Schumacher Out Of Coma And Leaves Hospital

Former Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher is no longer in a coma and has been moved from hospital in Grenoble after a ski accident last December.

The 45-year-old has been in an induced coma since suffering a serious head injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps resort of Meribel in December.

He has now left CHU Grenoble in France and been moved to University Hospital of Lausanne in Switzerland.

His management company said in a statement: "Michael has left the CHU Grenoble to continue his long phase of rehabilitation. He is not in a coma anymore.

"His family would like to explicitly thank all his treating doctors, nurses and therapists in Grenoble as well as the first aiders at the place of the accident, who did an excellent job in those first months.

"The family also wishes to thank all the people who have sent Michael all the many good wishes to Michael. We are sure it helped him."

"For the future we ask for understanding that his further rehabilitation will take place away from the public eye."

Schumacher was skiing at speeds of up to 60mph when he crashed

Schumacher's family was "in a space created especially to ensure their intimacy and to ensure the best possible care" at the Lausanne facility, a hospital spokesman said.

Schumacher, his wife Corinna and two children live in the Swiss town of Gland.

The seven-time F1 champion was reportedly travelling at speeds of up to 60mph when the accident happened, and is thought to have been saved by his skiing helmet, which split on impact.

However, the racing legend's chief doctor said in March that it was unlikely he would ever fully recover from the accident.

Doctor Gary Hartstein wrote on his blog: "As time goes on, it becomes less and less likely that Michael will emerge to any significant extent."

The German, who won a record 91 Grand Prix victories, left motor racing in 2013 after a disappointing three-year comeback.

Mercedes, the team Schumacher raced for during his return, said: "Encouraging news on Michael's condition this morning.

"We couldn't ask for a better start to the week. #KeepFightingMichael."

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Video Catches Brands Hatch Race Gatecrashers

Video has emerged showing a normal road car gatecrashing a race at Brands Hatch by driving onto the track in the middle of a high speed race.

The video was shot by a passenger in the Volkswagen Polo and uploaded to Facebook with the title "It's not everyday you break in to brandshatch and ruin a four hour endurance race half hour before it finishes ! Haha :D"

In the film, a girl can be heard screaming at the driver, believed to be Jack Cottle from Kent, pleading with him to stop as their car pulls onto the main track.

Another passenger in the back of the car describes what is happening:

Passenger One: "This is Jack Cottle trying to get on the race track."

Passenger Two: "Jack don't, please I'm begging you."

Passenger One: "We're going to try and get on this track with all these Beetles. We're going through the pits boys."

Passenger Two: "You are properly joking! No Jack stop; seriously! You'll crash my car! We'll get arrested!"

Driver: "You best get that on camera."

Volkswagen Beetles can be seen zooming past at high speeds

The driver ignores her pleas and her attempts to take control of the steering wheel as he manages to bypass security and onto the track.

Volkswagen Beetles can be seen zooming past at high speed.

The video has been viewed 146,000 times since it was uploaded to YouTube.

The incident caused organisers to raise the red flag during the race on Saturday at the track in Fawkham, Kent and it was half an hour before the event could get going again.

Another video uploaded to YouTube, which was taken by a spectator watching the race from the track stands, shows the teenager's car drive past in the middle of the race.

The race commentator can be heard on the film saying: "Why is there a Volkswagen Golf on the track? I know these are VW Beetles but that's not quite right is it?"

The video was shot by motorsport enthusiast Fergus Reed. He told Sky News: "I'm a regular at Brands Hatch; I'm there at every car meeting.

"It was incredibly dangerous. The cars are designed to race in packs and he was extremely lucky to have joined the race when he did. If he'd have come out half a lap later it would not have been nice.

"The garages at the back of the pit lane are all open so anyone could do it again.

"But I don't think Brands Hatch were to blame. It was a small event and at this level the likelihood of something like this happening is incredibly slim and could easily have happened at any other circuit across the country."

