The Pakistani army says it has launched a ground offensive against Taliban militants in North Waziristan.
A statement said operations had begun around Miranshah, the main town in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
The move follows air strikes which the army says have killed 370 militants. There is no confirmation of the figure.
North Waziristan has long been a sanctuary for militants. Correspondents say many are thought to have left the area before the offensive began.
The assault comes three weeks after militants attacked Pakistan's largest airport in Karachi, leaving more than 30 people dead.
For the past two weeks, Pakistani forces have been carrying out air strikes against what it says are militant hideouts in North Waziristan.
Among their targets, they say, have been Uzbek militants who claimed responsibility for the Karachi attack and their Pakistani Taliban (TTP) allies.
Monday's army statement said troops were now conducting a door-to-door search in Miranshah.
"Troops have recovered underground tunnels and IED [improvised explosive device] preparation factories," it said.
The town has been one of the main TTP bases during recent years when militants who had at times been tolerated by the military killed thousands of people in a bombing campaign across Pakistan.
In public statements, Pakistani commanders have said they will not discriminate between so-called good and bad Taliban, reports the BBC's Andrew North in Islamabad.
But our correspondent says there are widespread reports from within North Waziristan that many militants were allowed to escape before the operations began.
Nearly half a million people have left North Waziristan since the offensive was announced following the Karachi airport attack.
The defence has called acoustic expert Ivan Lin to give evidence in the hope of discrediting prosecution witnesses who said they heard the scream of a woman on the night Ms Steenkamp was killed.
Earlier, the court heard from Dr Gerry Versfeld, who amputated Mr Pistorius' legs when he was just 11 months old. He was born without the fibulas in both of his legs but went on to become an Olympic athlete.
Dr Versfeld testified about the impact of the disability on Mr Pistorius, 27, and to what extent he can walk without his prosthetic legs.
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State prosecutor Gerrie Nel: Oscar Pistorius ''did not suffer from a mental illness or defect'' at the time of the shooting
The defence is expected to finish presenting its evidence in the next few days.
Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model and law graduate, was shot through a toilet door at Mr Pistorius' house in Pretoria on Valentine's Day last year.
The couple had been dating for three months.
"Mr Pistorius did not suffer from a mental illness or defect that would have rendered him criminally not responsible for the offence charged," said state prosecutor Gerrie Nel, reading from the psychologist report.
The prosecution requested the evaluation after a defence witness said the double amputee was suffering from Generalised Anxiety Disorder (Gad).
Mr Pistorius, 27, underwent a month of tests as an outpatient at Weskoppies psychiatric hospital in Pretoria.
He has often displayed his emotions during the trial, and has sobbed and vomited in court.
There are no juries at trials in South Africa, so the athlete's fate will ultimately be decided by the judge, assisted by two assessors.
If found guilty of murder, Mr Pistorius, who went on trial on 3 March this year, could face life imprisonment. If he is acquitted of that charge, the court will consider an alternative charge of culpable homicide, for which he could receive about 15 years in prison.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder
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The BBC's Michelle Roberts explains Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Generalised Anxiety Disorder is a medically-recognised, long-term condition
People with Gad feel anxious on most days and worry about a wide range of issues
It is thought to affect around one in 25 people at some point in their lives and is more common in women than in men
Symptoms vary - making it tricky to diagnose
People with Gad may have difficulty concentrating, feel tired and irritable, feel sick, dizzy or sweaty and experience aches and pains
Gad tends to run in families, can follow stressful events, and may be linked to chemical imbalances in the brain
The main treatments include using talking therapies, relaxation techniques and medication
The Sunni-Shia split has its origins in a dispute over the succession to Muhammad.
Analysis: The BBC's Paul Adams in Baghdad
It's easy to dismiss the latest crop of Isis videos and statements as mere propaganda (however well produced), but the announcement of the establishment of a caliphate is rich with religious, cultural and historic significance.
Generations of Sunni radicals have dreamt of a moment when, in the words of Isis spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, Muslims "shake off the dust of humiliation and disgrace" and a new caliphate rises out of the chaos, confusion and despair of the modern Middle East.
Many Sunnis, and all Shia, will recoil in horror from the barbarism that has accompanied this moment, but the sight of old colonial-era boundaries being erased is a powerful statement, designed to attract new recruits to this whirlwind jihad.
In one of the Isis videos uploaded on Sunday, a bearded fighter called Abu Safiyya guides the viewer around a newly demolished border post. The video, with its arresting imagery and impressive production values, is designed to electrify the group's followers.
The fact that Abu Safiyya is described as being from Chile merely adds to what the authors hope is now the organisation's global appeal.
Isis said the Islamic state would extend from Aleppo in northern Syria to Diyala province in eastern Iraq.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group said, would become the leader of the state and would be known as "Caliph Ibrahim".
In the recording, the rebels also demanded that all Muslims "pledge allegiance" to the new ruler and "reject democracy and other garbage from the West".
What is a caliphate?
An Islamic state ruled by a single political and religious leader, or Caliph
Caliphs are regarded by their followers as successors to Muhammad and sovereign over all Muslims
First caliphate came into being after Prophet Muhammad's death in 632
In the centuries which followed, caliphates had dominion in the Middle East and North Africa
The last widely accepted caliphate was abolished in 1924 by Turkish leader Kemal Ataturk after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire
The Ahmadiyya sect of Islam has recognised a caliphate for the last century, but it is only this group that does so
On Sunday, Iraqi government jets struck at rebel positions and clashes broke out in various parts of Tikrit, witnesses and officials said.
"The security forces are advancing from different areas", Lt-Gen Qassem Atta told journalists. "There are ongoing clashes."
Troops had reportedly pulled back to the nearby town of Dijla as Saturday's initial offensive met stiff resistance.
The heavy fighting over the two days caused many casualties on both sides, eyewitnesses and journalists told the BBC.
Insurgents were reported to have shot down a helicopter and captured the pilot.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the creation of an independent Kurdish state in response to gains made by Sunni insurgents in Iraq.
In a speech in Tel Aviv, he said the Kurds were "a nation of fighters and have proved political commitment and are worthy of independence".
The Kurds have long striven for an independent state but they remain divided between Syria and Turkey, Iran and Iraq.
