UN To Discuss Yemen As Rebels Seize Major City

The UN Security Council will meet on Sunday night to discuss the deepening crisis in Yemen.

President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi had asked the organisation for an "urgent intervention" amid allegations that Houthi fighters were staging a coup against him.

Armed rebels have successfully seized Taiz - Yemen's third-largest city - by overtaking government buildings, a prison and the airport.

Thousands of residents soon gathered to protest against the Houthi occupation there but fighters dispersed them by firing shots into the air and beating them back with batons.

On Saturday, the US evacuated all remaining personnel out of Yemen, signalling a major setback in attempts to combat al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula - widely regarded as the terror group's most dangerous offshoot.

Video: Deadly Mosque Attacks In Yemen

Although Mr Hadi's presidency is recognised by the United Nations, his position was undermined after he was placed under house arrest in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

Last month, he managed to escape, and relocated to the city of Aden in the nation's south, declaring it Yemen's "temporary capital".

However, the region is visibly expecting an assault, with the deputy governor warning: "There are great fears that plans are underway for Aden to meet the same fate as Sanaa."

Diplomats fear that Saudi Arabia and Iran could be drawn into the conflict.

There are also concerns that continuing instability and power struggles in Yemen could push the impoverished country back into civil war, with Mr Hadi warning that Houthi militias "not only threaten peace in Yemen but the regional and international peace and security".

On Friday, suicide bombers killed at least 142 people in attacks on two Sanaa mosques frequented by Houthis.

A previously unknown Sanaa branch of Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombings, but the US said it was too early to confirm whether IS was involved.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shia Volunteers Lead Fightback Against IS

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent, in Iraq

Ansar Marjaiyeh, or Soldiers Of The Religious Leadership, is a group of Shia volunteers leading the fightback against Islamic State militants near Fallujah.

IS snipers are just 200m away, and they return fire hard and fast. The volunteers are slowly pushing the militants back, but holding the territory they retake is their main challenge.

Their weapons are not impressive, but their resolve is. Dozens of these fighters have been killed so far. This is just one of several open fronts with the Islamic State group in Iraq.

More than 20,000 Shia militiamen from different groups, many backed by Iran, are involved in the fight against IS. They make up what is known as the Popular Mobilisation Force. Around 5,000 Iraqi officers and soldiers are working with them.

The men proudly show off their weapons and what they have picked up during battle.

Video: People Return Home After Liberation

One militia leader showed us what he said was a receipt, bearing the stamp of the Islamic State group, invoicing the Syrian government for crude oil worth thousands of dollars. The receipt said the oil was to be transferred from Mosul to Syria.

We met up with hundreds of fighters on their way to the frontline in Tikrit - the birthplace of former president Saddam Hussein, which was taken over by IS last summer.

The military operation In Tikrit is in its third week, but the militias still only control parts of the city.

Hadi al Amiri heads up the Badr Brigade, one of Iraq's most effective fighting forces.

Seen by many as Iran's man on the ground, he told Sky News that dozens of Iranian advisors are helping take back territory from IS, and that Tikrit would be retaken within days.

Video: 'This Is Not A Sectarian War'

But he insists co-ordination with local Sunni forces has been key, and is confident his men will soon take back Anbar before recapturing the country's second city, Mosul.

He said: "We were victorious in Diyala, and we're using the same strategy here, as a result of a high degree of co-ordination between the army, the popular mobilisation forces and the police."

In Diyala, though, Sunni families returning have found their homes burned and looted. Rights groups say dozens of villages were destroyed not just by IS, but also Shia militias carrying out revenge attacks.

We spoke to people in Diyala who told us they heard about those attacks from their neighbours and friends, but did not see anything themselves.

Militia leaders insist they have strict orders not to harm locals under their control, and near Tikrit, we found Shia fighters helping hundreds of families going home.

Video: Shia Fighters Battle Islamic State

There are also some areas where the battle was too fierce, meaning there is nothing left to come back to. Islamic State flags still litter the walls along the streets as mangled metal and charred buildings replace what used to be a vibrant neighbourhood.

For now, the momentum is with the militias and the Iraqi army.

Tikrit will be a strategic and symbolic victory before the push northwards, but that will entail Shia militias controlling Sunni and mixed villages - putting Iraq's delicate sectarian balance to the ultimate test.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iran's President Optimistic On Nuclear Deal

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says he is optimistic that a deal over his country's nuclear programme can be reached during the current round of negotiations.

Mr Rouhani said that recent progress in the talks between Tehran and other world powers, including the UK, could see an agreement.