Jon Tomlinson was part of a two-person team taking part in the race. A video camera installed in the team car caught the moment the white Polo blocked its way.

"Everyone was shocked. You never expect anything like that to happen," he said.

"The race cars have a roll cage in them, fire extinguishers and the drivers wear crash helmets, so we're reasonably safe in there. But a road car doesn't the same safety features.

"There is a big speed differential. That car was going round at about 40mph, whereas the race cars were reaching speeds of 110mph.

"You get a lot of cars swapping positions in the race and they could easily have been in their slipstream and pulled-out and smacked into it."

Kent Police said they are reviewing the incident.

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McCanns Angry Over 'Cynical' Libel Trial Delay

The parents of Madeleine McCann have condemned the postponement of a former police officer's libel trial as a "blatant" attempt to wear them down.

Kate and Gerry McCann had been due to speak at the trial of ex-police chief Goncalo Amaral, who has been accused of making defamatory statements about them in a book he wrote.

At the last minute, Mr Goncalo's lawyers submitted a letter to the court asking for a postponement as he had sacked his legal team.

Speaking outside the court, Gerry McCann said: "Today is a blatant and cynical attempt to wear us down.

"The hearing has been cancelled once again at Mr Amaral's request. This is the fourth time that this has happened and we've travelled to Portugal.

"The legal case has been running now for five years and we want to get justice for Madeleine. It's Madeleine who is suffering. We are not going to give up. We are going to keep going."

Kate McCann shows the strain as she is interviewed by Portuguese media

Mrs McCann, her voice cracking with the strain as she was surrounded by the Portuguese media, added: "We need to make it clear to people that we took on this case because of the pain and distress that Mr Amaral has brought to us and our children.

"Every time he postpones the case like this it brings us more pain and distress. Every time we come here we have to make arrangements for our children to be looked after, we have to book flights, we have to book hotels, we have to take time off work.

"Mr Amaral apparently handed that letter in at nine o'clock this morning. That letter could have been handed in before we left the country. As Gerry said, can this be seen as anything but blatant and cynical?

"We just want justice. This is not fair."

Police have been searching sites in Portugal in recent weeks

The couple had been expected to deliver emotional statements about the impact of allegations Mr Amaral's 2008 book The Truth Of The Lie, which they say damaged the search for the missing girl and added to their anguish.

If the court rules against Mr Amaral, the McCanns could receive around £1m in damages.

Madeleine went missing in May 2007 from the couple's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve and despite a worldwide hunt, she has never been found.

British and Portuguese police have been examining patches of ground in Praia da Luz in the last few weeks but have had no success.

Mr McCann saidoutside court that no evidence had been found to show Madeleine had been injured or killed and, as a result they believed that, "as far as we are concerned there's a good chance she's still alive".

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Captured Iraqi Troops Made To Chant ISIS Slogan

Footage has emerged which appears to show an Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighter questioning and killing Iraqi soldiers.

It comes after the insurgents, who have seized large swathes of territory in the past week, released graphic pictures purporting to show some of the 1,700 Shia soldiers they claim have shot dead near Tikrit.

According to a translation of the first clip, militants order their prisoners to chant the ISIS slogan "Baqiya", which is thought to mean "(ISIS) will remain in existence" or "Islamic state will stay".

When asked where the government forces are, a soldier replies they have left.

The soldiers appear to be taunted before being killed

The fighters then threaten to chop off the head of one of the soldiers.

The earlier images posted online showed the Sunni insurgents loading captives on to flatbed trucks, forcing them to lie face-down in a ditch with their arms tied behind their backs before they were shot dead.

The militants claimed to have captured 2,500 soldiers, although that number has not been verified.

Chief Iraqi military spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassim al Moussawi, confirmed the authenticity of the earlier pictures and said he was aware of cases of mass murder of captured soldiers in areas held by ISIS.

