Early Bedtime Rule For Young Offenders Slammed

Young offenders will be ordered to go to bed at 10.30pm under strict new rules announced by the Government.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling revealed the new "lights out" regulation to be imposed on 15 to 17-year-olds in English institutions.

He said those who refuse to obey the new rules will be punished with the removal of privileges such as access to a television.

But prison reform campaigners labelled the plan a "petty restriction" and said it would add to problems faced in understaffed prisons.

More than 800 under-18s are serving custodial sentences in young offenders' institutions.

Mr Grayling said: "The public expects that serious offenders face prison - that is right.

"But it is also crucial that young people, most of whom have had chaotic and troubled lives finally get the discipline so badly needed to help turn their lives around.

"In some prisons young people are allowed to go to bed when they please. I don't think that is right. Stopping this inconsistency and introducing a strict 'lights out' policy is all part of our approach to addressing youth offending.

Mr Grayling said discipline was 'crucial' for young offenders

"Those who fail to comply will face tough sanctions."

The new rules will be introduced at young offenders institutions Cookham Wood in Kent, Feltham in London, Werrington in Stoke-on-Trent, Wetherby in Yorkshire, and Hindley in Wigan, from August.

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "A new lights-out policy will only exacerbate the problem of overuse of physical restraint in the youth secure estate which indicates a lack of trained, experienced staff with enough time to supervise and support the challenging children and young people in their charge.

"As most parents of teenagers know, commonsense discussion, constructive activity, setting reasonable boundaries and encouraging personal responsibility, all work better than new hard and fast rules backed by petty restrictions and harsh punishments."

And Labour MP Sadiq Khan, the shadow justice secretary, said: "Routine is crucial for those with chaotic lives, but sending young offenders to bed early and turning the lights off at 10.30pm falls far short of the reform needed to tackle the growing chaos caused by Chris Grayling's incompetence.

"Prisons are in crisis, becoming more overcrowded by the day. Jails that are violent where prisoners spend up to 23 hours a day in their cells are unlikely to do much to stop criminals reoffending and keep the public safe."

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'Euro Leaders Are Cowards' Over Juncker Vote

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has labelled Europe's leaders "cowards" for electing arch-federalist Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission.

Prime Minister David Cameron's only ally was Hungary as he attempted to block Mr Juncker, who he claims is not the right man to force through EU reform.

The Tories have promised a referendum on EU membership should they win the next election - and Mr Hunt believes "cowardice" from Europe's leaders can only make a vote to quit more likely.

"As a result of cowardice yesterday from other European leaders who weren't prepared to say in public what they said in private, they're going to have to work a lot harder to persuade the British people that Europe has a reform agenda," he said.

Mr Hunt claimed the British people would be "proud" of the Prime Minister - and that his position would ultimately help the UK renegotiate its relationship with Europe.

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

"You're getting European leaders queuing up to say how much they want Britain to stay in the EU, how they'll make compromises," he said.

"We want to be a country in control of our own destiny, we want to stop abuses of the welfare system and NHS.

"We're not going to take part in some grubby face-saving deal where we pretend we've got a deal - a feature of the last government. We want substantive reform in Europe."

Sky's Senior Political Correspondent Jason Farrell said Mr Hunt was not alone with his contentions.

"It might not seem like the most diplomatic language but he's not the only one saying it," he said. "Der Spiegel magazine in Germany has said Angela Merkel voted for a Commission president she didn't want - others have said European leaders have gone for the compromise."

The Prime Minister said his fellow EU leaders had made a "serious mistake" but vowed to keep fighting for reform in Europe.

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

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

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

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

Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "The last 48 hours doesn't show Europe is unreformable, it shows David Cameron is not the man to reform it because he has become toxic.

"Because people doubt his motivations, because people doubt the way he operates, it's made people say 'We're not going to ally with Britain'."

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

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

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Tiger Drags Man Off Boat In Front Of Children

By Neville Lazarus, India Producer

A tiger snatched a father from a boat and dragged him into the forest as his children looked on in India.

The Royal Bengal Tiger attacked Sushil Manjhi, 62, on his boat on a river in the Sundarbans region of eastern India.

