US Armed Drones Take To The Skies Over Iraq

US And Iranian Drones Flying Over Iraq

Updated: 5:16am UK, Saturday 28 June 2014

By Dominic Waghorn, US Correspondent, Washington

US officials have confirmed that armed drones are now flying in the skies above Baghdad. Previously, US drones operating there were thought to be unarmed.

All unmanned aerial missions will remain tasked with surveillance but the armed drones could be called on to protect the hundreds of US troops who've been sent to act as military advisers.

President Obama has for now ruled out offensive military action in Iraq, but this will give him the ability to respond quickly with force should US assets become threatened.

It also means that US and Iranian drones are almost certainly for the first time flying in the same theatre of war, on the same side. 

US press reports claim Iran is also operating drones from an airfield in Baghdad. 

American and Iranian objectives in Iran overlap. 

Both countries are determined to reverse the fortunes of ISIS - for different reasons. 

Iran is concerned about the threat to its ally, the Shiite-dominated government of Iraq, fellow Shia Iraqis, and Shia holy places. 

The US is concerned by the success of an Islamist movement so extreme it's been condemned by al Qaeda.

American officials have been at pains to rule out coordinating military activity in Iraq with Iran. 

But they have said they are willing to explore a dialogue to explore mutual interests in the country.

Iranian commanders are reported to be operating in Baghdad. Qassem al Suleimani, commander of the elite Iranian Quds Brigade, is said to be among them.  

He is thought to have helped organise Iranian support for Iraqi militia attacks on both US and British troops over the last decade, not least with the use of roadside bombs.

He is now thought to be advising the Iraqi military on defending Baghdad and taking on ISIS after its blitzkrieg advance through the west of the country. 

At the same time and in the same city, as many as 300 US military advisers are working with other elements of the Iraqi forces with the same purpose.

The US government has said it is concerned the Iranians' involvement could increase the risk of sectarian conflict in Iraq. 

Iran is interested in protecting Shia Iraqis in what is spiralling towards civil war.

For its part, Iran has voiced concerns America is trying to stage-manage events in Iraq with only its interests in mind and orchestrate the removal of the Shia prime minister Nouri al Maliki.

But both countries are prepared to overcome such friction in the interest of defeating a common enemy and maintaining influence in Iraq. 

The Iranians are reportedly making a bigger investment to that end, operating a round-the-clock air bridge into Baghdad funnelling tons of materiel into Iraq.

America may look on with alarm at the burgeoning Iranian presence in Iraq and what Teheran may expect in return. 

But for now the rise of ISIS remains a bigger worry and Washington has little choice but to work alongside its enemies to vanquish a bigger foe.

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Suarez Coach Blames Media For Bite Ban

The Uruguay football coach has blamed the English media for Luis Suarez's lengthy ban for biting an opponent.

Oscar Tabarez read out a 14-minute tirade, accusing the media of a conspiracy to get the controversial player kicked out of the World Cup.   

The coach refused to answer questions from reporters at a packed news conference and announced he was quitting from his role at Fifa in protest.

Luis Suarez with one of his children at his home in Montevideo

His comments came as it emerged that Suarez would be banned from Liverpool's team photograph if it was taken at Anfield.

He will also be excluded from the club's new merchandising campaigns.

A top Fifa official urged Suarez to get "treatment" for his biting problem - defending the four month ban from all football-related activity.

Uruguay fans hoped to give Suarez a hero's welcome when he returned home

Secretary general Jerome Valcke told a news conference in Rio: "He should find something, it is definitely wrong."

Meanwhile Fifa president Sepp Blatter refused to comment on the length of the ban but said: "It is not fair what he has done."   

Suarez returned to Montevideo yesterday, arriving too late to see the president of Uruguay and hundreds of fans who had gathered to give him a hero's welcome.

Bite victim Giorgio Chiellini says the punishment was too severe

Mr Tabarez appeared at a press conference ahead of his team's last-16 World Cup match against Colombia at the Maracana.

He said: "The reporters that only care about that thing (Suarez) I don't know what nationality they were, but all of them speak in English.

"That media pressure which is so close and yet so far from the objective fact that the pictures of the action show in that match.

Brtain's media did not pull any punches after the bite attack

"All the media was only focusing on Luis' previous incidents, the things that happened to him before, where all of us know that he was sanctioned for, and served his punishment."

Before leaving, Mr Tabarez said he would be resigning from his positions with Fifa where he has sat on both the Strategy Committee and the Technical Study Group.

He left the conference to loud applause from Uruguayan reporters.

Earlier Giorgio Chiellini, the Italian footballer bitten by Suarez during their Group D match on Tuesday, said he regarded his punishment as "excessive" and that he had "no feelings of revenge or anger".

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PM Vows To 'Keep Fighting' After Juncker Defeat

David Cameron admitted EU reform would be a "long, tough fight" after arch-federalist Jean-Claude Juncker was chosen as president of the European Commission - but insisted he would not give up the cause.

The Prime Minister - who was defeated in his attempt to block Mr Juncker's candidacy - said his fellow EU leaders had made a "serious mistake" in allowing the European Parliament to choose the presidency.

"This is a bad day for Europe. It risks undermining the position of national governments, it risks undermining the power of national parliaments and it hands new power to the European Parliament," he said.

