Twitter Executive Quits Amid Stalling Growth

One of Twitter's most senior executives has left his role amid falling share prices and stalling growth.

Chief operating officer Ali Rowghani announced on his account: "Goodbye Twitter. It's been an amazing ride and I will cherish the memories."

It is the biggest executive departure since the microblogging company's initial public offering last year.

The company later filed a statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission saying that he will act as a strategic advisor to chief executive Dick Costolo.

Recent reports suggested that Mr Rowghani had recently had some of his responsibilities taken from him.

He also recently sold 300,000 shares of his Twitter stake for a $10m (£5.9m) profit - a move that raised eyebrows as co-founders Evan Williams and Jack Dorsey had pledged to hold on to theirs to signal a vote of confidence in the company.

The former Pixar executive joined Twitter four years ago and helped launch its initial public offering.

In 2012, Mr Costolo said the company - which had 200 million users - would double the figure by the end of 2014.

Growth has since stalled, and it is now unlikely to hit that target. Twitter currently has around 255 million users.

Over the last year, Twitter shares have fallen 21% and shares are trading at less than half of the 52-week high of $74.73 (£44.40).

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Iraq Air Force Strikes Militant Positions

The Iraqi air force has launched airstrikes on militant fighters' positions around the northern cities of Mosul and Tikrit after they threatened to march south to Baghdad.

Footage showed what state TV said was a bombing raid on Iraq's second city - a witness told AFP news agency at least four air strikes had been aimed at militants occupying the old palace compound of Saddam Hussein in the former dictator's home town. 

Earlier, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) had paraded American Humvees it had seized from fleeing government security forces in Mosul.

Kirkuk is under the control of Kurdish fighters after Iraqi troops left

The group has seized Mosul, Tikrit and Baiji and fighting has also been reported on the outskirts of Samarra, within 70 miles of the capital.

In Baiji, insurgents driving 50 vehicles were reported to have surrounded an oil refinery.

Reports claimed that "hundreds" of young men were crowding outside the main army recruiting centre in the capital to sign up and help battle the militants.

Thousands of refugees have fled the violence. Pic: UNHCR

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told Sky News that security forces were beginning to push back the insurgents.

"This has really caused very, very serious disruption and it is a setback definitely for Iraqi security forces," he admitted.

Meanwhile, video footage emerged of militant fighters with Iraqi soldiers captured as the parliament failed to agree on a state of emergency in the country.

Abu Bakr al Baghdadi leads the ISI insurgents

A senior government official told the AFP news agency that only 128 of 325 MPs attended the emergency session, which could have seen extra powers given to Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki.

ISIS, led by Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, wants to create a Sunni state, or caliphate, straddling the border between Iraq and Syria. It had previously seized control of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi.

In a statement, the group's spokesman Abu Mohammed al Adnani said: "The battle is not yet raging, but it will in Baghdad and Karbala.

"We have a score to settle, for there is an old balance with it (Baghdad), and we must make it even."

Karbala, southwest of the capital, is one of the holiest sites for Shiite Muslims.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned on state television the country's security forces would combat terrorism which targeted Shiites in Iraq.

Militants left a trail of destruction in the northern city of Mosul

Sky's Diplomatic Editor Tim Marshall said: "The Americans do not want Baghdad to fall, it's embarrassing, because if Baghdad falls then you're starting to march down toward the south.

"A threat to Baghdad and then the south would then threaten the oil supply and then things get even more serious."

In the north, the Iraqi army has abandoned its bases in Kirkuk leaving the Kurdish Peshmerga forces to take control, according to a spokesman.

Security has been stepped up at checkpoints in the Iraqi capital

Jabbar Yawar told the Reuters news agency: "The whole of Kirkuk has fallen into the hands of the Peshmerga. No Iraq army remains in Kirkuk now."

More than 500,000 people have fled the conflict in the Mosul region, with many heading into Kurdish areas in the north.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said America would support a "unified approach" against ISIS aggression.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague ruled out any military intervention and top officials of NATO also said they had no plans to get involved militarily.

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Solar Flare Could Hit Earth On Friday 13th

A trio of major solar flares could spell trouble for Earth on Friday 13th, scientists have warned.

