:00:00. > :00:00.This is BBC World News Today with me Philippa Thomas.
:00:07. > :00:09.More clashes on the road to Baghdad between Iraqi government forces
:00:10. > :00:12.and the militant fighters sweeping south.
:00:13. > :00:16.As the two sides clash, fears grow that Iraq could split apart.
:00:17. > :00:19.We'll get the latest live in the next few minutes.
:00:20. > :00:22.The British Foreign Secretary says he'll re-open Britain's embassy
:00:23. > :00:26.in the Iranian capital, Tehran, three years after suspending full
:00:27. > :00:32.A major pipeline in Ukraine carrying gas from Russia to the rest
:00:33. > :00:37.of Europe has been hit by a blast, though the cause is not yet clear.
:00:38. > :00:54.We are live in Brazil. I am Ben Brown reporting live from Rio where
:00:55. > :00:55.the excitement is building because, coming up, it is Brazil against
:00:56. > :01:05.Mexico. We start with
:01:06. > :01:10.the unfolding crisis in Iraq. People in the capital, Baghdad,
:01:11. > :01:13.are stockpiling food and water as militant Islamists forces move
:01:14. > :01:17.closer. Members of the Sunni Islamist group
:01:18. > :01:20.ISIS have got as far as Baqubah, that's a city of nearly half
:01:21. > :01:23.a million people, less than 60 ISIS fighters and other armed groups
:01:24. > :01:29.are understood to have attacked some of the suburbs overnight
:01:30. > :01:32.before being pushed back by government forces, forcing many
:01:33. > :01:37.people to flee their homes. From Baghdad,
:01:38. > :01:41.Jonathan Beale reports. Iraqi forces are taking
:01:42. > :01:46.the fight to the Sunni extremists. In Kirkuk,
:01:47. > :01:48.they were using tanks to target ISIS fighters but even heavy armour can't
:01:49. > :01:53.hold the violence spreading through We travelled out of Baghdad north
:01:54. > :02:01.towards the city of the Baqubah, the new front line for the ISIS
:02:02. > :02:07.jihadists, and just 60km away. This is one of the main routes
:02:08. > :02:10.into Baghdad, and, behind me, about 30 kilometres in the distance,
:02:11. > :02:13.is the city of the Baqubah and we are told that ISIS forces have
:02:14. > :02:16.already entered parts of the city. Of course,
:02:17. > :02:19.if they take by Baqubah then it is We went as far
:02:20. > :02:27.as we were told it was safe to go to He told me it was going to be a
:02:28. > :02:41.bloody fight between Sunni and Shia. And he warned it would soon
:02:42. > :02:47.be happening in Baghdad, too. Now back home with his family,
:02:48. > :02:54.he is a policeman injured while Thankful that,
:02:55. > :02:58.unlike some of his comrades, TRANSLATION: They shot at a convoy
:02:59. > :03:10.of civilians. One of them shot at the tyres
:03:11. > :03:14.of a bus and killed everyone in it. The bus was carrying 24 men
:03:15. > :03:16.and they killed them all. Ibrahim doesn't believe that ISAs
:03:17. > :03:19.are strong enough to take Baghdad but, today,
:03:20. > :03:21.another bomb went off in the city Even if ISIS have not yet reached
:03:22. > :03:28.the city, there are signs that their Let's go live to the BBC's Jim Muir
:03:29. > :03:45.in Irbil. We are hearing that the Iraqi Prime
:03:46. > :03:51.Minister is having something of a shake-up of security. That's right.
:03:52. > :03:59.He has fired some of the top army commanders, including the commander
:04:00. > :04:11.of the third division. And various others, who are deemed to have
:04:12. > :04:14.fallen short. When Mosul fell on Tuesday, he said there is a
:04:15. > :04:17.conspiracy, and these officers, some of the ordinary men we have talked
:04:18. > :04:23.about here who had deserted or fled, they said that officers
:04:24. > :04:27.betrayed them, they disappeared before the battle began. So there
:04:28. > :04:33.was obviously a command failure, and he was holding people to account.