Mr Cameron had campaigned against the appointment of Mr Juncker, arguing he would block reform of the EU.

But the vote has not dented the Prime Minister's commitment to that cause.

"This is going to be a long, tough fight and frankly sometimes you have to be prepared to lose a battle in order to win a war," he added. "It has only stiffened my resolve to fight for reform in the EU, because it is crying out for it."

Mr Cameron had also warned the appointment could fuel Euroscepticism in the UK and make it more likely that Britons will vote to quit the EU in the referendum he is planning for 2017.

The PM argued Mr Juncker was not the "right person" for the post

In forcing a vote on the nomination, Mr Cameron broke with tradition that the Commission chief is approved by consensus of the EU's national heads of government.

In the end, only Hungary joined Britain in voting against Mr Juncker's appointment, which was approved by a margin of 26-2.

His nomination, which must be confirmed by a vote in the European Parliament, was announced by European Council president Herman van Rompuy on Twitter.

The Prime Minister said that while Europe had taken "one big step backwards" Britain had "made some small steps forward".

The Council had "broken new ground" in two areas during their discussions, he said.

This included an agreement that ever-closer union allows for different paths of integration and respects the wishes of countries such as Britain that do not want a closer relationship.

The leaders had also "agreed explicitly that they need to address Britain's concerns about the EU", he told a news conference.

"While Europe has taken one big step backwards today with their choice of Commission president, I have made some small steps forward, securing a new relationship for Britain in the EU," he said.

Former Luxembourg premier Mr Juncker was backed by Germany's Angela Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was an advocate of Mr Juncker, but amid the vote she urged EU colleagues to "compromise" with Britain.

"I think we can find compromises here and make a step towards Great Britain," she said.

Labour leader Ed Miliband commented: "On Europe, David Cameron has now become a toxic Prime Minister. He cannot stand up for Britain's national interest because when he supports something, he drives our allies away."

UKIP leader Nigel Farage said: "I think what's clear is that any cards that Mr Cameron may have had to play have been spent, and have been lost over a futile battle that he was bound to lose from the beginning.

"(Any) renegotiation now doesn't look very likely. He has been humiliated today but worse than that, he actually looks very isolated."

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Suarez Gran Sticks Boot Into 'Barbaric' Fifa

Luis Suarez: A Huge Talent But Trouble

Updated: 6:06am UK, Friday 27 June 2014

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent, in Rio de Janeiro

To his countrymen, Luis Suarez is an unambiguous character.

He is the boy from an impoverished quarter of Salto who became a hero; a natural who plays with the ferocious pride and raw spirit that embodies the national self-image.

You do not have to be Uruguayan to admire his luminous talent. Watching him score the goals that eliminated England in Sao Paulo last week it was impossible not to admire the certainty of his play, the single-minded ability not just to try but to deliver.

But it is equally hard to ignore his recidivist, violent streak, and nor should we try.

Uruguay has rushed to his defence this week, but none of the conspiracies or indulgences offered by his countrymen can sweeten Suarez's offences.

Three times on a professional football field he has bitten an opponent. It is conduct we train out of pets and children, assuming that adult humans do not need to be reminded.

Who knows where it comes from. An army of experts have had their say in the last few days, offering explanations ranging from the Freudian to the footballing.

For everyone, save Suarez, the answer is largely irrelevant. What matters for his club and country is what happens next.

For Liverpool it is a pressing question. The club and its fans love Suarez but they have good reason to feel let down.

They backed him ham-fistedly through the Patrice Evra racism storm, and then with far more assurance and self-awareness following his assault on Branislav Ivanovic.

Last season they seemed to get a return on that pastoral care. Suarez was focused and fabulous, his goals fully deserving a clean sweep of player of the year awards from his fellow pros and the journalists his teammates now accuse of conspiring, and supporters groups.

Anfield fully expected to return to the barricades for Suarez this summer, but they anticipated the attack would come from Real Madrid and Barcelona, once more hunting his signature.

Instead, they will welcome back a player who will not be available until November and will attract only negative vibes in the meantime. Restoring trust on both sides will be a major challenge for manager Brendan Rogers.

There is perhaps only one group for whom Suarez's inexplicable conduct is good news.

It is not often that Fifa has been able to scale the moral high-ground in recent times but the swift, decisive judgment against Suarez offered them a chance they were not going to miss.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter resisted repeated invitations from Sky News to offer a word on Suarez's ban but the message of his silence was clear. The World Cup show has been a wow. Presented with a pantomime villain Fifa banished him to the wings.

For once, few will argue it was the right move.

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Father Of Mass Murderer Tells Of 'Nightmare'

The father of a young man who killed six people in California before taking his own life last month has given his first interview since the tragedy.

Filmmaker Peter Rodger told ABC News' Barbara Walters that no one in his family had any indication that his son, Elliot, had violent intentions.

Mr Rodger said: "Every night I go to sleep, I wake up and I think of those young men and young women that have died and who are injured and were terrorised and my son did that.

"My son caused so much pain and suffering for so many families."

Elliot Rodger turned the gun on himself after killing six people

Asked how he felt when he woke up in the morning he replied: "It's like a reverse nightmare situation.

