'Massacre' Fears In Iraqi Town Spark UN Call

There are fears of a "possible massacre" in Iraq amid a UN warning about the situation in a town besieged by militants.

The UN's Special Envoy to the country said immediate action was needed to protect the people of Amerli, which has been overwhelmed by Islamic State (IS) fighters.

Nickolay Mladenov said reports "confirm that people are surviving in desperate conditions" and there is "unspeakable suffering".

Shia Turkmen residents of the town, in the Salaheddin province north of Baghdad, have been cut off from food and water supplies by IS for nearly months.

Iraq's prime minister designate Haidar al Abadi has promised aid for them.

Meanwhile, Kurdish forces have been struggling to defend themselves against IS fighters across northeast Iraq and are appealing for more international help.

A Shia Turkmen fighter in Amerli, Iraq

There has been fighting around towns including Jalula and Sa'dya, which have been controlled by the well-armed Sunni extremists for several weeks.

In Kirkuk, officials say three explosions near Kurdish military stations have killed more than 10 people, while in Irbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, local media said a car bomb had exploded.

IS insurgents have seized large swathes of the country since a June offensive but have been hit by US airstrikes in some areas including around Mosul Dam.

Sky's Stuart Ramsay outside the town of Jalula

However, Sky's Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay, reporting from outside Jalula, north of Baghdad, said the Kurdish peshmerga fighters want more weaponry from the outside world and are "getting little or no air support".

Thousands of peshmerga and counter-terrorism soldiers have been deployed, including many around the town.

He said the Kurds have some heavy weapons but the equipment is old, while the jihadists "have modern equipment and lots of money".

Ramsay said the two sides are fighting to control territory not the towns themselves as IS have them "under total lockdown".

PM designate Haider al Abadi is trying to form a more inclusive government

The Kurds are trying to cut their supply lines and one fighter told Sky News: "We need weapons to make the battle equal."

Ramsay said: "Peshmerga front-line positions are regularly hit from far away. There are scorch marks and burning patches everywhere."

Roadside bombs laid by the extremists are also "causing more casualties than ever before," he added.

Meanwhile, eight people have been killed after a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives at the interior ministry's intelligence headquarters in Baghdad.

Diyala has seen heavy fighting between Iraqi troops and IS. File pic

It comes a day after a sectarian attack at a mosque killed at least 68 Sunni Muslims, plunging efforts to form a united front against the jihadists into crisis.

Officials say a suicide bomber blew himself up in the Imam Wais mosque north of Baghdad, with Shia militiamen picking off fleeing worshippers with machine guns.

The attack, in Diyala province, is seen as a blow to government efforts to secure backing from Sunni groups in its battle against the extremists.

The US says the killing of James Foley was a "terrorist attack" on America

Mr al Abadi, a moderate Shia, is attempting to form a more inclusive government following the resignation of outgoing PM Nouri al Maliki.

But two influential Sunni politicians - Parliamentary Speaker Salim al Jabouri and Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al Mutlak - have now pulled out of talks with the main Shia political alliance after the massacre.

The US has ramped up its rhetoric over the beheading of journalist James Foley.

In Washington, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said the murder "represents a terrorist attack against our country".

He said the US would not be restricted by the Iraq-Syria border when it considers further action against IS militants.

Having poured in from Syria across a desert border that it does not recognise, the Islamist movement has declared its own caliphate.

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Russia Aid Trucks 'Took Ukraine Military Goods'

A Ukrainian army spokesman has accused Russia of using aid trucks to take production equipment from two military plants.

A convoy of about 200 vehicles entered the country on Friday without the permission of the Ukraine government - and left on Saturday after dropping its cargo.

However, military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said the trucks had taken equipment from a factory in Luhansk that makes firearm magazines and a Topaz plant that produces radars.

The convoy's departure comes as German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Kiev for talks with Ukraine's pro-Western leaders on the conflict, which has claimed more than 2,200 lives.

Russian aid trucks pictured upon their return to the border crossing

Ms Merkel called for a bilateral ceasefire ahead of talks between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko in three days' time.