Two of the soldiers ISIS apparently captured

Jen Psaki, spokeswoman for the US State Department, condemned the "bloodlust" of ISIS.

She said: "While we cannot confirm these reports, one of the primary goals of ISIL is to set fear into the hearts of all Iraqis and drive sectarian division among its people."

Sky's Diplomatic Editor Tim Marshall said the release of the images means the militants have now "got the attention of the world".

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has vowed to recapture the territory seized by the insurgents last week.

Militants have posted images purportedly showing the massacre of soldiers

In the latest fighting, residents of the northern town of Tal Afar said ISIS had taken control after a dawn raid.

Fighters have swept through towns and cities along the Tigris but have since halted around an hour's drive north of Baghdad.

Security in the capital has been tightened, but despite this three explosions there left at least 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Iraq's army is holding out in Samarra, which has been the subject of numerous attacks by militants.

A convoy travelling there to reinforce troops was ambushed by Sunni fighters on Sunday near the town of Ishaqi.

The US, which is planning to evacuate some of its staff and boost security at its embassy in Baghdad, is reportedly preparing to stage direct talks with arch-enemy Iran over the situation.

The US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush has arrived in the Persian Gulf, while the USS Mesa Verde, with 550 Marines and Osprey aircraft on board, has also entered the Gulf to evacuate Americans if necessary, navy officials say.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has spoken with his Iranian counterpart about the crisis. But, the Foreign Office declined to disclose the call's contents.

Peshmerga soldiers on patrol in northern Iraq

The Government has banned ISIS under UK terrorism laws, making membership and support of the extremist group a criminal offence.

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Blair Denies Iraq Violence Result Of 2003 War

Tony Blair has said critics who believe the violence in Iraq today is a result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

Speaking to Sky News' Dermot Murnaghan, he said the West's inability to get tough with Syria's Bashar al Assad and failure in Libya had allowed terrorism and chaos to spread across the Middle East.

And he said had he still been an MP he would have voted for military action against Mr Assad in Syria last year, when Labour leader Ed Miliband made the case against intervention.

The former Prime Minister said if the UK had not acted to get rid of Saddam Hussein 11 years ago the country would have been in a worst state than Syria now.

He said Britain had to "get involved" to end the crisis in the Middle East but he was not suggesting a "full-scale intervention" with troops on the ground like in 2003.

Mr Blair, who is now Middle East peace envoy, argued there was no way Britain could stay out of Syria because "ultimately, extremist groups also intend to target us".

He said security services in the UK, Germany and France now all say the greatest risk to those countries is jihadist fighters returning from Syria.

He said: "Some people will say 'well if we hadn't removed Saddam in 2003 we wouldn't have the problem today in Iraq and the reason I think that is profoundly mistaken is this: since 2011 there have been these Arab revolutions sweeping across the whole of the region - Tunisa, Libya, Yemen, Egypt, Bahrain, nextdoor to Iraq in Syria - and we can see what would have happened if we left Saddam there in 2003.

"We have left Bashar Assad in Syria. The result is that there have now in the last three years in Syria been virtually the same number of people killed in Syria as in the whole of Iraq. You have had nine million people displace from Syria, you have chaos and instability being pushed across the region."

'Inaction over Syria' is to blame, says Mr Blair

He suggested the West may have to accept that  Mr Assad would have to stay but that an agreement would have to be reached and a new constitution and "inclusive government" formed.

He also cautioned working with Iran after the president Hassan Rouhani offered to co-operate with the US to tackle the Iraq insurgency. 

Former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott said he disagreed with Mr Blair and accused him of wanting to wage some kind of Medieval crusade in the Middle East.

He said in 2003 Mr Blair had insisted the invasion was not about regime change but pointed out that in his interview on Sky News, Mr Blair admitted it had been. 

He also cautioned against the use of drones as an alternative way of intervening because the public would not accept the case for troops on the ground.

