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 displaced 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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Scooby-Doo Star and Radio DJ Casey Kasem Dies

US radio personality Casey Kasem, who was the voice of the US chart countdown and Shaggy in Scooby-Doo, has died aged 82.

Kasem, who had been in failing health, passed away on Sunday morning, said a publicist for his daughter, Kerri.

"Early this Father's Day morning, our dad Casey Kasem passed away surrounded by family and friends," said the statement from his daughter.

"Even though we know he is in a better place and no longer suffering, we are heartbroken."

Jean Kasem had battled with Kerri over her husband's care

Kasem found fame in 1970 with his radio music countdown shows, American Top 40 and Casey's Top 40.

Ryan Seacrest, who succeeded him in 2004, said in a statement that as a child he would listen to Kasem's show every weekend and "dream about someday becoming a radio DJ".

He found wider fame as the voice of Shaggy, the snack-loving slacker on the hugely popular cartoon series Scooby-Doo, about a group of sleuthing teenagers.

The star was at the centre of a bitter public feud between his wife, Jean Kasem, and his three adult children from a previous marriage, who fought for control of his care.

Kerri Kasem followed her father into the radio business

He had been suffering from advanced Parkinson's disease and Lewy Body Disease, a form of dementia.

Last month Kasem was reported missing after Jean took him from a medical facility in California to Washington state without the rest of his family's permission.

A judge last week awarded Kerri temporary authority to make medical decisions for her father.

He was married for three decades to 60-year-old Jean, who appeared in the movie Ghostbusters, and they had a daughter together.

The family battle had simmered for months as Kasem's oldest children claimed they were being kept from him. 

The son of a Lebanese immigrant grocer, the star was born Kemal Amin Kasem in Flint, Michigan, in 1932.

He caught the broadcasting bug when he joined the radio club at his Detroit high school.

Kasem became an announcer on a military radio network in Korea while serving in the Army in the 1950s.

In a brash business full of big egos, he cultivated a friendly rock persona on a series of local stations before becoming a household name.

He was also an outspoken advocate for greater understanding of Arab-Americans.

Despite his stellar radio career, Kasem seemed to think it was his role as the lovable coward Shaggy that would live on.

He told the New York Times in 2004: "They are going to be playing Shaggy and Scooby-Doo for eons and eons.

"And they're going to forget Casey Kasem - unless they happen to step on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

"I'll be one of those guys people say, 'who's that?' about. And someone else will say, 'He's just some guy who used to be on the radio.'"

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Baghdad Blast As Iraq 'Massacre' Images Emerge

A bombing in central Baghdad has killed at least nine people and injured 23, as militant Islamists battle government forces north of the Iraqi capital.

The Baghdad attack was a roadside bomb followed by a suicide bombing, officials said.

Police said the suicide blast was carried out by an attacker wearing an explosive vest outside a shop selling military fatigues near Tahrir Square in the centre of the Iraqi capital.

The Baghdad attack came as a series of graphic pictures was posted on a militant website, appearing to show masked fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) massacring dozens of Iraqi soldiers they had captured.

The images seem to show the Sunni insurgents loading the captives onto flatbed trucks before forcing them to lie face-down in a shallow ditch with their arms tied behind their backs.

The government claims to have killed 279 "terrorists"

The final pictures show the bodies of the captives soaked in blood after being shot.

The captions on the photos say the killings were to avenge the killing of ISIS commander Abdul-Rahman al Beilawy, whose death was reported by both the government and ISIS shortly before the al Qaeda splinter group's lightning offensive.

Iraq's top military spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassim al Moussawi, confirmed the photos' authenticity and said he was aware of cases of mass murder of captured Iraqi soldiers in areas held by ISIS.

On Sunday an Iraq 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, died.

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

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.

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

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

As the crisis continues, the US has deployed aircraft carrier USS George HW 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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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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Hundreds March In New York To Back Gun Control

Demonstrators have marched from Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall in New York City to demand stricter gun control laws.

The protest was organised by groups partially funded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a leading champion of firearms regulation.

The campaigners held a similar march last year

Among the activists taking part were family members of some of those killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook primary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

Actress Amanda Peet also spoke at the event

Erica Lafferty - whose mother Dawn Hochspring was the principal at Sandy Hook - addressed the activists.

A woman cries at the protest

Actress Amanda Peet also spoke at the event, which was led by several groups, Moms Demand Action, Everytown For Gun Safety and Mayors Against Illegal Guns. 

Organisers said people from 20 states took part

The protesters also invoked the rallying cry of a father whose son was among six people shot and knifed to death by 21-year-old Elliot Rodger in Santa Barbara, California, last month.