"When you go to sleep normally, you have a nightmare and you wake up and everything is ok.

"Now I go to sleep, I might have a nice dream and then I wake up and slowly the truth of what happened dawns on me and, you know, that is that my son was a mass murderer."

Mr Rodger, who was assistant director on the Hollywood blockbuster Hunger Games, said he had no idea his son was violent.

"There's no way I thought that this boy could hurt a flea. I mean, this is the most unbelievable thing, Barbara, what I don't get is we didn't see this coming at all."

Rodger, 22, killed six people on May 23 and injured 13 more before turning the gun on himself in Isla Vista, California, near two universities.

The killing spree began with Rodger stabbing three people at his apartment.

He then drove around the city firing on people outside a sorority house and inside a delicatessen, before taking his own life.

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ISIS Massacre: Tikrit Satellite Images Emerge

Satellite images back up claims that ISIS extremists massacred between 160 and 190 men in Tikrit earlier this month, Human Rights Watch has claimed.

The organisation says it has analysed photographs and satellite images that appear to show bodies in the city - seized by the Islamic militants at the start of their offensive in Iraq.

HRW says the killings were likely to have taken place in at least two locations between June 11 and 14 - and the real number of dead could be much higher.

Human Rights Watch matched up satellite images with ISIS photos

ISIS claimed to have killed 1,700 "Shia members of the army" in Tikrit on June 12 and two days later posted around 60 photos online apparently showing how the men were executed.

The gruesome images showed masked ISIS fighters loading captives in civilian clothes onto trucks and forcing them to lie in three shallow trenches with their hands tied behind their backs.

Further photos showed gunmen firing at the captives and the blood-covered bodies of the victims after they were shot.

The analysis allowed the group to pinpoint where the killings happened

On June 22, Iraq's human rights minister confirmed that ISIS had executed 175 Iraqi Air Force recruits in Tikrit.

HRW's Emergencies Director Peter Bouckaert said: "The photos and satellite images from Tikrit provide strong evidence of a horrible war crime that needs further investigation."

The group said it had been impossible to carry out a full investigation due to the difficulty of accessing the area and locating bodies.

The evidence emerged as Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived in Irbil in northern Iraq to meet with leaders.

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Savile NHS Abuse: Victims Aged From 5 To 75

Jimmy Savile abused victims aged from five to 75 at an NHS hospital - but allegations were never passed on to senior managers, a report has found.

Investigators at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) found the DJ and TV presenter's crimes stretched over five decades and his victims included men, women, boys and girls.

Staff were told about some of the incidents, but the allegations were not reported to hospital bosses, the report found.

The Leeds findings are among 28 hospital reports that lay out the scale of the serial sex offender's abuse on NHS premises.

Savile died aged 84 in October 2011, a year before a TV documentary aired claims that he had sexually abused children.

Scotland Yard launched Operation Yewtree - its formal criminal investigation into his crimes - in October 2012.

Around 600 people came forward to provide information - with 450 complaints directly related to Savile.

A report by the Metropolitan Police and NSPCC in published in January 2013 found Savile was a "prolific, predatory sex offender" who abused children and adults over more than 50 years.

Police said they had recorded 214 crimes in 28 police force areas against Savile, including 34 allegations of rape but they concluded that he had been able to "hide in plain sight" due to his fame.

Earlier this month, a further NSPCC report revealed that he had abused at least 500 victims, including some as young as two.

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Missing Malaysia Airlines Jet 'On Autopilot'

Australian officials say they are confident missing flight MH370 was flying on autopilot when it disappeared.

The Malaysia Airlines plane vanished on March 8 carrying 239 passengers while travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The search area in the hunt for the missing jet has shifted several hundred miles south of the most recent suspected crash site in a remote stretch of Indian Ocean, where a remote underwater drone had been scouring 330 square miles of seabed.

A huge search of an area in the Indian Ocean has failed to find the plane

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said the new search area, about 1,100 miles off Australia's west coast,  is based on fresh analysis of existing satellite data.

He said: "The new priority area is still focused on the seventh arc, where the aircraft last communicated with satellite.

"We are now shifting our attention to an area further south along the arc based on these calculations."

Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, said: "Certainly for its path across the Indian Ocean, we are confident that the aircraft was operating on autopilot until it ran out of fuel."

However, why the autopilot would have been set on a flight path so far off course, and when exactly it was switched on remains unknown.

Families of the missing have been left increasingly angry and frustrated

The new search zone of up to 60,000 square kilometres (24,000 square miles) is in the southern corridor and is based on where the aircraft last communicated with an Inmarsat satellite.

A survey will be carried out by two surface vessels to map the ocean floor of the area, which will take three months.

A comprehensive underwater search, using powerful side-scan sonar capable of probing depths of more than four miles, will start in August and take up to 12 months to complete.

Mr Truss said he was optimistic the latest search zone is the most likely crash site, but warned finding the plane remains a huge task.

He said: "The search will still be painstaking. Of course, we could be fortunate and find it in the first hour or the first day - but it could take another 12 months."

The switch in the hunt comes after it emerged acoustic pings thought to have come from the plane's two flight recorders were not from the aircraft after all, leaving search teams scouring the wrong area.

It is thought the sounds came from a search boat or the ping detector itself, ruling out the area originally thought to be where the plane had come down.

