Afghans Vote Again As Taliban Threat Looms

Afghans are heading back to the polls today for a second round of voting to elect a successor to President Hamid Karzai.

The leading candidates - former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani - both failed to secure a 50% majority needed to win outright during polls in April.

The process has been mired by accusations of fraud by both candidates and many fear a close outcome will make it less likely the loser will accept defeat, possibly dragging Afghanistan into a protracted stand-off over the vote.

Twelve million eligible voters started casting ballots in the early hours of this morning amid tight security at more than 6,000 polling stations.

The heightened security came after the Taliban issued a new statement warning voters to stay away from the polls, condemning the vote as a US-sponsored charade.

Defence Ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi warned: "This time the Taliban will try to compensate for what they couldn't achieve in the first round of the election."

Security is tight at polling stations across the country

The high turnout of nearly 60% in the first round was a major defeat for the Taliban.

Observers expect fewer than five million voters this time, partly because of concern about security.

Mr Abdullah and Mr Ghani have both promised to improve ties with the West, combat corruption and guide the nation with a steadier hand than Mr Karzai.

With the insurgency showing no signs of weakening as foreign combat troops prepare to withdraw at the end of the year, the winner will have the task of bolstering Afghanistan's security forces while weighing the possibility of a negotiated peace with the militants.

And he will have to find a way to improve the nation's infrastructure at a time when international aid for Afghanistan is drying up.

Shukria Barakzai, a female member of parliament, said: "The country is in a crisis ... Only a strong leader can rescue it.

"Everyone - young, old, rich and poor - came out in unpleasant weather, despite threats, to vote in April and we hope it will be the same this time. This is Afghanistan's spirit."

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Fifa Bans Franz Beckenbauer From Football

Blood On Dancefloor As Sepp Faces European Critics

Updated: 4:00am UK, Wednesday 11 June 2014

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent, Rio de Janeiro

When Sepp Blatter shimmied onto stage at the Fifa Congress alongside Brazilian model Fernanda Lima he did not look much like a man under pressure.

As he jigged about like a man at his granddaughter's wedding, Blatter was in his element, playing to type at the opening ceremony of an event he has long choreographed to his own ends.

You certainly would not have guessed this was a man who started the day facing an open challenge to his leadership from inside the "football family" of which he imagines himself patriarch.

Blatter is well used to criticism from beyond the gates. This is a man, after all, who has not been able to risk a speech at a World Cup finals since he was booed at the 2002 Japan-South Korea World Cup.

But he is certainly not used to being criticised so openly and directly on his own turf as he was on Tuesday.

FA chairman Greg Dyke is new to "Fifaland" and had little to lose, and much to gain domestically, from taking Blatter on. But his message was unarguable.

The allegations against Qatar are not the result of a conspiracy, or racism. Rather they are the product of a competitive, engaged media worrying away at a questionable decision made by a demonstrably flawed organisation.

To suggest otherwise is to admit, as many within Uefa believe, that Blatter does not really believe in cleaning up Fifa or the work of US attorney Michael Garcia, commissioned to investigate the Qatar allegations.

Dyke's Dutch counterpart Michael Van Praag, meanwhile, said plainly what many have long believed; Fifa cannot be credibly reformed with Blatter at the helm because the scandals of the last decade occurred on his watch.

And yet Fifa being Fifa, there is always a political dance going on, and so it was here.

Uefa's opposition at least makes them look like they speak for the interests of players, clubs and the fans they ultimately represent.

But Dyke and Van Praag, no matter how well-intentioned, were really doing someone else's dirty work. Michel Platini, Uefa President, one-time advisor to Blatter and for a while his most credible opponent, was silent. Uefa wants change - and many support them - but their leader kept his head down.

Perhaps it is because he is compromised over Qatar having openly voted for them. Or perhaps he believes that no matter how uncomfortable Uefa made one afternoon for Blatter, their opposition is unlikely to prevent him winning another term as president.

That is the reality of Blatter's grip over Fifa. He commands a majority of the 209 member nations, and his announcement this week of increased bonuses from World Cup profits to all of them will ensure he keeps it.