Mr Manjhi had set off in the early morning to catch crabs in a small boat, along with his son Jyotish and daughter Molina.

The three rowed down the Datta river towards the Kholakhali forest but decided to turn back because of a peculiar smell.

A tigress is pictured swimming in a river in the Sunderbans. File image

Jyotish, 40, said they were paddling back away from the thick forest when his sister raised the alarm.

"Suddenly, my sister cried out: 'Dada, bagh (tiger)", Jyotish said.

"I was stunned, and my body froze. All I saw was a flash of yellow. It took me a moment to register the gruesome sight before me.

"My father was completely buried under the beast. I could only see his legs thrashing about. I shook off my numbness and grabbed a stick.

Fishermen and honey collectors use small wooden boats in the Sunderbans

"Molina, too, took out a long cutter we use to clear foliage in the jungle. Together, we poked and battered the tiger, but it refused to give up."

The tiger jumped off the boat with Mr Manjhi in its jaws. Within seconds, it had dragged the body into the jungle.

Jyotish and Molina called other fishermen for help but no one dared to chase the tiger.

It is unlikely that the body will be recovered. This is the fourth recent incident of a fisherman being killed by a tiger in the Sundarbans.

Sundarbans Tiger Reserve field director Soumitra Dasgupta said fishing was prohibited in the forests where the attack took place.

The Sundarbans is one of the largest tidal mangrove forests in the world, with 60% falling in Bangladesh and the rest in Indian territory.

It is also one of the largest reserves for the Royal Bengal Tiger, of which there are only about 1900 left in India.

Their numbers have been steadily decreasing due to poaching and the existence of a very lucrative illegal trade of Tiger skins and body parts.

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US Armed Drones Take To The Skies Over Iraq

US And Iranian Drones Flying Over Iraq

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

By Dominic Waghorn, US Correspondent, Washington

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

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

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

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

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

American and Iranian objectives in Iran overlap. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Chiellini Says Suarez Bite Ban Is 'Excessive'

Luis Suarez: A Huge Talent But Trouble

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

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent, in Rio de Janeiro

To his countrymen, Luis Suarez is an unambiguous character.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Princess Fined For Near-Naked 'Kill Muslims' Rant

A German princess has been fined £1,000 for drunkenly lashing out at first aiders and ranting about killing Muslims at an upmarket Oktoberfest party.

Her Serene Highness Princess Theodora Sayn-Wittgenstein, 27, tried to climb a fence and started stripping off as the event in St Andrews, a university town in Fife, drew to a close.

Staff managed to get her to a first aid tent, where she told worker Farah Hussein: "I was doing my nails this morning. I wondered how many Muslims I could kill."

The princess then attacked another first aider and a security guard, kicking one and trying to headbutt the other, before colleagues managed to pin her to the ground.

When police arrived, Sayn-Wittgenstein was so aggressive they had to put her in leg restraints before putting her in a van and taking her to a local station.

The princess tried to hide from photographers under a brunette wig as she arrived at Dundee Sheriff Court with her father Prince Ludwig.

Prosecutor Trina Sinclair told the court Ms Hussein was trying to help the near-naked princess to replace her clothing when she launched into her anti-Muslim tirade, causing the first aider to leave the room in tears.

Ms Sinclair went on: "The accused stood on a chair and began to rant about her human rights.

The party was held in St Andrews, where the princess was a student

"Cara Anderson stood behind her trying to stabilise the chair she was standing on but (the princess) fell on top of her.

"The accused began to thrash and struck her several times."

Sayn-Wittgenstein lives in Germany and works for her father's alternative energy firm but gave an address in Chelsea, London, on court papers.

She admitted one charge of breach of the peace aggravated by religious prejudice, two counts of assault and an offence under the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act.

Defence solicitor Douglas Williams said his client had a thyroid condition which may have contributed to her behaviour.

He said Sayn-Wittgenstein, who graduated from St Andrews in 2011, had "brought shame on herself and her family".

He said: "Her behaviour was totally out of character. She has a degree in international relations and has lived in Jordan, immersing herself in Middle Eastern culture."