:04:34. > :04:40.Just on the level of trying to deal with this crisis, I understand both
:04:41. > :04:50.-- also there is a political meeting in Baghdad involving a Shi'ite Prime
:04:51. > :04:54.Minister, along with Kurdish and also some Sunni representatives, so
:04:55. > :04:58.they are probably trying to thrash some way of getting out of this
:04:59. > :05:02.crisis, try to find some common ground. I know you've been talking
:05:03. > :05:08.to the Kurdish leader in Iraqi who might feel that the state cannot
:05:09. > :05:19.hold together. That's right. The Kurds feel that Iraqi is
:05:20. > :05:25.incompatible, there is no point in return -- there is a point of no
:05:26. > :05:31.return. The rebels have moved rapidly through Sunni territory.
:05:32. > :05:37.What the Prime Minister here in Iraqi Kurdistan was suggesting is
:05:38. > :05:41.that maybe the Kurds should -- the Sunnis should take the same route
:05:42. > :05:47.the Kurds have taken and have fun autonomous, self ruling region
:05:48. > :05:54.within Iraq, and the burden would be on the thumb to control and isolate
:05:55. > :06:01.and eliminate the terrorists, the hardliners of ISIS. He thinks that
:06:02. > :06:08.is the only formula for a stable future, and that they have to reach
:06:09. > :06:12.a new coexistence formula. You have been reporting on this crisis since
:06:13. > :06:15.the ISIS fighters went into Mosul, what are we hearing out of that city
:06:16. > :06:21.about the way that people have been treated there? Frankly, you get
:06:22. > :06:25.conflicting accounts, but most people regard it as stable. We
:06:26. > :06:31.haven't heard a lot of reports of fighting or trouble there. It is
:06:32. > :06:34.quite difficult because there is a lot of propaganda involved. Some of
:06:35. > :06:39.the government side are saying that is a reign of terror and so on, but
:06:40. > :06:44.most people seem to be going about their business. Some of the refugees
:06:45. > :06:50.that flooded out of their last week have gone back. But I think it will
:06:51. > :06:53.be awhile before we have a comp offensive picture of life because
:06:54. > :06:59.people too nervous to go there. It is definitely still a danger zone.
:07:00. > :07:01.Understood. Thank you for bringing us the latest.
:07:02. > :07:04.Well, here in the UK, the government has announced that it's re-opening
:07:05. > :07:07.the British embassy in Iran as part of its response to the upsurge
:07:08. > :07:16.There've also been calls for Washington to hold formal talks
:07:17. > :07:18.with Tehran, as they have a mutual interest in stalling
:07:19. > :07:25.Here's our Political Editor Nick Robinson.
:07:26. > :07:33.What a difference three years can make. This was the British Embassy
:07:34. > :07:36.in 2011. A mob ransacked offices, smashed pictures of the Queen and
:07:37. > :07:40.John to death to England. The building has been closed ever since,
:07:41. > :07:49.but that is about to change, along with this country's troubled
:07:50. > :07:53.relationship with Iran. It is right to rebuild that relationship. We
:07:54. > :07:54.have been doing that anyway, irrespective of what is happening in
:07:55. > :07:59.a rock. But what is happening in a a rock. But what is happening in
:08:00. > :08:05.rock has convinced the West to improve relations with Iran. These
:08:06. > :08:11.are pictures of ISIS, which is now fighting 40 miles from Baghdad. This
:08:12. > :08:15.is the most serious threat to Britain's security that there is
:08:16. > :08:20.today. The number of foreign fighters in that area, the number of
:08:21. > :08:25.foreign fighters including those from the UK who could try to return
:08:26. > :08:28.to the UK, this is a real threat to our country. And this is the man
:08:29. > :08:34.that written and the United States had they can do business with. Once
:08:35. > :08:38.a student in Glasgow, used his Twitter account to show he is a
:08:39. > :08:41.different sort of Iranian leader, a man who watches his team play in the
:08:42. > :08:55.World Cup. This morning in America, people are
:08:56. > :09:01.watching the news and they're having to think the unthinkable. The
:09:02. > :09:06.history of the rift between the US and Iran dates all the way back to
:09:07. > :09:14.the Islamic Revolution 35 years ago. And the capture of 52 American
:09:15. > :09:21.hostages, only freed after 444 days. Even without all that history,
:09:22. > :09:24.there'd be problems, not least this, Iran's nuclear programme. They say
:09:25. > :09:37.it is peaceful but others aren't so sure. And doubts have been seen in
:09:38. > :09:41.the Commons. Is it not necessary to reassure our closest allies in the
:09:42. > :09:45.Middle East that there are very severe limits for the foreseeable
:09:46. > :09:49.future as to the kind of relationship we can have with Iran?