The international community, including neighbouring Turkey and the US, remains opposed to the breakup of Iraq.
Are you in the area? What is your reaction to the current situation? Email your views to haveyoursay@bbc.o.uk with the word 'Iraq' in the subject heading.
One of China's most senior military officials has been accused of accepting bribes and expelled from the Communist Party, state media report.
Gen Xu Caihou, a former member of the Politburo, would be handed over to military prosecutors to face a court martial, the Xinhua news agency said.
He is believed to have been held under house arrest for several months.
Analysts say this could be the biggest military scandal China has seen for many years.
Xinhua reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping had presided over a Politburo meeting about military discipline and approved the decision to expel Gen Xu and hand him over to military prosecutors.
The move has been presented has part of the government's battle against corruption.
Rumours about the investigation into Gen Xu had circulated for months. But many believed poor health - he is reported to have been treated for cancer - would save him from prosecution.
Two other high profile figures were also expelled from the Communist Party for corruption on Monday - Jiang Jiemin, the former head of the state asset regulator, and Wang Yongchun, the deputy head of the state energy giant China National Petroleum Company (CNPC).
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 29 Juni 2014 | 18.19
29 June 2014Last updated at 04:09
North Korea has fired two missiles into the sea from its east coast, reports from South Korea say.
A defence ministry spokesman in Seoul declined to give further details, but Yonhap news agency said they were Scuds with the range of 500km (310 miles).
The apparent test comes just days after North Korea said it successfully fired new precision-guided missiles.
North Korea frequently test-fires missiles to refine its military capabilities.
Reports of a new test come days before Chinese President Xi Jinping is due in South Korea to discuss the North's nuclear weapons programme.
China is North Korea's only major ally and provides an economic lifeline to the isolated nation.
The North is under UN sanctions over its weapons and nuclear programmes.
It has carried out nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, and is thought to have enough nuclear material for a small number of bombs.
However, analysts say the North does not appear to have successfully manufactured a nuclear warhead small enough to be carried by its missiles.
Hong Kong is voting on the final day of an unofficial referendum on universal suffrage in the Chinese territory.
The 10-day poll is organised by protest group Occupy Central, which says more than 700,000 have already voted online or in person.
A Hong Kong government spokesman has said the vote has no legal standing.
Campaigners want the former British colony to be able to elect their leader, or the chief executive. China has pledged direct elections by 2017.
However, voters will only have a choice from a list of candidates selected by a nominating committee, and China's communist authorities have said all candidates must be "patriotic".
The voting in polling stations or on popvote.hk website began on 20 June. The deadline was originally set at 22 June, but was later extended after what organised claimed were several cyber attacks on the website.
Popvote.hk was designed by the University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University to measure support for Occupy Central's campaign.
Analysis: Juliana Liu, BBC News, Hong Kong
The organisers behind the unofficial referendum have added nine more polling stations on the last day of the exercise in the hope of reaching more voters, especially the elderly or those living in Hong Kong's outlying islands.
The University of Hong Kong polling firm that oversees the vote says nearly 760,000 votes have been received. But more than 50,000 seem to be repeat votes, and were eliminated as a result.
The vote is not legally binding. Still, the large turnout, in a city with just 3.5 million registered voters, sends a strong message that a significant part of the Hong Kong public is unhappy with the Chinese government's plans for reform.
Beijing has criticised the referendum. Official disapproval seems to have spurred more voters to take part.
In the referendum, voters have the choice of three proposals - all of which involve allowing citizens to directly nominate Hong Kong's chief executive - to present to the Beijing government.
Pro-democracy activists want the public to nominate the candidates.
But Chinese leaders believe this is illegal and would like to see a committee decide who is on that public ballot, effectively limiting the candidate field to those approved by the authorities in Beijing.
The vote is seen as a prelude to a campaign of dissent that could shut down Hong Kong's financial district, the BBC's Juliana Liu in Hong Kong reports.
Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 following a 1984 agreement between China and Britain.
China agreed to govern Hong Kong under the principle of "one country, two systems", where the city would enjoy "a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs" for 50 years.
As a result, Hong Kong has its own legal system, and rights including freedom of assembly and free speech are protected.
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Most of those trapped under the rubble are thought to be workers from a neighbouring province
More than 100 people are still feared trapped after a building collapsed in southern India, an official has said.
At least nine people died and several were hurt when the 12-storey building under construction toppled in Chennai in heavy rain late on Saturday.
Hours earlier, a four-storey building came down in the capital Delhi killing 10 people including five children.
India has seen frequent building collapses, many blamed on lax safety and substandard materials.
Rescue teams with cutters and shovels are continuing to search for survivors in the rubble in Chennai, Tamil Nadu state.
"There are approximately 132 labourers who are under the debris and approximately 100 of them belong to southern Andhra Pradesh province," joint collector Rekha Rani told Reuters news agency.
At least 26 people have so far been rescued. It is not clear whether Mr Rani was speaking before the rescues took place.
A police investigation has also been launched.
By Yogita Limaye, BBC News, Mumbai
Building collapses have become an almost common occurrence in India, with numerous such accidents taking place across large cities over the past year. The latest incidents have once again put the spotlight on the need for better regulation of construction in the country.
While some collapses have occurred because poor quality material was used, others, have been because the buildings were simply too old and residents refused to leave despite them being labelled as dangerous to live in.
Corruption is also a factor, because in many cases, changes to the building's structure, such as adding extra floors, or breaking down walls, which might make it vulnerable are permitted by authorities that have been found to have accepted bribes.
Soaring property prices in Indian cities have also meant that finding a flat that fits your budget is so hard, that people very often tend to compromise on safety.
Police said larger pieces of rubble would have to be moved before rescuers could search for more survivors, adding that access to the building was difficult because of a narrow lane leading to it.
Fire service official Vijay Shekar told the Times of India newspaper that it could take two days to reach the ground floor of the building, adding that it would be a "massive operation".
While the cause of the latest collapse is still under investigation, a lack of construction codes, leading to lax safety, is one reason for frequent collapses of buildings and other infrastructure projects in India.
There is also a high demand for housing, pushing up costs and forcing less affluent people to risk their lives in decrepit or badly constructed buildings.
In January, at least 14 people died when a building under construction came crashing down in the western state of Goa.