Sheriff Mark Stewart QC told Sayn-Wittgenstein: "These comments you made are unacceptable. They would cause nothing but division, concern and unhappiness."

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Armed Cops Hunt Missing Elvis Impersonator

Police are warning people not to approach an Elvis impersonator wanted in connection with a firearms alert that closed a Cornish school.

Armed officers were called to a "domestic situation" close to Trenode Church of England Primary School near Looe at 9.30pm last night.

The school was closed as a precaution and police are urgently trying to trace 60-year-old Derrel Weaver amid fears he may have a gun.

Police tweeted a version of this photo of Derrel Weaver

Devon and Cornwall Police tweeted a photo of Mr Weaver, of Higher Widlake Farm in Widegates.

The caption read: "Have you seen this man, Derrel Weaver, 60, #widegates Looe, if you see him please ring 999 and do not approach."

Another tweet added: "Police are doing everything possible to maintain public safety, but we ask local people to be patient during this time."

Authorities have asked air traffic to stay clear of the area so the search is not hampered.

Authorities have asked air traffic to stay clear of the area

Superintendent Jim Pearce said: "We would ask the public to be vigilant at what is obviously a disturbing time for local communities.

"There is currently significant enquiries ongoing to locate Mr Weaver and this includes the chance he may be in possession of a firearm.

"There is currently no suggestion that Mr Weaver is any risk to members of the public, but we need to locate him as soon as possible."

Firearms officers are on patrol in the area.

Police are maintaining a "high presence" at the scene near Looe

Mr Weaver's Google+ page says he owns a tree surgery business and is also a "rock n roll singer".

The decision to close the school was made by its headteacher in consultation with police.

A police spokesman said: "This unusual decision has been taken as a precautionary measure for safety reasons and because of the ongoing police activity in that area.

"We do understand that this will cause some significant inconvenience for some parents and local residents and this decision was not taken lightly, but public safety is the most important concern of the school and police."

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ISIS Massacre: Tikrit Satellite Images Emerge

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Fifa Opens Suarez Bite Claim Disciplinary Action

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

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

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

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

Television replays show Suarez moving his head towards Chiellini and apparently sinking his teeth into his shoulder, with Chiellini responding by swinging his arm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Article 77 of Fifa's disciplinary code allows it to hit players with retrospective bans of up to two years if it decides there is a case to answer.

Daily Mirror football writer Darren Lewis told Sky News' Sunrise programme he believes Suarez faces a lengthy international ban, but is likely to escape punishment that would prevent him from playing for Liverpool.

Suarez was sent off for a notorious handball in South Africa in 2010

Betting firm 888poker - one of Suarez's sponsors - has announced it is "seriously reviewing" its relationship with the player following the alleged bite.

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

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

Professor Cary Cooper from Lancaster University told Sky News that if the forward is found guilty in this latest incident, he should get professional help.

He said: "For anyone in a job who's behaved in an anti-social way, they should be helped - you go to a clinical psychologist, a counselling psychologist and they would try to unwrap why you do that, and then channel that in a more positive way."

He said any ban should also include an order or encouragement for Suarez to get help for his behaviour.

At Anfield, Liverpool supporters suggested they would be keen for the star to return to the club, despite the latest controversy.

One told Sky News: "It looks very damaging. If he's done it, he's in for a very long ban. I just hope it's international, not club level.

"He's part of our club - we love him."

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Hacking Trial Jury Discharged On Final Charges

Jurors who failed to reach verdicts on four final charges in the phone-hacking trial have been discharged by a judge who criticised the Prime Minister for comments that could have caused the case to collapse.

Andy Coulson, the former Number 10 spin doctor, and the ex-News Of The World (NOTW) royal editor Clive Goodman had been accused of conspiring to commit misconduct in public office by paying police officers for two royal phone directories.

But after sitting through eight months of evidence at the Old Bailey, the jury could not reach even a majority verdict and were discharged.

Ex-newspaper editor Andy Coulson has been convicted of phone hacking

It means stinging criticism of David Cameron can now be reported for the first time.

The judge, Mr Justice Saunders, said he was "very concerned" about comments the Prime Minister made while the jury was still deliberating.

"What has happened is unsatisfactory so far as justice and the rule of law are concerned," he said.

