ISIS Insurgents Declare New Islamic State

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has declared the establishment of an Islamic state in the areas it controls and demanded allegiance from other Muslim groups worldwide.

The Sunni militant group proclaimed its leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, as "caliph" - the head of the state, and said the "caliphate" stretched from Aleppo in Syria to Diyala in Iraq.

ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al Adnani said in an audio recording, on the first day of Ramadan: "He is the imam and khalifah (caliph) for the Muslims everywhere.

ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al Adnani announced the 'caliphate'

"His [al Baghdadi's] authority has expanded over wide areas in Iraq and Sham [Levant]. The land now under his leadership spreads from Aleppo to Diyala."

He added: "The legality of all emirates, groups, states and organisations becomes null by the expansion of the caliph's authority and the arrival of its troops to their areas.

"Listen to your caliph and obey him. Support your state, which grows every day."

ISIS fighters overran the Iraqi city of Mosul last month in lightning action and have been advancing towards Baghdad. 

ISIS has demanded allegiance from Muslims worldwide

In Syria, they have captured territory in the north and east, along the frontier with Iraq.

In Iraq, they overran the Iraqi city of Mosul last month in swift action and have advanced towards Baghdad.

ISIS' declaration comes as the Iraqi government is battling to wrest back some of the territory it has lost to the jihadist group in recent weeks.

On Sunday, Iraqi helicopter gunships struck suspected insurgent positions for a second consecutive day in the northern city of Tikrit, the birthplace of Saddam Hussein around 80 miles north of Baghdad.

Iraqi troops have been involved in a fierce counteroffensive in Tikrit

The Iraqi military launched a multi-pronged attack spearheaded by ground troops backed by tanks, warplanes and helicopters.

The insurgents appeared to have repelled the military's initial push for Tikrit, and remained in control of the city on Sunday, but clashes were reportedly taking place in the northern neighbourhood of Qadissiyah.

Iraqi army spokesman Qassim al Moussawi told reporters that government troops were in full control of the university and had raised the Iraqi flag over the campus.

"The battle has several stages. The security forces have cleared most of the areas of the first stage and we have achieved results," he said.

"It is a matter of time before we declare the total clearing of Tikrit."

Iraqi volunteers joining the fight against ISIS

Jawad al Bolani, a security official in the provincial operation command, said the US was sharing intelligence with Iraq and has played an "essential" role in the Tikrit offensive.

"The Americans are with us and they are an important part in the success we are achieving in and around Tikrit," he said.

Washington has sent 180 of 300 American troops President Barack Obama has promised to help Iraqi forces.

The US is also flying manned and unmanned aircraft on reconnaissance missions over Iraq.

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Israeli PM Wants Syria-Type Deal Over Iran

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter

Israel's Prime Minister has called on world powers to base a deal with Iran over its nuclear programme on the agreement that saw Syria's chemical weapons removed.

Benjamin Netanyahu told Sky News preventing Iran acquiring a nuclear bomb has taken on greater importance due to the turmoil in Iraq.

His comments precede the resumption of so-called P5+1 talks with Iran in Vienna later this week.

Negotiators from Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the US are seeking a deal to reduce the scope of the country's nuclear programme, in return for sanctions relief, by July 20.

Israel's leader said he believed the recent removal of the Syrian regime's chemical weapons stockpile was the minimum model negotiators should accept.

"A good deal is the one that was done in Syria", he said.

Shi'ite militia group in Najaf, Iraq

"The chemicals and the means to make the weapons were dismantled and removed. What Iran is seeking is to keep the materials and the means to make nuclear weapons, and just allow inspections.

"Keep and inspect, rather than dismantle and remove - that's the bad deal."

Mr Netanyahu also claimed the role played by Shi'ite militias backed by Iran in the growing unrest in Iraq and the conflict in Syria meant preventing the nuclear programme was more important than ever.

"I think we have to be clear that it would cross of line of history that would transcend anything else that we're seeing in the Middle East," he said.

David Cameron says UK is engaging with Iran with 'very clear eye'

"If one of these warring tribes … in this case the militant Shi'ites backed by Iran, get their hands on nuclear weapons, the world will be forever changed."

Last week, David Cameron said the UK was engaging with Iran "with a very clear eye and a very hard heart".

However, diplomatic sources have told Sky News that their Israeli counterparts regularly make clear they believe the West is being "duped" by Iran.

Mr Netanyahu warned negotiators not to be deceived by what appears to be a more responsive and more cooperative approach being taken by the country's new president, Hassan Rouhani, who claims reaching a deal with the P5+1 by July 20 is possible.