"There must be two sides to be successful. You cannot achieve peace on your own. I hope the talks with Russia will lead to success," said Ms Merkel.

"The plans are on the table - now actions must follow."

Ms Merkel, who did not rule out more sanctions against Russia, is due to hold discussions with Mr Poroshenko.

The Ukrainian President has maintained that pro-Kremlin fighters must leave before the conflict can end.

"The Ukrainian side and our European partners will do everything possible to bring about peace - but not at the price of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the independence of Ukraine," he said.

Ukraine continues to pound rebel strongholds such as Luhansk and Donetsk, where water has been cut off and supplies are dwindling.

Ms Merkel will hold talks with Mr Poroshenko

At least two civilians were killed by shelling on Saturday.

Sky's Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lisa Holland said: "If anyone can broker a breakthrough it is Ms Merkel.

"She is one of the few Western - and indeed world - leaders who Mr Putin appears to have time for and both know a further decline in Russian-EU relations will hit each other's economies even more."

Russia rolled in its convoy on Friday, saying any delay in providing humanitarian aid was "unacceptable".

It had been agreed the lorries - which had waited on the Russian side of the border for a week - would only be allowed into eastern Ukraine if they were escorted by the International Red Cross.

However, the charity pulled out after not receiving enough security guarantees as fighting continues to rage.

Kiev's foreign ministry informally allowed the convoy to pass to avoid "provocations".

Russia previously let journalists look inside a handful of the lorries, which it said were carrying 1,800 tonnes of aid including food, water, medicine and electrical generators.

A Ukrainian rebel controls an area after a shelling in Donetsk

This was questioned by Nato's top military commander, Philip Breedlove, who claimed the trucks looked like a disguised attempt to reinforce separatist forces. Russia denies backing the rebels.

The UN Security Council discussed the convoy on Friday and no country came to Russia's defence, according to British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant.

Members called it an "illegal and unilateral" action.

Following a phone call, US President Barack Obama and Ms Merkel condemned the act.

They also expressed concern that the large numbers of Russian troops on the Ukraine border and fighting in eastern parts of the country represented a "dangerous escalation".

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Man Fakes His Own Kidnapping To Keep Partying

Police carried out a major search for a man who told his girlfriend he had been kidnapped - but he was actually lying to stay out late partying.

The 32-year-old claimed he was being held hostage and his "captor" would only release him if a £50 debt was paid.

The woman was "beside herself" and called police after speaking to his "kidnapper" on the phone and receiving a number of text messages.

But her boyfriend was in fact enjoying himself at a house party in Bolton in the early hours.

One detective said it was "one of the most foolish and irresponsible incidents" she had encountered.

After the alarm was raised, more than a dozen officers carried out house-to-house enquiries, checked CCTV and analysed mobile phone data in an attempt to find him.

A number of properties were searched and a man was arrested on suspicion of kidnap.

But he was later released when he admitted it was a "ruse" to allow his friend to stay out longer.

Greater Manchester Police then tracked down the man at the party in Shurmer Street shortly before 1.30am on Saturday.

Detective Inspector Jo Clawson said: "The man's girlfriend was absolutely beside herself with worry and genuinely concerned that he would come to harm.

"Considerable resources and time then went into finding this man, who it transpires made the entire thing up so he could stay out and party.

"This is without doubt one of the most foolish and irresponsible incidents I have been involved in.

"Significant resources were taken off the front line on a Friday night, which is without exception one of the busiest times of the week."

She added he was "fortunate" to not have been charged but officers decided not to waste more police resources and public money by putting him through the court system.

Instead he was given a fixed penalty notice for wasting police time and the matter was recorded as a criminal conviction on his record.

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Burglary Suspects Identified From Bus Ticket

Two burglary suspects have been identified after leaving a bus ticket at the scene of the crime.

The 61-year-old victim confronted the intruders at his home in Greater Manchester and managed to pull off one of their jackets during a scuffle.

In the pocket was a bus stub which police used to track down CCTV of the bus they had been on.

Images of the two suspects have now been released to the public.

