Oz Jihadist's Son, 9, Poses With Severed Head

Australia's prime minister has slammed a "barbaric" photo which apparently shows the nine-year-old son of a terrorist holding the severed head of a Syrian soldier.

Khaled Sharrouf - who travelled from Sydney to the Middle East to join Islamist extremists fighting jihad in the region - posted the picture on Twitter last week with the caption "That's My Boy!", The Australian newspaper reported.

The graphic image shows the youngster - wearing blue checked shorts and a blue "Polo For Kids" T-shirt - struggling to hold the victim's head by the hair.

A Twitter account linked to Khaled Sharrouf has been suspended after it was used to post a series of messages and photos promoting the campaign being waged by Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS.

Sharrouf posted a photo apparently showing his son with a severed head

Another of the images shows Sharouf posing in front of a black Islamic State flag with his three sons, all of them dressed in military fatigues and brandishing guns.  

Tony Abbott said the "hideous" images demonstrated the brutality of Islamic State fighters, who have gained control of a large swathe of Syria and Iraq.

He told ABC radio: "There are more photographs in newspapers in Australia today of the kind of hideous atrocities that this group is capable of.

"Islamic State - as they're now calling themselves - it's not just a terrorist group, it's a terrorist army and they're seeking not just a terrorist enclave but effectively a terrorist state, a terrorist nation.

Tony Abbott said ISIS is seeking a 'terrorist state'

"This does pose extraordinary problems — extraordinary problems, not just for the people of the Middle East, but for the wider world and we see more and more evidence of just how barbaric this particular entity is."

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel - currently visiting Australia - said the photograph showed the threat Islamic State (known as ISIL in the US) poses to the Western societies.

He said: "ISIL is a threat to the civilised world, certainly to the United States, to our interests, as it is to Europe, it is to Australia."

Sharrouf was among nine men accused of stockpiling bomb-making materials and plotting terrorist attacks in Sydney and Melbourne in 2007.

He pleaded guilty to terrorism offences and was jailed for four years in 2009.

He was banned from leaving Australia due to the terrorist threat he posed, but managed to escape with his wife and three sons last year by using his brother's passport.

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PM Urged To Recall Parliament Over Iraq Crisis

David Cameron has been urged to recall Parliament from its summer recess to address the growing crisis in Iraq.

The world has watched images from the war-torn country in horror amid reports of the displacement and slaughter of minority Christians and Yazidis by Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, in northern Iraq.

A Downing Street source told Sky News the focus is entirely on humanitarian support, with no plans to recall MPs. In recent times, a recall has only been used when military options were on the table.

"The key priority is getting support to people in desperate need," the source said.

Displaced people from the Yazidi sect fleeing the violence in Iraq

The source added Mr Cameron, who is currently on a family summer holiday in Portugal, was "in constant contact with senior ministers and officials" via phone calls and other means.

The Prime Minister is expected to return from the seaside town of Cascais later this week.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond this morning chaired an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis in Iraq.

The UK has been airdropping aid including tents, food and water in northern Iraq to help tens of thousands of displaced people across the region.

However, Tory backbencher Conor Burns said the Government's action of airdropping supplies in affected areas was "not strong enough" - and asserted the UK should join the US in airstrikes.

The Bournemouth West MP said he was not advocating a ground war, but believed Special Forces should be involved.

A British place prepared to airdrop aid over Iraq

"I have been following this really closely for the last couple of weeks but having seen some of the images earlier I was quite seriously overcome," he said.

"These are brother and sister Christians, and this is happening to them in no small part because of our record in Iraq.

"These people are being beheaded by people from IS, and our only response is to drop some food or water on them.

"I think we should be answering positively requests from the Kurds to arm them. I think we should be looking at asylum."

The former head of the army, Lord Dannatt, also backed a parliamentary recall, insisting Britain was "watching in horror" as atrocities were committed.

The US has been carrying out targeted airstrikes in Iraq

"In the face of a crisis of this scale, with the potential for so much human misery, this is not the moment for decision-makers to be on holiday," he wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.

