BBC News with Nick Kelly.
The United States has warned that the jihadist group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIS poses a threat to the entire region after its fighters seized control of another key city in northern Iraq, Mosul. Jim Muir reports.
“For the Shiite dominated government in Baghdad, the loss of mainly Sunni Mosul to the radicals was nothing short of a disaster. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki headed an emergency government meeting. ‘The cabinet has taken decisions to set in motion the work of the security bodies and to restructure and reorganize them, and to redraw the plan needed to return and claim the city of Mosul from the evil of the criminal terrorists’. Although he spoke of a swift and urgent response, restructuring the security forces clearly is not going to happen overnight. ISIS's fighters are digging in Mosul and every day that passes, there will be more entrenched.”
European football officials have challenged the FIFA President Sepp Blatter over his leadership of world football's governing body. Mr. Blatter is expected to announce he wants to stand for a 5th term next year. David Bond reports.
“Today in a meeting with European Football Associations, the 78-year-old Swiss confirmed his change of heart, sparking a tense rebellion from those who believe it's time for him to go. As ever, it was the English who led the way with the FA Chairman, Greg Dyke, publicly criticizing Mr. Blatter for he has claimed the latest corruption allegations aimed at Qatar were motivated by a racist British media. Other powerful European FAs joined in, though with Germany and Holland expressing anger at the way Mr. Blatter has run FIFA.”
An international conference in London aimed at ending sexual violence in war has been hearing the stories of women survivors. 15-year-old Genniy is from The Democratic Republic of Congo. She wants the men who raped her brought to justice.
“I was here in the living room. The soldiers came and took all the women in the house. One soldier took me to the manual fields that were right by the house. He tied my hands and feet. After he raped me, he hit me. I want simply that justice condemns these men.”
Opening the four-day event, the actress and UN Envoy Angelina Jolie who is hosting the event with the British Foreign Secretary William Hague, said the summit had to send a strong global message.
“We must send a message around the world that there is no disgrace in being a survivor of sexual violence that the shame is on the aggressor. We must work together in new and unprecedented ways across borders and religions bringing governments and people together and tackling the problem from every possible angle.”
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The Chilean government has rejected what would’ve been the biggest energy project in the country's history. The hydroelectric project was due to include building five huge dams on two rivers in a scenic part of Partgonia in the far south of the country. Chile's Energy Minister said the project have many aspects that were poorly thought out. Environmentalists celebrated the decision, saying the project would have had a devastating impact on the region's eco-system.
The Colombian government says it's starting peace negotiations with the country's second largest rebel group, the National Liberation Army. In a joints statement, the two sides said they have been holding exploratory discussions since January, and now have agreed on two points of the agenda to discuss in formal negotiations.
Customs officers at Manchester Airport in Brittan have seized a large amount of heroin which have been woven into hand-knotted carpets from Pakistan. Two men have been arrested in London. As Danny Savage reports.
“Border force officers say they were suspicious of the 46 hand-made carpets when they arrived at Manchester airport from Peshawar in Pakistan. And their concerns were backed up when a sniffer dog alerted its handler to one of the carpets. But the hidden heroin wasn't obvious. It has been woven into the fabric what officers describe as a highly sophisticated concealment method. When strands were loosened, the white powder fell out. About 50 kilos have been found so far.”
And more than 1000 acrobats, clowns and other circus employees have taken to the streets of Mexico City to protest against a ban on using animals in circuses. The new law means that lions, tigers, even dogs will not be allowed to perform. The protesters say the legislation which follows similar moves in other Mexican cities will leave humans and animals unemployed. Supporters say constant training and transportation in enclosed vehicles harm the animals.