:09:50. > :09:54.Is not going to be the kind of relationship is the West had with
:09:55. > :09:59.the Soviet Union? On the streets of the Iranians capital, the embassy
:10:00. > :10:03.stands empty, waiting for diplomats to return. Students aren't
:10:04. > :10:07.protesting today. This one says good relations with the people and
:10:08. > :10:11.countries of the world can have a great, positive effect on the
:10:12. > :10:19.advancement of our country. You know the old saying dash my NME's enemy
:10:20. > :10:24.is my friend. A cliche because it is proved true. Today, Iran didn't
:10:25. > :10:32.become a friend of Britain's. She became a little less of an enemy.
:10:33. > :10:34.Russian media is reporting that a Russian state TV journalist has
:10:35. > :10:37.been killed in a mortar attack near a village outside
:10:38. > :10:41.Igor Kornelyuk died in hospital after the attack
:10:42. > :10:44.near Metalist, while a colleague, sound engineer Anton Voloshin,
:10:45. > :10:46.And we don't know what happened to the cameraman
:10:47. > :10:52.This comes as an explosion hit a pipeline carrying Russian natural
:10:53. > :10:55.gas across Ukraine to Europe in what the Ukrainian interior minister says
:10:56. > :11:19.What are you seeing there? A further militarisation of this contact --
:11:20. > :11:25.conflict. It is noticeable how much more military the checkpoints are,
:11:26. > :11:29.no men with sticks any more, all of these men with guns on both sides.
:11:30. > :11:35.We came through Ukrainian military checkpoints within anti-aircraft gun
:11:36. > :11:40.mounted on the checkpoint. Has been fighting here in Donetsk, and also
:11:41. > :11:46.particularly down in Luhansk. The army are trying to push through and
:11:47. > :11:51.get stranglehold around the areas held by the rebels and also to seal
:11:52. > :11:54.off the border between Luhansk and Russia to try to stop this revolt
:11:55. > :12:00.spreading. They are having some success, at their rock continuing
:12:01. > :12:05.casualties, including that Russian TV correspondent today. His sound
:12:06. > :12:10.man is missing and possibly believed dead, and just another couple of
:12:11. > :12:15.examples of the death toll this conflict is taking. Whilst this is
:12:16. > :12:19.happening in the east, we're getting reports about this pipeline
:12:20. > :12:27.explosion, we're not quite clear why. Well, it is not clear why, and
:12:28. > :12:31.there is one theory from the Ministry of interior that it was an
:12:32. > :12:35.act of sabotage, or what they call an act of terrorism. There might
:12:36. > :12:40.have been some explosions just before the gas pipeline exploded
:12:41. > :12:43.itself, but either way, there was a huge flames shooting into the sky
:12:44. > :12:48.from the pipeline and it took a couple of hours for them to put it
:12:49. > :12:54.out. The pipeline is disabled, but there is a parallel spare, and the
:12:55. > :13:01.gas has been diverted around the damage. And, so, the gas flow into
:13:02. > :13:06.Europe does continue. There is no gas currently being supplied to
:13:07. > :13:11.Ukraine from Russia after talks broke down, but the gas flow through
:13:12. > :13:14.to Europe will continue. You've been going back and forth to Donetsk and
:13:15. > :13:20.around the region. Are people so scared that they are hiding? Or is
:13:21. > :13:25.there a sense of people trying to get out, refugees? Well, I think
:13:26. > :13:32.both. I spent quite a bit of time today with some people who have come
