15/06/2014 BBC Weekend News

Good afternoon. The former Prime Minster Tony Blair says America and

Britain will have to intervene to tackle the crisis in

Iraq. He says military action, possibly in the form of

air strikes, might be required to defeat ISIS extremists who have

taken control of several key cities and are

threatening Baghdad. Mr Blair, now a Middle East peace envoy,

denied his decision to let the UK help the US topple Saddam Hussain

had led to the current crisis. Our political

correspondent Louise Stewart reports.

Iraqi government forces backed by Shia Muslim and Kurdish militias are

reportedly holding back in advance by Sunni militants north of Baghdad.

The Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, has vowed to retake the

towns and villages Al-Maliki, has vowed to retake the

ISIS insurgents in recent days. A currently hold the key cities of

ISIS insurgents in recent days. A Mosul and Tikrit. More than a decade

after Tony Blair agreed to back the US-led intervention in Iraq, he says

the upturn in violence there are no is the predictable result of the

West's failure to intervene in neighbouring Syria. Where we are in

2014, you have to understand this is a regional problem, but it will

affect us. If you talk to security services in Europe, they will say

that their single biggest worry is returning jihadis fighters --

jihadists fighters, our own citizens, from Syria. We have to

engage. Fearful the Iraqi military may be on the brink of collapse, the

US and sent an aircraft carrier to the region. President Barack Obama

is considering possible air strikes against the Sunni Muslim insurgents

who are threatening the government. Tony Blair says that all options

must remain on the table. Intervention is tough, partial

intervention is tough, and nonintervention is also tough. The

best policy for us is to realise that whatever form of intervention

we choose, it is going to be difficult but it is better than the

alternative. As security is stepped up on the streets of Baghdad, there

is a growing consensus that intervention may be necessary,

warnings as well that the international community has to learn

from past mistakes. If in Syria and Iraq there is a Sunni Muslim

extremist entity with ISIS in charge, that comes out of place for

itself, it will be the great irony of the modern era. President Bush

said he wanted to go into Iraq to fight terrorism, and there were no

terrorists. There are now. There are now. The Foreign Office says that

recent events must be seen in the context of internal tensions in Iraq

that have increased in recent years as well as regional developments,

but it says that the UK is not planning British military

intervention and is looking at other ways to help.

In Iraq, government forces appear to be holding back the advance by Sunni

extremists, who had come within 80 miles of Baghdad.

But the key cities of Tikrit and Mosul remain under

the control of ISIS. This morning a suicide bomb blast in the capital

killed at least nine people. Our defence

correspondent, Jonathan Beale, is in Baghdad for us. Jonathan,

it appears ISIS are being kept at bay but things still very tense?

Jonathan, does Baghdad feel safe? We have been travelling around the

city and there are lots of police and military checkpoints, but that

did not stop the car bomb going off. It is a fairly regular occurrence in

the city, even before the ISIS crisis. Outside Baghdad, we have

seen the ISIS advance being stalled, because of the involvement

of militia in support of the government. Nevertheless, the Prime

Minister needs outside help and the big question is where does he get

that help from? If it comes from Iran, as she let country, that will

underline the sectarian divide. You also have to ask, what would be the

reaction of Saudi Arabia? This focuses minds in Washington as the

president weighs up his military options. You have to say, they are

all pretty ugly, and in that sense, Tony Blair is right. The views going

to consider military strikes, you have got to ask, what does that

achieve? Iraq is facing a political crisis as well as a security crisis.

Russia has reacted angrily to a violent protest outside its embassy

in Ukraine. Windows were smashed, a flag torn down and

cars overturned, and the Russians have accused

Ukrainian police of doing nothing to stop the attack. It came as

Ukraine's president promised tough action against

pro-Russian rebels who shot down a military plane

yesterday, killing 49 servicemen. Our correspondent, Daniel Sandford,

Once again, both sides are angry with each other?

Yes, today is a day of mourning in the Ukraine as people remember those

49 people on board the military transport plane that was shot down

at the government-controlled airfields. That means that flags are

flying at half-mast. There are graphics of candles in the corner of

the main television channels, even those showing the World Cup.

Comedies have been taken off air on this television channels. Strangely,

the atmosphere is almost normal. It is almost like people have got used

to the idea that they are in a state of something that is close to war.