"Iran is run by an unforgiving sect - it puts forward front men and smiling people like Rouhani, but it's governed with an iron hand and an iron heart by this man (Ayatollah) Ali Khameini", he added.

Iran's new president Hassan Rouhani

Ahead of the interview, Mr Netanyahu's office said he would not discuss tensions in the West Bank and Gaza following the apparent kidnapping of three young Israelis, which he blames on Hamas.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been arrested and five killed in the West Bank during the search operation, prompting the UK and others to urge Israel show "restraint" and avoid further escalation.

But asked whether recent airstrikes in Gaza were the start of increased military action against Hamas, Mr Netanyahu said Israel was "trying to contain our efforts to the search" - but warned he was prepared  to "increase efforts accordingly" if further rockets were fired at Israel.

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Russia Accuses US Over Ukraine Confrontation

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the US of encouraging Ukraine into a confrontation with Moscow.

And he claimed the chances of resolving the Cold War-style crisis would be better if only Russia and Europe were involved.

Mr Lavrov suggested the US was an obstacle to settling the Ukraine conflict

Speaking on television, Mr Lavrov said: "Our American colleagues still prefer to push the Ukrainian leadership toward a confrontational path."

It came after EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Friday decided against immediately imposing new sanctions on Russia for destabilising eastern Ukraine, but gave Moscow and pro-Russian separatists until Monday to take steps to improve the situation.

Ukraine has also extended a ceasefire by its forces for 72 hours.

EU leaders also signed agreements with Ukraine and two other former Soviet states, Moldova and Georgia, to establish closer political and economic links with Europe.

Kiev celebrated the historic agreement between Ukraine and the EU

It was the decision of the former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych to ditch a deal with Europe in favour of a pact with Russia which triggered protests culminating in his overthrow earlier this year.

Moscow responded by annexing the mainly Russian-speaking Crimea in March, that led to pro-Moscow separatists rise up in eastern Ukraine.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "The UK is firmly committed to the prosperity of these sovereign and independent countries, which are signalling their determination to forge closer political and economic links with Europe.

"I look forward to ever closer relationships that will better the lives of their people and contribute to prosperity across the region."

The Foreign Office predicted that the completion of the agreements could result in GDP growth in Georgia of €292m (£234m) a year and €1.2bn (£960m) in Ukraine, while boosting Moldova's national income by 5.4% annually.

Ukraine is seeking to increase its gas production after Russia cut exports

Meanwhile, Ukraine is seeking to increase its own gas production after Russia's state-controlled gas company, Gazprom, cut exports to the country, after talks to settle a debt and agree a lower price broke down.

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Iraqi Troops Strike Back To Retake Tikrit

Cleric To 'Shake The Ground' Under Insurgents

Updated: 2:21pm UK, Thursday 26 June 2014

Iraq's Shia cleric Moqtada al Sadr has warned his supporters will "shake the ground" fighting the Sunni insurgency sweeping through the country.

In a televised address, al Sadr also expressed opposition to US military advisors who are providing Iraqi commanders with tactical assistance to repel the Sunni militants that have overrun swathes of the country and reportedly killed more than 1,000 people.

Hundreds of Iraqi villagers have been fleeing insurgent incursions orchestrated by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and have crowded at a checkpoint on the edge of the country's relatively safe Kurdish-controlled territory.

Three Iraqi military helicopters have reportedly landed at rebel-controlled Tikrit University and clashed with Islamist militants, according to a security source at the scene.

Iraq's beleaguered military were initially overcome by the ferocity of the insurgency that captured several strategic cities in Iraq, including Qaim, Rawa, Haditha and Ramadi.

Government forces have since recovered ground and repelled further assaults on other towns and infrastructure, although there are reports the offensive has been bolstered by Islamist rebels from Syria joining their counterparts in Iraq.

Al Sadr also called for "new faces" in a national unity government after elections in April saw Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki win with the most seats, although he failed to secure a majority.

But al Maliki warned he would not be sidelined by rivals seeking to use the insurgency and fragile state of the country to try to oust him. 

Such a move was "an attempt by those who are against the constitution to eliminate the young democratic process and steal the votes of the voters," he said.

US officials claimed Syria launched airstrikes on militant positions close to the Iraq-Syrian border near Qaim on Tuesday in an attempt to disrupt the militants who are fighting both the Syrian and Iraqi governments.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad has been locked in a bloody civil war with opposition groups since 2011.

