Ukrainian Aircraft Shot Down By Separatists

Separatists have shot down a Ukrainian military plane in the eastern city of Luhansk, killing 49 people.

It is the biggest loss of life suffered by government forces in a single incident since Kiev began a military operation to try to defeat the pro-Russia insurgency in east Ukraine.

A statement released by the Defence Ministry accused pro-Russian "terrorists" of shooting down the Ilyushin-76 aircraft, which was about to land at Luhansk airport.

A separatist gathers ammunition at the site of the crash

It said the rebels "cynically and treacherously" downed the plane using anti-aircraft guns and heavy calibre guns at 11pm UK time on Friday (1am local time on Saturday).

The attack came as presidential bodyguards discovered a bomb, packed with five grenades and 1kg of metal nuts, at the gates of Petro Poroshenko's headquarters.

The device, which was discovered on Friday night and described as "really powerful", was disposed of by security services.

Everyone on board was killed

The plane was carrying nine crew and 40 paratroopers, as well as food and equipment.

The prosecutor's office said a criminal investigation had been opened under anti-terrorism laws.

Alexei Toporov, a defence spokesman for the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, said the aircraft was shot down after what he called Ukrainian "occupiers" had refused an ultimatum to leave Luhansk airport.

There were 40 paratroopers on the plane when it was downed

Footage has been uploaded online, claiming to show the plane coming down.

In the CCTV footage, which Sky News has not yet been able to verify independently, a small flash of light is seen in the sky.

This is then followed by a second, much larger, burst of light which illuminates the horizon.

Luhansk is close to the Russian border

The Luhansk Oblast is at the heart of the separatist rebellion launched in April, and local media is reporting that there is fighting in the region's administrative centre, also called Luhansk.

The rebels said the Ukrainian air force have fired on the industrial town of Horlivka, north of Donetsk.

It comes after Russia was accused by the US State Department of sending tanks and heavy weaponry to Ukraine in support of separatists in the country's east.

The first flash of light in the footage

Several tanks and rocket launchers were moved into Ukraine from an arms depot inside Russia, the department said.

The statement comes after Kiev alleged that three tanks had crossed from Russia into Ukrainian territory this week.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday that the action was "unacceptable".

A Russian tank seen at a military base near Simferopol in March

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said three T-64 tanks, several BM-21 or Grad rocket launchers and other vehicles had crossed into Ukraine's east as part of a convoy.

Amateur videos posted on the internet in recent days show the same kind of tanks moving through cities in eastern Ukraine, including Snizhnye, Torez, and Makiyivka.

Moscow has denied the allegation.

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Boy, 6, Shot In Neck By Gunman In Dublin

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent

A six-year-old boy has been seriously injured after being shot in the neck by a gunman in west Dublin.

It is understood the shooting took place outside the boy's home in the Ballyfermot area of the city late on Friday.

Sky sources say the child was not the gunman's intended target, but was caught in crossfire.

The boy was taken to the nearby Crumlin hospital where his condition is said to be "stable and non life-threatening".

A police officer is also thought to have been injured in a subsequent car chase following the attack.

Police have sealed off the area in Croftwood Gardens while they investigate.

A spokesman said: "The shooting occurred shortly after 10pm, a six-year-old boy received what is believed to be a gunshot wound to his neck. When gardai arrived on scene they administered first aid until the arrival of the ambulance.

The shooting adds to the deteriorating criminal picture in Dublin where there has been a significant rise in violent crime in recent months.

Most of it is related to drugs and other gangland crime - but this, to the best of my knowledge, is the first time that a child has been caught up in the violence.

It will certainly increase pressure on the Irish police force to deploy more officers to the area.

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Iraq Crisis Brings America And Iran 'Closer'

One of the by-products of the threat to Baghdad from Sunni Islamist jihadists is the potential for co-operation between the USA and Iran, both of which are backing the Iraqi government.

This in turn would help the ongoing dialogue between the two countries about Iran's alleged nuclear weapons programme.

Shia-dominated Iran does not want Iraq's Shia-led government to fall and is moving to shore up the Iraqi capital's defences in order to maintain influence there. 

With both the US and Iran countries for once having the same short-term aims, there are degrees of co-operation they can undertake.