Earlier this month, the relatives of missing passengers announced they were seeking to raise $5m (£3m) to offer as a reward to any "whistleblower" who can offer information leading to the discovery of the lost plane.

Many of the families believe there has been a cover-up and are hoping the money will tempt an insider to come forward.

The Boeing 777 is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, but an extensive search has turned up no sign of wreckage so far, leaving families increasingly frustrated.

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Live: Savile Hospitals Sex Abuse Reports

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10:06am UK, Thursday 26 June 2014

Live Stream: Jimmy Savile Abuse Report Published

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Legal Challenge To Assisted Suicide Ban Lost

Campaigners have lost their latest legal challenge at the Supreme Court over the "right-to-die" for disabled people.

Jane Nicklinson - the widow of "locked-in syndrome" sufferer Tony Nicklinson - had brought the case along with two other families who want to make it legal for doctors to help their patients end their lives.

The Supreme Court was ruling on whether the legal ban on assisted suicide is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

The disability rights campaigner Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson had called for the law on assisted suicide to remain unchanged.

More follows...

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Fifa Opens Suarez Bite Claim Disciplinary Action

Fifa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Luis Suarez after he was accused of biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.

The striker and the Uruguayan FA have until 9pm UK time to "provide their position and any documentary evidence they deem relevant".

Suarez has already commented on the incident, declaring: "These things happen on the pitch."

The striker clashed with Chiellini in the 79th minute of his country's Group D match, a game they won 1-0 to advance to the last 16.

Television replays showed Suarez moving his head towards Chiellini, who responded by swinging his arm.

It appears that Suarez then sank his teeth into the defender's shoulder.

The Uruguay striker has previous after biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic

Defending the alleged attack he said: "We were both just inside the area, he struck me in the chest with his shoulder and he hit me in the eye as well.

"These are things that happen on the pitch and you shouldn't attach so much importance to them.

"I'm very happy to have qualified. We are taking each game as it comes, we know that we're in a difficult situation, we're at our limits now."

Fifa can hit players with retrospective bans of up to two years if its disciplinary commission decides there is a case to answer.

Speaking to Rai TV after the game, Chiellini said: "It was ridiculous not to send Suarez off.

"It is clear, clear-cut and then there was the obvious dive afterwards because he knew very well that he did something that he shouldn't have done."

Suarez handball at South Africa 2010

Suarez served a 10-match ban last year for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

Before his move to Liverpool in 2011, Suarez was suspended for seven matches by the Netherlands football federation after biting PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal when he played for Ajax.

In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Suarez was sent off for a deliberate handball that helped Uruguay into the semi-final.

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Wonga Penalised £2.6m For 'Fake Legal Threats'

Britain's biggest payday lender, Wonga, has been ordered to pay £2.6m in compensation to customers threatened with fake legal letters.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said 45,000 customers were hit by unfair and misleading debt collection practices which included customers in arrears being sent letters by non-existent law firms threatening legal action.

In some instances, Wonga also added charges to customers' accounts to cover the administration fees associated with sending the letters, the FCA said.

The watchdog said the failings, which took place between October 2008 and November 2010, saw Wonga, and other companies within its group pile pressure on customers to make loan repayments that many could not afford.

It uncovered communications to customers in arrears under the names "Chainey, D'Amato & Shannon" and "Barker and Lowe Legal Recoveries", leading customers to believe that their outstanding debt had been passed to a law firm, or other third party.

The FCA said neither Chainey D'Amato & Shannon nor Barker & Lowe existed.

Clive Adamson, director of supervision at the FCA, said: "Wonga's misconduct was very serious because it had the effect of exacerbating an already difficult situation for customers in arrears.

"We are pleased that Wonga has been working with us to put matters right for its customers and to ensure that these historical practices are truly a thing of the past.

The company, which made nearly four million loans to over one million customers, has been ordered to pay compensation to each customer affected by the failures.

The FCA said the compensation could result in some borrowers' outstanding debts being cut rather than a cash payment being made.

Tim Weller, interim Wonga CEO following the departure of its founder Errol Damelin earlier this year, said: "We would like to apologise unreservedly to anyone affected by the historical debt collection activity and for any distress caused as a result.

"The practice was unacceptable and we voluntarily ceased it nearly four years ago."

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British Jihadist Was Prayer Caller At Mosque

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

A third jihadist featured in a recruitment video released by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been identified as a prayer caller at a city mosque in Aberdeen.

Abdul Rakib Amin settled in the northeast of Scotland with his family after travelling from Bangladesh.

As a teenager he attended the Aberdeen Mosque and Islamic Centre, where he volunteered as a "mu'adhdhin", someone who calls worshippers to prayer. 

Sources at the mosque have told Sky News that Amin "never, ever" showed radical tendencies. 

They say that if he had he would have been immediately reported to the police, with whom the mosque has a close relationship.

As a youngster, Amin also attended St Machar Academy in Aberdeen and friends in the city describe him as a well-integrated member of society who was a keen footballer player.

Amin appears alongside to Cardiff students in the ISIS video

Having grown up in the Froghall area of Aberdeen, he and his family moved to Leicester several years ago.