Maliki reportedly confirmed the airstrikes, adding that Iraq did not request the raid but that it was "welcomed".

Some reports suggested the attacks were directed at militant positions in Iraq, while others claimed they hit sites in Syria.

The US has made concerted efforts to unite Iraq's fractious political leaders in the face of the offensive, although they have shown little sign of coming together.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has also arrived in Baghdad to meet political and community leaders to stress the importance of political unity. 

"The Iraqi state is facing an existential threat, with huge ramifications for the future stability and freedom of this country," he said.

"The single most important factor that will determine whether or not Iraq overcomes this challenge is political unity."

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Ukraine's EU Deal: 'Not A Good Day For Russia'

Beyond all the bickering over the EU presidency, a bit of history was being made at the summit in Brussels on Friday.

Three former states of the USSR - Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova - signed association agreements with the European Union, formally shifting their countries away from their Soviet past, towards a new, European future.

For Ukraine, this is the culmination of what so many fought for on the Maidan - the local name for the popular uprising in Kiev, which removed president Victor Yanukovych from power.

It was his refusal to sign this very same EU trade deal in November that brought the first of the protesters onto the streets, triggering a movement against a presidency many saw as corrupt and leading their country back to its old Kremlin masters.

The EU flag became one of the symbols of the protest - they flew it from the barricades and wrapped it around themselves - demanding what they saw as European human rights: justice, democracy, and the rule of law.

Petro Poroshenko (R) and EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy shake hands

For all of the sentiment expressed by British politicians of late, it's worth remembering what the European Union means to so many of those beyond its borders in the east of the continent.

I remember one man telling me he considered himself middle class - that he had a nice apartment, a nice car, plenty to lose.

But he wanted a future for his children and grandchildren that would be fairer - that would not be subject to the whim of local bureaucrats or the ability to grease the right palms.

He was realistic about the short-term pain that would follow, but he said it would be worth it.

He wanted a 'European' future for his children.

Of course the reality will not be utopian.

The security situation in the East is deteriorating, Kiev insists, fuelled by the Kremlin.

A ceasefire is supposedly in place in Ukraine

Despite the ceasefire supposedly in place, on Thursday night four Ukrainian servicemen were killed, five wounded, in fighting near Kramatorsk.

The United Nations' refugee agency says 110,000 people have fled across the border into Russia since the start of the year.

The national finances are in a parlous state: the currency has fallen 45% since January, the price of Russian gas is rocketing, and that's before Moscow has enacted the "grave consequences" its deputy foreign minister warned would follow.

For Russia this has not been a good day.

Mr Putin wanted Ukraine to join his own Eurasian Customs Union - watching this 'brotherly nation' instead publicly wrenching itself from the Kremlin's sphere of influence is deeply troubling.

This is not just about losing Ukraine to Europe - it's the prospect of the EU, and with it the old Cold War bogeyman of Nato, expanding East, right up to Russia's border.

Ukraine's success, or otherwise, will depend on Russia's reaction, and western politicians' resolve.

But Friday was an important day - "perhaps the most important day", said President Petro Poroshenko, in the country's post-independence history, "a symbol of faith, and unbreakable will".

He will need both in the months to come.

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Ukraine Risks Russian Wrath By Signing EU Deal

Ukraine's president has signed a trade pact with the EU, seven months after his predecessor set off a crisis in the country by backing out of the same deal.

Petro Poroshenko said it may be "most important day" for Ukraine since it became independent from the Soviet Union.

But the deal has angered Russia, which, according to the Reuters news agency, warned of "grave consequences".

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would take measures to protect its economy if it is negatively affected by the pact.

Shortly after returning to Kiev from Brussels where he signed the pact, Mr Poroshenko announced on his website that Ukraine had extended a ceasefire by government forces against pro-Russian rebels by 72 hours until 10pm on Monday.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a ceasefire to allow talks between Kiev and the rebels.

Mr Poroshenko gives a thumbs up to Angela Merkel at a meeting in Brussels

In Brussels, two other former Soviet republics, Georgia and Moldova, also signed agreements with the EU.

The deals mean businesses whose goods and practices meet EU standards will be able to trade freely in any union country without tariffs.

"Over the last months, Ukraine paid the highest possible price to make her European dreams come true," said Mr Poroshenko, who claimed to have signed the Association Agreement with the same pen his predecessor would have used.

"It's absolutely a new perspective for my country."

Alongside the deal is a long-term plan for Ukraine to adopt EU product regulations, modernise its economy and strengthen the rule of law and independent courts.