The solar events, captured on film by Nasa, caused communications blackouts on Tuesday lunchtime - and there may be further consequences tomorrow.

"Impacts from this activity were short-lived and affected high-frequency communications for the daylit side of Earth at the time of the flare," said a statement on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website.

"A Coronal Mass Ejection associated with the activity has been observed moving at a flank from Earth and a glancing blow to Earth from this event is expected on June 13."

The three solar flares emitted this week. Pic: Nasa

A Coronal Mass Ejection releases vast amounts of matter and electromagnetic radiation - resulting in a threat to high-frequency communication systems used by weather stations, aviators, government time stations and international shortwave broadcasters, among others.

Nasa says GPS can also be affected by solar flares.

"Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground," the organisation's website says.

A Coronal Mass Ejection could hit earth tomorrow. Pic: Nasa

"However, when intense enough, they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel."

The solar flares - caused by the build-up of magnetic energy in the sun's atmosphere - are thought to be among the most powerful of the current 11-year solar cycle.

The NOAA has warned of "continuing chances" of further flares in the near future - some of which could be even more powerful.

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World Cup: Top 11 Players To Watch In Brazil

By Nick Powell, Sports Editor

Like the Grand National, the World Cup has become a great participation event in offices, clubs and schools.

Join the sweep, pick the top scorer, guess how far England will go, perhaps even have a bet.

So to help, here's a team of men who are probably not big names in your household or workplace - but might be in a month's time.

:: Thibos Courtois, goalkeeper (Belgium/Atletico Madrid)

Actually a Chelsea employee, but doing so well on loan at Atletico that his future has become a big debating point in the last few months.

If Belgium are to do as well as the bookies predict, then he is certain to have enhanced his reputation even further.

Italy's veteran keeper Gianluigi Buffon has picked him out as a man to watch - and he should know.

:: Mauricio Isla, attacking right-back (Chile/Juventus)

Older than some of his colleagues in this fabled team at the age 25 and with almost half a century of appearances for Chile behind him, he has a great chance to win more admirers of his charging runs down the right.

Chile are in the same group as Spain and Holland but do not rule out Isla helping dump one of those giants out at the first hurdle.

:: Raphael Varane, central defender (France/Real Madrid)

He has only played five times for France, but at 21 years old he is part of a badly needed new generation for the 1998 world champions.

Big and strong - not to mention fiery - he got involved in an altercation on the pitch with opposition boss Diego Simeone at the end of the Champions League final, in which his Real team beat city rivals Atletico Madrid.

Jose Mourinho says he's the world's best young defender.

:: Mats Hummels, central defender (Germany/Borussia Dortmund)

If Germany go a long way in the World Cup, Hummels has the potential to be one of the stars of the tournament.

A dominant figure who can play as well as block, he also has a memorable name and a girlfriend, Cathy Fischer, who has been described as Germany's top WAG.

:: Yuto Nagatomo, left-back (Japan/Inter Milan)

Nagatomo has talked ambitiously about Japan winning the World Cup. One day, perhaps. Although they did reach the last 16 in 2010.

If they are to do it again, he will need to be at his best, both in defence and marauding down the left.

:: Juan Cuadrado, midfield (Colombia/Fiorentina)

Top scorer from midfield for Fiorentina in the Italian League with 11 goals last season, Cuadrado was converted from a right-back and is already interesting many of Europe's top clubs.

There is every chance there will be a long queue at his agent's door after the World Cup.

:: William Carvalho, midfield (Portugal/Sporting Lisbon)

You thought Angola was not the place to look for football talent?

This young man from Luanda has to force his way into Portugal's team but he is big and powerful (think Manchester City's Yaya Toure) with a future to match.

:: Paul Pogba, midfield (France/Juventus)

Still only 21, he has been in the headlines since Sir Alex Ferguson decided he was not good enough for Manchester United.

His poise belies his years. Zinedine Zidane, a World Cup winner in 1998, says his young countryman will become one of Europe's best central midfielders.