In the video posted on Youtube, Amin appears alongside two Cardiff students - Reyaad Khan and Nasser Muthana, both aged 20 - urging Westerners to join the fighting in Iraq and Syria.

ISIS has seized several cities and towns across northern and western Iraq in recent weeks in a lightning offensive which has put the Iraqi government on the back foot.

A member of Aberdeen's Muslim community who knew Amin told Sky News: "He was more of a lad than a regular attendee at the mosque. 

"He was a happy guy, played football - he was a good player and he supported Aberdeen. 

"I remember him as a hyper person, energetic and loud... not the type of person you'd expect to go and do this."

He said that the community wanted to distance themselves from Amin's actions in Syria.

ISIS fighters have captured many towns and cities in Iraq

"We don't want our community tainted because some idiot's gone commando."

Police and Cardiff's Muslim community have been trying to establish how Khan and Muthana were lured into fighting in Iraq and Syria.

Video has emerged of notorious Saudi cleric Mohammed al Arifi preaching at Cardiff's Al Manar mosque, attended by Khan and Muthana, as well as his brother Aseel who is also with ISIS.

Mr Arifi is banned from Switzerland for his extremist views - but has visited the UK several times.

However, trustees at the mosque have suggested the young men may have been radicalised online, rather than by members of Cardiff's Muslim community.

The parents of both young men have said they did not know of their sons' intentions to join the jihad and have pleaded for them to come home.

Meanwhile, Khalid Mahmood MP told Sky News that many more British Muslims than previously thought could have been recruited by Islamist militants.

"I imagine 1,500 certainly would be the lower end. If you look across the whole of the country, there's been a number of people going across," he said.

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Journalists' Sentences 'A Slap In The Face'

The parents of jailed Australian journalist Peter Greste have described his seven-year sentence in an Egyptian prison as "a slap in the face and a kick in the groin".

Lois and Juris Greste held an emotional press conference in Brisbane after their son was jailed along with two al Jazeera colleagues.

Juris Greste said the family was in a state of shock and struggling to think straight in the wake of the sentencing.

"We're not usually a family of superlatives, but I have to say ... my vocabulary fails to convey just how shattered we are," he said.

"You can never prepare yourself for something as painful as this."

Peter Greste had been in Egypt for only two weeks

Mr Greste, Canadian-Egyptian national Mohammed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed were convicted of spreading false news and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

Mr Mohamed received an additional three years on a separate charge involving possession of weapons.

Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott said: "We're obviously shocked, dismayed, really bewildered by the decision of the court in Egypt."

The case has provoked outrage from freedom of speech activists, who say it was politicised, while David Cameron was said by Downing Street to be "completely appalled" by the verdict.

Mohammed Fahmy gives evidence in court in May

The White House called for pardons or sentence commutations for the journalists and for clemency in all politically motivated sentences.

Relatives of the men - who had denied all the allegations against them in Cairo - collapsed in tears as the sentences were read out.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she was "shocked and deeply dismayed" by the outcome and would ask the Egyptian government to intervene.

Her UK counterpart, William Hague, said he would also ask Cairo to review the case "as a matter of urgency".

Sky News and the BBC were among the media organisations to call for the trio's release prior to the verdict.

A number of journalists will hold a silent protest over the court's decision utside New Broadcasting House in London.

It will take place at 9.41am - the time of Monday's sentencing.

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Kerry: Kurdish Forces Critical In Defeating ISIS

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 9:29am UK, Tuesday 24 June 2014

A look back at the main events in the Iraq crisis, which has seen Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group move to within 50 miles of the capital Baghdad.

December 2011: US troops complete their withdrawal after the 2003 invasion which led to the removal of Saddam Hussein.

August 2013: More than 70 people are killed in attacks at the end of Ramadan. ISIS claim responsibility.

January 2-4, 2014: ISIS declares itself in control of the western city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi following clashes sparked by the clearing of a Sunni-Arab protest camp.

February: al Qaeda formally disowns ISIS, which was at one time an affiliate, because of its extreme methods.

April: Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki wins the most seats in a general election.

June 10: ISIS seizes all of Nineveh province in the north, including the capital Mosul - Iraq's second city. Mr Maliki asks parliament to declare a state of emergency.

June 11: The militants launch a wave of attacks further south, taking Tikrit and freeing hundreds of prisoners in Baiji. An assault on Samarra, 70 miles (110km) north of Baghdad, is repelled by security forces.

June 12: Iraq's air force strikes fighters' positions near Mosul and Tikrit.

US President Barack Obama says he is looking at "all the options" to help the government, which fails to secure authorisation for a state of emergency.

The army abandons its bases in Kirkuk, leaving Kurdish Peshmerga troops to take control.

June 13: A top Shia cleric issues a call to arms, telling the population to take up arms and defend their country.

Mr Maliki claims government forces have started to clear cities of "terrorists" and implements an emergency plan to protect Baghdad.

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

The rebels move into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in eastern province of Diyala.

June 14: Iran offers to work with the US to tackle the crisis, as Britain pledges an initial £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

The Iraqi army's fightback continues, with forces retaking the towns of Ishaqi, al-Mutasim and Duluiyah in Salaheddin province.

Troops also regain much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush is ordered to the Persian Gulf.