The News Of The World was shut down in the wake of the scandal

The move to discharge the jury comes after Coulson was found guilty of plotting to hack phones between 2000 and 2006 while working at the NOTW.

The scandal, which cost the 46-year-old his job as the Prime Minister's communications director and led to the closure of his former newspaper, involved a list of high-profile targets, including Kate Middleton and Prince William, James Bond star Daniel Craig and murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

The incriminating email in which Coulson said "do his phone"

His former colleague Rebekah Brooks and her husband Charlie Brooks were cleared of the charges they faced.

Shortly after those verdicts were delivered, Mr Cameron led the way in what the judge called "open season" by offering a public apology for hiring Coulson in 2007.

Sky's Home Affairs Correspondent Mark White, at the Old Bailey, said: "The comments made by the Prime Minister were very prejudicial, suggesting Coulson had been dishonest.

An emotional Rebekah Brooks was cleared of all charges

"There was a move by the legal counsel for Coulson and Goodman to have those remaining counts thrown out ... because they felt the jury would not be able to reach fair conclusions.

"However, in essence, that argument is a moot point for the moment because the jury has not been able to reach verdicts."

At a heated Prime Minister's Questions, Labour leader Ed Miliband accused Mr Cameron of "wilful negligence" by "bringing a criminal into Downing Street".

David Cameron and Ed Miliband clashed at Prime Minister's Questions

His opposite number replied with regular references to the Leveson Inquiry into press standards and ethics, saying the report "made no criticism of my conduct".

The judge praised jurors for their "enormous patience and tolerance" and said they had applied themselves "with a dedication which is exceptional".

"Go and continue with the rest of your lives with my thanks, the court's thanks and the public's thanks," he added.

A decision on whether to hold a retrial will be made at the start of next week, with sentencing possible on Friday.

Coulson faces up to two years in prison.

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The Seven Sins Of Bad Boy Striker Luis Suarez

The Liverpool striker is no stranger to controversy - with one incident leading him to be dubbed "the cannibal of Ajax".

Here are just a few of his misdemeanours:

Suarez described the handball as 'save of the tournament'

FEBRUARY 2007: He is sent off late on in his debut for Uruguay against Colombia after picking up a second yellow card for dissent.

Suarez dubbed the 'cannibal of Ajax'

JULY 2010: Suarez stopped a certain goal by Ghana in the World Cup quarter-final. He was sent off but Asamoah Gyan's penalty was saved and the Ghana lost the penalty shootout. After the match the striker said: "I made the save of the tournament."

NOVEMBER 2010:  He was dubbed the "cannibal of Ajax" after he bit PSV Einhoven's Otman Bakkal's shoulder in a Dutch league game. He was banned for seven matches.

Suarez refused to shake Evra's hand

OCTOBER 2011:  Alleged to have racially abused Manchester United's Patrice Evra during a Premier League match. He was later found guilty, banned for eight matches and fined £40,000.

FEBRUARY 2012: The Liverpool striker stirred up tensions after refusing to shake Evra's hand before their Premier League game at Old Trafford.

Liverpool striker munches on Ivanovic's arm

OCTOBER 2012: Celebrates a goal against Everton by diving in front of then manager David Moyes, who had earlier claimed that "divers" such as Suarez were putting fans off the game.

APRIL 2013: Suarez bit Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic's arm in a Premier League clash. He was banned for 10 games.

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Colchester Murders: £20,000 Reward On Offer

Police investigating the murders of a Saudi student and a vulnerable man in Essex say they have recovered 38 knives during their search.

The update on the investigation came as Crimestoppers announced a reward of £10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Nahid Almanea's killer.

The 31-year-old was stabbed 16 times as she walked along the Salary Brook Trail footpath in Colchester on June 17.

Police are looking into a possible link between Ms Almanea's murder and that of James Attfield, who was stabbed 102 times on his arms, hands, back, neck and head in what police described as a "frenzied" attack two months earlier.

Police look for clues in the hunt for Ms Almanea's killer

The reward for information about his death has been doubled from £5,000 to £10,000.

Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Worron, of Essex Police, said the 38 knives recovered so far were being examined to see whether any of them were used in either attack.

Hundreds of officers from several different forces have spoken to more than 100 witnesses and carried out door-to-door inquiries at 325 houses, he added.

On Tuesday, police said they were trying to trace a man who may have followed Ms Almanea four days before she was killed.

Ms Almanea was seen on CCTV the day before she was attacked

Witnesses said the man walked behind two women as they came out of a house in Stanley Wooster Way at around 8.45am on June 13.

He is described as white, in his 30s, around 5ft 10in tall and with short, dark hair. He was dressed casually and was wearing dark jeans.

Police have said they do not have evidence that the murders of Ms Almanea and Mr Attfield are linked or that a serial killer is involved.

Witnesses are asked to contact the incident room at Essex Police on 01245 282103. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 55111.

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Hacking: Brooks Cleared But Coulson Guilty

Rebekah Brooks has been cleared of all charges in the phone-hacking trial, while ex-Number 10 spin doctor Andy Coulson has been found guilty of plotting to hack phones.

Jurors at the Old Bailey found former News of the World editor Coulson guilty of conspiring to hack phones with others between 2000 and 2006.

The 46-year-old, who was forced to quit as Prime Minister David Cameron's communications director over the scandal, now faces the possibility of a prison sentence.

Coulson arriving at the Old Bailey, earlier

An emotional Mrs Brooks, former chief executive of News International, who was found not guilty of all the charges she faced, was led out of the courtroom upon learning the verdicts.

Brooks, 46, was cleared of hacking, misconduct in a public office for allegedly signing off payments to a Sun journalist's military contact between 2004 and 2012, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and perverting the course of justice.

Her 52-year-old husband, racehorse trainer Charlie Brooks and News International's former head of security Mark Hanna, 51, were cleared of perverting the course of justice around the time of police searches in July 2011.

David Cameron apologises for employing Coulson at Number 10 Downing Street

Mr and Mrs Brooks left the building holding hands and made no comment to the reporters assembled outside the central London court.

Ex-News of the World managing editor Stuart Kuttner was also cleared of being part of a conspiracy to hack phones dating back to 2000 and spanning six years.

And jurors cleared Cheryl Carter, 50, Mrs Brooks' friend and former personal assistant, of conspiring to pervert the course of justice by removing seven boxes from the NI archive just days before she was arrested in 2011.

The trial has been ongoing at the Old Bailey in London for nine months

However, not all the verdicts have been returned by the jury of eight women and three men, which has been deliberating since June 11.

They are still considering further charges against Coulson and ex-News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office by paying police officers for two royal directories.

The trial heard victims of phone hacking included royals, celebrities, politicians and ordinary members of the public including Kate Middleton and Prince William, Bond star Daniel Craig and murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

Cleared: Cheryl Carter and Stuart Kuttner

A spokesman for News UK, formerly known as News International, said: "We said long ago, and repeat today, that wrongdoing occurred, and we apologised for it. We have been paying compensation to those affected and have cooperated with investigations.

"We made changes in the way we do business to help ensure wrongdoing like this does not occur again. And we are strong supporters of the Independent Press Standards Organisation that is expected to begin work this autumn, serving as a watchdog on the industry in the public interest.

"Out of respect for the fact that further legal proceedings will occur, we will have no further comment at this time."

More follows...

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Sudan's Meriam Ibrahim Arrested At Airport

A Sudanese woman freed from death row yesterday has reportedly been arrested with her husband as they tried to leave the country with their children.

A court ordered the release of Meriam Ibrahim on Monday after she was imprisoned for converting from Islam to Christianity.

The government said the 27-year-old was released after "unprecedented" international pressure.

A security source said Ms Ibrahim and her husband Daniel Wani were detained as they tried to board a plane at Khartoum airport.

"The National Security took her and Daniel," said the source.

He could not give more details except to say they were taken to a facility of the powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS).

Ms Ibrahim has refused to renounce her faith

"She has the right to leave the country," the source said.

The status of their two young children, one a newborn baby, was not immediately known.

Ms Ibrahim was convicted last month of apostasy and adultery and claimed she had always been a Christian, having been raised by her Ethiopian mother while her Muslim father had left when she was young.