:: Ciro Immobile, striker (Italy/Borussia Dortmund)

This guy could be huge and may even be the World Cup's top goalscorer - worth a punt at around 50-1 if you like a bet.

No one got more than him in Italy last season and he has just signed for Dortmund.

Mario Balotelli is the big name in the Italians' attack ... so far.

:: Carlos Bacca, striker (Colombia/Sevilla)

Now carrying a nation's goalscoring hopes on his shoulders after injury ruled out his more illustrious colleague, Radamel Falcao, but he is up to the task.

He scored four goals towards the end of the season for his Spanish club, the Europa League winners.

And Bacca has every chance of helping Colombia progress from a group that also includes Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan - therefore boosting his own reputation.

:: Joel Campbell, striker (Costa Rica/Arsenal)

You're going to hear plenty about Joel Campbell because he is a big threat to England's hopes of progress from Group D.

Arsenal have loaned him out for the last three seasons, most recently to Greek club Olympiakos, for whom he scored against Manchester United in the Champions League.

His mum told him to read Psalm 27 - "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" - before matches and apparently he does so.

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More Women Found Hanging In Indian State

Two more women have been found hanging from trees in India's Uttar Pradesh state, while another has alleged she was gang raped by four police officers.

Police are already investigating a spate of rapes and hangings in the troubled northern region.

There was public outrage last month when two girls, aged 12 and 14, were gang-raped and lynched in their impoverished village.

The latest cases come as India's national women's rights body called for the state government to resign over the crisis.

The woman reports the alleged attack by police to an official in Hamirpur

A 19-year-old was found, like the two girls, hanging from a tree in a village in Moradabad district.

"The body was strung up using the girl's dupatta (long scarf)," senior police superintendent Ashutosh Kumar said.

"The FIR (first information report) was lodged by the girl's brother against unidentified persons. He has alleged the girl was murdered."

A 45-year-old woman was also found hanging from a tree on Wednesday, with her family claiming she had been raped and murdered.

Water cannon were used during and anti-rape protest

Her husband said she was singled out for attack as she returned home in Bahraich district as punishment for trying to halt the sale of alcohol in her area.

"We have detained four of the five men accused and are interrogating them," said district superintendent Happy Guptan.

In Hamirpur, southwest Uttar Pradesh, the woman who alleged she was gang-raped by four officers at a police station said the attack occurred as she was trying to secure her husband's release.

"At 11.30pm when there was no one in the room the sub-inspector took me to his room and raped me inside the police station," the woman, who cannot be named, told the CNN-IBN channel.

Two young girls were found hanging from a mango tree in Katra village

The woman filed a complaint against the sub-inspector and three other officers, alleging she was attacked in Hamirpur district when she refused to pay them a bribe, police said.

"The procedure will be followed, the victim has filed a complaint and the guilty will be arrested soon," said Virendra Kumar Shekhar, a district police official.

The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, is under mounting political pressure to resign over his handling of law and order.

Mamata Sharma, head of the state-run National Commission for Women, called his government's failure to protect women "shameful".

Protesters were barred from reaching chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's office

"They (the government) not only fail in protecting their women but they don't even have the police in their control," Ms Sharma told NDTV.

India brought in tougher laws last year against sexual offenders after the fatal gang-rape of a student in New Delhi in December 2012, an attack that drew international condemnation of India's treatment of women.

But the legislation designed to educate and sensitise police on rape cases has failed to stem the tide of violence.

Uttar Pradesh, with a population of some 200 million, has a history of communal clashes and violence. The state recorded 23,569 crimes against women in 2012, the third highest in the country, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

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Out Of This World Cup: Space Station Kickabout

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station got themselves into the World Cup spirit by kicking a football around in zero gravity.

US astronauts Reid Wiseman and Steve Swanson and German astronaut Alexander Gerst were preparing to watch the tournament from some 230 miles above Earth.

"We want to wish all the teams and fans on the ground in Brazil a great World Cup. Have fun and have peaceful games," said Mr Gerst.

"May the best win and viel glück (good luck)!"

Football in zero gravity

Mr Wiseman said: "Have fun, play hard and we'll be watching on the International Space Station."

