

Heavy shelling continued at a besieged Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon on July 17th as army troops continued to pound damaged buildings, believed to be the remaining hideouts of al-Qaeda-inspired militants holed up inside with artillery and tank fire. Lebanese security officials said significant progress was being made by the military, and a senior official said the southern part of the Nahr el-Bared "old camp" - a reference to an area deep within the camp with narrow, winding streets where the Fatah Islam militants are believed to be holed up - would soon be entirely under the army's control. He said that militants from the Fatah Islam group were now encircled in an area thought to be no bigger than 500 square metres.

On September 2nd the last stronghold of Islamic militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon fell to the army, security officials said. Only occasional gunfire could be heard inside the Nahr el-Bared camp, hours after the army killed 39 militants and captured at least 20 others as they tried to break out of the camp. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the last stronghold of Fatah Islam militants fell later in the day to the army, which captured five wounded militants in their hideout. The army, which said it lost three soldiers in the gun battle, was not ready to formally declare an end to fighting in the camp, large parts of which were destroyed by army bombardments in the last three and a half months.

The gun battles that began during the dawn breakout had continued through the early afternoon, with troops chasing Fatah Islam fighters in buildings, fields and roads around the camp, in an area called Wadi El-Gamous. The clashes eventually tapered off, but the military search continued. Celebratory gunfire erupted in nearby villages as soon as news of the latest developments spread. Dozens of residents took to the streets of Mohammara, waving Lebanese flags and honking their horns as troop convoys poured into the area with soldiers flashing victory signs. Several Red Cross and military ambulances were seen racing out of the camp, reportedly carrying militant casualties and transporting them to the Government Hospital in the nearby port city of Tripoli. Army officials and senior security official told the Associated Press that they did not know whether Fatah Islam leader Shaker al-Absi was among those who attempted to break out. Al-Absi has not been seen or heard since early in the fighting. The military said three soldiers were killed on September 2nd and two on Saturday September 1st, raising to 158 the total number of troops who have died in the conflict.

528500

AP TELEVISION

Nahr El-Bared - 5 July 2007

1. Wide of shelling on Nahr El-Bared Palestinian refugee camp

529323

AP TELEVISION

Nahr el-Bared - 12 July 2007

2. Sparks flying from explosion AUDIO gunfire

3. Various of explosions and sparks flying AUDIO gunfire

529381

AP TELEVISION

Nahr el-Bared - 12 July 2007

4. Tanks and armoured vehicles UPSOUND: Gunfire

5. Various of tanks and army vehicles moving into position

529541

AP TELEVISION

Nahr el-Bared - 14 July 2007

6. Lebanese army Jeep coming out of the camp

7. Camp, ruined buildings, thick smoke rising from shell strikes (AUDIO: shellfire)

8. Wrecked building in camp, Lebanese flag flying from top

529570

Lebanon's 14 feuding factions meet for talks

AP TELEVISION

La Celle Saint-Cloud - 14 July 2007

9. Pan of delegates sitting at round table

529660

AP TELEVISION

Nahr El-Bared - 15 July 2007

10. Camp being shelled, sending smoke and debris into the air, AUDIO: shelling

11. Lebanese army soldiers patrolling inside camp

12. Wide of explosion, sending debris into the air

529875

AP TELEVISION

Nahr El-Bared - 17 July 2007

++NIGHT SHOTS++

13. Wide of Nahr El-Bared camp as flashing shell hits building UPSOUND: explosions

14. Flashing light from explosion inside camp UPSOUND: explosions

++DAY SHOTS++

15. Smoke rising over camp as shelling continues UPSOUND: shelling

AP TELEVISION

Nahr El-Bared - 23 Aug 2007

14. Wide of refugee camp with missile hitting it and big plume of smoke rising ++UPSOUND: shelling++

535016

AP TELEVISION

Nahr el-Bared area - 2 Sep 2007

15. Soldiers searching (AUDIO gunfire)

16. Medium of soldiers searching in fields

17. Woman celebrates (AUDIO)

18. Locals celebrate as army vehicles drive by (AUDIO: cheering)

PAKISTAN

10:20:04

A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a courtroom in troubled south-western Pakistan, killing a judge and 14 others, police and other officials said. At least 24 people were wounded in the suicide attack, in the country's impoverished Baluchistan province, of which Quetta is the capital. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack at the District Courts complex in Quetta which killed civil judge Abdul Wahid Durrani, five lawyers and relatives of some of those on trial, according to police sources. Baluchistan police chief Tariq Khosa said the attacker was included among the 16 dead.