At least 42 people died after a four-storey building collapsed in Mumbai last September.
Are you in the area? Have you been affected? Please share your comments with us. You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'India Building Collapse'.
Iraqi government forces trying to retake the city of Tikrit from Sunni insurgents have pulled back to a nearby town amid fierce clashes, reports say.
Government troops launched an assault on the city on Saturday with tanks, armoured vehicles and air support.
Eyewitnesses say both sides suffered heavy losses and that the army had to pull back to Dijla, 25km to the south.
The city of Tikrit was captured by Sunni rebels on 11 June as they swept across large parts of northern Iraq.
Heavy fighting took place on Saturday between the Iraqi security forces and armed men from different factions controlling Tikrit, eyewitnesses and journalists told the BBC.
The security forces launched a major attack using tanks and armoured military vehicles supported by air cover and there were many casualties from both sides, the sources said.
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Foreign Secretary William Hague: "I don't think it would be wise to have a British military intervention"
Insurgents, led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis), were reported to have shot down a helicopter and captured the pilot.
The witnesses said the Iraqi forces had been hampered in their bid to retake the city by the large number of improvised explosive devices laid on the approaches to the city.
Earlier in the week Iraqi special forces had been inserted into a position near Tikrit's university to establish a foothold in the city, but it is not clear whether they have remained.
Fear inside Tikrit
"We cannot live here another day. The entire night we have only heard bombs bursting all around the hospital" - Marina Jose, one of 46 stranded Indian nurses at a Tikrit teaching hospital, tells BBC
On Sunday the city was said to be quiet, but witnesses have reported shelling by the security forces.
Earlier the Iraqi government claimed to have recaptured the city and to have killed 60 militants.
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Iraq "receives Russian attack jets" to fight rebels
Meanwhile, Iraq said it had received the first batch of military jets ordered from Russia in order to help fight the militants.
The defence ministry said five Sukhoi aircraft would enter service in "three to four days".
Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, British Secretary of State William Hague called for political unity in Iraq to help fight what he called the "mortal threat" to the state.
"Security operations will only work with strong political support from all elements in Iraq" he said.
Mr Hague's intervention will add to the pressure on Iraq's leaders to form a national unity government, correspondents say.
It follows a call from Iraq's most influential Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Sistani for a prime minister to be appointed by Tuesday - when the new parliament meets - to try to defuse the country's political crisis.
Prime Minister Nouri Maliki wants a third term, though correspondents say he is seen by many as having precipitated the crisis through sectarian policies that have pushed Iraq's Sunni minority into the hands of Isis extremists.
Are you in the area? What is your reaction to the current situation? Email your views to haveyoursay@bbc.o.ukwith the word 'Iraq' in the subject heading.
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Allan Little looks at how the assassin is remembered in Sarajevo
Bosnia is commemorating 100 years since the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, the act that triggered World War One.
Cultural and sporting events, including a concert by the Vienna Philharmonic, are marking the occasion in the city.
Gavrilo Princip, who shot the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, continues to be a divisive figure in Bosnia.
The shots fired by the Bosnian Serb on 28 June 1914 sucked Europe's great powers into four years of warfare.
Bosnia's Serbs, Croats and Muslim Bosniaks are still divided over the role Princip played in bringing tensions to a head in Europe in 1914, with counter-commemorations planned by Bosnian Serbs.
In Austria, Franz Ferdinand's great-granddaughter and family will be holding events at the family castle at Artstetten, near Vienna, where he is buried.
Leaders of Serbia and some Bosnian Serbs are boycotting official events, which they say are designed to incriminate Serbs.
On Friday, Serbs in eastern Sarajevo unveiled a statue of Princip, seen by them as a national hero who ended years of occupation of the Balkans by the Austro-Hungarian empire.
In the eastern town of Visegrad, actors will re-enact the murder of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, and the Belgrade Philharmonic will play music by Vivaldi.
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Anita Hohenberg speaks about her great-grandfather Franz Ferdinand
The commemorations in central Sarajevo will take on a completely different tone to those in the east of the city, says the BBC's Guy De Launey.
The Vienna Philharmonic will play a selection harking back to Hapsburg days, including Haydn's Emperor Quartet, he adds.
The concert is being held at the newly-restored national library, which was destroyed during the 1992 siege of the city by Bosnian Serb forces in the Bosnian War.
Austrian President Heinz Fischer will be attending the concert, which is the centrepiece of official events marking the anniversary.
Commemorations are due to close with an open-air musical memorial event in Sarajevo.
Twenty-eight European Union leaders gathered on Thursday to mark 100 years since the beginning of World War One at Ypres in Belgium.
Princip and the shot that sparked WWI
Gavrilo Princip, one of seven members of Mlada Bosnia (Young Bosnia), a Bosnian Serb militant organisation which wanted independence from Austria-Hungary
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and wife Sophie shot dead in their car by Princip on 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo
Austria responds angrily and declares war on Serbia, securing unconditional support from Germany
Meanwhile, the UN cultural organisation Unesco has asked all vessels at sea to fly their flags at half-mast on Saturday to mark the assassination anniversary.
The agreement only applies to century-old wrecks so over the next four years, thousands of British, German and other ships lost in World War One will be added to the list.
A Ukrainian government ceasefire in the conflict in the east of the country appears to be holding, despite attacks by pro-Russia rebels.
Several government-held sites came under fire overnight and in the morning but no casualties were reported.
President Petro Poroshenko extended the week-long ceasefire on Friday for three days, saying he was hoping for progress on his peace plan.
Some rebel leaders said they would match the truce but others oppose it.
Mr Poroshenko's announcement came hours after he had signed a landmark EU trade pact - the issue that has been the trigger of the recent crisis.
He said it was a "historic" moment and Ukraine's most important day since independence.
The refusal of Mr Poroshenko's predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych, to sign the EU deal - under pressure from Russia - led to protests in Kiev and his eventual overthrow this year.
Russia has since warned it will hit Ukraine with punishing trade restrictions if the pact has a negative effect on its economy.
But speaking on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian TV that it would be easier to solve the Ukrainian crisis if the United States was not involved.
"Our American colleagues... prefer to push the Ukrainian leadership along a confrontational path," he said.