Come June 26, the crew might feel a little friendly competition. The US and Germany will play each other as both teams were drawn in Group G.

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Palestinian Youth 'Killed By Live Fire'

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter

Initial results of a post-mortem investigation into the death of a Palestinian youth killed during a clash with Israeli forces, show he was killed by live fire, according to rights groups.

Nadim Nawara, 17, and 16-year-old Muhammed Abu Thahr both died after apparently being shot during protests in the West Bank town of Beitunia in last month.

A post-mortem of Nadim Nawara carried out yesterday is said to have found entry and exit wounds consistent with live bullets, as well as lead fragments.

Both deaths were captured by CCTV cameras, appearing to show the teens walking without posing any apparent threat. The footage was released by the organisation Defence for Children International.

The Israeli authorities have claimed only rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades were used that day by the Border Police officers and soldiers present, and Israel's Defence Minister has made statements implying the CCTV footage had been doctored.

Huge crowds attended the funerals of Nadim Nawara and Muhammed Abu Thahr

The incident took place during Nakba Day demonstrations - the annual marking of what Palestinians see as the 'catastrophe' of the violence and displacement that occurred during the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.

The deaths sparked widespread condemnation, with accusations being made by rights groups that the pair had been unlawfully killed and were posing no threat to Israeli forces.

In the days after the US State Department called on the Israeli government to conduct a 'prompt and transparent' investigation to establish whether or not the use of force was proportional to the threat posed'.

Nadim's body was exhumed yesterday after permission was granted by his family and religious authorities.

The post-mortem was carried out at the Palestinian Institute of Forensic Medicine, with Israeli experts from a centre in Tel Aviv as well as international observers present.

Siam Nuwara, Nadim's father, told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the exhumation was necessary to prove his son was killed unlawfully.

"We agreed to this very drastic move to prove to Israel and the international community that Nadim was shot with live ammunition," said Mr Nuwara.

Family members mourn the two teenagers

Although the official results of the post-mortem have yet to be published, human rights groups B'tselem and Al Haq, as well as and sources who attended the investigation, have told local media there was a clear conclusion that Nawara had been killed by a live bullet.

Israel's Channel 10 News reported that an exit wound was discovered on Nawara's side and back.

Their correspondent claimed this strengthened the assessment that he was shot in the front by Israeli forces and raised the possibility that officers involved had lied during the military's initial inquiries.

The Nuwara family are reported to have handed over a bullet, which was found in their son's rucksack, and which they claim killed him, to Palestinian prosecutors.

Senior Palestinian officials have suggested the deaths represent "excessive and indiscriminate violence", which they claim constitutes a war crime.

The Israeli Defence Forces have refused to comment on the reports, saying that the investigation is on-going.

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Off-Duty Cop Saves Man From Gas Station Blast

Police have released dramatic video showing how an off-duty New York State trooper pulled an unconscious man out of a car that had crashed at a gas station.

The accident earlier this month at Mobil Gas Station in White Plains, in the state of New York, injured six people.

The video shows trooper John Vescio pumping gas when a car comes crashing into the station on the Hutchinson River Parkway.

The crash set off a fireball, and Mr Vescio can be seen running away.

But then he returns and drags to safety the driver of a crashed car, 69-year-old Joseph Bucci.

New reports said that Mr Bucci was having a diabetic episode. He was hospitalised at Westchester Medical Center.

The footage from the June 3 accident was released by Westchester County police.

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World Cup: Violent Clashes In Sao Paulo

Police have fired stun grenades and tear gas to break up a protest in Sao Paulo just hours before the opening game of the World Cup.

Officers also used rubber bullets as anger at the money being spent to host the competition spilled over.

Around 100 protesters gathered near a subway station with a red banner reading, "If we have no rights, there won't be a Cup".

Tear gas has been used to disperse protesters

They were trying to block part of the main highway leading to the Corinthians Arena, which hosts tonight's opening match between Brazil and Croatia.

Lines of police moved in and managed to disperse them, making at least one arrest.

The demonstrators regrouped about two hours later and clashed with police again three blocks away, hurling rocks and setting fire to rubbish.

