:00:07. > :00:14.US air strikes in northern Iraq help Kurdish forces to fight back against
:00:15. > :00:21.Islamist militants. They also give time for desperate Yazidi refugees,
:00:22. > :00:23.trapped in the Sinjar moup tans to escape to -- mountains to escape to
:00:24. > :00:24.safer areas. time for desperate Yazidi refugees,
:00:25. > :00:24.trapped in the Supporters of Nouri al-Maliki take
:00:25. > :00:28.time for desperate Yazidi refugees, trapped in the Sinjar to the street,
:00:29. > :00:31.as America warns him not to stoke tensions further.
:00:32. > :00:37.Also this lunch time: Still holding - a three-day
:00:38. > :00:43.ceasefire is observed in Gaza, as Israel sends negotiators to care
:00:44. > :00:47.row. Calls for the relabelling of alcoholic drinks to give warnings of
:00:48. > :00:53.the harmful effects of drinking. The rise in rural crime, with a spate of
:00:54. > :00:58.sheep rustling and a theft in farming vehicles.
:00:59. > :01:00.Rory McIlroy says he's playing the best golf of his life after winning
:01:01. > :01:11.the US PGA. Later on BBC London - the
:01:12. > :01:13.multimillion pound project to create the largest wetland nature reserve
:01:14. > :01:38.in Walthamstow. Good afternoon. Welcome to the BBC
:01:39. > :01:43.News. Air strikes by US planes are halting the advance of the Islamic
:01:44. > :01:46.State's militants in Iraq. That is according to the American Defence
:01:47. > :01:51.Secretary, Chuck Hagel, who said the US would continue to support the
:01:52. > :01:55.Iraqi security forces in every way that we can. On the ground, Kurdish
:01:56. > :01:58.forces have made head way against ISIS fighters and have called for
:01:59. > :02:03.more western military aid. This morning, Islamists are reported to
:02:04. > :02:07.have captured Jalawla, 100 miles to the north-east of Baghdad. Our world
:02:08. > :02:13.affairs correspondent has the latest. The forlorn and desperate
:02:14. > :02:18.trek continues to some kind of safety. Some of the thousands of
:02:19. > :02:24.members of Iraq's Yazidi minoritied, fleeing the advance and the --
:02:25. > :02:26.minority fleeing the advance of the Islamic State.
:02:27. > :02:34.I had to walk halfway here alone. I have three children. This one is
:02:35. > :02:43.with me. I have lost the others. I haven't seen them or my husband. I
:02:44. > :02:48.have walked from the Sinjar mountains to Syria. Walking. We have
:02:49. > :02:54.a bottle of water. Sometimes we drink it, no more. More US air drops
:02:55. > :02:59.of vital supplies to desperate Yazidis still trapped and exposed on
:03:00. > :03:03.Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq. This humanitarian crisis has re-focussed
:03:04. > :03:09.international concern on the threat posed by the Sunni militants in Iraq
:03:10. > :03:12.and beyond. With the help of US air strike, Kurdish forces have re-taken
:03:13. > :03:16.some ground from the militants in the north but, as the militants
:03:17. > :03:21.celebrate and parade their successes in their own videos, they have made
:03:22. > :03:25.a new advance further south, closer to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
:03:26. > :03:30.Heightened security on the streets of the capital, but this, it seem,
:03:31. > :03:34.is because of the heightened political crisis among the divided
:03:35. > :03:38.leadership. As he struggles to keep his job, the
:03:39. > :03:44.Shi'ite Prime Minister went on national television overnight,
:03:45. > :03:51.saying he was taking the country's President to court a show of support
:03:52. > :03:57.on the streets reports from the capital, the turmoil seems set to
:03:58. > :04:04.deepen. All this will dismay the Americans and others.
