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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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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