Iranian state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying: "In this round of talks, shared points of view emerged in some of the areas where there had been a difference of opinion, which can be a foundation for a final agreement."

"I believe it is possible to reach an agreement and there is nothing that cannot be resolved."

Earlier he said those negotiating with his country have realised that "threats and sanctions are ineffective".

Video: 'Genuine Progress' In Nuclear Talks

Iran and world powers - US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - ended their latest nuclear talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Friday and will resume negotiations later next week.

They are aiming towards a 31 March deadline for a framework agreement.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says "genuine progress" has been made but warned that significant gaps remain and "we have not yet reached the finish line".

Video: Barack Obama's Message To Iran

He added: "It is a matter of political will and tough decision making...and we must all choose wisely in the days ahead." 

France has been demanding more stringent restrictions on the Iranians under any deal than the other Western delegations and at one point during the talks French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius phoned his team to ensure it made no more concessions, officials said.

He said: "France wants an agreement, but a robust one that really guarantees that Iran can have access to civilian nuclear power, but not the atomic bomb." 

Video: 2012: Netanyahu UN Speech on Iran

Iran wants UN sanctions to be lifted immediately and denies that it harbours nuclear weapons ambitions. 

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama: Israel Hampering Palestinian Peace Plan

Barack Obama has said Israel is making it "hard to find a path" for peace over the Palestinian conflict.

In an apparent snub to Benjamin Netanyahu, the US President said the Israeli leader's rejection of a two-state solution was hampering negotiations to resolve the crisis.

In an interview with the Huffington Post, the President described a phone call he had with Mr Netanyahu, two days after the Israeli leader was re-elected.

"I did indicate to him that we continue to believe that a two-state solution is the only way for the long-term security of Israel, if it wants to stay both a Jewish state and democratic," he said.

Mr Netanyahu had declared before the election that there would be no Palestinian state while he was Israel's prime minister.

Video: Netanyahu Declares Victory

Despite appearing to backtrack later, Mr Obama said he would take Mr Netanyahu "at his word" for the comments.  

"I indicated to him that given his statements prior to the election, it is going to be hard to find a path where people are seriously believing that negotiations are possible.

"We take him at his word when he said that it wouldn't happen during his prime ministership, and so that's why we've got to evaluate what other options are available to make sure that we don't see a chaotic situation in the region."

Video: Bibi's Back - More Of The Same?

The White House said Washington would "reassess" its options on US-Israel relations and Middle East diplomacy following Mr Obama's phone call.

In the interview, the President also expressed concern over Mr Netanyahu's election day warning to his supporters about Arab-Israeli voters going to the polls "in droves".

"We indicated that that kind of rhetoric was contrary to what is the best of Israel's traditions, that although Israel was founded based on the historic Jewish homeland and the need to have a Jewish homeland, Israeli democracy has been premised on everybody in the country being treated equally and fairly," he said.

Despite a worsening in US-Isaeli relations, Mr Obama said the country's military and security cooperation would remain unchanged.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

US Troops Pull Out Of Yemen As Crisis Worsens

By Sky News US Team

Some 100 US troops, including specials forces commandos, have begun pulling out of Yemen amid worsening security concerns.

The troops are the last of the US forces deployed to Yemen to conduct operations against al Qaeda and allied groups.

They evacuated al Annad airbase near the southern city of al Houta, which was seized by al Qaeda militants on Friday.

Yemen's president fled the capital in February after escaping house arrest

"Due to the deteriorating security situation in Yemen, the US government has temporarily relocated its remaining personnel out of Yemen," State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said in a statement.

The US has been waging a drone war against al Qaeda's branch in Yemen, which Washington considers to be the terror group's most dangerous offshoot.

Video: Deadly Mosque Attacks In Yemen

The country has become increasingly unstable amid a power struggle between the Iranian-backed Shia rebels, known as Houthis, in the north and UN-recognised President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Mr Hadi fled to the southern city of Aden in February after escaping house arrest in the capital Sanaa.

Late on Saturday, Mr Hadi called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council meeting, which will convene later today.

In his letter to the Council, Mr Hadi denounced "the criminal acts of the Huthi militias and their allies," saying they "not only threaten peace in Yemen but the regional and international peace and security".

Video: 19 Jan: Yemen In Turmoil

"I urge for your urgent intervention in all available means to stop this aggression that is aimed at undermining the legitimate authority, the fragmentation of Yemen and its peace and stability," he wrote.