:04:05. > :04:08.One thing all Iraqis need to know that there'll be little
:04:09. > :04:13.international support of any kind whatsoever for anything that
:04:14. > :04:17.deefiates from legitimate constitutional process that's in
:04:18. > :04:21.place and being worked on now. In northern Iraq, this camp offers a
:04:22. > :04:27.place of relative sanctuary for some. There's no end in sight to the
:04:28. > :04:32.crisis. Our diplomatic correspondent is with
:04:33. > :04:37.me now. The arming of the Kurds by the United States - how significant
:04:38. > :04:40.is that? This is coming from senior American officials. It has not been
:04:41. > :04:45.formally announced yet. It seems likely, given the new Islamic State
:04:46. > :04:49.advances that Nick was talking about in his report. It seems to be a
:04:50. > :04:54.subject very much the air. Some of the European countries are talking
:04:55. > :04:59.about the need to shore up the Kurdish capability, the French and
:05:00. > :05:01.the Italians talk of a need for an emergency Foreign Minister's meeting
:05:02. > :05:06.about this. It makes clear, if it is true, just how much is at stake here
:05:07. > :05:11.for the United States and its allies in this latest Iraqi crisis. You
:05:12. > :05:14.might think, look they step back from intervening in Syria, they said
:05:15. > :05:19.they would not arm the moderate fighters in Syria. Why are they now,
:05:20. > :05:23.if it is true, going to arm the Kurds in Iraq? Of course, in Syria,
:05:24. > :05:29.part of the reason holding back was to stop those arms from getting into
:05:30. > :05:33.the hands of extremist militants like Islamic State or ISIS, as it
:05:34. > :05:39.used to be called. The irony is these same fighters now they have
:05:40. > :05:43.moved from northern Syria into northern Iraq, they have their hands
:05:44. > :05:48.on some of this weaponry anyway. When towns like Mosul fell to them
:05:49. > :05:54.and the Iraqi army fled n part, armed by the Americans after their
:05:55. > :05:57.intervention in 2003, this heavy weaponry, some sophisticated, fell
:05:58. > :06:02.into the hands of these fighters. Now you have the Americans facing
:06:03. > :06:06.this terrible situation, where the advancing Islamic State fighters
:06:07. > :06:10.might have their hands on kit that they themselves have in Iraq. They
:06:11. > :06:14.have to do something. That is number one. Number two, the humanitarian
:06:15. > :06:18.situation, the devastating situation of some of these ancient
:06:19. > :06:22.communities. Number three, the importance of northern Kurdish Iraq
:06:23. > :06:27.to the US and other Allies. It whats been a linchpin for them. A haven,
:06:28. > :06:30.where they felt they had have a loyal ally. There is another irony
:06:31. > :06:33.here. Whilst America supports the Kurds of the north, they are not
:06:34. > :06:38.supporting Nouri al-Maliki, the Prime Minister, in Baghdad. It is a
:06:39. > :06:45.complete mess, isn't it? Part of the problem is, the reason Islamic state
:06:46. > :06:50.fighters were able to make their way, flood across northern Iraq, is
:06:51. > :06:55.because the Sunni tribes were so disenchanted with Mr Maliki's Shia
:06:56. > :07:00.Government in Baghdad, they let them in. If he's part of the problem, he
:07:01. > :07:05.cannot be part of the solution. Across Europe too have pushed for a
:07:06. > :07:08.more inclusive Government, a unity Government which does not have Mr
:07:09. > :07:13.Maliki as Prime Minister. He is fighting back. His forces are
:07:14. > :07:17.deployed on the streets of Baghdad. You have a weaker central
:07:18. > :07:22.Government. The danger for western allies is if they start to support
:07:23. > :07:26.the Kurds more, but a al-Maliki-led Government in Baghdad less, there is
:07:27. > :07:34.another nightmare, withsy the country could fragment. Thank you.