:13:33. > :13:35.out of Sloviansk. That is where some of the most heavy fighting has been
:13:36. > :13:41.seen. They have fled. They have described witty bad scenes of
:13:42. > :13:45.shelling. The food is running out in the shops, the water is running
:13:46. > :13:51.out, the electricity is running out. They also say that more than half of
:13:52. > :13:55.the population is still there in the city. They are hunkering down
:13:56. > :14:00.because although there is regular shelling, it tends to be targeted at
:14:01. > :14:03.certain points in the city, and some people are feeling it is safer to
:14:04. > :14:06.stay at home and protect their property rather than risk crossing
:14:07. > :14:09.the checkpoints and coming out in the city, and some people are
:14:10. > :14:11.feeling it is safer to stay at home and protect their property rather
:14:12. > :14:14.than risk crossing the checkpoints and coming out into safer parts of
:14:15. > :14:17.the country. Also, they are so held in in Sloviansk, they don't know
:14:18. > :14:19.what is going on in the rest of Ukraine, which is much more peaceful
:14:20. > :14:27.than the city where they are living. Thank you very much.
:14:28. > :14:29.Some other stories making the news this hour.
:14:30. > :14:31.Renewed anti-Muslim violence has flared in southern Sri Lanka
:14:32. > :14:33.in the worst outbreak of sectarian unrest for years.
:14:34. > :14:36.Four people have died in the attacks, which have been blamed
:14:37. > :14:39.A security guard was the latest victim.
:14:40. > :14:50.And three Muslims died after a Buddhist rally on Sunday.
:14:51. > :15:00.There are reports in Pakistani that scholars have issued a decree which
:15:01. > :15:04.says that polio vaccines can be used. They said the vaccine was
:15:05. > :15:12.effective and didn't contain any harmful ingredients. Seven people
:15:13. > :15:17.have been killed in clashes between Pakistani police and supporters of a
:15:18. > :15:26.scholar. Police fired shots and tear gas to disperse protesters. The
:15:27. > :15:29.scholar is based in Canada but plans to return to Pakistan next week to
:15:30. > :15:31.lead a crusade against corrupt politicians.
:15:32. > :15:32.The French President Francois Hollande,
:15:33. > :15:36.has condemned a savage attack on a Roma teenager in a Paris suburb.
:15:37. > :15:39.The 16-year-old boy is in a critical condition after he was beaten by a
:15:40. > :15:42.mob from a local housing estate, who suspected he was behind a burglary.
:15:43. > :15:44.The President said it was an 'unspeakable
:15:45. > :15:52.The families of asylum seekers from Iraq and Iran,
:15:53. > :15:56.who drowned trying to reach Australia, are suing the Australian
:15:57. > :16:00.50 people died in 2010, when their flimsy boat crashed into
:16:01. > :16:06.rocks off the remote Australian outpost of Christmas Island.
:16:07. > :16:10.Australia has called the claim shameful and offensive.
:16:11. > :16:12.Art experts have found a hidden painting beneath one
:16:13. > :16:15.of Pablo Picasso's early masterpieces, The Blue Room.
:16:16. > :16:17.It's long been suspected there was something under the surface
:16:18. > :16:24.But it wasn't until recently that improved infra-red imagery revealed
:16:25. > :16:27.a portrait of a bearded, bow-tied man - leaving art-lovers with the
:16:28. > :16:52.The United States has captured one of the 2012 leaders. The suspect was
:16:53. > :16:58.apprehended on Sunday and is currently being held outside Libya.