The protesters held signs that said: "Not one more"

At a memorial for his son, Richard Martinez urged mourners to send a gun-control message to Washington by chanting "Not one more".

The event has been organised by groups which Mr Bloomberg bankrolls

Billionaire businessman Mr Bloomberg said in April he would pump $50m of his own money into a new initiative designed to counter the formidable influence of the National Rifle Association.

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Russia Blames Ukraine Police Over Embassy Riot

Russia has accused Ukrainian police of doing nothing to stop an attack on the Russian Embassy in Kiev.

Several diplomatic cars were overturned and damaged by angry protesters who also threw paint, eggs and stones at the embassy building as a large demonstration turned into a riot.

Russia condemned Kiev police's "inaction" as "a grave violation of Ukraine's international obligations".

Washington also delivered Kiev a rare rebuke by urging "authorities to meet their Vienna Convention obligations to provide adequate security".

Acting foreign minister Andrii Deshchytsia visited the area and said the Ukrainian government "will do everything" to avoid exacerbation of relations between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia has accused Kiev of inaction over the embassy protest

It was not the first protest outside the Russian Embassy, but previous demos have been peaceful.

The attack came after pro-Russia separatists shot down a Ukrainian military transport plane on Saturday, killing all 49 crew and troops on board in the east of the country.

It marked a significant setback for the Ukrainian forces, which have struggled to suppress an armed insurgency by opponents of the new government led by President Petro Poroshenko.

Mr Poroshenko, who spoke about a peace plan in his inaugural address, has announced a national day of mourning today following the army plane attack.

A day of mourning is being held for the victims of the plane attack

A commander in the rebel-held eastern city of Lugansk, where the plane was shot down, showed pieces of the Ilyushin-76 transporter's charred debris in a wheat field a dozen kilometres (eight miles) outside the airport.

The man known to his unit as Mudzhakhed (Sacred Fighter) said the plane tried to dump fuel after the rebels hit its engines.

The four-engine transporter crashed on its second landing approach after being hit by heavy machine gun fire.

Mr Poroshenko vowed to deal the rebels "an adequate response" after the attack and signalled an imminent intensification of an offensive being waged against the insurgents.

Meanwhile, the US accused Russia of helping the insurgency by sending tanks and rocket launchers to the pro-Moscow rebels in the former Soviet republic  - a charge the Kremlin denied.

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Election Workers Killed In Afghan Bomb Attack

At least 11 people, including four election workers, have been killed in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan, officials say.

The governor of the northern province of Samangan said the attack, which happened on Saturday evening in the capital Aybak, blew up a bus.

It came after polls closed in the second round of the country's presidential election, between former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani.

"Three local IEC (Independent Election Commission) workers and two observers from Dr Abdullah's team were among them," Khairullah Anosh told the Reuters news agency.

Around 60% of eligible voters cast ballots despite the violence

His spokesman, Sediq Azizi, told AP the blast killed six women, four men and one child.

It is not clear if the election workers were the target of the attack.

Interior Minister Mohammad Umar Daudzai said 47 people had died in election day violence, including 20 civilians and an election commission worker.

He added 60 militants had been killed.

The Taliban punished these men for voting by cutting off their fingers

The Taliban had denounced the election as a US ploy and vowed to derail it.

Police said they raided a building in the southern province of Kandahar on Sunday which had been occupied by militants.

In the clashes that followed, two would-be suicide bombers were shot dead.

Police were unable to prevent another two from blowing themselves up, killing three policemen and wounding another two.

Abdullah Abdullah casts his ballot

In western Herat province, 11 people had their ink-stained fingers chopped off by the Taliban as a punishment for voting.

According to the electoral commission, more than seven million people cast ballots in the election, a turnout of around 60%.

This is similar to the first round of voting, when neither candidate gained the required 50% to avoid a run-off.

Ashraf Ghani finished second in the first round of voting

Mr Abdullah and Mr Ghani are vying to replace Hamid Karzai, who has been in power since the US-led invasion toppled the Taliban in 2001.

Both have promised to improve ties with the West and sign a much-delayed security pact which will allow nearly 10,000 US troops to stay in the country for another two years.

Preliminary results are set to be announced on July 2, with final results published on July 22.

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Families Flee As Pakistani Jets Target Taliban

Fighter jets have carried out airstrikes on suspected Taliban hideouts in Pakistan, as hundreds of families flee the area to escape more violence.

The raid, which were in response to a rebel attack on the country's busiest airport a week ago, reportedly killed nearly 80 militants in the tribal North Waziristan region.

The Pakistani military claimed many of the dead were Uzbeks, and among them was apparently key commander Abdul Rehman.