She married Mr Wani in 2011 and has refused to renounce her faith.

Ms Ibrahim was forced to give birth to her second child, a daughter called Maya, in prison. Her son Martin also lived in prison with her.

Prime Minister David Cameron joined condemnation of the mother's plight, saying he was "absolutely appalled" by the case.

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Hacking: What Now For Rebekah Brooks?

By David Bowden, Senior Correspondent

Rebekah Brooks married an EastEnder and later a country gent and counted prime ministers among her friends.

Even Royals found themselves at ease in the presence of the flame-haired empathiser.

But it was her relationship with Rupert Murdoch that saw her rise to being the most powerful woman in British media and a paid-up member of the Chipping Norton set, a clique of the rich and famous with boltholes nestled in the Cotswolds countryside.

Mrs Brooks leaves court with her husband after being cleared

The extent of Mrs Brooks' power and influence was perfectly illustrated by her wedding reception at Sarsden House, a grand country estate, also in the Cotswolds.

On the guest list were the Camerons, Gordon and Sarah Brown, Rupert Murdoch, JCB tycoon Sir Anthony Bamford and his wife along with 200 movers and shakers.

One former News of the World (NOTW) exec described it as "only one level down from a Royal wedding".

Not bad for a grammar school girl from Warrington whose first foray into national journalism as a 20-year-old was a trip to Luxembourg to cover a story about beer for Eddy Shah's short-lived Post newspaper.

Mr Murdoch and Mrs Brooks in 2011

When the tabloid folded after a matter of weeks, Mrs Brooks washed up at NOTW as a secretary.

At 31 she was the boss, but it wasn't just her ambition and drive that got her there, it was her mentor Rupert Murdoch that prepared the ground, according to former News of the World's executive editor Neil Wallis.

Mr Wallis says the then-Rebekah Wade, her soon to be deputy Andy Coulson, and another young editor, Piers Morgan, were seen as the future.

He said: "They came through at a time where there was a deliberate decision to change the direction and the mood of how those papers operated... and it was a conscious decision by Rupert Murdoch that he wanted change."

Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson became an item professionally and personally at the NOTW - Coulson another apparently snared by what many say is Mrs Brooks' engaging personality and ability to empathise with people from all walks of life.

Mrs Brooks counted the Camerons as friends

It certainly worked on more than one prime minister and their spouse. As well as the Camerons, Gordon and Sarah Brown became close to Mrs Brooks, as did Cherie and Tony Blair, according to his former spin doctor Lance Price

Coulson spent even more time at Downing Street. Mr Wallis, who says he is proud to call Coulson a friend, believes he gave Old Etonian David Cameron the common touch he needed to run the country.

He said: "If you talk to people in politics even now, they will say that to this day Cameron misses Andy Coulson's understanding of real people who are outside Cameron's world."

In the end it was phone hacking that brought both Coulson and Brooks down and ultimately closed the newspaper they both edited and which was owned and run by the man who used to treat Rebekah as a fifth daughter, part of the family.

With her acquittal at the Old Bailey, will he now bring her back into the family business? 

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Queen Visits Game Of Thrones Set In Belfast

Safe in the knowledge that there is no dispute over her place as monarch, the Queen has paid a visit to the Game Of Thrones set in Belfast.

Her Majesty was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh for the visit to the Paint Hall Studios in the city's regenerated Titanic Quarter, where much of the popular Sky Atlantic series is filmed.

The Royals met members of the cast including Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark, Kit Harington, who stars at Jon Snow, and Lena Headey, who plays Queen Cersei Lannister.

Local Ballymena-born actor Conleth Hill, who plays the manipulative Lord Varys, was also on hand to show the dramatic influence the hit show has had on telly addicts and the Northern Ireland economy.

Cast members were on hand to greet Her Majesty

The Iron Throne was on display for the Queen, but she did not take the opportunity to test it out for comfort.

Instead she was given her own miniature throne to take back to the palace with her.

The Queen was also shown handmade costumes and props and armoury, while David Benioff and Dan Weiss, executive producers and writers of Game of Thrones, led a tour through the sets for the Red Keep and the Throne Room.