The Iranians are already thought to be in Baghdad at a command and control level – assisting the Iraqi military with its response.

Barack Obama and Iran's Hassan Rouhani find themselves with the same aims

If it also puts its Revolutionary Guard soldiers into the battle, the Americans can turn a blind eye to their presence.

Washington is already helping the Iraqis with intelligence from their spy satellites.

If Iran does put large numbers of troops on the ground, the Americans know that the intelligence they pass to the Iraqis will find its way to the Iranians, a price they are likely willing to pay.

President Barack Obama also has the option to increase the amount of arms the US sends to the Iraqi authorities and to speed up the training of Iraqi special forces which the US military is doing in Jordan.

If he wants to launch airstrikes via Tomahawk cruise missiles, drones, or fixed wing aircraft, then logistics should not prove problematic.

US may turn blind eye to presence of Revolutionary Guard

The US has "assets" in several bases in Turkey including Incerlik.

The US Fifth Fleet is in Bahrain, the carrier group USS George H W Bush is now in the Gulf, and the US can use the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar

Airstrikes carry the risk of civilian casualties but Mr Obama appears prepared to order them.

The ISIS advance has been halted, but it is likely that airstrikes would be required to push them back.

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Iraq: Iran Offers To Work With Arch Foe US

Iran's president has said he would consider working with the US to combat Islamist militants in Iraq, as he offered help fight the insurgents.

President Hassan Rouhani suggested he would be willing to co-operate with Iran's traditional enemy to keep the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) from taking control of its Middle East neighbour.

In a televised address on Saturday morning Mr Rouhani said Iran would be willing to go to Iraq's assistance and added: "We all should practically and verbally confront terrorist groups."

A refugee boy fleeing his Iraqi home after militants took control

Asked if Tehran would work with the Americans, he said: "We can think about it if we see America start confronting the terrorist groups in Iraq or elsewhere."

President Barack Obama has ruled out putting American troops on the ground in Iraq, but says the White House is considering all other options for support.

Barack Obama has ruled out troops on the ground

He said he would make a decision "in the days ahead" on the options, amid reports that the Pentagon is drafting plans for possible air strikes against the Islamist rebels.

"The United States will do our part, but ultimately it's up to the Iraqis as a sovereign nation to solve their problems," Mr Obama said. "We can't do it for them."

Iran has already sent a Major General from the Revolutionary Guard to Baghdad to meet leaders of the city.

Hassan Rouhani has offered to help Iraq in a televised address

Iran is predominately Shia and does not want to see a Sunni caliphate established on its borders by ISIS fighters, who are now thought to be fewer than 50 miles (80km) from Iraq's capital.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has ruled out sending UK troops, but said Britain may offer other support, such as counter-terrorism expertise, which could see the involvement of the SAS, as it did in Libya.

"Work is under way on that now and we will continue to liaise closely with our United States allies in particular on that," he said.

Britain is to provide £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

Volunteers waiting to join the Iraqi army to fight ISIS

It comes as the governor of Mosul told Sky News he would welcome US support in ousting Islamist militants from Iraq, but does not want troops on the ground.

Speaking from Irbil in the Kurdish north after fleeing Mosul when it was taken by ISIS, Atheel al Nujaifi said the insurgents' attack on several Iraqi cities came as a complete surprise to Iraqi authorities.

Mr Nujaifi said: "We need to have weapons. We need to have political support.

A comparison of the Iraqi army and ISIS

"(But) we don't like the American army to come into Iraq and to occupy Iraq another time and turn back to the same problem that happened before."

The UN has said the 7,000-strong ISIS force has carried out summary executions and rapes in its bloody takeover of large swathes of the country. It has met with little resistance as 90,000 Iraqi soldiers are said to have deserted their posts.

Some of the areas affected by the fighting

On Saturday morning hundreds of young Iraqis attended volunteer centres across Baghdad to sign up to fight the militants after the country's most senior cleric urged people to take up arms

Sheikh Abdulmehdi al Karbalai, a representative for Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, said: "People who are capable of carrying arms and fighting the terrorists in defence of their country ... should volunteer to join the security forces to achieve this sacred goal."

:: Watch a special report on the conflict in Iraq on our catch up service. Sky's Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lisa Holland asks whether the current crisis means the end of Iraq. It's free for TV customers with Sky HD+ boxes connected to broadband.

