The leader of the Islamic State, formerly Isis, has released the first audiotape calling for jihad since the group renamed. The group is currently battling Iraqi forces across large parts of the country.
The Iraqi government received a boost in its fight against militants with the delivery in Baghdad of the first batch of five Russian-made Sukhoi jets, according to EBU.
Two Iraqi security officials confirmed arrival of the planes, which Iraqi purchased secondhand from Russia.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi government launched its biggest push yet to wrest back ground lost to Sunni militants, as soldiers backed by tanks and helicopter gunships began an offensive to retake the northern city of Tikrit.
The Foreign Secretary has been clear on the threat of Isis, but he has ruled out the prospect of any UK military involvement in the crisis.
Iraq’s foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, is a natural diplomat. Polite, immaculately dressed, and blessed with a great memory.
Isis has paraded military equipment in Mosul it captured from when the Iraqi army fled in what some see as a "nightmare scenario."