On Friday, suicide bombers killed at least 142 people in attacks on two Sanaa mosques frequented by Houthis.

A previously unknown Sanaa branch of Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombings, but the US said it was too early to confirm whether IS was involved.

That same day, al Qaeda militants killed 20 Yemeni soldiers during a brief occupation of al Houta.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tunis Museum Terror Attack: CCTV Of Gunmen

Footage showing a militant attack carried out by two gunmen on a museum in Tunisia has been released by the country's interior ministry.

It shows the armed men walking through the Bardo national museum in the capital Tunis before they opened fire on tourists.

The government also released two still images of the men, named as Tunisians Yassine Laabidi and Hatem Khachnaoui.

Briton Sally Adey was killed in the attack

It is claimed they had trained in camps in Libya, and the Tunisian government say they have arrested more than 20 suspected militants following the attack.

Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid said Laabidi had been flagged to intelligence services, although not for "anything special".

Video: Sombre March After Tunisia Massacre

President Beji Caid Essebsi admitted "failures" helped facilitate the deadly attack.

"There were failures" which meant that "the police and intelligence were not systematic enough to ensure the safety of the museum", he told the Paris Match magazine.

Mr Essebsi later confirmed a third attacker is on the run.

The CCTV footage shows the two gunmen encountering a third man with a backpack walking down a flight of stairs. They acknowledge each other briefly before walking in opposite directions.

A senior Tunisian politician said the guards supposed to be protecting the museum and the nearby parliament were having coffee at the time of the assault.

"I found out there were only four policemen on security duty around the parliament (compound), two of whom were at the cafe.

"The third was having a snack and the fourth hadn't turned up," deputy speaker Abdelfattah Mourou said.

Video: Briton Killed in Tunisia Named

Islamic State later released an online audio recording in which it claimed responsibility for Wednesday's shooting.

Witnesses said the gunmen opened fire on tourists arriving at the museum before chasing them inside.

The two attackers were among the 23 people left dead, which included tourists from Japan, Italy, Colombia, Australia, France and Poland.

A "much-loved" British mother-of-two was also among the victims.

Newly retired Sally Adey, 57, was on holiday with her husband Robert, who was unharmed in the attack.

The Adeys, both solicitors from Shropshire, had been on the cruise ship MSC Splendida, which docked at the port in Tunis early on Wednesday.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Woman Beaten And Burned By Angry Mob Is Buried

A woman who was beaten with sticks and set on fire by a mob for allegedly burning the Koran has been buried in Afghanistan.

The funeral of Farkhunda was attended by hundreds of people and her coffin was carried to the graveyard by other women.

Smartphone footage has emerged of police standing by as she was lynched by a crowd of angry men on Thursday.

Investigators have since said the 27-year-old was "totally innocent", as there was no evidence that she had abused a copy of Islam's holy book.

Bari Salam, a human rights activist, said: "This is a crime against this family, a crime against a sister and a crime against humanity. All those involved and all those who supported her killing should be brought to justice."

According to Farkhunda's father, she had obtained a diploma in Islamic studies, knew the Koran off by heart and would pray five times a day.

Protests have taken place in central Kabul, where the violent attack took place, and at least 13 people have been arrested so far, including eight policemen.

One demonstrator, Mariam Mustafawi, said: "This brutal act once again shows the incompetence of the police force.

"Today our police force is unable to enforce the rule of law. How can they protect us against the enemy?"

President Ashraf Ghani has described Farkhunda's murder as a "heinous attack" - though some Afghan officials, including a high-profile cleric, have praised the killing and insisted that Muslim men have the right to protect their beliefs whatever the cost.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

IS Posts 'Kill List' Of US Military Personnel

A group calling itself the "hacking division" of Islamic State has published what it says are the names and addresses of 100 US military staff and urged IS supporters to kill them, a monitoring group says.

SITE Intelligence said the allegedly hacked details about members of the air force, army and navy included pictures, addresses and ranks of personnel.

The hackers said the staff had targeted IS in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and called upon its "brothers residing in America" to attack them.

The group, which referred to itself as the "Islamic State Hacking Division", said it had hacked several military servers, databases and emails and made the information public so "lone wolf" attackers can kill them.

A US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "I can't confirm the validity of the information, but we are looking into it.

Video: Jan: Centcom Twitter Feed Hacked

"We always encourage our personnel to exercise appropriate OPSEC (operations security) and force protection procedures."

Officials from the Defense Department and the FBI told The New York Times they were aware of the threats and were investigating.