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Iraqis Told: 'Take Up Arms And Defend Country'

Iraq has implemented an emergency plan to defend Baghdad as a representative for its most senior Shi'ite cleric urged people to take up arms and defend their country.

Sheikh Abdulmehdi al Karbalai, a representative for Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, said: "People who are capable of carrying arms and fighting the terrorists in defence of their country ... should volunteer to join the security forces to achieve this sacred goal."

Sunni insurgents are edging closer to the country's capital after seizing large swathes of territory as they head south on the road from Mosul to Baghdad.

Along the way the fighters have been parading seized military equipment and flying the black and white flag of the Islamic caliphate, or state, they hope to create.

General Lord Richard Dannatt, former chief of the general staff, told Sky News the "bitter" conflict is "almost a fight for the soul of Islam itself".

Amid fears the nation could degenerate into civil war, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki should do more to put aside sectarian differences.

Volunteers who have joined the Iraqi Army to fight ISIS board an army truck

Security forces are gathering at a base just 20 miles outside Baghdad, ready to protect the city from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters who have vowed to march on the city.

Brigadier General Saad Maan told the AFP news agency: "The plan consists of intensifying the deployment of forces, and increasing intelligence efforts and the use of technology such as (observation) balloons and cameras and other equipment."

Insurgents have taken control of the northern cities Mosul and Tikrit, having previously seized Fallujah and parts of Ramadi.

A comparison of the Iraqi army and ISIS

The militants have also moved into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in the eastern province of Diyala, after security forces abandoned their positions.

A security source and local official told Reuters that insurgents clashed with Shi'ite militia at two locations in the province.

The Iraqi army fired artillery at Saadiyah and Jalawla from Muqdadiya, 50 miles from the Baghdad city limits, sending dozens of families fleeing towards the Iranian border, security sources said.

Some of the areas affected by the fighting in Iraq

The Iraqi air force also launched airstrikes on militant fighters' positions around Mosul and Tikrit.

In Mosul, ISIS fighters staged a parade of American Humvee patrol vehicles seized from the Iraqi army.

Witnesses say the fighters are preparing a third assault on Samarra, 70 miles north of Baghdad, following two failed attempts to take the city.

An Iraqi security officer stands guard as Iraqi civilians wait to volunteer

As the chaos spreads, Iraqi Kurdish forces have taken control of Kirkuk, an oil hub close to their autonomous enclave, after government troops abandoned their posts.

ISIS has published Sharia rules for the territory it has gained in northern Iraq, including a ban on drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and an edict on women to wear all-covering, shapeless clothing.

Militants are reported to have executed soldiers and policemen after seizing some towns.

A woman cradles her baby at a temporary camp in Nineveh province

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sherine Tadros, in Irbil, northern Iraq, said: "The army right now is extremely demoralised, it feels like it's lacking in leadership and it's splintering under this pressure.

"Meanwhile, the militants certainly seem like they have the upper hand and all the momentum."

UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said the number of people killed in Mosul may run into the hundreds.

He said his office had reports the killings included the execution of 18 civilians working for the police.

Four women killed themselves after being raped, while 16 Georgians have been kidnapped, Mr Colville added.

"We've also had reports suggesting that the government forces have also committed excesses, in particular the shelling of civilian areas on 6 and 8 June," he said.

"There are claims that up to 30 civilians may have been killed."

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Iraq Crisis Threatens Opec Oil Supply Growth

Future growth for the world's leading oil cartel will be severely harmed if militants reach the south of Iraq, a leading energy body has warned.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said prices could continue to climb if ISIS insurgents took the capital Baghdad or continued towards crucial oil fields and Gulf export facilities near Basra.

The warning was issued to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) by the Paris-based policy group.

"Concerning as the latest events in Iraq may be, they might not for now, if the conflict does not spread further, put additional Iraqi oil supplies immediately at risk," the IEA said.

But it calculated that "roughly 60% of the growth in Opec crude production capacity for the rest of this decade will come from Iraq."

Opec is a 12-member cartel responsible for a third of global oil production, with Iraq its second-largest producer.

Barrel price for oil is currently at a nine-month high, with oil futures priced at a three-year high.