Iran's president Rouhani has said he would consider working with the US

Former Labour International Development Secretary Clare Short said Mr Blair was "wrong, wrong, wrong" on the issue and accused him of being a "complete American neocon".

She said further intervention was not the answer telling the Murnaghan programme: "Who are you going to bomb? Remember Northern Ireland. When there is an uprising backed by some of the people, if you bomb you kill some of the people and make the people more angry and strengthen the forces of opposition."

In Iraq, the defence ministry said its forces are having some air strike successes against fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) who have made dramatic gains in the Sunni heartlands north of Baghdad after overrunning Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul.

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England Physio Injures Ankle Celebrating Goal

Gary Lewin will be flying home from the World Cup early after dislocating his ankle while celebrating a goal.

Staff rush to attend to Mr Lewin as he lies on the turf

The 50-year-old jumped off the bench to celebrate Daniel Sturridge's first half equaliser against Italy in Manaus, but hurt his ankle in the process when he landed on a water bottle.

He received treatment on the pitch and was carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital.

A doctor set his ankle before Mr Lewin was taken to hospital

Speaking after the match, which finished 2-1 to Italy, manager Roy Hodgson said it was a "very sad moment".

He said: "In celebrating the goal he jumped up, landed on a water bottle and dislocated his ankle.

The 50-year-old will now fly home to recover

"It was very painful. He was taken to hospital.

"The doctor set it, put it back in at the side of the field, but it's the end of the World Cup for Gary."

Manager Roy Hodgson said the injury was a "very sad moment"

Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand wrote on Twitter: "What happened to running it off??? The magic spray & sponge??? Our Physio Gary Lewin has to man up!!"

He later apologised, tweeting: "Was only having a bit of banter but just found out that Gary Lewin's injury was serious so apologies for previous tweets on the injury. My bad."

Mr Lewin will be replaced by assistant Steve Kemp

Lewin's assistant Steve Kemp will take over for the rest of the tournament.

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World Cup: England Defeated By Italy In Brazil

England have suffered a narrow defeat in their opening match of the 2014 World Cup, losing 2-1 to Italy in Manaus.

Italy opened the scoring with a Claudio Marchisio goal in the 35th minute, only for England to strike back when Daniel Sturridge scored from a Wayne Rooney cross.

The winning goal came for Italy in the 51st minute when Mario Balotelli scored with a header shortly after the half-time break.

Roy Hodgson's side had several unsuccessful attacking efforts as they tried to get back into the game, but Italy's Salvatore Sirigu put in a strong performance in goal.

Claudio Marchisio opens the scoring for Italy in the 35th minute

There was an unusual injury for the England squad when the team's physio, Gary Lewin, dislocated his ankle while celebrating Sturridge's goal.

Lewin was carried off the sidelines after suffering the injury in the 37th minute.

The win sees Italy join Costa Rica on three points at the top of Group D.

England physio Gary Lewin receives treatment on the sidelines

A disappointed Steven Gerrard said after the match: "Italy are a good team and we knew how they were going to play it.

"It's disappointing because we put so much into it."

Hodgson selected an attacking line-up for his team's opening clash of the tournament.

The England team prepare to take on Italy at the Arena Amazonia

Liverpool's Raheem Sterling was named alongside Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney in the midfield.

Italy confirmed before the match that their captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon would miss the fixture because of an injury.

Hodgson had expressed his confidence in the team's pre-tournament preparations.

Some 5,000 England fans have travelled up the Amazon to back the team

"I think we are well prepared. I don't think we are concerned about the heat and humidity because we have been training in heat and humidity," he said.

The game at the Arena Amazonia was the first competitive encounter between the teams since Italy beat England in the 2012 European Championship quarter-finals.

Some 5,000 England fans travelled up the Amazon to support the side.