June 15: Photos emerge appearing to show an ISIS massacre of 1,700 captured government soldiers. Baghdad says number is exaggerated.

Reports say militants have overrun Tal Afar, the largest town in Nineveh province.

A bombing in central Baghdad leaves 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Former PM Tony Blair tells Sky News that critics who believe the violence is the result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

June 16: Video footage purporting to show an ISIS fighter questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers draws condemnation.

ISIS takes control of Tal Afar and the al Adhim area of Diyala province.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is "open to discussions with Iran".

June 17: Britain announces it is reopening its Iranian embassy, with William Hague saying the "circumstances are right" as the West looks to improve relations to help tackle the crisis in Iraq.

Iraq's Shia leaders accuse Saudi Arabia of promoting "genocide" by backing Sunni militants.

June 18: Iraq's foreign minister asks the US to carry out airstrikes to help reverse the sweeping gains of Islamist militants in the country.

David Cameron warns that if Britain does not intervene in the Middle East crisis then terrorists will "hit the UK at home".

Insurgents are seen parading through the city of Baiji with captured vehicles after reports they have taken over three-quarters of Iraq's biggest oil refinery.

ISIS charts its brutality and tactics in annual reports called al-Naba - The Report, it emerges.

June 19: Iraqi authorities say government forces have retaken the Baiji oil refinery after fierce fighting.

Barck Obama says US troops will not return to combat in Iraq, but he would be prepared to take "targeted action".

The president also announces additional equipment and up to 300 additional military advisers could be provided to help fight the ISIS insurgency.

June 20: Iraq's senior Shia religious authority Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani calls for a new government for the country as it struggles to stop Sunni militants.

Barack Obama piles further pressure on Iraq's PM Nouri al Maliki, saying he needs to take urgent steps to heal the sectarian rift in the country, but stopping short of demanding he quit.

A video of British jihadists urging Western Muslims to join ISIS in Iraq and Syria emerges on social media.

June 21: The family of Naseer Muthana, 20, who appears in the ISIS recruitment video and younger brother Aseel, 17, who followed him to fight in the region say they are "devastated". 

The men's father Ahmed Muthana tells Sky News he believes his son Nasser was radicalised in a mosque in the United Kingdom.

In Iraq, dozens of Iraqi troops are killed as ISIS militants seize the crucial Qaim crossing into Syria.

A Shia preacher loyal to anti-US cleric Moqtada al Sadr warns that the 300 US military advisers en route to Iraq will be attacked.

June 22: Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei comes out in opposition of US intervention in neighbouring Iraq.

President Barack Obama warns ISIS could grow in power, destabilise the region and pose a threat to the US.

The mother of one of two Britons filmed in a militants' video calling for Western Muslims to fight in Syria and Iraq, Reyaad Khan, pleads for him to come home in an emotional Sky News interview.

A former head of counter-terrorism at MI6 tells Sky's Murnaghan programme up to 300 Islamist fighters from Iraq and Syria may have returned to the UK and it would be "impossible" to keep track of all of them.

June 23: Barack Obama warns ISIS could pose a threat to the US, hours after the Islamist militants make dramatic gains by capturing four towns in western Iraq.

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Baghdad for talks with Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki.

June 24: John Kerry arrives in Irbil for talks with Kurdistan's regional government President Massoud Barzani.

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John Kerry In Iraq As ISIS Tightens Grip

Faith Lost In Iraq PM Amid Political Limbo

Updated: 5:46pm UK, Friday 20 June 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor, in Baghdad

The US President, Shia politicians, Sunni chieftans and none other than the Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani has joined the clamour for Iraq's Prime Minister to move fast and form a government.

The nation has languished since elections on April 30 in a political limbo that arguably undermined faith in the central government, even among the Shia-dominated armed forces.

That might, partly, explain their rapid collapse in the face of far fewer forces from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) plus their allies.

But now that Iraq's supreme court has ratified the results of the elections what possible reason could Nouri al Maliki have for delay?

One explanation may simply be political.

His stewardship over previous years has entrenched sectarian divisions and seen an explosion in corruption.

His party bloc won 92 of the 328 seats in Iraq's parliament and he'll need 165 to form a coalition administration.

He, therefore, has to get involved in some serious horse trading with other Shia parties to build his coalition.

But they are now losing faith in him. Particularly in his apparent refusal to reach out to Sunni parties and offer them stakes in the central government - such as a security portfolio and a ministry which would give them access to patronage systems such as an education or public works - so that they feel both secure and that they have an investment in the future political structures.

A more conspiratorial thesis, fuelled by the conspiratorial utterances of lame duck ministers left over from the previous administration, is that Iraq's latest travails are the fault of external forces.

Jordan, Saudi Arabia (both Sunni countries), the US and others are being blamed for manipulating the Middle East and somehow creating ISIS.

There is evidence of Saudi individual, and possible state funding, for extremist militant groups in Syria, which may include ISIS.

And Jordan has played a significant role in trying to boost the fortunes of the non-extremist Free Syrian Army.

But Mr al Maliki may have calculated that he can either weather the latest storm - or let ISIS form an impoverished caliphate in the desert north of his country which would leave the Shia with Baghdad and the south.

It's the south, after all, that holds the lion's share of the world's second largest oil reserves.