Moscow previously warned Ukraine that signing the deal could end its free trade arrangement with Russia.

Meanwhile, the UN's refugee agency reported a sharp rise in the number of people fleeing eastern Ukraine.

More than 16,000 people have fled their homes in the past week, bringing the number of displaced within the country to 54,000.

A decision by former president Viktor Yanukovych last November to turn his back on Europe in favour of closer ties with Russia prompted violent protests on the streets of Kiev.

Mr Yanukovych was eventually ousted in February, before the crisis that saw Russia annexe Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

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Obama Seeks $500m To Support Syria's Rebels

President Barack Obama is seeking $500m from US lawmakers to train and equip "vetted" Syrian rebels, the White House says.

Mr Obama has been under pressure from some lawmakers to bolster assistance to moderate Syrian insurgents. 

If approved, the budget request would mark the first open US military involvement in the Syrian conflict, which began three years ago.

There is already a covert CIA training programme for the rebels, US officials have previously confirmed. 

A prime White House concern has been weaponry ending up in jihadist hands

The $500m is part of a broader $66bn overseas operations request sent by the administration to Congress on Thursday.

White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in an emailed statement the money would go towards "appropriately vetted elements" of the opposition.

"These funds would help defend the Syrian people," she wrote, "stabilize areas under opposition control, facilitate the provision of essential services, counter terrorist threats, and promote conditions for a negotiated settlement." 

The insurgency in neighbouring Iraq had focused minds in the administration

It is not clear what type of military equipment would be included under the request.

US officials last year said they had begun shipping small-arms ammunition, as well as non-lethal assistance, to the rebels.

But the administration balked at opposition requests for portable anti-aircraft missiles.

A prime concern for the White House has been that such weaponry could wind up in the hands of jihadists.

Syria's moderate rebels are waging a war on two fronts - against the forces of President Bashar al Assad and Islamist militants.

The Obama administration has renewed its focus on Syria's conflict in recent weeks as it fans an al Qaeda-inspired insurgency in neighbouring Iraq.

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Suarez Bite Suspension: Uruguay FA To Appeal

Life And Times Of Luis Suarez: Factfile

Updated: 4:26pm UK, Thursday 26 June 2014

From humble origins the controversial Uruguayan has risen steadily up the football ladder to become one of the best players in the world.

1987: Born January 24 in Salto, Uruguay.

2005: Makes professional debut with Montevideo club Nacional, scoring 12 goals in 29 games in his one and only season in South America.

2006: Signs for Dutch side FC Groningen and fires 10 goals in 29 appearances for the club.

2007: February 8 - Makes debut for Uruguay against Colombia and is sent off in the 85th minute.

August - Joins Ajax in a deal reportedly worth 7.5m euros (£6m).

2010: May - Enjoys his most prolific season in Holland, with 35 goals in 33 Eredivisie matches.

June - Scores three goals to help Uruguay reach the World Cup quarter-finals but is then sent off for a goal-line handball against Ghana in the last eight. Ghana miss the resulting penalty before Uruguay go on to triumph in a shoot-out.

November - Banned for seven matches after being found guilty of biting PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal.

2011: January 28 - Liverpool agree a deal worth up to £22.8m with Ajax for Suarez.

February 2 - Scores on his Liverpool debut in a 2-0 victory over Stoke at Anfield.

July - Scores four goals and is named player of the tournament as Uruguay win Copa America.

October 15 - Manchester United defender Patrice Evra claims Suarez racially abused him during the 1-1 draw between Liverpool and United.

November 17 - Suarez is charged by the Football Association with racially abusing Evra following a month-long investigation.

December 7 - Charged with improper conduct following a gesture to fans as he left the pitch following the 1-0 defeat at Fulham.

December 20 - The FA bans Suarez for eight matches and fines him £40,000 for the Evra incident. Liverpool issue a strongly-worded statement in defence of the player.

December 28 - Suarez banned for one match and fined £20,000 after admitting improper conduct charge relating to his gesture towards Fulham fans.

2012: February 11 - On his return to the first XI, refuses to shake Evra's hand before going on to score in Liverpool's 2-1 loss to Manchester United. Afterwards, Sir Alex Ferguson says he is "a disgrace to Liverpool Football Club", adding: "I would get rid of him if I were them."

February 12 - Apologises for his refusing to shake Evra's hand.

August 7 - Signs new long-term contract with Liverpool.

2013: April 21 - Bites Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic on the arm before going on to score equaliser in 2-2 draw at Anfield. Apologises for his "inexcusable behaviour" soon after the match.