Kit Harington plays Jon Snow in the series

It is not known if the Queen and Duke are fans of the show, which is famous for its violence and nudity.

Northern Ireland is fast developing an international reputation as a leading filming destination, with the powersharing administration at Stormont offering attractive incentives to producers to film in the region.

The adaptation of George RR Martin's story is estimated to be the biggest TV production in Europe and its first four seasons have been credited with bringing a direct economic benefit of £82m to Northern Ireland, creating the equivalent of more than 900 full-time and 5,700 part-time jobs.

Series 4 of Game Of Thrones finished last week.

Earlier, Stormont's first and deputy first minister accompanied the Queen on a tour of a notorious Belfast prison, where both politicians were held during the Troubles.

Once a forbidding facility synonymous with the dark years of the conflict, the transformation of the old Crumlin Road Gaol into a popular visitor attraction is symbolic of Northern Ireland's journey toward peace.

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Leicester House Fire: Pair Guilty Of Murder

Two men have been found guilty of murdering a mother and her three children in a bungled revenge attack in Leicester.

Shehnila Taufiq, 47, her 19-year-old daughter Zainab, and sons Bilal, 17, and Jamal, 15, all died when a fire engulfed their house in Wood Hill, Leicester, in the early hours of September 13 last year.

Kemo Porter, 19, and Tristan Richards, 22, were found guilty of their murders at Nottingham Crown Court.

Shaun Carter, 24, was found not guilty of four counts of murder but guilty of four counts of manslaughter.

Prosecutors had said the blaze was a "retribution process" for the fatal stabbing of Antoin Akpom, 20, hours earlier, but that the killers attacked the wrong house.

More follows...

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Pregnant Teen 'Killed By Obsessive Ex-Boyfriend'

A court has heard how a man murdered his teenage ex-girlfriend after discovering she was pregnant with his child.

Ben Blakeley, 22, is alleged to have killed 17-year-old Jayden Parkinson whose body was found in a graveyard at All Saints' Church in Didcot, Oxfordshire, last year.

Blakeley, from Reading, Berkshire, denies murdering Miss Parkinson, but he has admitted killing her and disposing of her body.

Miss Parkinson was last seen alive on December 3, 2013, when she was caught on CCTV leaving the One Foot Forward hostel in Oxford where she had been staying.

Half an hour later she was caught by another CCTV camera, this time at Didcot railway station with Blakeley.

Just after midnight the hostel reported Miss Parkinson missing to police after she failed to return.

Richard Latham QC, prosecuting, said: "The prosecution case is that Jayden was killed by Ben Blakeley that same evening in open countryside south of Didcot - there is no dispute between prosecution and defence.

"We cannot be precise about location for this simple reason - unlike most killings the body was moved from where the offence occurred.

Miss Parkinson was last seen alive on December 3

"There is only one person alive who knows the truth and we would invite you to be very sceptical about what he says or has said."

Oxford Crown Court heard Blakeley was an obsessive and controlling character and regularly beat his ex-girlfriend.

Mr Latham told the court: "On any view (their relationship) was difficult. We allege he was controlling, to an obsessive and excessive degree.

"He was violent and abusive to her and controlling and hitting her."

Mr Latham told jurors that Miss Parkinson found the ending of the relationship difficult.

"She found it difficult to let go and hours before her death she left the hostel to meet him - it was the last time she was seen alive," said Mr Latham.

Despite admitting he killed Miss Parkinson, the prosecution refused to accept his plea and he is standing trial for her murder alongside a 17-year-old boy who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

The youth has pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice, but he denies preventing a lawful burial between December 2 and December 10 last year.

The trial continues.

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Iraq: 'More Than 1,500' British Jihad Recruits

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 10:23am UK, Monday 23 June 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Kerry Tells Iraq PM: Share Power With Opponents

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 10:23am UK, Monday 23 June 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Colchester Stabbing Victim's Mum 'Terrified'

The mother of a vulnerable man who was stabbed more than 100 times in Colchester has told Sky News she has "total faith" in the police investigation.

Jim Attfield's murder in a park in March is being investigated alongside last Tuesday's killing of Saudi student Nahid Almanea elsewhere in the town.