It can ship its oil out through the Gulf, via Kuwait, or via Iran.

A Shia state or semi-state would not only be self-sufficient - it would be spared the burden of sharing Iraq's spoils with other sectarian groups like the Sunni and the Kurds (who already have their own autonomy and oil industry).

Such a move, or allowing events to drift to this reality, would place the south of Iraq firmly inside Iran's imperial embrace.

That is not something that Saudi Arabia would be able to tolerate in the long term as it vies with Iran for influence in the Middle East.

Nor is it anything that a rump Sunni 'caliphate' would be able to live with - the extremists within it would forever plot how to steal it back by force.

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Al Jazeera Journalists Jailed For Seven Years

Three Al Jazeera journalists have each been jailed for seven years in Egypt after being found guilty of aiding terrorism.

Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were convicted of spreading false news and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

They had denied the charges in Cairo.

The case has provoked outrage from freedom of speech activists.

US Secretary of State was among those to have lobbied the Egyptian government about the case.

Sky News and the BBC had also called for their release.

More follows...

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Asos 'Loses 20% Of Stock' In Warehouse Fire

Asos has confirmed that a fifth of its stock was "compromised" after a fire broke out at its main distribution warehouse.

Police are treating the fire as deliberate. Pic: @mathew_hanley

The online fashion retailer said that at the end of May the company held £159m worth of stock at cost price, with 70% of it held at the warehouse in Barnsley.

Although the stock damage at cost price is estimated at around £20m, the value may exceed £30m at retail prices.

The company said in a statement: "None of the technology, automation or structure of the building has been affected by the fire.

"Our initial estimate is that approximately 20% of the total stock at the site has been compromised by fire damage and the sprinkler systems."

Firefighters outside the warehouse. Pic: Tim Ansell

"The clean-up process commenced on Saturday morning and progressed quickly.

"Consequently, at 2am this morning we recommenced taking orders. We are fully insured for loss of stock and business interruption."

In early stock market trades, shares were down more than 2% before bouncing back to around the session's starting price.

Customer Hannah Williams, from Birmingham, had ordered a pair of shoes on Friday for next-day delivery.

"Obviously it didn't arrive on Saturday and I've since received a generic letter saying it's on its way," she told Sky News.

Firefighters battled the blaze into the early hours. Pic: @mathew_hanley

"I'm hoping it arrives today. It's pretty inconvenient, but I suppose worse things happen in life." 

The fire affected four floors of its warehouse in Park Spring Road, Grimethorpe, and led to 500 workers being evacuated after the alarm was raised at 9.50pm on Friday.

After initial investigations, South Yorkshire Police determined the fire was deliberately lit and have launched a criminal inquiry. The force appealed for anyone with information to get in touch.

Asos said it was "co-operating fully" with the investigation.

The warehouse is thought to handle over 10 million packages at any one time.

Asos has worldwide sales of £750m. Pic: @mathew_hanley

It is more than 60,000 square metres in size - bigger than seven football pitches.

In early June, the fashion giant's share price dropped 40% after the retailer issued an unexpected profit warning.

At the time Asos said it would be less profitable this year due to higher promotional activity, the strong rate of growth in low-margin products, and foreign currency weakness because of the strong pound.

Previously, ever since it floated on the stock exchange in 2001, it had been a darling for investors who saw its value rise sharply.

Asos - which was originally called As Seen On Screen - has worldwide sales of £750m.

It has been one of the most successful businesses at capitalising on the large number of British consumers who have switched from high street shopping to buying clothes online.

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Hundreds Of Kids Smuggle Drugs Into School

By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs and Education Editor

Hundreds of children are bringing drugs, including class A substances, into UK schools every year.

Figures obtained by Sky News show more than 1,000 pupils have been caught carrying drugs in schools over the past three years.

Among those pupils, 27 were found with class A drugs.

Some 93 pupils were charged with drugs offences, including six at primary school.

The figures come from 32 of the UK's 44 police forces but do not include some of the country's largest, including the Met and Greater Manchester.

Campaigners are concerned drug use among children is a problem that is being ignored.

Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder of charity Kids Company, which works with children from deprived backgrounds, said: "A lot of (children) are born into households where their parents are prolifically abusing substances.

"What we're seeing now is that eight and nine year olds are beginning to smoke weed and skunk and then they go on to harder stuff.

"Unfortunately, in a lot of neighbourhoods, children see the drug trade as a completely legitimate way of making a living.

"It's become so familiar and in a way it's become so normalised because children are completely surrounded by adults who are using."

One 18-year-old who was addicted to cannabis for three years said drug use had been common among children her age.

Jade Clement, from Poole, Dorset, who now campaigns for the charity Fixers, said: "I always had a friend that I was smoking with. We constantly had to lie, tell our parents we were going to the cinema or swimming - anything like that so we could get a tenner.

"I was meant to be in school ... (but) if I had weed left over from the night before then I wasn't going in.

"I couldn't be bothered. It didn't interest me (and) the only reason I went in was so I could plan (to take drugs) with my friends ... that's all school was really about."

The Government says drugs have 'no place whatsoever in the classroom'

Schools in affluent areas say they are equally concerned about the likelihood their pupils will be exposed to drug use.