Lord Dannatt said it may be necessary to put UK troops on the ground to direct air support.

"The United States in the lead and us in support. We all bear some responsibility," he told the BBC.

"The breakdown in society in Iraq post-2003, we have some culpability for that and so it is difficult for us to say 'Not our problem'."

Tory MPs Nick de Bois and David Burrowes also joined the calls for Parliament to be recalled.

In a letter to Mr Cameron, they said the persecution in Iraq imposed "a moral obligation and a duty to our constituents to reconvene so that the escalating crisis can be properly debated".

Muhammad Hamidur Rahamn has reportedly been killed in Syria. Pic: Facebook

The calls came as senior US officials announced the Obama administration has begun directly providing Kurdish forces with weapons to defend themselves against attacks by ISIS.

Meanwhile, it has been reported a Portsmouth man who went to Syria last October to fight with Islamic State militants has been killed.

Muhammad Hamidur Rahman, a 25-year-old former Primark supervisor, was reportedly part of a group of six jihadists from the British coastal city who went to fight President Bashar al Assad's forces.

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Second Minister In A Week Quits Foreign Office

Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds has resigned - six days after Baroness Warsi quit over the Government's stance on Gaza.

Downing Street insisted the move was not a protest over government policy in the Middle East.

Letters released between the Conservative MP for Boston and Skegness and Prime Minister David Cameron suggested his resignation was agreed at the time of last month's reshuffle.

Mr Simmonds also said he would not be standing as an MP at the next general election, in May 2015.

But the minister asked to continue to chair the UN Security Council, which took place last week.

Baroness Warsi quit the Foreign Office over Gaza last Tuesday

Number 10 also insisted the resignation was not linked to Mr Simmonds failing to take part in last year's vote on military action in Syria, saying he set out his reasons for that at the time.

Sky News Political Correspondent Anushka Asthana said: "On the face of it, there are a lot of questions to be asked about a second foreign office minister going.

"There is a lot going on that requires the Foreign Office to be acting at the moment and people would say it is quite an inexperienced team.

"They lost Baroness Warsi last week with her complaints over Gaza. Now Mr Simmonds is going, and there were other changes in the reshuffle including the Foreign Secretary.

"So, there are some questions about whether they have the wealth of experience they need.

David Cameron is currently away on a family holiday in Portugal

"Downing Street insists that they do and that Philip Hammond is doing an excellent job in his role as Foreign Secretary.

"We all want to hear from Mr Simmonds as to exactly what he does think about the current situation."

Mr Simmonds told Mr Cameron in his resignation letter it had been "a huge privilege" to serve in the PM's government and in his Lincolnshire constituency.

The junior minister also thanked the PM for allowing him to chair the UN Security Council meeting "as one of my last acts as a minister".

Mr Cameron said Mr Simmonds still had "much more to give" and had been an "incredibly loyal colleague, but also a good friend".

Tory MP James Duddridge will replace the Africa Minister at the Foreign Office.

Baroness Warsi last week attacked the Government's "approach and language" during the month-long conflict in Gaza as "morally indefensible".

She said: "I always said long after life in politics I must be able to stand by the decisions I took or the decisions I supported. By staying in Government at this time I do not feel I can be sure of that."

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Iraq Power Struggle As Thousands Flee ISIS

Iraq's new prime minister has called on Iraqis to unite against the "barbaric" Islamist insurgency which has swept across the north of the country.

Iraq's president asked deputy parliament speaker Haider al Abadi to form a government after he was nominated by the country's main Shia coalition as its candidate for the post - putting an end to months of political wrangling.

The National Alliance chose Mr al Abadi as the man to unite the country after Nouri al Maliki was criticised for deepening sectarian divisions and steering the country towards all-out civil war.

Speaking on state television, the new PM said: "We all have to cooperate to stand against this terrorist campaign launched on Iraq and to stop all terrorist groups." 

Islamic State wants to set up a Caliphate across Iraq and Syria

But Mr al Maliki - ousted after eight years as PM - has indicated he will not just stand aside, with a member of his political block warning "we will not stay silent" over the nomination of his rival.