The US Marine Corps said it was visiting all staff affected, and urged caution online.

Lieutenant Colonel John Caldwell said: "Vigilance and force protection considerations remain a priority for commanders and their personnel.

"It is recommended Marines and family members check their online/social footprint, ensuring privacy settings are adjusted to limit the amount of available personal information."

Lt Col Caldwell added the threat remained "unverified".

A defence source told The New York Times that most of the information is available in public records and did not appear to have been hacked from government servers.

The newspaper quoted officials as saying the list appeared to have been drawn from people mentioned in news articles about airstrikes on IS, which controls large parts of Iraq and Syria.

NATO commander Philip Breedlove claimed it was an attempt by IS to divert attention away from military setbacks.

He said: "What we have seen across the last several months is that every time they take a defeat on the battlefield, or every time they are under great pressure on the battlefield, they come out with kind of some big splash like this.

"This caliphate, I think, is under great pressure and so they try to divert attention from what is happening on the battlefield."

IS has claimed responsibility for hacking attacks in the US in the past, including against Central Command, which oversees the air campaign against the group.

In January, the Centcom Twitter feed was hacked by a group claiming to be IS sympathisers.

Images were posted showing documents containing the contact details of current and retired military officers, including home addresses and email accounts.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Confederate Plate Battle Reaches Supreme Court

By Sky News US Team

A contentious free speech case involving a license plate featuring a Confederate flag has reached the US Supreme Court.

The case centres on Texas' decision in 2010 to reject a proposed plate displaying the Confederate battle flag, which to some is an emblem of Southern pride and to others a symbol of racism.

The state's chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which proposed the plate, argued the rejection violated the US Constitution.

The New Orleans-based 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the group, prompting Texas to seek a high court review.

A Supreme Court ruling is expected in late June

On Monday, Supreme Court justices will hear an hour of oral arguments, with a ruling not likely to come until end of June.

The justices must decide whether messages on state-issued license plates represent speech by the government or an endorsement of a private message.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans said its aim is to preserve the "history and legacy" of soldiers who fought for the Confederacy in the US Civil War.

Critics argue the flag's symbolism is a painful reminder of one of America's darkest chapters.

Royce West, a black Texas state senator, said in 2011: "Ill-intended or not, why would African-Americans want to be reminded of a legalised system of involuntary servitude, dehumanisation, rape and mass murder?"

Steven Shapiro, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which backs the Sons of Confederate Veterans, said although the flag "served as a banner for those who supported slavery and segregation ... Texas cannot pick and choose the plates it approves on ideological grounds".

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

British Medical Students 'Working In Syria'

A number of British medics are reported to have travelled from Sudan to Syria to work in hospitals in areas controlled by Islamic State (IS).

The students were part of a group of 11 people who crossed into Syria last week without warning their parents, Turkish MP Mehmet Ali Ediboglu told Sky News.

Mr Ediboglu, who is assisting the families, said seven members of the group have British passports.

The others are an American, a Canadian and two Sudanese students.

One of the women informed her family of the trip via WhatsApp, he said.

The British students had been studying in Sudan because their parents wanted them to experience a more Islamic culture, but they were born and raised in Britain.

One of the girls, Lena Maumoon Abdulqadir, sent her sister a WhatsApp message with a picture of her smiling on a bus saying: "Don't worry about us, we've reached Turkey and are on our way to volunteer helping wounded Syrian people."

A tank at the Turkey-Syria border. (Pic: File)

All of the students are sending daily messages to their families reassuring them they are OK, but there is no indication where they are, the MP told Sky News.

Some of the students' families are concerned the group may have gone to help by working as doctors for a militant group, possibly IS.

"She was living in (Africa) a land which needs a lot of doctors everywhere," Lena's father Maumoon Abdulqadir told Turkey's Birgün newspaper.

"Why would she go all the way to Syria for volunteering?"

Mr Ediboglu understands the group flew from Khartoum to Istanbul and then travelled by bus to the border.

He earlier told The Observer newspaper the students had travelled to Syria to "help, not to fight".

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are providing consular assistance to the families.

"We have informed the Turkish police to try to ascertain their whereabouts.

"The best way for the public to help is to donate to or otherwise support UK-registered charities with ongoing relief operations."

The Home Office said: "The UK advises against all travel to Syria and parts of Iraq.

"Anyone who does travel to these areas, even for humanitarian reasons, is putting themselves in considerable danger."

It comes as British authorities continue efforts to trace three missing schoolgirls from east London who left Britain to join IS.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More