Uefa has six months to change the music by finding a candidate capable of taking him on and winning. If they don't, Blatter will waltz on to a fifth term.

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Boy, 6, Shot In Neck By Gunman In Dublin

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent

A six-year-old boy has been seriously injured after being shot in the neck by a gunman in west Dublin.

It is understood the shooting took place outside the boy's home in the Ballyfermot area of the city late on Friday.

Sky sources say the child was not the gunman's intended target, but was caught in crossfire.

The boy was taken to the nearby Lady's Hospital in Crumlin where his condition is said to be "stable and non life-threatening".

Reports suggest he was injured after men pushed open the door of a house and shot into the hallway.

A police officer is also thought to have been injured in a subsequent car chase following the attack.

Police have sealed off the area in Croftwood Gardens while they investigate.

A spokesman said: "The shooting occurred shortly after 10pm, a six-year-old boy received what is believed to be a gunshot wound to his neck. When gardai arrived on scene they administered first aid until the arrival of the ambulance."

The shooting adds to the deteriorating criminal picture in Dublin where there has been a significant rise in violent crime in recent months.

Most of it is related to drugs and other gangland crime - but this, to the best of my knowledge, is the first time that a child has been caught up in the violence.

It will certainly increase pressure on the Irish police force to deploy more officers to the area.

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Israel Searches For 'Kidnapped' Teen Settlers

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter

Israel has deployed troops, helicopters and drones across the West Bank in a major operation to find three missing teenagers who may have been kidnapped by Palestinian militants.

The teenagers, one of whom is understood to be a US citizen, were students at a Yeshiva, or religious school, in Gush Etzion, a Jewish settlement bloc in the West Bank, deemed illegal under international law.

They have been named as 16-year-olds Naftali Frankel, from Nof Ayalon, and Gilad Shaar, from Telman, as well as 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach, from Elad.

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

Checkpoints have been established on roads throughout the southern West Bank, in particular around the city of Hebron and the surrounding area, while Israeli soldiers are believed to have carried out raids in the nearby villages of Dura, al-Samu, Tarqumia, and Beit Kahil.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding crisis meetings with senior police, military and intelligence officials in Jerusalem.

Palestinian security officials say at least 14 people have been detained in relation to the search so far.

Reports that a salafist terror cell going by the name of Dawlat Al Islam have claimed responsibility for the incident as revenge for a raid that left three of their members dead earlier this year, have so far not been confirmed.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been holding crisis meetings with police

Another possible motivation for an abduction would be to negotiate the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, who are currently on lengthy hunger strikes protesting at being held without trial.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has quoted a military source saying it is possible the kidnappers may be trying to leave Israeli territory via Jordan.

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.

But despite the operational cooperation, Israel's Prime Minister has attempted to use the incident to score political points - saying it is a direct result of the recent establishment of a Palestinian technocrat unity government, bringing together Fatah and Hamas.

"This is the result of a murderous terror organisation entering the government" Mr Netanyahu was quoted as saying in a conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Mr Netanyahu's claim was dismissed as "mad" by Palestinian officials, who pointed out that as a result of its occupation of the West Bank, Israel retains security responsibility for all but the major urban population centres in the West Bank, known as Area A.

The kidnap threat to Israelis is not new.

In 2013, an Israeli soldier was murdered after being taken to a West Bank village by a Palestinian who had initially hoped to use him to negotiate the release of his jailed brother.

In 2011, Israel released around 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza by Hamas for five years.

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Iraq Crisis Brings America And Iran 'Closer'

One of the by-products of the threat to Baghdad from Sunni Islamist jihadists is the potential for co-operation between the USA and Iran, both of which are backing the Iraqi government.

This in turn would help the ongoing dialogue between the two countries about Iran's alleged nuclear weapons programme.

Shia-dominated Iran does not want Iraq's Shia-led government to fall and is moving to shore up the Iraqi capital's defences in order to maintain influence there. 

With both the US and Iran countries for once having the same short-term aims, there are degrees of co-operation they can undertake.