Raheem Sterling takes a shot at goal in the opening minutes

Supporters at home filled the pubs, which were allowed to stay open late for the match after the Home Office announced that licensing laws would be relaxed.

Extra buses were laid on in London to get fans home, however the Tube did not run later than normal.

Police had issued a warning urging people not to drink too much and "wake up in a police cell".

Daniel Sturridge celebrates his goal in the 37th minute

Chief Superintendent Andy Prophet from Essex Police said: "The tournament is a celebration of football and a chance to feel national pride.

"It is however just a game and can never be an excuse for violence or disorder.

"I hope everyone enjoys the World Cup, but experience tells us we need to plan for the minority who spoil things.

Roy Hodgson said his team prepared for the match as well as possible

"My message to anyone planning to go out tonight is have a great time, enjoy the game but please be sensible."

Prime Minister David Cameron sent a good luck message ahead of the match, saying the country is behind the England team "every step of the way".

"On behalf of the whole country I want to wish the England team the very best of luck for the World Cup," Mr Cameron said.

"There is nothing like a World Cup to bring our country together."

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Baghdad Blast As Iraqi Army Launches Fight Back

A bombing in central Baghdad has killed at least nine people and injured 23, according to security and medical officials.

According to an interior ministry official the attack was a roadside bomb, while a police colonel said that was then followed by a suicide bombing.

Police said the suicide blast was carried out by an attacker wearing an explosive vest near Tahrir Square in the centre of the Iraqi capital.

An eyewitness told AP the explosion happened outside a shop selling military fatigues.

Medical staff were seen waiting near stretchers on the pavement in front of one hospital in Baghdad, on which casualties were placed and taken inside, an AFP journalist at the scene said.

The government claims to have killed 279 "terrorists"

The street was closed to all traffic except ambulances.

The government is currently battling a Sunni militant-led insurgency that threatens to split the country along ethnic lines.

Fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have seized many towns and cities north of Baghdad, although the militants' advance has seemed to slow in recent days.

On Sunday a security spokesman said 279 "terrorists" have been killed in the last 24 hours.

Commanders say government forces have retaken two towns north of the capital.

Kurdish security forces clash with ISIS fighters near Diyala

They will be joined by a flood of volunteers, who have responded to a call to arms by the top Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, to defend their country.

A recruitment centre for volunteers in Khales, central Iraq, came under mortar fire on Sunday.

Six people died, including three soldiers, police and a doctor said.

As troops continue efforts to drive back the militants, there are reports the insurgents have carried out summary executions of security forces members they captured.

Soldiers found the burned bodies of 12 policemen as they recaptured the town of Ishaqi in Salaheddin province, a police colonel and doctor said.

ISIS's swift advance has taken it to within 50 miles of Baghdad

The situation on the ground has been complicated by the territorial advances made by forces from the autonomous Kurdish region in the north, who are in control of the city of Kirkuk.

A senior official said Kurdish Peshmerga forces had taken one of two official border crossings with Syria earlier this week.

Iraq launched an air strike on a convoy of Kurdish forces on Saturday near Khanaqin, an area of eastern Iraq that Kurds have moved into.

It is not clear if the attack, which left six people dead, specifically targeted the Kurds or was a case of mistaken identity.

As the crisis continues, the US has deployed aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush to the Gulf.

Iran has warned that "any foreign military intervention" would complicate the crisis, while Germany warned of a potential "proxy war" in the region.

Meanwhile, the former UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, told AFP the international community's negligence of the conflict in neighbouring Syria was to blame.

Mr Brahimi said the international community "unfortunately neglected the Syrian problem and did not help to resolve it. This is the result".

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Ukrainian Aircraft Shot Down By Separatists

Pro-Russian separatists have shot down an army transport plane in eastern Ukraine, killing 49 servicemen and dealing a massive blow to the campaign to defeat the rebels.

President Petro Poroshenko has summoned his security chiefs for meetings and promised an "adequate" response after the aircraft was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile as it came in to land at Luhansk airport.