The IEA is the energy monitoring and policy arm of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), described by the Economist magazine as "the rich-country club".

Last month the IEA warned of a supply struggle from Opec - with a number of its member states faced supply disruptions.

Libya has seen its output reduced to below 200,000 barrels per day amid factional fighting, and Iranian output continues to be hampered by western sanctions.

Meanwhile, Nigeria has been affected by the shale revolution in the United States and Venezuela has suffered significant production limitations.

Key producer Saudi Arabia has said it could make up near-term shortfalls to keep the target of a combined 30 million barrels a day heading to world markets.

But the IEA said OPEC must boost output by 800,000 barrels daily in the second half of this year to meet demand.

The energy agency said that Iraq's relatively small output from the north of the country has been off the market since March due to violence, while output from the south has been on the rise and production has hit a 30-year high.

:: Opec was founded in Baghdad in 1960, to help exporting countries influence prices and break the stranglehold held by the so-called seven sisters, key western oil companies that dominated the global industry.

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Ferry Disaster: Chief Suspect Still At Large

South Korean police have arrested the brother of a South Korean businessman linked to a ferry disaster in which hundreds of children drowned in April.

Yoo Byung-il was held near a leafy church compound in Anseong, two hours south of Seoul.

His elder brother, Yoo Byung-un, 73, has eluded what has become South Korea's biggest manhunt and is still on the run.

People pay respects to the ferry victims at an official memorial

Yoo Byung-un is wanted on charges of embezzlement, negligence and tax evasion stemming from a web of business holdings centred on I-One-I, an investment vehicle owned by his sons who ran the Chonghaejin shipping company that owned the striken Sewol ferry,

Authorities have also arrested a man believed to have delivered food to Yoo Byung-un and one of his drivers - they are also looking for two middle-aged sect members who are accused of helping him escape.

The upturned hull of the Sewol ferry

Police said they believe Yoo Byung-un and one of his sons are still in South Korea while another son is based in the US. His daughter has been held in France since May 28 following a call from Interpol for her arrest.

The Sewol sank off the southwest coast on April 16 on a routine journey from Incheon on the mainland to the southern holiday island of Jeju, with the loss of more than 300 lives.

A relative weeps as she waits for news

Of the 476 passengers and crew on board the Sewol, 339 were children and teachers from the same school. Only 172 people were rescued and the remainder are all presumed to have drowned in South Korea's worst civilian maritime disaster in 20 years.

Fifteen ferry workers, including the captain, have gone on trial, facing charges of murder and negligence.

If convicted of murder, they could face the death penalty.

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Ukraine Troops Storm Rebel-Held Buildings

Ukrainian government forces have reclaimed the port city of Mariupol after heavy fighting with pro-Russian separatists.

The Interior Ministry said troops stormed rebel-held buildings after they were surrounded and those inside given 10 minutes to surrender.

At least five separatists and two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the gun battle, before the rebels fled the city.

Government forces also regained control of a 75-mile stretch of the border with Russia.

Interior minister Arsen Avakov wrote on Facebook: "At 10.34am the Ukrainian flag was raised over City Hall in Mariupol."

He added that National Guard and interior ministry units took part in the battle alongside special forces.

Mariupol lies on major roads from the southeastern border of Ukraine.

The separatists seized control of government buildings across eastern Ukraine after Russia annexed Crimea in March following the overthrow of former president Viktor Yanukovych.

The new president, Petro Poroshenko, has stepped up the military operation against the rebels since his election on May 25.

Relations between Ukraine and Russia, already strained by the occupation of Crimea, have remained hostile after Ukraine accused its neighbour of supporting rebels and allowing them to bring equipment over the border.

Talks between the two countries on a gas pricing row have also stalled.

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World Cup: Top 11 Players To Watch In Brazil

By Nick Powell, Sports Editor

Like the Grand National, the World Cup has become a great participation event in offices, clubs and schools.

Join the sweep, pick the top scorer, guess how far England will go, perhaps even have a bet.

So to help, here's a team of men who are probably not big names in your household or workplace - but might be in a month's time.

:: Thibos Courtois, goalkeeper (Belgium/Atletico Madrid)

Actually a Chelsea employee, but doing so well on loan at Atletico that his future has become a big debating point in the last few months.