CNN producer Barbara Arvanitidis, injured in the protests

At least one protester was arrested, local media reported, and two CNN journalists were hurt , the network said on its website.

One of the journalists had her hand injured by a tear gas canister. The extent of the injuries of the other journalist was not clear, nor if any protesters were hurt..

Rubber bullets are fired by officers near the Corinthians Arena

At least four other protests were called for in Sao Paulo, along with demonstrations in Rio and at least another five cities.

Many Brazilians are furious over the $11.3bn (£8bn) spent on staging the World Cup when basic social services are poorly financed.

After a build-up marred by construction delays and political unrest, the competition will finally get under way with an opening ceremony featuring performances by stars including Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull.

Riot police march towards the 200 protesters

Much of Sao Paulo, Brazil's biggest city, resembled a ghost town earlier today after officials declared a partial holiday to ensure traffic to the Corinthians Arena would be light. 

However, thousands of fans flying into the country are facing a chaotic welcome after ground staff at Rio de Janeiro's Galeao International Airport voted to stage a 24-hour strike in a row over pay.

Brazil fans arriving at the Corninthians Arena for tonight's game

Baggage handlers and check-in staff will join colleagues at the city's Santos Dumont airport - an important hub for flights to Sao Paulo, where England play Uruguay next week - in downing tools.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has dismissed complaints about the heavy spending and delays in preparing stadiums and airports.

President Dilma Rousseff says the tournament will be worth the cost

"What I'm seeing more and more is the welcome given to the teams and the happiness of the Brazilian people with our team," she declared.

Brazil's team, led by 22-year-old star striker Neymar, is widely fancied to beat Croatia and go on to win a record sixth World Cup title.

Brazilians will be hoping Neymar hits top form

The stakes are high on and off the pitch. The success or otherwise of the tournament may affect President Rousseff's re-election chances in October, as well as Brazil's flagging reputation among investors.

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Ukraine Accuses Russia Of Sending In Tanks

Ukraine's interior minister has accused Russia of allowing tanks to cross its border to help pro-Russian separatists there.

Arsen Avakov said that a "column" with armoured vehicles crossed from Russia through border control points controlled by pro-Russian separatists near the Dyakove village in eastern Ukraine.

Mr Avakov said that "part of this column has been destroyed" by Ukrainian forces.

Russia did not immediately respond to the accusations but Reuters correspondents reportedly saw three tanks in the border town of Snizhnye in east Ukraine.

Meanwhile Russia has begun military exercises in its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad in what the Defence Ministry said was a response to drills by Nato allies in parts of eastern Europe that were launched after Moscow's intervention in Ukraine.

A map showing the location of Kaliningrad and the Baltic states

In addition, Latvia said that Nato fighters that carry out air patrols over the Baltics scrambled a record four times on Thursday after a total of 16 Russian military planes were spotted close to Latvia's airspace.

Ukraine's Defence Ministry did not outline the scale of the Russian exercises but said the equipment and number of troops involved "corresponds" to the size of the Nato manoeuvres.

"The training of the army's group in the Kaliningrad operational (theatre) is being held simultaneously with the international (Nato) exercises of Saber Strike-2014 and BALTOPS-2014 launched in Europe," its statement said.

Kaliningrad is a sliver of territory that is unconnected to the rest of Russia and sandwiched between Nato member states Lithuania and Poland.

NATO countries responded to Russia's annexation of Crimea by sending fighter planes and ships to eastern Europe to reassure allies alarmed by Russia's action.

Oleg Tsarev (2ndL) outside the HQ of the Donetsk People's Republic

The alliance and its member states have also stepped up military exercises in eastern Europe, including the three former Soviet republics in the Baltics - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - that now belong to the Western alliance.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, a former presidential candidate and backer of the pro-Russian separatist movement said he planned to ship food, medicine and money to the eastern part of his country.

Oleg Tsarev said on a visit to Donetsk that his People's Front movement had opened an office in Moscow and was preparing to distribute aid, in conjunction with the self-declared people's republics in eastern Ukraine.

It came as newly sworn-in Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian leader Vladimir Putin discussed moves to end violence in east Ukraine during a phone conversation.

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