Declaring Sunday a day of mourning for the nine crew and 40 paratroopers killed, he said: "All those involved in cynical acts of terrorism of this magnitude must be punished."

A separatist gathers ammunition at the site of the crash

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

The incident is likely to fuel tension between Russia and Ukraine's main ally, the United States, which has accused Moscow of arming the rebels.

The plane came down overnight near Novohannivka, a village 12 miles (20km) southeast of Luhansk, close to the Russian border.

Everyone on board was killed

Charred debris was scattered for hundreds of metres over sloping wheat fields.

The tail section jutted up from the ground, with sections of the engine, fuselage and other parts scattered around it.

Rebel forces wearing camouflage fatigues scoured through the wreckage for ammunition that was intended for government forces.

There were 40 paratroopers on the plane when it was downed

"This is how we work. The fascists can bring as many reinforcements as they want but we will do this every time. We will talk to them on our own terms," said a stocky 50-year-old rebel who identified himself as Pyotr, his name de guerre.

Rebels claimed to have shot down a fighter jet over the city of Slavyansk on Saturday, although this has not been confirmed.

Government forces, who hold the airport, attacked rebel positions near the airfield with jets soon after day broke, local residents said.

Luhansk is close to the Russian border

Ukrainian forces reclaimed the city of Mariupol on Friday, a major port for the export of steel.

Ukraine and Russia have begun talks on a peace plan despite the continuing violence.

A rebellion has been raging in east Ukraine since April, with separatists agitating for Russia to absorb the Russian-speaking east after the annexation of Crime in March.

The first flash of light in the footage

Russia denies being behind the uprising and the rebels say they get weapons from army stockpiles.

The US State Department said on Friday that Russia had sent tanks, heavy weapons and rocket launchers to Ukraine in recent days.

Spokeswoman Marie Harf said a convoy of three T-64 tanks, several MB-21 "or Grad" multiple rocket launchers and other military vehicles had crossed the border in the last three days.

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Iraq: No Turning Back As Country Is Carved Up

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent, in Irbil

It may have taken years to get to this point, but the pace at which Iraq is being carved up is staggering.

Boundaries are being redrawn and alliances are shifting - what is taking days to achieve will take much longer to reverse.

The Kurds are taking advantage of the situation. 

The spokesman for their forces, the Peshmerga, told me they had warned the central government in Baghdad of the growing dissent against them, which allowed the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to advance this much so fast.

"This is just the beginning of ISIS's plan," said Helgurd Hikmet Mela Ali.

"The problem is not ISIS, if it wasn't for the loss of support for the government in these areas then ISIS would not have been able to get this far."

Government forces and tribal fighters on the outskirts of Diyala

The Kurds are now in de facto control of ethnically mixed Kirkuk, which they have long wanted to stake out as their capital. 

Other gains are also within their sights, some are even talking about pushing for full autonomy.

Meanwhile the government seemingly has no plan to take back lost territory north of Baghdad. 

The governor of Mosul, Iraq's second city that fell to extremists earlier this week, says there is little the army can do because they are so hated by the locals.

The plan, he says, is to use local Sunni militias in Mosul to fight the insurgents. 

But he admits that cannot be done right now. 

People shout slogans backing a Shia cleric's call to arms against ISIS

The extremists have successfully branded their mission as an uprising against Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki and the governor says any attempt to fight them would be seen by locals as an attempt to help Maliki regain control.

"The militias will fight for themselves, for the Sunnis, but they will not fight in the name of Maliki," Atheel al Nujafi told me.

ISIS may be on the frontline and in the headlines, but they are not the only force making this advance.

As they sweep through towns they are recruiting men who are fed up with the prime minister and his American backers. 

There are also reports commanders from former president Saddam Hussein's army are also helping ISIS.

What will happen if their common enemy Maliki falls is another question that will determine the future of Iraq.

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