If Belgium are to do as well as the bookies predict, then he is certain to have enhanced his reputation even further.

Italy's veteran keeper Gianluigi Buffon has picked him out as a man to watch - and he should know.

:: Mauricio Isla, attacking right-back (Chile/Juventus)

Older than some of his colleagues in this fabled team at the age 25 and with almost half a century of appearances for Chile behind him, he has a great chance to win more admirers of his charging runs down the right.

Chile are in the same group as Spain and Holland but do not rule out Isla helping dump one of those giants out at the first hurdle.

:: Raphael Varane, central defender (France/Real Madrid)

He has only played five times for France, but at 21 years old he is part of a badly needed new generation for the 1998 world champions.

Big and strong - not to mention fiery - he got involved in an altercation on the pitch with opposition boss Diego Costa at the end of the Champions League final, in which his Real team beat city rivals Atletico Madrid.

Jose Mourinho says he's the world's best young defender.

:: Mats Hummels, central defender (Germany/Borussia Dortmund)

If Germany go a long way in the World Cup, Hummels has the potential to be one of the stars of the tournament.

A dominant figure who can play as well as block, he also has a memorable name and a girlfriend, Cathy Fischer, who has been described as Germany's top WAG.

:: Yuto Nagatomo, left-back (Japan/Inter Milan)

Nagatomo has talked ambitiously about Japan winning the World Cup. One day, perhaps. Although they did reach the last 16 in 2010.

If they are to do it again, he will need to be at his best, both in defence and marauding down the left.

:: Juan Cuadrado, midfield (Colombia/Fiorentina)

Top scorer from midfield for Fiorentina in the Italian League with 11 goals last season, Cuadrado was converted from a right-back and is already interesting many of Europe's top clubs.

There is every chance there will be a long queue at his agent's door after the World Cup.

:: William Carvalho, midfield (Portugal/Sporting Lisbon)

You thought Angola was not the place to look for football talent?

This young man from Luanda has to force his way into Portugal's team but he is big and powerful (think Manchester City's Yaya Toure) with a future to match.

:: Paul Pogba, midfield (France/Juventus)

Still only 21, he has been in the headlines since Sir Alex Ferguson decided he was not good enough for Manchester United.

His poise belies his years. Zinedine Zidane, a World Cup winner in 1998, says his young countryman will become one of Europe's best central midfielders.

:: Ciro Immobile, striker (Italy/Borussia Dortmund)

This guy could be huge and may even be the World Cup's top goalscorer - worth a punt at around 50-1 if you like a bet.

No one got more than him in Italy last season and he has just signed for Dortmund.

Mario Balotelli is the big name in the Italians' attack ... so far.

:: Carlos Bacca, striker (Colombia/Sevilla)

Now carrying a nation's goalscoring hopes on his shoulders after injury ruled out his more illustrious colleague, Radamel Falcao, but he is up to the task.

He scored four goals towards the end of the season for his Spanish club, the Europa League winners.

And Bacca has every chance of helping Colombia progress from a group that also includes Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan - therefore boosting his own reputation.

:: Joel Campbell, striker (Costa Rica/Arsenal)

You're going to hear plenty about Joel Campbell because he is a big threat to England's hopes of progress from Group D.

Arsenal have loaned him out for the last three seasons, most recently to Greek club Olympiakos, for whom he scored against Manchester United in the Champions League.

His mum told him to read Psalm 27 - "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" - before matches and apparently he does so.

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World Cup Airport Strike Threatens Chaos In Rio

Thousands of football fans flying to Brazil for the start of the World Cup are facing a chaotic welcome, after ground staff voted to stage a 24-hour strike.

Hours before the tournament gets under way, workers at Rio de Janeiro's Galeao airport, which is expected to be one of the busiest in Brazil over the next four weeks, have declared a partial walkout in a row over pay.

Baggage handlers and check-in staff will join colleagues at the city's Santos Dumont airport - an important hub for flights to Sao Paulo, where England play Uruguay next week - in downing tools.

Rio de Janeiro's airports are busy even in a non-World Cup month

They have promised to maintain an 80% service and although fans heading to Sao Paulo will be at least be able to catch the subway after metro staff voted against taking industrial action themselves, there is potential for disruption at already-stretched terminals.