At The Hall, a prestigious independent school in north London, former addicts are invited to speak to pupils to warn them about the dangers of drug use.

Thirteen-year-old student Callum said: "It's quite daunting that I'll be offered drugs in the next three to five years. It leads me to think, 'What will I say? Will I be pressured?'"

The Government said banned items like alcohol and drugs have "no place whatsoever in the classroom".

A Department for Education spokesman said: "We've introduced a range of powers for teachers to ensure discipline, behaviour and safety are maintained.

"Teachers can now search a pupil without consent when they suspect they may be in possession of a prohibited item.

"Changes to the system mean a school's decision to exclude a pupil cannot be reversed by an appeals panel.

"Our guidance also makes clear that teachers can use force to remove disruptive pupils from the classroom when necessary."

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South Korean Troops In Gunfight With Soldier

South Korean troops have been involved in a gunfight with a soldier who earlier went on the run after killing five comrades.

The military has surrounded the army sergeant, identified only by his surname Yim, and was trying to get him to surrender.

His parents were also at the scene, pleading with him to give himself up.

Yim had opened fire on members of his own unit at a guard post in a base near the border with the North on Saturday, say officials.

The conscript, who also wounded seven others in the grenade and gun attack at the end of his shift, then fled with his K2 assault rifle and 60 rounds of ammunition.

He was discovered hiding near a school six miles from the base and as troops tried to capture him on Sunday, the soldier opened fire.

A platoon leader was reportedly injured in the arm.

The shooting happened at an outpost in Goseong close to the DMZ

Yim, who was scheduled to be discharged from the army in September, was described as an "introvert" and had difficulty adapting to life in the military.

And he was on a list of "those who require special attention", said an officer.

There had been concerns about his psychological health, but he was deemed fit to be deployed to the outpost after passing a test in November, according to an official.

The initial shooting happened at an outpost in Goseong, about 205 miles northeast of the capital Seoul.

It is located just outside the demilitarised zone (DMZ) - a buffer strip that runs the full length of the border with the North, and known as the world's last Cold War frontier.

Yim's victims included one staff sergeant, a sergeant, a corporal and two privates. Their identities were being withheld by the army.

The wounded soldiers were taken to nearby hospitals but their injuries were not life-threatening.

There was no indication North Korea was involved in the shooting, but tensions have been heightened recently, with Pyongyang staging a series of missile and artillery drills.

The South's ministry of national defence publicly said sorry for Saturday's attack.

"We sincerely apologise for causing trouble to the people," said spokesman Kim Min-seok.

"We pray that the soldiers who died from this unexpected accident rest in peace and offer our deep condolences to the families of those killed and injured.

"We will do all we can do to support them."

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MI6 Fears 300 Islamist Fighters Back In UK

Faith Lost In Iraq PM Amid Political Limbo

Updated: 5:46pm UK, Friday 20 June 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor, in Baghdad

The US President, Shia politicians, Sunni chieftans and none other than the Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani has joined the clamour for Iraq's Prime Minister to move fast and form a government.

The nation has languished since elections on April 30 in a political limbo that arguably undermined faith in the central government, even among the Shia-dominated armed forces.

That might, partly, explain their rapid collapse in the face of far fewer forces from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) plus their allies.

But now that Iraq's supreme court has ratified the results of the elections what possible reason could Nouri al Maliki have for delay?

One explanation may simply be political.

His stewardship over previous years has entrenched sectarian divisions and seen an explosion in corruption.

His party bloc won 92 of the 328 seats in Iraq's parliament and he'll need 165 to form a coalition administration.

He, therefore, has to get involved in some serious horse trading with other Shia parties to build his coalition.

But they are now losing faith in him. Particularly in his apparent refusal to reach out to Sunni parties and offer them stakes in the central government - such as a security portfolio and a ministry which would give them access to patronage systems such as an education or public works - so that they feel both secure and that they have an investment in the future political structures.

A more conspiratorial thesis, fuelled by the conspiratorial utterances of lame duck ministers left over from the previous administration, is that Iraq's latest travails are the fault of external forces.

Jordan, Saudi Arabia (both Sunni countries), the US and others are being blamed for manipulating the Middle East and somehow creating ISIS.

There is evidence of Saudi individual, and possible state funding, for extremist militant groups in Syria, which may include ISIS.

And Jordan has played a significant role in trying to boost the fortunes of the non-extremist Free Syrian Army.

But Mr al Maliki may have calculated that he can either weather the latest storm - or let ISIS form an impoverished caliphate in the desert north of his country which would leave the Shia with Baghdad and the south.

It's the south, after all, that holds the lion's share of the world's second largest oil reserves.

It can ship its oil out through the Gulf, via Kuwait, or via Iran.

A Shia state or semi-state would not only be self-sufficient - it would be spared the burden of sharing Iraq's spoils with other sectarian groups like the Sunni and the Kurds (who already have their own autonomy and oil industry).

Such a move, or allowing events to drift to this reality, would place the south of Iraq firmly inside Iran's imperial embrace.

That is not something that Saudi Arabia would be able to tolerate in the long term as it vies with Iran for influence in the Middle East.

Nor is it anything that a rump Sunni 'caliphate' would be able to live with - the extremists within it would forever plot how to steal it back by force.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More