Mr al Maliki had appeared on TV overnight to accuse the new president of violating the constitution as militias and security forces loyal to him were deployed across Baghdad.

The US congratulated Mr al Abadi after Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking in Australia, had warned Mr al Maliki not to obstruct efforts to form a new government.

US soldiers watch as halal meals are parachuted to the ground in Iraq

He said: "We believe that the government formation process is critical in terms of sustaining the stability and calm in Iraq - our hope is that Mr Maliki will not stir those waters."

In northern Iraq, Islamist extremists have been forced out of two towns by Kurdish troops, while thousands of Yazidis stranded on a mountain after fleeing the militants have been streaming into Iraq's northern Kurdistan region.

The militants were driven out of Makhmour and al Gweir, near Irbil, after fighters were aided by a series of US airstrikes targeting armed vehicles.

Kurdish forces have been bolstered further after the State Department confirmed the Obama administration has begun directly providing them with weapons to defend themselves against attacks by Islamic State, previously known as ISIS.

Yazidi refugees approach the food bundles on the ground

Britain was forced to abort a second airdrop of food, water and other supplies to Yazidis still stranded on Mount Sinjar on Monday over fears about hitting people below, the RAF said.

But closer to Baghdad, the Sunni militants captured Jalawla, a town 70 miles (115km) northeast of the Iraqi capital, after weeks of clashes with Kurdish fighters. 

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has chaired a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency committee, after a No 10 source told Sky News there were no plans to recall Parliament to discuss the crisis despite mounting pressure.

The political turmoil comes amid mounting evidence of the slaughter of minority Christians and Yazidis by Islamist extremists.

Refugees flee the extremists carving a bloody path through northern Iraq

Photographs taken in the north of the country appear to show crucifixions and beheadings, as well as a series of executions by gunfire.

Yesterday, Downing Street announced that more UK advisers were being sent to the under-threat city of Irbil to help deal with the developing crisis.

The US has been carrying out airstrikes to protect the area, which is a Kurdish stronghold and major centre for the country's oil trade.

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Iraqi Militants Execute 500: Some Buried Alive

Iraq militants have executed at least 500 ethnic minority Kurds dumping their victims in mass graves across the north of the country, the human rights minister has said.

There is "striking evidence" that Islamic State fighters, formerly known as ISIS, have buried some of their victims, including women and children, alive as they continue their bloody advance across Iraq.

The militants have driven as many as 150,000 Yazidis from their homes into the Sinjar mountains, where they are cut off from food and water and struggling to survive. Hundreds are already reported to have died.

Yazidis flee as the jihadists carve a bloody trail through northern Iraq

The jihadists have also kidnapped 300 women as slaves.

Human rights minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said: "We have striking evidence obtained from Yazidis fleeing Sinjar and some who escaped death, and also crime scene images that show indisputably that the gangs of the Islamic States have executed at least 500 Yazidis after seizing Sinjar.

"Some of the victims, including women and children were buried alive in scattered mass graves in and around Sinjar."

Thousands are hiding in the Sinjar mountains but face starvation

Officials earlier said at least 20,000 of those trapped in the mountains had managed to escaped into Syria and been escorted by Kurdish fighters back into Iraqi Kurdistan.

Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani has appealed to the international community for weapons to help them  fight the extremists.

Humanitarian aid drops from the back of an RAF plane

An RAF plane made the first British aid drop across northern Iraq on Sunday morning, delivering reusable filtration containers, tents and solar lights which can also recharge mobile phones.

It comes after the US launched a fresh round of strikes in an attempt to stop the jihadists' advance across the country, following a warning from Barack Obama that he was ready for a protracted campaign.

The militants have been sweeping through northern Iraq, beheading and crucifying captives who refuse to be converted to Islam.

Aid parcels are loaded on to the plane

During a press conference on Saturday, Mr Obama accepted there would be no quick fix for the rapidly deteriorating situation in the country and vowed to continue strikes for weeks or months if necessary.