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President Poroshenko said the EU deal "marks a historic day for Ukraine"
Key steps
In the latest fighting, separatists opened fire with mortars on the airfield in the town of Kramatorsk, a Ukrainian forces base near Kryva Luka and another base in Donetsk region, military reporter Dmytro Tymchuk said on his Facebook page (in Russian).
Later the Defence Ministry reported more attacks in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and said the Ukrainian army had regained control of a checkpoint outside Sloviansk.
No casualties have been reported.
A gas distribution station was also targeted in the third attack. There were no casualties on the government side.
One of the leaders of the self-declared "Donetsk People's Republic" in the east, Aleksander Boroday, said the new truce would be observed until 30 June.
However, two other senior rebels in the Donetsk region, Pavlo Gubarev and Igor Girkin, were quoted by local media as saying they rejected the truce.
Mr Poroshenko agreed to extend the truce after meeting top security and defence officials on his return from Brussels.
It will continue until 22:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on Monday.
A statement on the Ukrainian presidential website pointed to a policy statement on Ukraine, issued by the European Council on Friday which set out key steps it expected to happen by Monday.
They include the return of three key checkpoints to Ukrainian forces and the "launch of substantial negotiations on the implementation of President Poroshenko's peace plan".
Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted on a long-term ceasefire to allow for negotiations between the Ukrainian government and separatists, urging Mr Poroshenko to embark on a "path of peace, dialogue and accord".
Mr Poroshenko set out a 15-point peace plan on 20 June. It involves decentralising power and holding early local and parliamentary elections.
It also proposes the creation of a 10km (six-mile) buffer zone on the Ukrainian-Russian border, and a safe corridor for pro-Russian separatists to leave the conflict areas.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Russia the EU was prepared for "drastic measures" if there was no speedy progress on the plan.
More than 420 people have been killed in fighting between pro-Russia rebels and government forces in eastern Ukraine since mid-April, the UN estimates.
The separatists have declared independence, claiming that extremists have taken power in Kiev. Their move followed Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region.
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Bobby Womack's career spanned more than 50 years
Legendary soul singer and songwriter Bobby Womack, who penned hits for many of the greatest musicians of the 20th Century, has died at the age of 70.
The cause of death was not announced, but Womack had suffered from cancer and Alzheimer's disease and battled with drug addiction.
His hits included It's All Over Now, performed by the Rolling Stones, and Lookin' for Love.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.
Survivor
Womack was born in 1944 in Cleveland, Ohio and began singing in a gospel group in the 1950s with his brothers.
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He later gained attention after the siblings signed to SAR Records in 1960.
The brothers, including Cecil, Curtis, Harry and Friendly Jr, cut two R&B albums as the Valentinos.
Later the group broke up and Womack turned to song writing and a solo career.
He outlived many of the acts with whom he played and with whom he was friendly, including Jimi Hendrix and Wilson Pickett.
His songs were recorded by Janis Joplin, Wilson Pickett and many others. His friend Sam Cooke persuaded him to let the Rolling Stones record It's All Over Now.
"He said, 'One day you'll be part of history, this group is gonna be huge,'" Womack told BBC Newsnight in 2012. "I said, 'Why don't they get their own songs?'"
He also worked as a session guitarist, appearing on recordings by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Dusty Springfield, and Pickett.
From 1970-90, Womack charted 36 singles including That's the Way I Feel About Cha and Woman's Gotta Have It.
A series of personal tragedies including the deaths of two sons led him to drug abuse, according to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.
'My worst critic'
After a long musical hiatus, in 2009 he was tapped by Gorillaz co-founder Damon Albarn to record a song for the group's third album.
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In 2012, Womack talked to Newsnight's Stephen Smith about his career
In 2012, Womack released his first album in more than ten years, entitled The Bravest Man in the Universe.
Womack told the BBC in 2013 "drugs had a lot to do with" a period spent away from the music industry prior to 2009.
"I've always been my worst critic," he said. "I think that keeps me reaching... I never take the audience for granted."
Just two weeks before his death, Womack performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.
Musicians who worked with the star paid tribute to his career and contribution to music.
Gospel singer Candi Staton, who knew Womack since childhood, said he had "a style that nobody else could ever capture".
"I loved him and I will miss him so, so very much" said the singer, who also toured with him.
Jason Newman from Rolling Stone Magazine said that he was one of the biggest soul acts of the day in the 1970s.
"Some of his albums and tracks are classics.. He was doing it for seven decades", he told the BBC.
Twitter reaction
Have you met Bobby Womack or did you know him? You can share your stories and experiences with us by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.cousing Bobby Womack in the subject heading.
Helicopter gunships have conducted strikes on the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, the Iraqi military says.
The attacks come amid reports of a major offensive to retake Tikrit from Isis-led Sunni militants, who control large parts of north and west Iraq.
The news came hours after the US confirmed it was flying drones in Iraq, to protect US personnel on the ground.
Meanwhile Iraq's most influential Shia cleric has called for a prime minister to be appointed by Tuesday.
In an attempt to defuse the country's political crisis, Grand Ayatollah Sistani said that key positions should be agreed before the new parliament meets on Tuesday.
Pressure has been building for a national unity government.
Current Prime Minister Nouri Maliki wants to continue for a third term, even though he is seen by many as having precipitated the crisis through sectarian policies that have pushed Iraq's Sunni minority into the hands of Isis extremists.
'Flee or be killed'
The air strikes targeted Sunni insurgents attacking troops who have established positions in a university campus to the north of Tikrit, military spokesman Lt-Gen Qassim al-Moussawi was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
Tikrit, the birthplace of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, is a mainly Sunni city which fell to militants led by Isis - the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - in recent weeks.
Unconfirmed reports say that thousands of troops are advancing on the city from nearby Samarra, backed by aircraft, tanks and bomb disposal units.
"Isis fighters now have two choices - flee or be killed," Lt-Gen Sabah Fatlawi told AFP news agency.
Meanwhile, the charity Save the Children has warned that thousands of families are continuing to flee fighting in Nineveh province.
Several Christian villages have been attacked, the charity said, causing families to leave without any belongings.
Are you in Iraq? What do you think of the current situation? If you are happy to talk to a BBC journalist please email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk Please use the word 'Iraq' in the subject heading.