Some 2.1 million people passed through the two airports last month - an average of 68,000 people a day - with World Cup arrivals set to bolster those numbers further still.

Excitement is building in Brazil as the four-week tournament gets under way

Sky's Sports Correspondent Paul Kelso, in Rio de Janeiro, said: "This city is a hub for many supporters, including England fans heading for their team's opening game in Manaus on Saturday, and if the strike goes ahead they face disruption.

"The vote by Sao Paulo's metro workers is a significant relief for organisers, but it may not lift the considerable anxiety around the start of the tournament."

All the latest World Cup news and analysis on the Sky News catch up service

After a build-up dominated by delays to infrastructure projects, deaths at stadium construction sites and protests over spiralling costs, the World Cup kicks off in Sao Paulo later today.

The host nation face Croatia in the tournament's curtain-raiser after an opening ceremony featuring performances by the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull.

The pitch in Manaus appears dry and yellow

England's first match is on Saturday and as Roy Hodgson's players continue to acclimatise, the pitch at Manaus' Amazonia Arena where they will face Italy appears to be in poor condition.

A journalist for the AFP news agency said the playing surface was noticeably dry and particularly bare around one of the goals, "revealing large yellowing areas of turf".

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Syrian Rape Victims 'Suffer In Silence'

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter

Syrian victims of rape and sexual abuse are often forced to "suffer in silence", aid workers have said.

Unicef's head of child protection in Jordan told Sky News the stigma associated with surviving such attacks means many Syrians are scared to seek help.

Mahar Homsi said: "Fear of disclosure is paramount. Especially in Middle Eastern and Syrian society, you are expected to suffer the abuse in silence.

"That's why we're trying to say you can seek services in a very confidential way and we can help you recover from such horrible experiences."

Ms Homsi says many women are expected to "suffer in silence"

At the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan, numerous programmes and 'safe spaces' allow women and children to seek counselling and therapy.

Similar services exist in other host countries such as Lebanon and Iraq, as well as inside Syria.

In January, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) published figures suggesting 38,000 Syrians had approached the agency in relation to such violence in 2013.

However, it has admitted such cases probably only represent a fraction of the problem.

Many women flee to the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan

Mollie Fair, the UNFPA's regional advisor on humanitarian issues, said: "It might be the survivor's decision that he or she doesn't want to seek services.

"There might be pressures from family or community that prevent them coming forward (or) it might be that services aren't available or they're unaware, so we consider this just a small representation of what's actually occurring."

It is only in the rare instances where someone is prepared to recount their ordeal that the true horror of this aspect of the Syrian conflict comes to light.

Manhal, a 30-year-old man from Homs, agreed to speak to Sky News on condition we obscured his identity.

Ms Fair says many victims of sexual violence do not come forward

He was detained by Syrian regime forces at the end of 2011 after filming anti-government protests and posting them online.

He claims his captors brought his wife and son before him and said if he gave them the information about other anti-Assad activists, both would be released.

Instead, despite him giving them a false list of names, they killed his son.

Numbed and still refusing to talk, they threatened to rape his wife.

He claims she told him to stay quiet because they had already raped her.

An estimated 85,000 people currently call Za'atari their home

He said three of the captors then held her down and raped her despite her resistance, spitting and cursing at her abusers.

For that they beat her to death.

Manhal himself was slashed with knives, burnt with cigarettes and electrocuted - attacks that have left him permanently disfigured.

He was left for dead on a rubbish heap but somehow survived.

He was helped to safety by strangers and eventually made it to Za'atari before heading to Amman for medical treatment.

In Jordan he joined hundreds of thousands of other Syrians displaced by the conflict.

But while the stigma of sex being used as a weapon remains, it is almost impossible to say how many others who, like Manhal, have witnessed or survived this most brutal violence.

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Out Of This World Cup: Space Station Kickabout

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station got themselves into the World Cup spirit by kicking a football around in zero gravity.

US astronauts Reid Wiseman and Steve Swanson and German astronaut Alexander Gerst were preparing to watch the tournament from some 230 miles above Earth.

"We want to wish all the teams and fans on the ground in Brazil a great World Cup. Have fun and have peaceful games," said Mr Gerst.

"May the best win and viel glück (good luck)!"