The Ukrainian government is fighting off accusations by the Russian

government that it failed to protect the Russian Embassy in Kiev when

young men attacked it with stones and paint. To make things worse,

when the acting Foreign Minister went there last night to camp things

down, he was filmed uttering an obscenity about the Russian near --

about the Russian president Vladimir Putin. All the while Ukraine and

Russia are trying to agree a new gas price. Ukraine is accusing rush of

sponsoring an armed uprising in the east and Russia is accusing the

Ukraine of breaching diplomatic sensibilities and of killing its own

people. Thank you very much. Pakistan says it has launched air

strikes against militant hideouts in the tribal region

of North Waziristan this morning, killing more than more than 50

suspected militants. The air strikes are said to be in

response to the attack on Karachi Airport last Sunday by

the Pakistani Taliban, which left 40 Israeli military forces say they've

detained about 80 Palestinian suspects during an

operation to find three teenagers who were abducted last Thursday. An

extensive search for the missing youths has been

underway around the city of Hebron. The Israeli Prime

Minister has accused the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas of kidnapping

the teenagers. England know they have it all to do

if they are to qualify for the knockout stages of the

World Cup after defeat to Italy last night. Despite a bold and attacking

display, Roy Hodgson's young side lost 2-1 in

Manaus. Natalie Pirks is there for How is it feeling this morning?

I think everybody is positive about what they saw. Despite Rod Tucker --

despite Roy Hodgson saying this week that he works from logic rather than

instinct, he threw everyone a curveball. He threw off the shackles

of the cautious manager Chad -- cautious manager tag and very nearly

upset Italy with an attacking formation.

England had a four-hour flight back to their base in Rio to try and

comprehend just how a performance full of vim and vigour ultimately

amounted to nothing. And in the sultry heat of the jungle, the three

Lions needed to roar. Likely temperature, England's pace from the

off was blistering. The bold inclusion of Raheem Sterling almost

paid off inside just four minutes. But it only takes one moment, and

this Italian corner was straight from the training ground, the

peerless Andrea Pirlo cleverly leaving the ball to Marchisio. Joe

Hart was blindsided. Roy Hodgson was shell-shocked. Two minutes later

came the equaliser. Wayne Rooney was largely ineffectual, stuck out

wide, but his fizzing cross to Daniel Sturridge got a nation on

their feet. In Rio, those who could not get to the Amazon is celebrated

on the Copacabana. Even the Brazilian crowd cheering for Italy

must have appreciated his nose. For the head physiotherapist, there was

pain in the pleasure, he dislocated his ankle in the celebrations and is

out of the World Cup. Mario Balotelli is well-known to the

England defenders. When Gary Cahill failed to track him, he gave Joe

Hart no chance. Wayne Rooney was inches wide from scoring his first

ever World Cup goal. But Roy Hodgson's anguish summed up the

thoughts of watching nation. And England could only look on as Italy

danced around them and the liberation of the final whistle. It

is very hard to take. There were major positives in the performance.

We attacked well and performed better than two years ago but you

have got to give Italy credit. It goes to show how good the art and

the standard of players they possess. If we match that

performance, we will get out of the group. Ultimately losses a loss, but

fans left Manaus feeling positive that the swashbuckling England had

gone down fighting. Well, Steven Gerrard was one of many

England players I spoke to after the game. The consensus was the same

across the board. They are gutted because they played so well and

really did do the nation pride which is what they have been talking

about. But the statistics are pretty grim. Less than one in ten teams who

lose their first game in the World Cup get out of the group. The

permutations for that group are quite complicated, but if England

were to lose to Uruguay on Thursday in Sao Paulo, remember, Uruguay also

lost their first game, if they were to lose and Costa Rica and literally

where TBI drop, then England would be out of the World Cup before they

had even played their final group game.

An interesting time ahead. Thank you very much indeed. You can see the

rest of the stories on BBC News on the news channel. The next news on

Good afternoon. It will be quite a quiet spell of weather across the

British Isles over the next few days. We will come to that in a

second. Some sunshine to be had and where that pops up, for any length

of time, it will feel pleasantly warm. I will temper my enthusiasm

because of