513276

AP TELEVISION

Quetta - 17 Feb 2007

++CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: GRAPHIC MATERIAL++

1. Dead body wrapped in sheet being removed from blast site

2. Fire burning inside court room

3. Damage at bomb blast site

4. Police tape cordoning off area

5. Dead bodies on floor of hospital

10:20:24

Pakistan's suspended chief justice was cheered by thousands of supporters as he travelled through eastern Pakistan on Saturday 23rd June ahead of another rally demanding an end to the government of President General Pervez Musharraf.

In the town of Okara, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry's motorcade was greeted with rose petals and dancing in the street.

Chaudhry was suspended by President General Pervez Musharraf on 9 March, 2007, accused of abusing his office to get a prized job for his son. It led to nationwide protests, becoming the deepest political crisis of the Musharraf presidency.

Chaudhry denies the charges and has been fighting a legal battle to be reinstated, addressing rallies across the country and drawing the support of tens of thousands of people.

Most of Pakistan's political parties opposing Musharraf's military rule have also joined Chaudhry's rallies.

On 7th June thousands of protesters took to the streets of Lahore in eastern Pakistan, the latest in a series of demonstrations against President General Pervez Musharraf's ouster of the country's top judge.

The crowd of demonstrators, which included hundreds of lawyers backed by opposition political party supporters, was estimated at around 7-thousand by observers.

The protesters, carrying banners and flags, chanted "Go Musharraf, Go!"

Earlier in May police were forced to use tear gas to dampen down the protest after a general strike was observed in Karachi as well as Lahore and other major Pakistani cities to voice dissatisfaction over the way the violence was being handled and Musharraf's suspension of the Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.

527252

AP TELEVISION

Okara - 23 June 2007

+++QUALITY AS INCOMING+++

1. Close up, suspended Chief Justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry receives bar life membership certificate, framed

2. Chaudhry on a stage UPSOUND: applause

525463

AP TELEVISION

Lahore - 7 June 2007

3. Wide top shot of protest against suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry on 9 March

4. Lawyers chanting slogans against Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf

5. Protesters burning effigy of Musharraf

6. Riot police watching protest

522673

AP TELEVISION

Karachi - 14 May 2007

++NIGHTSHOTS++

7. Police firing tear gas in the Lyari area in Karachi UPSOUND: gunshots

8. Protesters running away from tear gas

10:20:56

A car bomb exploded in the car park of the High Court building in north-western Pakistan on Tuesday 29th May, injuring at least seven people, police said.

The blast happened in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, and most of the injured were passers-by, a local police official said.

The injured were taken to a hospital, a police official said, adding that there was no immediate indication who was responsible for the bomb.

Earlier in the month a suicide attacker carrying a warning for American spies detonated a bomb which ripped through a hotel in the north-western city of Peshawar, killing at least 25 people and wounding 30, police said.

The explosion ripped through the reception area of the four-storey Marhaba Hotel in Peshawar's old city, close to the border with Afghanistan.

The explosion devastated the ground-floor restaurant, leaving the victims scattered among broken tables and shattered crockery both inside the building and out in the street.

No group claimed responsibility for the blast, which deepened instability in Pakistan, still reeling from bloody political riots at the weekend in its commercial capital, Karachi.