:16:59. > :17:05.We can find out more from Washington while we can go to David Willis. A
:17:06. > :17:12.little bit more about the man and how they seized him. Ahmed Abu
:17:13. > :17:18.Qatada was captured in Libya over the last couple of days and has been
:17:19. > :17:22.held outside of the country and will be brought here to Washington, DC
:17:23. > :17:28.where he will face charges that will include murder. The President and
:17:29. > :17:38.several other key senior parts of the administration have all issued
:17:39. > :17:46.statements hailing the capture. The irony is he was apprehended not far
:17:47. > :17:51.from the scene of the attack and the British Consulate in Benghazi. There
:17:52. > :17:56.is more than a dozen people who were implicated in that attack who are
:17:57. > :18:00.still at large. The President said all efforts will be made to bring
:18:01. > :18:07.them all to justice and that it was an important role and thing for the
:18:08. > :18:14.administration to do. This incident has dogged President Obama's second
:18:15. > :18:19.term in office. There have been accusations that the administration
:18:20. > :18:24.was negligent in terms of providing protection for those in the
:18:25. > :18:34.consulate at the time. Interesting he is not apparently being taken to
:18:35. > :18:40.Guantanamo Bay. It is part of an effort to try terror suspects on
:18:41. > :18:43.American soil. A lot of surprise raised about that and they are
:18:44. > :18:50.saying he will be brought here to Washington, DC where charges were
:18:51. > :18:55.laid on Sunday against him. Charges include murder. Three charges are
:18:56. > :19:20.standing against him but it is expected that that charge sheet will
:19:21. > :19:25.grow. It is of course the World Cup and if you are thinking about
:19:26. > :19:28.getting to the tournament, there are a number of different ways to go.
:19:29. > :19:31.But four Englishmen decided to get there, from Argentina, on foot.
:19:32. > :19:33.They walked 1966 kilometres, significant because it was in 1966
:19:34. > :19:40.Here's the story of the footsore football fans.
:19:41. > :19:47.My name is Adam Burns and I'm from Newmarket, Suffolk in England.
:19:48. > :19:54.We also wanted to help the people of Bahir and the charity
:19:55. > :19:57.which is very close to our hearts, the J de V Arts Care Trust.
:19:58. > :20:01.So we set out to walk 1966 kilometres from Mendoza
:20:02. > :20:04.in Argentina, to Porto Alegre in Brazil.
:20:05. > :20:07.The last time England won the World Cup was 1966.
:20:08. > :20:12.It a very iconic number for England fans.
:20:13. > :20:17.Part of me didn't really know what to expect.
:20:18. > :20:21.It was my first time in South America.
:20:22. > :20:23.The reality was that it was really, really gruelling.
:20:24. > :20:25.We walked three days through a desert in Argentina.
:20:26. > :20:29.35 degrees heat, no shade, with the biggest mosquitoes I'd ever seen.
:20:30. > :20:32.And we had to sleep in abandoned train stations, we've been charged
:20:33. > :20:39.We went over cobbles and sleepers with our golf carts
:20:40. > :20:43.for about five kilometres and then realised this was ridiculous.
:20:44. > :20:48.We were walking through a field, a farmer's field, really thick,
:20:49. > :20:55.Me and Dave tried to lift the fence up and put our golf carts under.
:20:56. > :20:57.We both got electrocuted and then nearly vomited.
:20:58. > :20:59.So, when we were walking through a Uruguayan quite town,
:21:00. > :21:02.what we thought was a stray dog began following us.
:21:03. > :21:09.It wasn't until three days before we finish the walk that we
:21:10. > :21:12.found out that, actually, Jefferson wasn't a stray dog.
:21:13. > :21:14.We got a message from a guy called Nacho, a Uruguayan
:21:15. > :21:18.guy, whose friend spotted Jefferson in a local newspaper.
:21:19. > :21:23.We told Nacho our plan to finish the walk in Porto Alegre,
:21:24. > :21:33.Walt Disney couldn't have written a more perfect end to the story.