:07:35. > :07:40.For more on the developing situation on Iraq, visit our website: You can
:07:41. > :07:44.find an interactive guide which explains how the fighters have
:07:45. > :07:54.become such a powerful force. It gives you a time line and facts and
:07:55. > :07:58.figures. Neers have -- negotiators have arrived in Cairo on how to find
:07:59. > :08:04.a long-term solution to the conflict in Gaza. A three-day ceasefire
:08:05. > :08:12.appears to be holding. Our Middle East correspondent is at the Rafah
:08:13. > :08:16.crossing. This ceasefire, as I say, is holding, attention is focussed on
:08:17. > :08:20.these talks? No reports of any breaches to this ceasefire deal for
:08:21. > :08:23.now. Right down here, in the south-east corner of the Gaza Strip,
:08:24. > :08:28.you can see how that is affecting things on the ground, because we've
:08:29. > :08:32.actually seen some people able to cross through into, the border we
:08:33. > :08:37.Egypt is just over here behind me. Just off to my east, these lorries
:08:38. > :08:43.are coming from the border crossing with Israel. Now, that crossing was
:08:44. > :08:47.actually actually closed yesterday because of militants firing rockets
:08:48. > :08:52.in that direction. With this three-day truce agreed, it has been
:08:53. > :08:55.able to re-open. We have seen supplies and aid coming through here
:08:56. > :08:59.over the past few hours. Israeli negotiators have now
:09:00. > :09:03.returned to Cairo for talks on a longer term ceasefire deal. If that
:09:04. > :09:08.can be reached, it will really enable people here in Gaza to start
:09:09. > :09:15.to rebuild their lives. After now more than four weeks of fighting.
:09:16. > :09:19.Across Gaza, there are scenes of dramatic destruction. This is the
:09:20. > :09:23.result of an Israeli air strike that took place after the last three-day
:09:24. > :09:27.truce expired and just before a new one was agreed.
:09:28. > :09:33.Dozens of mosques, as well as tens of thousands of homes, have been
:09:34. > :09:37.lost in this conflict. More than 1900 Palestinian lives. Now, there
:09:38. > :09:42.are fresh hopes here that people can start to re-build.
:09:43. > :09:47.Already families are packing up their belongings and leaving
:09:48. > :09:49.temporary shelters to return to the neighbourhoods they fled during the
:09:50. > :09:54.violence. TRANSLATION: We want a complete
:09:55. > :09:58.ceasefire. We don't accept a two or three-day truce. We want to go back
:09:59. > :10:02.home. We want to end this situation and live a comfortable life. Some
:10:03. > :10:05.Israelis living not far away feel much the same.
:10:06. > :10:11.Neighbours greet each other as they return to their properties near the
:10:12. > :10:16.Gaza border. TRANSLATION: I am very happy. This
:10:17. > :10:23.is our home. We haven't been here for a month and two weeks. Supplies
:10:24. > :10:25.brought by Palestinian businesses and aid rolled into Gaza today from
:10:26. > :10:32.Israel. With talks on a longer term deal in
:10:33. > :10:36.Cairo under way again, Israeli security and the tight border
:10:37. > :10:39.controls imposed by Israel and Egypt are key.
:10:40. > :10:42.These lorries are bringing goods into Gaza from Israel's only
:10:43. > :10:47.commercial crossing point, which is just down the road. Palestinians
:10:48. > :10:52.want it to be open more fully, so they can drad effectively. -- trade
:10:53. > :10:56.effectively. Behind me you have the Rafah crossing point we Egypt. It
:10:57. > :11:00.has been mostly closed to travellers for the past year. Palestinians say
:11:01. > :11:04.it should be the gateway to the world. For now, only those with
:11:05. > :11:08.foreign passports or residency can make it back across the border. The
:11:09. > :11:13.challenge for negotiators in Egypt is to bring both Israel and the
:11:14. > :11:23.Palestinians close together and that will require serious compromises.
:11:24. > :11:27.Those talks in Cairo taking place amid much secrecy and tight security
:11:28. > :11:30.as well. A lot of international pressure and support on the
:11:31. > :11:39.different parties there. The hope really that they can solve the
:11:40. > :11:44.underlying problems that led to this crisis in Gaza in the first place.
:11:45. > :11:47.As was pointed out there, huge pressure in terms of the
:11:48. > :11:50.humanitarian situation in Gaza. What about within Israel and the
:11:51. > :11:56.political pressure there for some sort of longer term deal? Well, it
:11:57. > :12:00.is the same, obviously relief everywhere there is now a prolonged,
:12:01. > :12:05.hopefully, period of peace and people can go bobbing to their
:12:06. > :12:08.communities along -- can go back to their communities along the border.