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 22 Juni 2014 | 18.20
22 June 2014Last updated at 09:37
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Kevin Kim reports from Seoul on the stand-off between a renegade soldier and the army
South Korean troops have cornered a soldier who shot dead five colleagues and fled his post near North Korea's border, sparking a massive manhunt.
One soldier was injured as the renegade conscript exchanged fire with troops hunting him in the border town of Goseong, Gangwon province, reports say.
It is not clear why the sergeant, identified only by his surname, Im, had opened fire on Saturday evening.
There have been similar shooting cases in the South Korean army in the past.
The stand-off, near a primary school, may be aimed at allowing the military to negotiate the renegade soldier's surrender, says the BBC's Kevin Kim in Seoul.
One media report said the conscript's parents had been taken to the site to help convince their son to turn himself in.
Guarding the demilitarised zone, which divides the two Koreas, is considered one of the toughest jobs for military conscripts, adds our correspondent.
'Difficulties adapting'
Sgt Im shot fellow members of his 22nd infantry division in the remote guard post and then escaped with his semi-automatic K2 rifle and some ammunition, army officials said.
Sgt Im "threw a grenade and then opened fire" after completing his day shift, Yonhap reported.
Seven other troops were injured in the incident, but are expected to survive.
Thousands of troops were deployed to block possible escape routes, guard the border between North and South Korea, and protect areas where civilians live, officials said.
An officer said Sgt Im "was on the list of those who require special attention, as he had difficulties in adapting to the military life," the South Korean news agency reported, adding that he had been due to be discharged in three months.
The defence ministry spokesman said the incident was "regrettable", adding: "We truly apologise for causing concern to the nation."
There have been similar incidents in South Korea's military, which operates under a conscription system. Bullying and mental problems have been blamed for previous attacks.
In 2011, a marine opened fire on his colleagues and tried to blow himself up with a grenade. Four soldiers were killed in the attack.
Tens of thousands of soldiers from both North and South Korea are stationed along their joint border, one of the most heavily fortified in the world.
The two Koreas were divided at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty. As a result, they remain technically at war.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Egypt for key talks with new President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.
Mr Kerry is expected to urge Mr Sisi to embrace more inclusive politics, and say the crackdown on the banned Muslim Brotherhood is polarising the nation.
Mr Kerry will raise the issue of the mass death sentencing of members of the organisation.
Mr Sisi, the 59-year-old ex-army chief, won elections in May, pledging to tackle "terrorism" and bring security.
The retired field marshal overthrew President Mohammed Morsi last July amid mass protests against his rule.
We have a longstanding relationship... that's built on several different pillars. It's at a difficult juncture right now, that's true"
End QuoteUS state department official
He has since been pursuing a crackdown on Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, which urged a boycott of the 26-28 May elections. Liberal and secular activists also shunned the poll in protest at the curtailing of civil rights.
Advice ignored
Mr Kerry arrived in Cairo on Sunday on an unannounced visit, the most senior US official there since the election.
American officials said he would tell Mr Sisi that although he understands the country's security challenges, the Egyptian government needs to do more to reach out to the Muslim brotherhood, reports the BBC's Kim Ghattas, who is travelling with Mr Kerry.
America's top diplomat is also expected to call for the release of imprisoned journalists.
"We have a longstanding relationship... that's built on several different pillars", a senior state department official was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
"It's at a difficult juncture right now, that's true, and we have serious concerns about the political environment," the official said.
Egypt remains a strategic ally for Washington, and Mr Kerry's visit so soon after Mr Sisi's inauguration shows the US is still keen to engage actively and early on with the new president in the hope it will make a difference, our correspondent says.
But she adds that the last time Mr Kerry was in Cairo in November his advice was ignored.
Who is Egypt's new president?
Born in Cairo in 1954
Had long military career, latterly specialising mainly in military intelligence
Appointed army chief under Mohammed Morsi
Key figure in interim government after ousting Morsi in July 2013
Some 350,000 people have been displaced since the start of an army offensive against militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan a week ago, officials say.
Long lines of buses and lorries are reported waiting in intense heat for security clearance to enter the nearest town of Bannu.
There are fears the refugees could spread polio, as many of the displaced children have not been vaccinated.
The offensive began after a deadly attack on Karachi airport.
The attack was claimed by an Uzbek militant group and the Pakistani Taliban.
'No faith'
Tens of thousands of children are among those who are currently on the move in the tribal region.
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"The civilians have no idea where they are going," reports Shazeb Jillani from Bannu
Many of them have never been vaccinated for highly-infectious diseases - like polio - because of a Taliban-imposed ban.
Local officials say they are doing everything they can to deal with the unfolding humanitarian crisis.
A camp for the displaced people has been set up near Bannu.
But most families have refused to go there, saying the place lacks basic necessities like water, food and sanitation, the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani in Islamabad reports.
Several refugees told the BBC they felt angry at the military for bombing their homes. Many more admitted they had no faith that the Pakistani government could help them.
The army said at least 160 militants had been killed since it began air strikes on militant targets in Shawal and other areas of North Waziristan last Sunday.
There is no independent media access to the area and no way of confirming the casualty figures.
Tanks and troops are also being sent in for a full-scale operation to target Taliban and foreign militant networks based near the Afghan border, the military says.
North Waziristan has a population of almost seven million. Officials say approximately 80% of the population is still living in the area as the military strikes escalate.
They earlier seized a border crossing to Syria and two towns in western Iraq as they advance towards Baghdad.
The insurgents intend to capture the whole of the predominantly Sunni Anbar province, a spokesman told the BBC.
Also on Sunday,
Iraq's government said an air strike on the militant-held northern town of Tikrit killed 40 militants, but witnesses said civilians died when a petrol station was hit
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in remarks quoted by Reuters news agency, accused the US of trying to keep Iraq under its hegemony and place its own "Yes Men" in power
US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Cairo and expected to travel to Iraq soon to press for a more representative cabinet, hoping this could ease tensions between the Sunni and Shia communities
Isis on the Euphrates
Rutba is strategically placed on the main road between Baghdad and Jordan.
It is the fourth town in what is Iraq's largest province to fall in two days to the Sunni rebel alliance, which Isis spearheads.