:21:34. > :21:35.It was definitely a journey that's taught me
:21:36. > :21:44.No doubt those fans will be looking forward to the England game in Sao
:21:45. > :21:48.But first, it's Brazil that's taking on Mexico in just under an hour's
:21:49. > :21:52.time and Ben Brown is in Rio as the whole country gears up for their
:21:53. > :22:08.The atmosphere is fantastic here in Rio de Janeiro. We have those
:22:09. > :22:12.protests in the run-up to the tournament and we still have
:22:13. > :22:16.sporadic protests but Brazilians are getting into the spirit of this
:22:17. > :22:33.tournament and getting behind their team. Their team are playing Mexico
:22:34. > :22:39.shortly. This is the scene. It is absolutely packed. Lots of the
:22:40. > :22:46.yellow jerseys of Brazil in there. It will be a great game. We have had
:22:47. > :22:53.one game that was a 3-goal thriller. So many games have produced three
:22:54. > :23:01.goals and it was Belgium to, Algeria, one. Algeria went ahead
:23:02. > :23:06.with a penalty. That was their first goal in a World Cup 28 years.
:23:07. > :23:21.Belgium, who are the dark horses this team -- this World Cup, they
:23:22. > :23:26.equalised with a header. Belgium beat Nigeria.
:23:27. > :23:35.There is something for England fans to look forward to, we think.
:23:36. > :23:41.You are being optimistic. England lost in the Amazonian raise --
:23:42. > :23:44.rainforest to Italy. Disappointment for that. A lot of plaudits for
:23:45. > :23:52.England and a lot of people saying they did really well. Plaudits, but
:23:53. > :23:55.no points. They are back in Rio de Janeiro and have been training again
:23:56. > :24:04.today. Tomorrow, they will set off for Sao Paulo. The next game is
:24:05. > :24:12.against Uruguay and Luis Suarez will be playing if he is fit. England
:24:13. > :24:18.have got it all to do. They have to win against Uruguay and then against
:24:19. > :24:24.Costa Rica. A lot of talk about Wayne Rooney. Is he on form? Was he
:24:25. > :24:28.played out of position against Italy? Many think he is more
:24:29. > :24:36.effective behind the striker in the number ten position. We will wait
:24:37. > :24:43.and see but a crucial match for England. There was a lot of talk
:24:44. > :24:48.about the stadium is not being ready. From what you have seen so
:24:49. > :24:54.far, has it gone relatively smoothly?
:24:55. > :25:05.I think it has. There has been a few problems. At one stadium, the pitch
:25:06. > :25:11.was immaculate but there were pictures emerging of one game there
:25:12. > :25:16.where people were going in on a wobbly walkway into this should --
:25:17. > :25:24.stadium. It looked unsafe. Then there was the pitch for Italy
:25:25. > :25:30.against England. It was burnt out as they used too much fertiliser on it.
:25:31. > :25:36.It will not be perfect in every stadium and it is a thrilling
:25:37. > :25:41.tournament so far. Lots of goals. I can hear the music behind you.
:25:42. > :25:50.Thank you for bringing us up to date. We woke up you you up-to-date
:25:51. > :25:59.on another of our stories. In Kenya, 12 women were abducted on the latest
:26:00. > :26:02.attack on the east coast. The Kenyan President has said the attacks of
:26:03. > :26:06.the work of local political leaders and he is insisting this can't have
:26:07. > :26:15.been the Somali Islamist group, Al-Shabab. Political networks have
:26:16. > :26:25.been blamed. Opposition politicians are saying he is not in touch with
:26:26. > :26:33.reality. In Iraq, the militant defences have reached a city 40
:26:34. > :26:38.miles from Baghdad. Armed groups are understood to have attacked suburbs
:26:39. > :26:41.before being driven back. In the lap -- in this last half-hour, the Iraqi
:26:42. > :26:46.Prime Minister has dismissed several of his senior force commanders.
:26:47. > :27:02.Thanks for being with us. It was the warmest day of the year
:27:03. > :27:06.so far in Scotland with temperatures reaching 25 Celsius. We have humid
:27:07. > :27:14.sunshine across Scotland and Northern Ireland. England and Wales
:27:15. > :27:15.will turn cloudier. We have the risk