He was said to be directly involved in masterminding the assault at Karachi's Jinnah international airport.

The militant group Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan had claimed responsibility for the commando-style attack where a squad of highly-trained fighters raided the facility last Sunday.

Following the Karachi attack, in which 10 militants were among 38 people killed, US drones conducted the first air strikes in Pakistan since the start of the year, hitting militant positions.

The scene at Jinnah international airport after the militant attack

Planes are seen near a section of a damaged building at Jinnah International Airport, after Sunday's attack by Taliban militants, in Karachi.

Pakistani air force jets have also been hitting rebel hideouts and there is speculation the army is preparing for a major ground and air offensive in the region that borders Afghanistan.

"There were confirmed reports of the presence of foreign and local terrorists in these hideouts who were linked in planning the Karachi airport attack," the military said.

In anticipation of more violence, families have been fleeing into Afghanistan and other parts of Pakistan as an atmosphere of fear has gripped the mountainous region.

"All the family members gathered in the yard in fear," said resident Tawab Khan from the village of Boyapul, about five miles from where the airstrikes hit.

"We could hear big bangs but they didn't come from very close to our area."

Aziz Khan, a student who was escaping to Bannu with his extended family, said: "We are coming from Mir Ali because the situation there is very bad.

"Our schools are closed. The hospital is closed. The government is giving us great trouble."

Jabar Nahimi, governor of eastern Afghanistan's Khost province said around 300 Pakistani families had fled over the border because they were worried about fighting between Pakistani forces and Pakistani Taliban.

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Drink-Drive Death: Daughter Runs Over Dad

A man has been run over and killed by his daughter in the family driveway after he tried to stop her from drink-driving, police have said.

She ignored his pleas not to get behind the wheel, backed her BMW convertible out of the garage and struck him, officers added.

Witnesses in Riverside, southern California, said Soukvilay Barton, 37, had been drinking and was arguing with relatives at their home.

She was upset and planned to leave in her car, police said.

After the incident in Bush Avenue, Barton stopped the vehicle, saw that her father Bounmy Rajsombath was injured and sat sobbing before being arrested.

Mr Rajsombath, 69, was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Barton was detained on suspicion of driving under the influence and gross vehicle manslaughter and was held on $75,000 (£44,000) bail.

Family members have reportedly said the victim was a former Laotian military officer who helped US efforts during the Vietnam War.

A man who claimed he was his son-in-law told the Riverside Press-Enterprise that Mr Rajsombath ran a refugee camp in Thailand to help people escaping the conflict.

The man, who asked not to be identified, said: "He had to swim across the Mekong River to get to Thailand because the communists had come to kill him.

"They were killing all the Laos military that helped the United States."

Mr Rajsombath came to the US in 1979 and settled in southern California with his wife and four children.

The man added that Mr Rajsombath worked as a plumber before injuring his arm in a fall about 10 years ago.

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Israel Blames Hamas For Kidnapping Teenagers

Israel has blamed Hamas militants for the abduction of three teenagers in the occupied West Bank, as it detained dozens of Palestinians in connection with the search.

"Those who carried out the kidnapping of our youngsters are Hamas people," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet.

He added there would be "serious consequences".

The trio, one of whom is understood to be a US citizen, are students at a Yeshiva, or religious school, in Gush Etzion, a Jewish settlement bloc.

They are 16-year-olds Naftali Frenkel, from Nof Ayalon, and Gilad Shaar, from Telman, and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach, from Elad.

An Israeli soldier stands guard in the West Bank city of Hebron

Local media reports suggest they left school on Thursday and were last seen hitch-hiking outside the settlement, which is just south of the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.

There has been no public claim of responsibility.

When asked about Mr Netanyahu's comments, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri stopped short of issuing a clear denial or confirmation the group, which runs the Gaza Strip, was involved.

Troops, helicopters and drones have been deployed across the West Bank in an effort to find them.

Checkpoints have been set up on roads throughout the southern West Bank, in particular around the city of Hebron and the surrounding area.

Palestinians argue with Israeli soldiers in Hebron

Israeli soldiers are believed to have carried out raids in the nearby villages of Dura, al-Samu, Tarqumia, and Beit Kahil.

Around 80 Palestinians were detained overnight by the Israeli military.

Palestinian officials say a total of more than 100 people have now been taken into custody, including at least seven Hamas members of the Palestinian parliament and several prisoners recently released by Israel.

Diplomatic sources have told Sky News they have received solid assurances that the security and intelligence forces of the Palestinian Authority are working closely with their Israeli counterparts to establish the whereabouts of the missing teenagers.

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