The Iranians are already thought to be in Baghdad at a command and control level – assisting the Iraqi military with its response.

Barack Obama and Iran's Hassan Rouhani find themselves with the same aims

If it also puts its Revolutionary Guard soldiers into the battle, the Americans can turn a blind eye to their presence.

Washington is already helping the Iraqis with intelligence from their spy satellites.

If Iran does put large numbers of troops on the ground, the Americans know that the intelligence they pass to the Iraqis will find its way to the Iranians, a price they are likely willing to pay.

President Barack Obama also has the option to increase the amount of arms the US sends to the Iraqi authorities and to speed up the training of Iraqi special forces which the US military is doing in Jordan.

If he wants to launch airstrikes via Tomahawk cruise missiles, drones, or fixed wing aircraft, then logistics should not prove problematic.

US may turn blind eye to presence of Revolutionary Guard

The US has "assets" in several bases in Turkey including Incerlik.

The US Fifth Fleet is in Bahrain, the carrier group USS George H W Bush is now in the Gulf, and the US can use the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar

Airstrikes carry the risk of civilian casualties but Mr Obama appears prepared to order them.

The ISIS advance has been halted, but it is likely that airstrikes would be required to push them back.

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World Cup: England 'Well Prepared' For Opener

World Cup: 11 Players You Need To Watch

Updated: 3:39pm UK, Thursday 12 June 2014

By Nick Powell, Sports Editor

Like the Grand National, the World Cup has become a great participation event in offices, clubs and schools.

Join the sweep, pick the top scorer, guess how far England will go, perhaps even have a bet.

So to help, here's a team of men who are probably not big names in your household or workplace - but might be in a month's time.

:: Thibos Courtois, goalkeeper (Belgium/Atletico Madrid)

Actually a Chelsea employee, but doing so well on loan at Atletico that his future has become a big debating point in the last few months.

If Belgium are to do as well as the bookies predict, then he is certain to have enhanced his reputation even further.

Italy's veteran keeper Gianluigi Buffon has picked him out as a man to watch - and he should know.

:: Mauricio Isla, attacking right-back (Chile/Juventus)

Older than some of his colleagues in this fabled team at the age 25 and with almost half a century of appearances for Chile behind him, he has a great chance to win more admirers of his charging runs down the right.

Chile are in the same group as Spain and Holland but do not rule out Isla helping dump one of those giants out at the first hurdle.

:: Raphael Varane, central defender (France/Real Madrid)

He has only played five times for France, but at 21 years old he is part of a badly needed new generation for the 1998 world champions.

Big and strong - not to mention fiery - he got involved in an altercation on the pitch with opposition boss Diego Simeone at the end of the Champions League final, in which his Real team beat city rivals Atletico Madrid.

Jose Mourinho says he's the world's best young defender.

:: Mats Hummels, central defender (Germany/Borussia Dortmund)

If Germany go a long way in the World Cup, Hummels has the potential to be one of the stars of the tournament.

A dominant figure who can play as well as block, he also has a memorable name and a girlfriend, Cathy Fischer, who has been described as Germany's top WAG.

:: Yuto Nagatomo, left-back (Japan/Inter Milan)

Nagatomo has talked ambitiously about Japan winning the World Cup. One day, perhaps. Although they did reach the last 16 in 2010.

If they are to do it again, he will need to be at his best, both in defence and marauding down the left.

:: Juan Cuadrado, midfield (Colombia/Fiorentina)

Top scorer from midfield for Fiorentina in the Italian League with 11 goals last season, Cuadrado was converted from a right-back and is already interesting many of Europe's top clubs.

There is every chance there will be a long queue at his agent's door after the World Cup.

:: William Carvalho, midfield (Portugal/Sporting Lisbon)

You thought Angola was not the place to look for football talent?

This young man from Luanda has to force his way into Portugal's team but he is big and powerful (think Manchester City's Yaya Toure) with a future to match.

:: Paul Pogba, midfield (France/Juventus)

Still only 21, he has been in the headlines since Sir Alex Ferguson decided he was not good enough for Manchester United.