The President, who has ruled out sending in ground troops, and David Cameron discussed the commitment to providing humanitarian relief during a telephone conversation on Saturday.

Kurdish fighters try to protect the Yazidis

The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "Both leaders also agreed that aid drops are not a long-term solution, and that a way must be found to get these people to safety and to avert a genocide."

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond also announced on Saturday that there would be "a continuing drumbeat of airdrop operations" around the Sinjar mountains. The Government has pledged an emergency £8m aid package to help refugees in Iraq.

The strikes mark the first American offensive in Iraq since Washington pulled out its forces in 2011 after nearly a decade of brutal war.

Mr Obama also said US action aimed to prevent Islamic State fighters from attacking Irbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdish region, where the US has a diplomatic mission.

He said: "I'm not going to give a particular timetable, because as I've said from the start, wherever and whenever US personnel and facilities are threatened, it's my obligation, my responsibility as commander in chief, to make sure they are protected."

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Palestinians Agree Three-Day Ceasefire Plan

Palestinian negotiators have accepted an Egyptian proposal for a new three-day ceasefire with Israel, say reports.

There is no word yet on Israel's response to the news, said Sky's Tom Rayner in Jerusalem.

It comes as an 11-year-old Palestinian boy was reportedly shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.

Mohammed Khalil al Anati was killed in Al Fawwar refugee camp, southwest of the city of Hebron, a medical official told AFP news service.

The Israeli military said it was investigating reports the youngster was shot by one of its soldiers.

Smoke rises from the coastal side of the Gaza Strip after an Israeli strike

Earlier, it looked like peace talks in Cairo would collapse after a Palestinian delegation threatened to walk out of discussions unless the Israelis returned to the table without conditions.

However, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri later told AFP: "There is a proposal for another 72-hour truce (to allow) for the continuation of negotiations ... this proposal is being studied."

He said the Palestinian response would depend on "the seriousness of the Israeli position".

A man sits amid the ruins of his home in Gaza

Israel - whose delegation left Cairo after a 72-hour truce ended in violence on Friday - has said it will not take part in talks while Hamas rocket attacks continue.

"Israel will not negotiate under fire," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after his weekly cabinet meeting.

"At no stage did we declare (Israel's military offensive) was over. The operation will continue until its objective - the restoration of quiet over a protracted period - is achieved."

The Palestinians blamed their decision to resume fire on Israel's refusal to end the blockade of Gaza and open a seaport.

A boy surrounded by rumble in a bombed out Gaza street

British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama expressed "serious concern" about renewed hostilities in Gaza during a phone call on Saturday.

The leaders called on Israel to exercise "restraint".

The Israelis launched more than 30 air attacks in Gaza on Saturday, killing nine Palestinians, while militants continued to fire rockets into Israel.

A month after Israel launched its military campaign, nearly 1,900 Palestinians have been killed - mostly civilians.

Israel has lost 64 soldiers in combat, while three civilians have died from rocket fire into the country.

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Festival Death: Woman's Body Found In Toilet

A woman has died after she was found slumped unconscious in a toilet at a music festival by security staff and medics.

The 31-year-old was attending the BoomTown Fair event at Matterley Estate in Winchester, Hampshire, with her husband.

She was taken to hospital, where doctors tried to revive her, but was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

Hampshire Police cordoned off the scene where she was discovered at around 1.50pm on Saturday.

The festival was being held at Matterly Estate in Winchester, Hamphire

The force said it was too early to speculate on the cause of death, adding a post-mortem examination would be conducted in due course.

The reveller's death is not believed to be suspicious at this stage.

A spokeswoman for the festival said: "BoomTown fair would like to express their sincerest condolences to the family of the young woman who was found unconscious on site.

"Our thoughts are with all her loved ones at this tragic time and the festival is doing all it can to assist those involved."

Last year, 18-year-old Ellie Rowe, from Glastonbury in Somerset, died at the festival after taking horse tranquilliser ketamine.