Football in zero gravity

Mr Wiseman said: "Have fun, play hard and we'll be watching on the International Space Station."

Come June 26, the crew might feel a little friendly competition. The US and Germany will play each other as both teams were drawn in Group G.

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Egypt President Sorry Over 'Worst' Sex Attack

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent

Egypt's new president has apologised to a woman who was attacked during the celebrations to mark his inauguration at the weekend.

Abdel Fattah al Sisi visited the woman at a Cairo hospital and told her: "I have come to tell you and every Egyptian woman that I am sorry. I am apologising to every Egyptian woman."

It comes after he ordered a crackdown on sex crimes following the emergence of a video, which has been circulated on social media, showing a woman being assaulted in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

The blurry, two-minute clip, which was allegedly filmed during Sunday's inaugural festivities, shows a woman completely naked and bruised with hordes of men around as she is carried into a vehicle.

Dozens of women say they have been attacked in Tahrir Square in the past two years but many said this was the worst they had heard of.

Mr al Sisi has described sexual harassment as "unacceptable"

It has been covered widely by Egyptian media, with one newspaper demanding the perpetrators be executed.

In one of his first public statements, Mr Sisi called it an "unacceptable form of conduct, alien to the best principles of Egyptian culture".

It comes as a global summit to stop sexual violence in war zones, co-hosted by Angelina Jolie, continues in London.

On Tuesday, the actress told the summit: "We must send a message across the world that there's no disgrace in being a survivor of sexual violence. The shame is on the aggressor."

Part of the problem in Egypt has been an absence of laws protecting women against sexual harassment, allowing attackers to act with complete impunity.

Jolie co-hosted the London summit with Foreign Secretary William Hague

A decree issued last week made it a criminal act for the first time, with offenders warned they could face up to five years in prison.

Importantly, it defines harassment as including the making of obscene gestures "in any manner", recognising it does not have to be of a physical nature.

A study conducted last year by the UN showed 99.3% of Egyptian women have experienced some form of harassment, with around half (47%) claiming they are harassed daily.

It has become so prevalent and widespread in Egypt that many women have simply grown to accept it.

Men often stare and shout obscene comments at women as they walk along the street.

At times, it is seen as acceptable for women to feel shame and humiliation, as if something about how they dress or walk is to blame. 

It is an endemic problem and has become part of Egyptian culture - a dysfunctional yet accepted norm.

Farah Shash, of the Nadeem Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, said: "The culture here when it comes to sexual harassment is to blame the victim."

She said authorities in Egypt have never seen women's rights as a priority and women are reluctant to report incidents because the police are so unsympathetic.

Journalist Hania Moheeb, who was gang raped in Tahrir Square last January and is attending this week's summit, said: "The denial this society has been living in for over two decades is something that has to end."

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Mystery Surrounds Brit Backpacker Missing In Oz

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

A mother has flown from Scotland to Australia in a desperate attempt to find her son who has gone missing while backpacking.

Judith Ansell said her son was "distressed" when he spoke to her on the phone from Australia before he vanished two weeks ago.

Jonathan Ansell, 27, disappeared from Melbourne and is believed to have had no passport or money, and with no place to stay had been forced to sleep rough.

His mother believes he also had no mobile phone and had called her in Scotland from a payphone.

"I think he must have been calling from a phone box and didn't have any more money and it just got cut off," she told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.

"He said he had run out of money, and was living rough."

Mr Ansell, from Glasgow, came to Australia on a work visa in April 2013 which ran out in April 2014.

He had been working on Hamilton Island, a popular holiday resort, before heading off to travel, visiting Sydney and Byron Bay.

In February, he met up with friends in Sydney, where his Scottish bank records indicate the last use of a credit card.

Victoria Police are checking to see if he had an Australian bank account that could shed more light on his movements. They believe he may have travelled into a rural area of the state.

Mrs Ansell described her son as affable, but extremely quiet and she said he was unlikely to approach people to ask for help.

A Twitter account called @Find_Jonathan has been set up and his sister Kate has also started a campaign on Facebook urging anyone with information to come forward.

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Morrissey Blames Support Act For Axed Tour

Morrissey appears to be blaming his support act for a "horrendous cold" which has caused him to cancel the rest of his US tour.