His poise belies his years. Zinedine Zidane, a World Cup winner in 1998, says his young countryman will become one of Europe's best central midfielders.

:: Ciro Immobile, striker (Italy/Borussia Dortmund)

This guy could be huge and may even be the World Cup's top goalscorer - worth a punt at around 50-1 if you like a bet.

No one got more than him in Italy last season and he has just signed for Dortmund.

Mario Balotelli is the big name in the Italians' attack ... so far.

:: Carlos Bacca, striker (Colombia/Sevilla)

Now carrying a nation's goalscoring hopes on his shoulders after injury ruled out his more illustrious colleague, Radamel Falcao, but he is up to the task.

He scored four goals towards the end of the season for his Spanish club, the Europa League winners.

And Bacca has every chance of helping Colombia progress from a group that also includes Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan - therefore boosting his own reputation.

:: Joel Campbell, striker (Costa Rica/Arsenal)

You're going to hear plenty about Joel Campbell because he is a big threat to England's hopes of progress from Group D.

Arsenal have loaned him out for the last three seasons, most recently to Greek club Olympiakos, for whom he scored against Manchester United in the Champions League.

His mum told him to read Psalm 27 - "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" - before matches and apparently he does so.

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Iraq: Iran Offers To Work With Arch Foe US

Iran's president has said he would consider working with the US to combat Islamist militants in Iraq, as he offered help fight the insurgents.

President Hassan Rouhani suggested he would be willing to co-operate with Iran's traditional enemy to keep the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) from taking control of its Middle East neighbour.

In a televised address on Saturday morning Mr Rouhani said Iran would be willing to go to Iraq's assistance and added: "We all should practically and verbally confront terrorist groups."

A refugee boy fleeing his Iraqi home after militants took control

Asked if Tehran would work with the Americans, he said: "We can think about it if we see America start confronting the terrorist groups in Iraq or elsewhere."

President Barack Obama has ruled out putting American troops on the ground in Iraq, but says the White House is considering all other options for support.

Barack Obama has ruled out troops on the ground

He said he would make a decision "in the days ahead" on the options, amid reports that the Pentagon is drafting plans for possible air strikes against the Islamist rebels.

"The United States will do our part, but ultimately it's up to the Iraqis as a sovereign nation to solve their problems," Mr Obama said. "We can't do it for them."

Iran has already sent a Major General from the Revolutionary Guard to Baghdad to meet leaders of the city.

Hassan Rouhani has offered to help Iraq in a televised address

Iran is predominately Shia and does not want to see a Sunni caliphate established on its borders by ISIS fighters, who are now thought to be fewer than 50 miles (80km) from Iraq's capital.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has ruled out sending UK troops, but said Britain may offer other support, such as counter-terrorism expertise, which could see the involvement of the SAS, as it did in Libya.

"Work is under way on that now and we will continue to liaise closely with our United States allies in particular on that," he said.

Britain is to provide £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

Volunteers waiting to join the Iraqi army to fight ISIS

It comes as the governor of Mosul told Sky News he would welcome US support in ousting Islamist militants from Iraq, but does not want troops on the ground.

Speaking from Irbil in the Kurdish north after fleeing Mosul when it was taken by ISIS, Atheel al Nujaifi said the insurgents' attack on several Iraqi cities came as a complete surprise to Iraqi authorities.

Mr Nujaifi said: "We need to have weapons. We need to have political support.

A comparison of the Iraqi army and ISIS

"(But) we don't like the American army to come into Iraq and to occupy Iraq another time and turn back to the same problem that happened before."

The UN has said the 7,000-strong ISIS force has carried out summary executions and rapes in its bloody takeover of large swathes of the country. Around 90,000 Iraqi soldiers are said to have deserted their posts.

Some of the areas affected by the fighting

By Saturday morning the Iraqi army had staged a fightback, retaking the towns of Ishaqi, al-Mutasim and Duluiyah, in Salah ad Din province. They have also retaken much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

Hundreds of young Iraqis attended volunteer centres across Baghdad to sign up to fight the militants after the country's most senior cleric urged people to take up arms on Friday.