April 22 - Fined by club and charged by the FA with violent conduct for Ivanovic incident. Pledges to donate money to Hillsborough Family Support Group. Managing director Ian Ayre issues statement saying the club want Suarez to see out his contract, which runs until summer 2016.

April 24 - Handed 10-game ban by an independent regulatory commission for biting Ivanovic, confirmed by the FA.

May 31 - Signals his intentions to leave Liverpool.

August 6 - Repeats his desire to leave after a bid from Arsenal of £40,000,001 is turned down. Made to train away from the first team.

August 14 - Returns to first-team training and apologies for trying to leave.

September 25 - Makes his return from suspension.

December 20 - After scoring 17 goals since his return, signs a new long-term contract with the Reds.

2014: April 20 - Scores the second goal in a 3-2 win over Norwich to become the first Liverpool player to score 30 league goals in a season since Ian Rush in

1987. April 27 - Wins the Professional Footballers' Association's Player of the Year award.

June 24 - Finds himself at the centre of further controversy, and the subject of Fifa disciplinary proceedings, when footage shows him appearing to bite Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini while playing for Uruguay in a World Cup Group D match.

June 26 - Fifa announces Suarez has been suspended for nine international matches and banned from all football activity for four months. He is also fined 100,000 Swiss francs (just under £66,000) for the incident.

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Asiana Crash: Boeing 777 System 'Too Complex'

Boeing should change flight controls on its 777 airliner following last year's deadly Asiana Airlines crash in San Francisco, say US accident investigators.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) primarily faulted pilot "mismanagement" for the crash, which killed three people and injured 187.

The three veteran pilots were found to have committed 20 or 30 errors in the final approach.

But the agency's final report also cited the "complexities" of the 777's auto-throttle system and auto-flight director as contributing factors.

The jetliner, with 307 people on board, descended too low and too slowly

Boeing, a US manufacturer, said in a statement that it "respectfully disagrees" with the findings.

The NTSB's report also faulted insufficient pilot training by the South Korean airline.

The wide-bodied jetliner, with 307 people on board, descended too low and too slowly during the landing attempt last July 6. Its tail struck a seawall and tore off.

The NTSB recommended Boeing "develop and evaluate" changes to the controls

The NTSB's acting chairman, Chris Hart, said on Tuesday the pilots were experienced but "over-relied on automated systems that they did not fully understand".

The agency recommended that Boeing "develop and evaluate" changes to the control systems.

Asiana conceded the probable cause of the accident was the crew's failure to check the plane's airspeed, and to abort landing, according to documents released by the NTSB.

The three passengers killed were Chinese teenagers

But the airline also said the pilots had reason to believe the auto-throttle, which they unintentionally deactivated earlier in the flight, would keep the plane flying at the right speed.

Doug Adler, media relations spokesman for Boeing, told Sky News that the company would carefully review the agency's report.

"Boeing respectfully disagrees with the NTSB's statement that the 777's auto-flight system contributed to this accident, a finding that we do not believe is supported by the evidence," he said.

It is the only fatal passenger airline accident in the US since 2009

He noted the system had been used for more than 55m safe landings.

All three of the fatalities in the Asiana crash were Chinese teenagers, one of whom died after she was run over by a fire engine in the confused aftermath.

It was the first fatal accident involving the 777 since its launch in 1995.

It is also the only deadly passenger airline crash in the US in the last five years.

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Passenger Dies As Gunmen Hit Landing Plane

A woman passenger has been killed after gunmen opened fire at a plane landing at Peshawar airport in Pakistan.

Five bullets hit the Pakistan International Airlines plane as it was about to touch down at the airport in the country's volatile northwest.

A female passenger on board the plane died on the way to the hospital, said Mashood Tajwar, a spokesman for the airline.

Two other people on board were also wounded.

Authorities were scouring the area around the airport to find whoever was responsible.

Peshawar airport is in the volatile northwest of the country

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but suspicion will likely fall on militants that the government has been fighting in the country's northwest.

On June 15, the military launched an operation against militants using the country's North Waziristan tribal area to attack targets in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees have poured out of North Waziristan since the operation started.

People across Pakistan have been bracing for reprisal attacks ever since the operation started.

The operation came after the Pakistani Taliban and an Uzbek militant group attacked the hospital in the southern port city of Karachi.

During the audacious attack, gunmen battled with airport security and other law enforcement authorities for roughly five hours.

The mayhem at Pakistan's largest airport shocked the country and raised questions about the security of other airports around the country.

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