The Islamic State (IS) militant group has committed genocide against minority Christians and Yazidis as well as Shi’ite Muslims, US secretary of state John Kerry said, a finding that is unlikely to greatly change US policy toward the group.

Countries allied against Islamic State have to capitalise on recent gains made against the extremist organisation, Britain's Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said.

I’D LIKE to tell you how a terrorist organisation impacted on one man’s ability to have a shower. But first, a word about their name. Given that Islamic State is neither Islamic nor a state, it’s probably time to refer to them as Daesh, a name coined by someone in the Syrian resistance.