On Saturday the militants said they had taken the towns of Rawa and Anah, along the Euphrates river.
And Iraqi officials admitted Isis fighters had also seized a border crossing near the town of Qaim, killing 30 troops after a day-long battle.
According to the rebels, army garrisons, including at the area's command centre, abandoned their bases and weapons, and fled.
An Iraqi military spokesman described the withdrawal from Rawa, Anah and Qaim as a "tactical move... for the purpose of redeployment".
Isis in Iraq
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Isis fighters have been pushing towards Iraq's capital, Baghdad
Isis grew out of an al-Qaeda-linked organisation in Iraq
Estimated 10,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria
Joined in its offensives by other Sunni militant groups, including Saddam-era officers and soldiers, and disaffected Sunni tribal fighters
Exploits standoff between Iraqi government and the minority Sunni Arab community, which complains that Shia Prime Minister Nouri Maliki is monopolising power
Isis led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, an obscure figure regarded as a battlefield commander and tactician
The capture of the frontier crossing could help Isis transport weapons and other equipment to different battlefields, analysts say.
The rebels are confident that towns they do not already control along the Euphrates valley will fall without much of a fight, with the help of sympathetic local tribes, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Irbil.
Since January, they have held parts of the provincial capital Ramadi, and all of nearby Falluja, half an hour's drive from Baghdad.
A spokesman for the Military Councils, one of the main Sunni groups fighting alongside Isis, told the BBC the rebels' strategic goal was the capital itself.
In the meantime they are clearly trying to take the string of towns along the Euphrates between Falluja and the western border, says our correspondent.
Baghdad fears
There is deep pessimism in Baghdad about the government's war against Isis, which appears better trained, equipped and more experienced than the army, diplomats and politicians have told the BBC.
The Sunni extremists attacked the city of Mosul in early June and have since seized swathes of territory across Iraq.
The Iraqi government has urged the US, Europe and the UN to take immediate action to help deal with the crisis - including targeted air strikes.
Iraq's air force ran out of American Hellfire missiles two weeks ago, and only has two Cessna planes capable of firing the missiles.
But Isis has established secure safe havens, including some in neighbouring Syria, which will be difficult to target, experts say.
And experts warn that using air strikes now would endanger civilians.
"[The militants are] now fully enmeshed with the civilian population and it's just almost impossible to use air power or cruise missiles to strike at fighters that way," said Christopher Harmer, an analyst from the Institute for Study of War in Washington.
"You will end up killing a lot of civilians," he told the BBC.
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Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has rallied followers to join a military parade across Iraq, as Jonathan Beale reports from Baghdad
The US, which pulled out of Iraq in 2011, is sending some 300 military advisers to Iraq to help in the fight against the insurgents there.
But the White House insists there is no purely military solution to the crisis.
Mr Obama believes Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki has endangered the country by ignoring Sunni concerns and governing in the interests of the Shia majority, correspondents say.
Are you in Iraq or do you have family there? Have you been affected by recent events? You can send details of your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using 'Iraq' in the subject line.
The inventor of Kevlar, the lightweight fibre used in bulletproof vests and body armour, has died aged 90.
Stephanie Kwolek was a chemist at the DuPont company in Wilmington, Delaware, when she invented the stronger-than-steel fibre in 1965.
It was initially intended to be used in automobile tyres.
In a statement, DuPont chief executive Ellen Kullman described Kwolek as "a creative and determined chemist and a true pioneer for women in science".
Kwolek is the only female employee of DuPont to be awarded the company's Lavoisier Medal for outstanding technical achievement.
"I knew that I had made a discovery," Kwolek said in an interview several years ago. "I didn't shout 'Eureka,' but I was very excited, as was the whole laboratory excited, and management was excited because we were looking for something new, something different, and this was it."
She retired from the company in 1986.
Since the invention of Kevlar, the material has saved thousands of lives, including that of Police Lt David Spicer, who while recovering from his wounds in 2001, spoke to Kwolek on the phone.
"She was a tremendous woman," Lt Spicer told the Associated Press news agency.
Aside from protective clothing, the fibre is found in a variety of products, including aeroplanes, mobile phones, and sailboats.
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Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has rallied followers to join a military parade across Iraq, as Jonathan Beale reports from Baghdad
Thousands of Shia militia loyal to the powerful cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have paraded through the streets of Baghdad, raising sectarian tensions amid continued fighting in areas of Iraq.
The cleric, whose Mehdi Army fought the US in Iraq for years, had called for a military parade across the country.
Correspondents say the show of force will be seen as a very disturbing development by the Baghdad government.
Sunni extremists have seized control of large swathes of territory across Iraq.
On Saturday, the militants - led by jihadist group Isis - were reported to have seized a strategically important border crossing to Syria, near the town of Qaim, killing 30 troops after a day-long battle.
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Fergal Keane reports: ''Isis suspects surrender (to the Kurdish snipers) and are made to strip for fear they are wearing suicide vests''
Thousands of largely Shia Iraqis have volunteered to fight Isis, urged on by a call from the country's highest Shia religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
But the BBC's Jim Muir, in northern Iraq, says the impressive-looking parade of men in battle fatigues accompanied by serious military hardware will only raise sectarian tensions at at time when the government is under pressure to rally the country together against the extremists.
Iraq's sectarian split
Sunnis and Shia share fundamental beliefs, but differ in doctrine, ritual, law, theology and religious organisation
The origins of the split lie in a dispute over who should have succeeded the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the Muslim community
Sunnis are the majority sect in the Muslim world, but Shia, most of them ethnic Arabs, form between 60% and 65% of Iraq's population; Sunnis make up 32-37%, split between Arabs and Kurds
Sunni Arabs dominated Iraq under Saddam Hussein and their persecution of the Shia stoked sectarian tensions; the US-led invasion in 2003 gave the Shia an opportunity to seek redress
Nouri Maliki has been accused of denying Sunni Arabs meaningful representation and pursuing security policies that target them
US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to travel to Iraq soon to press for a more representative cabinet, hoping this could ease tensions between the country's rival Muslim sects.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama said Isis - which has an estimated 10,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria - had exploited a power vacuum in Syria to amass arms and resources, but denied this was because the US had not moved to back moderate rebel forces fighting President Bashar Assad.