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US Racing Driver Killed In Track Rage Row Video

A driver has died after being struck by a Nascar star's car during a row on a race track in New York.

Video shows Kevin Ward Jr's car hitting a wall after colliding with three-time Nascar champion Tony Stewart's vehicle at Canandaigua Motorsports Park on Saturday night.

The 20-year-old, wearing a black firesuit on the dimly-lit track, got out to confront rival Stewart during the sprint-car race.

Emergency services were quickly on the scene

Ward Jr was hit by Stewart's car, sending him 50ft through the air.

Paramedics tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital later that night.

Police said they are not investigating the incident as a criminal matter.

Tony Stewart was questioned by police and released

Stewart, 42, was "'fully co-operative" while being questioned and later released, they said.

Officials immediately stopped the race and posted a message on social media encouraging fans to "pray for the entire racing community of fans, drivers, and families."

"People that witnessed it were horrified," said Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero.

"They were extremely shocked."

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Guinea Closes Borders To Stop Ebola Outbreak

Guinea has closed its borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia in an attempt to stop the spread of ebola in West Africa.

The outbreak - the most serious since the disease first emerged in Africa 40 years ago - has so far killed nearly 1,000 people in the three countries this year.

"We have provisionally closed the frontier between Guinea and Sierra Leone because of all the news that we have received from there recently," Health Minister Rémy Lamah told a news conference.

She said the border has also been closed with Liberia.

The World Health Organisation has declared an international health emergency and said the virus continue spreading for months.

On Friday, Nigeria became the third African nation, after Sierra Leone and Liberia, to declare a national emergency as hospitals struggled to cope with increasing cases.

"The outbreak is moving faster than we can control it," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan told reporters at a news briefing in Geneva.

She said all countries with ebola should declare a national emergency, but said a ban on international travel is not needed.

Some 1,779 people have been infected and 961 people have died in the outbreak, according to the latest WHO figures.

Most of the cases are in the remote area where Guinea borders Sierra Leone and Liberia.

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Britain Braced For Flash Floods From Bertha

Heavy rain has caused flash flooding in parts of the UK - and forecasters are warning of further storms on Sunday as the remnants of Hurricane Bertha hit.

The Met Office says Bertha's transition from a tropical to an extra-tropical storm is a "particularly hard one to forecast" but it is expected to affect the UK tomorrow.

The British Red Cross said it was on standby and has enlisted hundreds of volunteers to help people in affected areas.

Lightning hits Eggborough Power Station in Yorkshire. Pic: Phil Lowe

Residents had to be evacuated after heavy rain flooded several streets in the Lincolnshire town of Louth on Friday.

Downpours also led to waterlogged roads in and around York and in Maidstone, Kent.

There were reports of power outages in Cambridgeshire, where the A14 was flooded.

Old Trafford, where England's test match has been disrupted by heavy rain

Environment Agency flood warnings and alerts remain in place in numerous parts of the country.

Friday's rainy weather - which saw more than a month's rainfall overnight - was unconnected to Hurricane Bertha, which has been travelling across the Atlantic.

Bertha wreaked havoc in the Caribbean islands with gusts of more than 90mph, leaving thousands of homes without power.

A flash flood following heavy rain in Maidstone, Kent

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "Ex-hurricane Bertha has become more of a typical depression now, albeit with very warm, moist air wrapped up within it.

"It is looking likely that the storm will reach southwest England and Wales by around 6am on Sunday and then track northeast across northern England during the afternoon, to eventually lie off the east coast of Scotland on Sunday night.

There could be more floods on Sunday

"Gusts of 50mph to 60mph are expected, especially along the south coast with large waves, spray and the chance of some coastal flooding.

Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said there was still a chance that the storm may pass to the south of the country, giving the UK a brighter day.

But Environment Agency flood risk manager, Craig Woolhouse, said: "Heavy rain on Sunday may lead to localised surface water flooding in some parts of England and Wales.

"On Sunday and Monday a combination of high spring tides and strong westerly winds brings a risk of large waves and spray and possible flooding to the South West coast of England and along the Severn Estuary."

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