524384

Car bomb outside court building in Pakistan injures seven

AP TELEVISION

Peshawar - 29 May 2007

1. Policemen moving wreckage of car from blast area

2. People surrounding wreckage of car

3. Bomb disposal official searching for evidence at scene of blast

522740

Suicide bombing at hotel kills at least 25, wounds 30

AP TELEVISION

Peshawar - 15 May 2007

4. Wide of people at scene of the blast

5. Police officers searching through rubble

6. Wide of rubble

10:21:32

On July 3rd security forces clashed with militants outside a radical mosque in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, triggering gunfire that left killed two police officers, one soldier dead and clerics claimed that nine of their supporters died. Several students and troops were also injured. The battle marked a major escalation in a standoff at the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, whose clerics have challenged the military-led government by mounting a vigilante anti-vice campaign in Islamabad. Trouble began when student followers of the mosque, including young men with guns and dozens of women wearing black burqas, rushed toward a nearby police checkpoint. A man used the mosque's loudspeakers to order suicide bombers to get into position.

Dozens of stone-throwing students shattered windows of a government building near the mosque, chanting, "Taliban, long live Taliban," a reference to Afghanistan's radical Islamic insurgents. Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the mosque's deputy leader, said the Rangers sparked the trouble by erecting barricades near the mosque. When asked about the presence of armed students at his mosque, Ghazi said they "are our guards."

Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf had said the previous week that he was ready to raid the mosque, but warned that suicide bombers from a militant group linked to al-Qaeda had slipped into the mosque.

On July 4th a curfew was imposed. Leaders of a besieged radical mosque remained defiant as a deadline calling for their immediate surrender passed. However, more than 340 of their followers surrendered as government troops with armoured personnel carriers tightened their stranglehold on the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, in the heart of Islamabad, said the capital's top security official Khalid Pervez.

On July 6th, after dusk, a half dozen explosions rocked the area around the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, shooting debris high above the tree tops along with plumes of smoke and red dust. Officials said troops were trying to unnerve those who remained while also knocking holes in walls of the mosque compound so that students allegedly being held as human shields could escape.

On July 11th the 43-year-old pro-Taliban cleric Adbul Rashid Ghazi was killed after pushing authorities too far with his drive to enforce strict Islamic law in the city. He was radicalised by the 1998 sectarian assassination of his cleric father.

On July 15th a suicide bomber targeted scores of people who were taking medical and written exams for recruitment to the police force in the city of Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan's troubled North West Frontier Province ( NWFP) near the Afghan border. According to police the blast killed 26 people and wounded 35. Police said that the dead included six police officers. More than 150 people were on the grounds of the police headquarters when the bomber struck. Police said the bomber's head and suicide vest had been found. Another police official at the scene said that there were at least 12 bodies lying in the police recruitment centre. It was not the only suicide attack on the 15th as militants in northwest Pakistan tore up a peace pact with the government and launched attacks and bombings that killed at least 70 people, in a dramatic escalation of violence in the al-Qaeda infiltrated region. The attacks followed strident calls by extremists to avenge the government's bloody storming of Islamabad's Red Mosque and a declaration of jihad, or holy war, by at least one pro-Taliban cleric. Termination of the peace treaty, the hopeful handiwork of President General Pervez Musharraf, puts even greater pressure on the military leader as he wrestles with both Islamic extremists and a gathering pro-democracy movement.

On July 17th a suicide bomber killed at least 12 people and injured 40 at a rally for Pakistan's suspended chief justice, increasing tension in a country already reeling from a burst of violence by Islamic extremists. Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry was heading toward the district court in the capital, Islamabad, to address a gathering of lawyers when the bomb exploded, police said. An AP Television cameraman was filming the rally and captured the moment of impact and the chaos immediately after the explosion. Police said the blast happened near a stage set up for Chaudhry. Hundreds of people were present at the time, but the chief judge himself was still several kilometres (miles) away at the time. Following the attack, Chaudhry sought refuge at the Supreme Court. There was no immediate indication of who carried out the attack, which came before a verdict in a legal battle that has pitched Chaudhry against President General Pervez Musharraf and which could determine the military ruler's political future. The attack also came amid a spate of bombings and suicide attacks in the north west blamed on Islamic extremists enraged by President General Pervez Musharraf's decision to storm Islamabad's Red Mosque and deploy troops in militant strongholds near the Afghan border.

On July 27th Pakistan Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said the government had received intelligence about a possible suicide bombing in Islamabad's Aabpara marke