The former Smiths frontman was taken to hospital after collapsing following his show in Boston on Saturday.

The singer announced the end of the tour, including his scheduled June 21 date with Sir Cliff Richard in New York, with "unimaginable sorrow".

A statement on his Facebook page said: "It is with great sadness that the remainder of the US Tour has been cancelled.

"The respiratory infection Morrissey contracted in Miami has worsened, and in the interest of making a full recovery, all further touring plans have been halted.

"Morrissey thanks his fans for their compassion, understanding, and well-wishes during this difficult period as he recuperates."

A message posted on True To You, a respected Morrissey fan site, said he fell ill after catching what Kristeen Young described as her "horrendous cold" in Miami.

"Morrissey received medical attention in Miami, and once again in Boston, but it was not enough to shake off the virus, the recovery time for which is too lengthy to meet the final nine shows of the tour."

Young was reportedly asked not to appear in a number of shows but has decided to leave the tour altogether.

When the date with Sir Cliff was initially announced, the Devil Woman singer admitted he could not name any Morrissey songs.

He said: "I couldn't tell you the titles. I've just googled him to see what kinds of crowds he plays to and what sort of show he did. I'm thinking, okay, it looks like a pop-rock show."

It is not the first time ill-health has forced Morrissey from the stage.

Last year he cancelled a string of US dates after suffering a bleeding ulcer, Barrett's oesophagus and double pneumonia.

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Militants Attack Iraq's Biggest Oil Refinery

Militants from an al Qaeda splinter group have attacked a town housing Iraq's largest oil refinery, as more than 500,000 people fled an assault on the country's second city.

Some 250 guards at the refinery in Baiji withdrew to another town after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants sent a delegation of tribal chiefs to persuade them to pull out.

The militants, in around 60 vehicles, moved into the city overnight and released prisoners in the town.

An estimated 500,000 people have fled Mosul and the surrounding area

Security sources said insurgents had overran parts of Tikrit on Wednesday and video footage showed fighting in Kirkuk.

Residents said police officers and soldiers were warned not to challenge the fighters, who destroyed a court house and a police station.

Jasim al Qaisi said: "Yesterday at sunset some gunmen contacted the most prominent tribal sheikhs in Baiji and told them 'we are coming to die or control Baiji, so we advise you to ask your sons in the police and army to lay down their weapons and withdraw'."

ISIL fighters wave their flag at the Sykes Picot Border. Pic: albaraka_news

A senior government official said the production of crude oil in Iraq - which produces around 3.5 million barrels of oil per day - could be affected after the attack on Baiji.

It comes after the militants seized control of Iraq's second city Mosul on Tuesday, forcing an estimated 500,000 people to flee the area.

Gunmen, wearing military uniforms and all-black clothing, have been guarding banks and government buildings in the city and calling over loudspeakers for government employees to return to work.

Insurgents have struck in Mosul, Baiji, Tikrit and Kirkuk

The militants also seized the Turkish consulate in the city and reportedly kidnapped the head of the diplomatic mission and 24 staff members, according to police.

Families have made their way into the Kurdistan region, which has its own military force the Peshmerga.

Bodies of soldiers and policemen have been left in the street, according to reports.

People celebrate as ISIL fighters occupy Mosul. Pic: albaraka_news

One officer said: "We can't beat them. We can't. They are well trained in street fighting and we're not.

"We need a whole army to drive them out of Mosul. They're like ghosts: they appear, strike and disappear in seconds."

Ninevah province governor Atheel al Nujaifi said on Wednesday authorities had a plan to restore security.

People queue at a border crossing into the Kurdistan region

Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has asked parliament to declare a state of emergency that would grant him additional powers to tackle the crisis. He also appealed for help from the international community.

And Iraq's Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, has said Baghdad will co-operate with Kurdish forces to "flush out these foreign fighters".

Influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr has called for the formation of militia units to help defend religious sites in Iraq.

Prime Minister David Cameron's official spokesman said the UK was ready to offer diplomatic assistance to Iraq.

ISIL has made serious gains in Iraq in the last year, seizing control of the city of Falluja and parts of Ramadi.

The group is also fighting President Bashar al Assad's regime in Syria.

Led by Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, it was formed after a split with al Qaeda's international leader Ayman al Zawahiri.

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