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Obama dismisses notion of "ready-made moderate Syrian force able to defeat Assad"
"We have spent a lot of time trying to work with a moderate opposition in Syria, but... when you get farmers and dentists and folks who have never fought before going up against a ruthless opposition in Assad, the notion that they were in a position suddenly to overturn not only Assad but also ruthless, highly-trained jihadists if we just sent a few arms is a fantasy," he told CBS News.
The US, which pulled out of Iraq in 2011, is sending some 300 military advisers to Iraq to help in the fight against the insurgents there.
But in the face of Iraqi calls for US air strikes, the White House is insisting that there is no purely military solution to the crisis.
The BBC's John Simpson, in Baghdad, says Mr Obama believes Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki has endangered the country by ignoring Sunni concerns and governing in the interests of the Shia majority.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's call for a new government to be quickly formed aiming for "broad national acceptance" and to "remedy past mistakes" is being seen as less-than-veiled criticism of the Iraqi PM, correspondents say.
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The BBC released extended video of reporter Paul Wood under fire from Isis in Jalula
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A video posted online by Isis claims to show British and Australian nationals
The UN estimates that about one million people have been displaced within Iraq as a result of violence this year.
About 500,000 people fled their homes in the country's second-largest city, Mosul, which Isis captured last week.
Since then, rebels have made further gains. They claim to have seized parts of Iraq's largest oil refinery, at Baiji, and have also taken seized a disused chemical weapons factory in Muthanna, 70km (45 miles) north-west of Baghdad.
The capture of the border crossing at Qaim in western Iraq could help Isis transport weapons and other equipment to different battlefields, analysts said.
Isis in Iraq
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Isis fighters have been pushing towards Iraq's capital, Baghdad
Isis grew out of an al-Qaeda-linked organisation in Iraq
Estimated 10,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria
Joined in its offensives by other Sunni militant groups, including Saddam-era officers and soldiers, and disaffected Sunni tribal fighters
Exploits standoff between Iraqi government and the minority Sunni Arab community, which complains that Shia Prime Minister Nouri Maliki is monopolising power
Isis led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, an obscure figure regarded as a battlefield commander and tactician
Are you in Iraq or do you have family there? Have you been affected by recent events? You can send details of your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using 'Iraq' in the subject line.
Pro-Russian separatists have carried out several attacks on Ukrainian troops despite a unilateral ceasefire declared by Kiev, Ukrainian officials say.
They say at least six border guards were injured in shelling by the insurgents in the east overnight.
The rebels earlier dismissed the truce called by President Petro Poroshenko, the first step of his peace plan.
Meanwhile, the US imposed sanctions - including asset freezes - against seven pro-Russian leaders in Ukraine.
Western leaders have threatened additional sanctions against Russia, which they accuse of stoking tension in Ukraine. Moscow denies the claim.
In a separate development, President Vladimir Putin ordered forces in Russia's central military district to be put on full combat alert for a week.
The drill does not affect troops near the border with Ukraine. Mr Putin has ordered several such alerts to test combat readiness in recent months.
Buffer zone
Overnight, the separatists attacked three Ukrainian border posts in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Kiev said.
The rebels shelled the posts with rocket and mortar fire, injuring six border guards.
The gunmen also attacked Ukrainian forces outside the Kramatorsk airfield, in the Donetsk region.
The Ukrainian forces returned fire, and all the attacks were repelled, Kiev said. However, Ukraine's border guard service said its personnel at the Izvaryne post, Luhansk region, were forced to retreat into Russian territory.
A number of casualties were reported among the separatists.
Mr Poroshenko on Friday declared the week-long ceasefire to give rebels time to disarm. It became effective from 22:00 local time (19:00 GMT).
The president also unveiled proposals for the peace plan involving decentralising power, holding early elections, and creating a 10km (six-mile) buffer zone on the Ukrainian-Russian border.
A senior rebel commander told Ukrainian news agencies the insurgents would not disarm until government troops had left the east.
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Daniel Sandford reports: ''President Poroshenko announced that his forces, which had been gaining ground, will now cease fire for a week''
The Kremlin dismissed the truce, saying it was "not an invitation to peace and negotiations but an ultimatum".
'Scalpel sanctions'
The US and European Union leaders have previously imposed sanctions after Russia annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea in March.
On Friday, the US Treasury Department said it had blacklisted seven rebel leaders, including self-proclaimed mayors, governors and commanders in chief of cities under siege by Ukrainian forces.
Their assets in the US will be frozen and US firms will be banned from dealing with them.
US officials also said "scalpel" sanctions against Russia's defence, finance and high-tech industries were being considered.
US President Barack Obama had spoken separately to French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a White House statement said.
The leaders had agreed the US and EU would "co-ordinate additional steps to impose costs on Russia" if Moscow did not try to "de-escalate the situation in eastern Ukraine", the statement added.
Washington says Russia is providing the separatists with military equipment, including tanks, and is building up troops on its border with Ukraine.
Moscow denies the claim.
Are you in Ukraine? How has the crisis in the country affected you? You can send us your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line "Ukraine".
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Bethany Bell in Cairo says there is "relief" for the 500 who have been spared execution
An Egyptian court has confirmed death sentences for 183 Muslim Brotherhood supporters accused of a 2013 attack on a police station, lawyers say.
A judge had recommended the death penalty for the 683 defendants, in a widely-criticised mass trial in April.
Mohammed Badie, leader of the banned group, was among those whose sentences were upheld. Appeals are now likely.
The military-installed government has sentenced hundreds of its opponents since December.
Authorities have cracked down harshly on Islamists since former President Mohammed Morsi, who belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood, was removed by the military in July 2013 following mass protests.
Saturday's verdict was delivered by a court in the town of Minya, south of Cairo.
Four of the defendants were given sentences of 15-25 years in jail and the rest were acquitted.
The defendants were accused of involvement in the murder and attempted murder of policemen in Minya province on 14 August 2013, the day police killed hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters in clashes in Cairo.
Analysis by Bethany Bell, BBC news, Cairo
This is the largest confirmed mass death sentence to be passed in Egypt in recent times. The verdicts and the speed at which the trial was handled have drawn widespread criticism from human rights groups.