The men escaped with valuable jewellery from the home in Churchstone Walk in Baguley on May 17.

PC Rob Crossley said: "The victim, a man in his 60s, was obviously taken aback to find two men rummaging through his bedroom.

"In the melee following the initial shock he has been able to remove a jacket from one offender and this has given us some positive lines of inquiry.

"From the jacket we recovered a ticket and from the ticket we identified a bus used by the offenders.

"Now we are releasing CCTV images of two suspects we would like to trace.

"We have made numerous efforts to identify the pair and we are now keen for any further help from the public."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 4882, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Rapper Tumbles Off Stage During Hit Song

Australian rapper Iggy Azalea fell off the stage while performing one of her hit songs at an MTV Video Music Awards benefit concert.

There is no word if the star was injured – though the way she seamlessly continued singing Fancy suggests she is okay.

Security guards were quick to lift Azalea back on to the stage at The Avalon in Los Angeles.

British singer Charli XCX had joined Azalea to perform the chart-topping single.

Afterwards, Azalea told the crowd she felt "very blessed" to not break her legs.

The 24-year-old Australian appeared not to be hurt

The 24-year-old then posted a video of the incident on Instagram alongside the caption "I know I laughed."

Tori Kelly and Sam Smith also performed at the event benefiting Lifebeat - Music Fights HIV/AIDS.

Azalea is up for seven awards at Sunday's VMAs.

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Europe Puts Sat-Nav Satellites In Wrong Orbit

Experts are investigating whether plans for a European navigation system to rival the US-developed GPS are in trouble after two satellites were launched into the wrong orbits.

The European Space Agency (ESA) said the satellites ended up in the wrong position above the Earth after being carried into space on a Soyuz rocket on Friday.

The ESA did not clarify whether the problem could be fixed.

Both satellites have ended up on the wrong path. Picture: ESA

However, the Nasa Spaceflight news website said: "It is unlikely the satellites can be eased into their correct orbit."

The satellites were launched from Kourou, in French Guiana, by the agency and Arianespace, a French company.

The European Union's 30-satellite Galileo navigation network is due to be up and running before 2020. It has a budget of £7bn and so far, six satellites have been launched.

Galileo would rival GPS, or Global Positioning System, which was created by the US Department of Defense and has been operational for nearly 20 years.

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Red Alert For Airlines Over Iceland Volcano

A surge in seismic activity has caused Iceland to raise the aviation alert for its Bardarbunga volcano from orange to red.

Code red indicates that eruptions are happening or imminent that could disperse clouds of ash and dust into the paths of jet aircraft, threatening safe air travel.

An eruption in 2010 of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokul volcano produced an ash cloud that caused aviation chaos, with more than 100,000 international flights cancelled.

However, aviation regulators have since changed policies for flying through ash, so a new eruption would be unlikely to cause the same level of disruption.

Thousands of minor earthquakes deep beneath the Vatnajokull glacier over the past week have rattled Bardarbunga, causing authorities to evacuate several hundred people from an area north of the glacier.

2010: Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull eruption disrupted 100,000 flights

Icelandic Met Office official Theodor Hervasson said: "There is an ongoing eruption beneath the glacial surface, probably a small eruption which has not been able to melt the ice cap."

Bjorn Malmquist, from the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, said: "It's too early to say if flights will be disrupted. 

"A small eruption started 40 minutes ago but we have yet to see how powerful it is. It will take a couple of hours for the eruption to work its way through 500m of glacial ice above. Until then there's not much we can say about the air traffic.

"As long as there is water and magma interaction there will be a lot of ash, and explosions in the eruption itself, but its probably not going to be of the same kind in 2010. This will probably be more a fissure eruption, a sub-glacial eruption."

A spokeswoman for NATS, the UK's air traffic control organisation, said: "We are monitoring the situation and working in close collaboration with the Met Office, Department for Transport and our safety regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority."

Airlines including Easyjet and Flybe said there had been no changes to flight schedules.