:12:09. > :12:12.Binyamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister here has been pressured,
:12:13. > :12:17.particularly from right-wingers who say the job in Gaza should have been
:12:18. > :12:23.finished. Everybody in that position says if we allow Hamas to re-arm and
:12:24. > :12:27.do not solve the long-term pron problems, there'll be another
:12:28. > :12:33.conflict. Many people here, both on the left and the right, increasingly
:12:34. > :12:37.on the right, say Israel has to defeat Hamas, it has to demilitarise
:12:38. > :12:43.the Gaza Strip. The problem is, as both sides are sitting down now in
:12:44. > :12:48.Cairo, they are so far apart, those Israeli demands and Hamas demands -
:12:49. > :12:52.it is very unlikely they will agree to those demands. The European Union
:12:53. > :12:56.and the Palestinian Authority are going to have to try and make
:12:57. > :13:01.progress elsewhere to make sure we don't end up with another conflict
:13:02. > :13:04.in a few weeks or a few months. Thank you.
:13:05. > :13:09.The Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds has resigned. The second
:13:10. > :13:13.minister to leave in a week. Downing Street says his departure is
:13:14. > :13:19.completely unrelated to events in Israel. Let's speak to our political
:13:20. > :13:24.correspondent. This raises eyebrows after the hi-profile resignation of
:13:25. > :13:29.Baroness Warsi. There's no escaping the fact within less than seven days
:13:30. > :13:33.the Foreign Office has lost two ministers. That is at a time when
:13:34. > :13:37.there are three crisises. We have Ebola in West Africa. We have the
:13:38. > :13:41.violence in Iraq, you have heard about and we have the on-going
:13:42. > :13:51.confrontation in Israel, between Israel and Hamas. Baroness Warsi
:13:52. > :13:56.said she could no longer stand by the Government's morally
:13:57. > :14:00.indefensible of policy on Gaza. Mark Simmonds says it is about his
:14:01. > :14:03.personal, political future. We have seen letters between him and the
:14:04. > :14:03.Prime Minister around the time of the reshuffle. He
:14:04. > :14:04.Rafah crossing point we Egypt. It has been mostly closed to said he
:14:05. > :14:05.wasn't going to has been mostly closed to travellers
:14:06. > :14:07.for the past stand in the election of next year. So, that is why he
:14:08. > :14:09.went. It is not clear whether for the past year. Palestinians say
:14:10. > :14:10.it should be he said, I am for the past year. Palestinians say
:14:11. > :14:13.it should be the gateway going and the Prime Minister sacked him or the
:14:14. > :14:16.Prime Minister sacked him and then he said he will not stand. It is
:14:17. > :14:18.bizarre to an extent. foreign passports or residency can
:14:19. > :14:23.make it back across the Why make it back across the border. The
:14:24. > :14:25.challenge six days after Warsi's departure would another minister
:14:26. > :14:31.resign at the Foreign Office? Thank you very much. Cigarette-style
:14:32. > :14:36.health warnings should be put on of alcohol products. That is what MPs
:14:37. > :14:52.on the All Party Parliamentary Group say needs to be done to alert
:14:53. > :14:58.consumers of the harmful effects Almost half the alcohol we drink is
:14:59. > :15:02.bought in shops. A change in the pattern of drinking. There is a call
:15:03. > :15:06.for minimum prices and stronger warnings, measures they say are
:15:07. > :15:15.needed because of the costs of alcohol to society. We know alcohol
:15:16. > :15:25.costs are 21 billion pounds a year in as a consequence of health and
:15:26. > :15:31.related crimes to alcohol abuse. Plans are being backed for a minimum
:15:32. > :15:36.price in Scotland and Wales and campaigners say drinkers need to be
:15:37. > :15:40.more aware of the risks. Most people know you damage your letter if you
:15:41. > :15:44.drink too much. But drinking alcohol is also implicated in heart