Sheikh Abdulmehdi al Karbalai, a representative for Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, said: "People who are capable of carrying arms and fighting the terrorists in defence of their country ... should volunteer to join the security forces to achieve this sacred goal."

:: Watch a special report on the conflict in Iraq on our catch up service. Sky's Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lisa Holland asks whether the current crisis means the end of Iraq. It's free for TV customers with Sky HD+ boxes connected to broadband.

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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.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the telephone with French leader Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who both expressed "extreme concern" over the violence and called for a ceasefire.

A separatist gathers ammunition at the site of the crash

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

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.

Everyone on board was killed

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

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.

"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.

Luhansk is close to the Russian border

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.

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.

The first flash of light in the footage

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 Crimea in March.

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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Bowe Bergdahl 'Saluted' Upon Return To US

US Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl "looked good" and "saluted" his superiors upon arrival at a Texas Army base, military officials say.

Major General Joseph DiSalvo was among the small contingent of officers on hand to greet Sgt Bergdahl when he arrived in the US from Germany early on Friday.

The general said his encounter was brief, but said Sgt Bergdahl was in uniform, "looked good" and spoke English.

The soldier was freed on May 31

Sgt Bergdahl, who spent five years in captivity after being captured by Afghan Taliban forces in 2009, was immediately transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center, where he will undergo further mental and physical evaluations.

It was initially thought the 28-year-old would be reunited with his family, but Army officials said at a news conference that his relatives from Idaho were not at the base in San Antonio.

Sgt Bergdahl will not receive an automatic Army promotion this month

The decision to reunite with his parents will be left to Sgt Bergdahl, Colonel Bradley Poppen told reporters. He declined to comment further, citing the family's request for privacy.

Earlier, Sgt Bergdahl's family issued a statement saying that while they "are overjoyed that their son has returned to the United States, Mr and Mrs Bergdahl don't intend to make any travel plans public".

Gen DiSalvo said Sgt Bergdahl was in stable condition, and would continue to work daily with health professionals. He added that there was no set timeline on the soldier's reintegration.

Sgt Bergdahl was freed on May 31 after the Obama administration controversially agreed to release five Taliban leaders held at the US detention centre in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The prisoner swap sparked a firestorm in Washington and even forced Sgt Bergdahl's hometown to cancel a planned homecoming.

Furthermore, the circumstances of Sgt Bergdahl's capture remain unclear, following allegations from fellow soldiers that he deserted his post in Afghanistan on the night of his capture.

The answers to those questions will be largely determine whether Sgt Bergdahl will be eligible to receive back pay owed to him since he disappeared.

If he was determined to have been a prisoner of war, he could also receive roughly another $300,000 or more, if recommended and approved by Army leaders.

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Injured British Rower Rescued In Atlantic

A Briton trying to row solo across the Atlantic from New York to Stornoway in Scotland has been rescued after suffering a back injury.

Niall Iain Macdonald sent out a distress call on Friday and was picked-up by the US coastguard early the following day, abandoning his seven-metre boat.

The 39-year-old rower was in pain, his face was covered in blood from a cut to his head and he was "very thankful" to be rescued, said coastguard spokesman Lt. James Provost.

Mr Macdonald, who was being treated at the Bayonne Medical Centre in New Jersey, was around 100 miles off the New York coast when he made the call.

He contacted British coastguards in Falmouth, Cornwall, on Friday evening at around 8.30pm in what a spokeswoman described as "a considerable amount of pain and distress".

She said Mr Macdonald, from Stornoway in the Western Isles, had injured his back in what may have been a weather-related fall.

The coastguard told US colleagues where he was.

They then confirmed Mr Macdonald had been located and was brought on to a rescue vessel.

The Scotsman said on his website his transatlantic attempt was to raise money for the Scottish Association for Mental Health

He began his 3,400-mile journey in New York on June 5, aiming to reach Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis at the beginning of September.

He wrote: "Only 10 people have successfully rowed solo from west to east across the North Atlantic (more people have walked on the moon!) and no one has ever completed the route that I am undertaking."

The challenge would have involved rowing for 12 hours each day for the three-month period.

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