Britain's Met Office said: "A spokeswoman for the Met Office said: "We are in close contact with the Icelandic Met Office, but currently they tell us that the eruptions are sub-glacial, so no ash has made it to the surface.

"If ash does make it to the surface, we will run our model which will indicate where any ash would go, and we will inform the CAA and Nats. They will then make the decision on how that will affect any air flights."

Scientists were planning to fly over the Vatnajokull glacier on Saturday to look for any changes to its surface.

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Missouri Cops Suspended Over Racial Outbursts

Two Missouri police officers who were involved in crowd control following the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager have been suspended after it emerged they made racially charged outbursts.

Internal investigations have been launched after one officer boasted of being a Jesus-loving "killer", while another compared protesters to a "rabid dog".

The disciplinary action came as a third consecutive night of restrained demonstrations took place in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson over the August 9 police shooting of Michael Brown.

Authorities remain braced for a possible flare-up of disturbances as the 18-year-old's funeral looms on Monday.

The National Guard is withdrawing from Ferguson

Officer Dan Page of the St Louis County Police Department was removed from active duty on Friday after a YouTube video, apparently filmed in 2012, surfaced.

In the clip, Page is seen addressing a St Louis chapter of the Oath Keepers, a conservative group, saying: "I personally believe in Jesus Christ as my lord saviour, but I'm also a killer.

"I've killed a lot, and if I need to I'll kill a whole bunch more. If you don't want to get killed, don't show up in front of me."

The number of arrests is down but residents' grievances remain

The 35-year police veteran and former serviceman adds: "I'm into diversity. I kill everybody, I don't care."

He also made disparaging remarks about Muslims and called President Barack Obama "an illegal alien".

The police department was made aware of the clip by a CNN anchor who was shoved by Page during a live report from Ferguson.

A Ferguson resident at a makeshift memorial for Michael Brown

The outburst was condemned by St Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar, who has been scrambling to repair community relations amid claims from African-Americans that local law enforcement is racist.

Chief Belmar said he was "deeply disturbed" by the comments, which he termed "so bizarre".

Also on Friday, a police department in another St Louis suburb, Glendale, said an officer had been suspended after he posted Facebook rants aimed at Ferguson protesters.

Officers guard the police station in Ferguson, Missouri

Michael Pappert wrote: "I'm sick of these protesters. You are a burden on society and a blight on the community."

He also wrote: "These protesters should have been put down like a rabid dog the first night."

In an apparent reference to the Boston marathon bombing, he wrote: "Where is a Muslim with a backpack when you need them."

Pappert was one of hundreds of St Louis area police officers called into Ferguson as crowd-control reinforcements, according to press photographers.

Glendale Police Department said Pappert's posts "absolutely" did not represent the views of the rank-and-file or the city government.

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'Asbos For Extremists' To Tackle UK Jihadists

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Home Secretary Theresa May is planning to bring in new laws to tackle the threat of British jihadists - including "anti-social behaviour orders" for extremists.

Mrs May will announce a three-point plan to counter British Muslim extremists, warning that the security threat to the UK will continue for decades.

The measures would target the activities of radical preachers, such as Anjem Choudary, whose extreme rhetoric currently does not constitute a crime.

Full details are yet to emerge, but the new power will be designed to restrict extremists' behaviour and language.

As with an Asbo, it could result in a criminal conviction carrying a jail term if breached.

Mrs May has unveiled her crackdown in an article in the Daily Telegraph.

Theresa May's warning echoes recent comments from David Cameron

She discloses that she will make it illegal to join extremist groups that preach violent views, but are not directly involved in terrorism.

Currently, the threshold for banning membership of organisations, such as the Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIL), requires the Home Secretary to prove that the group is directly involved in terrorist acts.

The new power could target Islamist political organisations and other Muslim groups that tacitly support extremism.

In addition, state-funded organisations such as councils and schools will be given a new legal obligation to combat extremists.

Mrs May uses the Telegraph article to echo a warning about extremism made by the Prime Minister in a newspaper report last weekend.

The Home Secretary writes: "We are in the middle of a generational struggle against a deadly extremist ideology.