The judge, Sa'ed Yusef Sabri, has a draconian reputation, and is known as al-Jazzar, the Butcher. The activist and former chairman of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, Hesham Qasim, told the BBC it was time for the authorities to take measures against the judge for these unprecedented sentences.
He said the judge had not observed due process, and that once the verdicts were challenged, all the sentences would be overturned. The death sentences, he said, would have a negative impact on Egypt's image around the world and its economy.
The prominent human rights activist, Aida Seif al-Dawla, said the verdicts were politically motivated. The government, she said, was settling its political scores with the Brotherhood through executions.
The charges ranged from sabotage and terrorising civilians to murder. Of the 683, all but 110 were tried in absentia.
Defence lawyers called the mass trial "farcical" and said many of those accused were not present during the clashes.
Following April's trial, the recommended death sentences were referred to the Grand Mufti - Egypt's top Islamic authority - for review.
The court was to consider his opinion before issuing its final decision.
However correspondents say the case is likely to go to Egypt's appeal courts.
On Thursday, Mr Badie and 13 others were also given recommended death sentences over a separate case involving deadly clashes last year.
The next phase of the hunt for missing Malaysian jet MH370 will move hundreds of miles south, officials have said.
The search will focus on an area 1,800km (1,100 miles) off the city of Perth, Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) chief Martin Dolan said.
Nearby areas were previously surveyed from the air, but the undersea hunt was directed north after pings were heard.
The jet vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March with 239 passengers on board.
Experts had hoped that the pings detected shortly after the plane vanished were from its flight-data recorders.
But after weeks of searching the ocean floor, it was concluded that the noises were unrelated to the plane.
Analysis: Jonathan Amos, science correspondent, BBC News
The new search area(s) that the ATSB promise to announce shortly must be tied to the ocean-bed mapping now being conducted by survey ships. Their information is critical to guiding underwater sweeps. Without proper depth data, you cannot choose the most appropriate submersibles to look for MH370 wreckage.
The Australian authorities tell me that the Dutch-owned Fugro Equator is currently working in an area located along the arc where Inmarsat made a seventh and final connection with the lost jet.
China's Zhu Kezhen is currently in transit and should arrive on station within hours. It will use its echosounder equipment to map an area to the north of Fugro Equator. Together, these ships will describe the exact shape of the sea floor. In places, it is thought to be more than 6km deep.
Search teams have now returned to the initial satellite data to frame the new search area.
"All the trends of this analysis will move the search area south of where it was," Mr Dolan said.
"Just how much south is something that we're still working on."
Painstaking mapping
They expect to make an announcement next week on exactly where the search will take place.
He said it was unlikely the new focus would be as far from land as the aerial surveys had been.
UK firm Inmarsat told the BBC this week that their data had pointed to a "hotspot" - a crash zone of highest probability - to the south-west of the recent undersea search.
But Inmarsat's analysis is just one of several being used within the investigation team.
Before search teams can start looking for the plane, the seabed will be mapped.
This is being done by Chinese and Dutch vessels.
The ocean in this part of the globe is more than 6km deep in places, and the survey is likely to take three months to complete.
Many of the relatives of the missing passengers have been frustrated by the lack of progress in the search.
What frustrates me is the suffering of people, to see so many innocent people dying... and the world being unable to put an end to this nonsense"
End QuoteAntonio GuterresUN High Commissioner for Refugees
People living in what the UN terms "protracted" refugee situations include more than 2.5 million Afghans. Afghanistan still accounts for the world's largest number of refugees, and neighbouring Pakistan is host to more refugees than any other country, with an estimated 1.6 million.
Around the world, thousands of refugees from almost forgotten crises have spent the best part of their lives in camps. Along Thailand's border with Burma, 120,000 people from Burma's Karen minority have lived in refugee camps for more than 20 years.
Refugees should not be forcibly returned, the UN says, and should not go back unless it is safe to do so, and they have homes to return to. For many - among them the more than 300,000 mainly Somali refugees in Kenya's Dadaab camp - that is a very distant prospect.
Some camps, the UN refugee agency admits, have become virtually permanent, with their own schools, hospitals, and businesses. But they are not, and can never be, home.
But the world's refugees are far outnumbered by the internally displaced (IDP) - people who have been forced to flee their homes, but remain inside their own countries.
In Syria alone there are thought to be 6.5 million displaced people. The conflict has uprooted many families not once but several times. Their access to food, water, shelter and medical care is often extremely limited, and because they remain inside a conflict zone, it is hard for aid agencies to reach them.
Worldwide, the UN estimates there are now 33.3 million internally displaced people.
Large numbers of refugees and IDPs fleeing to new areas inevitably put a strain on resources, and can even destabilise a host country.
Throughout the Syrian crisis, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey have kept their borders open. Lebanon now hosts more than a million Syrian refugees, meaning a quarter of its total population is Syrian. The pressure on housing, education and health is causing tensions in a country which itself has a recent history of conflict.
The UN is concerned that the burden of caring for refugees is increasingly falling on the countries with the least resources. Developing countries are host to 86% of the world's refugees, with wealthy countries caring for just 14%.
And despite the fears in Europe about growing numbers of asylum seekers and immigrants, that gap is growing. Ten years ago wealthy countries hosted 30% of refugees, and developing countries 70%.
Antonio Guterres believes Europe can and should do more.
"I think it's very important that Europe fully assumes its responsibilities," he said.
"I think it's also clear that we have in Europe good examples, Sweden, Germany, have taken very generous measures… but we need a joint expression of European solidarity."
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Kim Ghattas reports on the "forgotten plight" of Afghan refugees
But what frustrates UN aid agencies most of all is being asked to cope with ever more refugees, while the UN's political arm, the Security Council, seems unable either to resolve conflicts, or to prevent them starting.
"The world is becoming more violent, and more people are being forced to flee," said Mr Guterres, adding that humanitarian organisations had neither the capacity nor the resources to cope.
"There is no humanitarian solution to these problems… to see the Security Council paralysed, when all these crises are evolving, is something that doesn't make sense."
"What frustrates me is the suffering of people, to see so many innocent people dying, so many innocent people fleeing, so many innocent people seeing their lives completely broken, and the world being unable to put an end to this nonsense."