"I know they are not leaving any stone unturned," Mr Attfield's mother Julie Finch told Sky News as police announced they had made a "significant development" in the investigations.

"Every bit of information they get, any bit of evidence, anything they find is thoroughly, thoroughly looked at."

Mr Attfield was found in Castle Park just miles from the other killing

Police have said it is not yet clear if the two killings were carried out by the same people, but acknowledge the attacks, in which the victims were stabbed multiple times, bear "obvious similarities".

In the statement on Saturday, Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Worron of Essex Police said: "A criminal profiler from the National Crime Agency has carried out a thorough assessment of all the evidence in connection with both murders.

"A decision has been taken that they remain separate but parallel investigations at this time.

Police have been searching the site MS Almanea's murder for several days

"However the circumstances of both crimes mean that we must consider the possibility that the same killer or killers are responsible."

Ms Finch said she was "terrified" for her daughters following the murders.

"They don't go out on their own, I won't go out on my own. And it just goes to prove with this latest murder, it doesn't matter what time of day it is, where you are," she said.

Mr Attfield was seen on CCTV at a pub hours before his killing

"Everybody just has to be so much more vigilant, not just for their own safety, they have to be aware of the safety of people around them because obviously for these murderers to be caught will depend of information coming from the public."

Mr Attfield, a father-of-five, suffered from a brain injury after being hit by a car four years earlier.

His body was found with wounds on his arms, hands, back, neck and head in Colchester's Castle Park in the early hours of March 29. 

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Iraqi Troops 'Withdraw' In Face Of ISIS Offensive

Faith Lost In Iraq PM Amid Political Limbo

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

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor, in Baghdad

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

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

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

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

One explanation may simply be political.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Jihadist's Mother Pleads For Him To Return Home

Faith Lost In Iraq PM Amid Political Limbo

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

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor, in Baghdad

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

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

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

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

One explanation may simply be political.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Colchester Police Hunt Suspect In Brown Jacket

Detectives hunting the killer of student Nahid Almanea have revealed new details about a man they want to question.

Police a suspect who was seen near the scene of the 31-year-old Saudi's murder was wearing a distinctive brown jacket.

The man, who is described as aged between his late teens and 30, and of average build with thick dark hair, was seen on the Salary Brook Trail, where Ms Almanea was stabbed.

Police search a pond near the scene of the murder

They also repeated their appeal to help identify a man wearing a bright red hooded top seen running nearby. 

This morning officers drained a local pond as part of their investigation but said they have yet to find the weapon used in the killing.

Det Chief Superintendent Steve Warron, who is leading the investigation, said an "intensive fingertip search" was being carried out and two other bodies of water would also be examined.

The last known picture of Ms Almanea before her murder

He also urged local residents to check their gardens and bins for any items they did not recognise such as bloodstained clothing or footwear, that may have been discarded by the killer.

Sky's Joe Tidy, reporting from Colchester, said police had described the latest development as significant rather than major, and that enquiries were running in parallel with the probe into the murder of Jim Attfield, found stabbed to death in the city in March.

"Police say there are obvious similarities with the murder of Jim Attfield that are too significant to ignore so they are looking to work alongside each other in both cases," he said.

Mr Attfield's mother, Julie Finch, told Sky News she was concerned that the killer or killers of her son, had not yet been found.

Jim Attfield was found stabbed to death in March

"You turn on the news and every story is a murder or someone is in court for murder," she said.

"Until you're in a situation where you've lost someone you don't notice it.

"But now I'm terrified for my girls. I won't go out on my own and it proves with this latest murder that it doesn't matter what time you go out or where you are. Everyone has to be so much more vigilant."

Ms Almanea was stabbed 16 times while walking along a path on Tuesday morning.

The student from Saudi Arabia had been taking an English language course at the University of Essex as part of her studies for a life sciences PhD.

Police released a CCTV picture of the 31-year-old taken moments before her death and a map of her likely route from the home she shared with her brother to the spot on the Salary Brook trail where her body was found.

:: Anyone with information is asked to contact the Major Investigation Team on 01245 282103, Essex Police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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