Cardiff students Khan (L) and Muthana (C) appeared in an IS video

"We will be engaged in this struggle for many years, probably decades. We must give ourselves all the legal powers we need to prevail.

"I am looking again at the case for new banning orders for extremist groups that fall short of the legal threshold for terrorist proscription, as well as for new civil powers to target extremists who seek to radicalise others."

The measures proposed by Mrs May are similar to recommendations for legislation made by the Government's Extremism Task Force last December.

Those recommendations were surprisingly omitted from the Queen's Speech this year.

But there is no suggestion yet that the Home Secretary plans to introduce emergency legislation when MPs return to the Commons on September 1.

David Cameron said during his brief return to Downing Street from his holiday after the murder of journalist James Foley that there would be "no knee-jerk reaction".

Radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary

The problem of radicalisation was highlighted in June when two Cardiff students - Reyaad Khan, 20, Nasser Muthana, also 20, - were identified in a propaganda video for IS posted on YouTube.

The two men along with Muthana's younger brother Aseel, 17, were lured to join extremists fighting in Syria and Iraq.

And a jihadi fighter in Syria told Sky News in July that he was training British teenagers as young as 16 to fight in the war.

Yvette Cooper, Labour's shadow home secretary, said: "More action is needed to respond to the serious problem of people travelling to fight with ISIL.

"The Home Secretary's confirmation that she is continuing to look at the recommendations of the Prime Minister's Taskforce, announced last December, is welcome.

"Though there remains no detail on things like civil powers to tackle extremists or extremist groups for people to consider.

"However I remain concerned that the Government is not addressing the gaps in the Prevent programme - especially the lack of support for community led approaches to preventing radicalisation.

"And the Home Secretary also needs to respond to the concerns raised by the current and previous Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation about the decision to weaken control orders, where they have advised that stronger measures should be put in place."

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Ebola: Briton Tests Positive In Sierra Leone

MSF Says Ebola Epidemic Is Like War Time

Updated: 6:55pm UK, Friday 15 August 2014

Health experts have revealed they are struggling to contain West Africa's deadly ebola outbreak, and described the situation as like being in "wartime".

The charity Medecin Sans Frontieres (MSF) said if the situation in Liberia is not brought under control then the region will never be stabilised.

"The main thing I come back to is that it is deteriorating faster, moving faster than we can respond to," MSF international president Dr Joanne Liu said.

"To put it in context with my time with MSF, I really feel that it is like wartime, in terms of fear and nobody knowing what is going on.

"We need a response in terms of international organisations and states, and it needs to happen now if we want to contain this epidemic."

MSF, which employs doctors in some of the world's most difficult conditions, has struggled to help control the ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Dr Liu, who made the announcement at a news conference in Geneva following a 10-day trip to affected areas, said it will take about six months to bring the epidemic under control.

It was first identified in Guinea in March and has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, and finally Nigeria - promoting increased international concern.

On Friday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the death toll from the ebola outbreak has risen to 1,145 - with 76 new deaths reported over two days.

The health agency said a total of 152 confirmed, probable or suspected new cases of the fever were reported in that same period in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

The plea from MSF, which was founded in 1971, comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the number of deaths and confirmed cases has been vastly underestimated.

The death toll from the outbreak in the region currently stands at more than 1,068 people.

There have been 1,975 confirmed, probable or suspected cases, the WHO said, with the majority in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

"The outbreak is expected to continue for some time. WHO's operational response plan extends over the next several months," the WHO said on Thursday.

The UN World Food Programme said on Friday it would now provide food aid to a million people affected by the emergency.

Meanwhile, Olympic Games organisers have banned young athletes from ebola-affected regions of West Africa from participating in the Youth Olympic Games in China.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said three competitors would not be allowed to take part in combat sports and swimming pool events.

The IOC and the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee said it was impossible to rule out the risk of potential infection.

Those from the affected regions competing in other sports will undergo regular temperature checks and physical assessments throughout the games, which begin on Saturday.

The IOC added that there had been no suspected cases of ebola reported in China and "the risk of infection is extremely unlikely".

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