Iraqi forces pressed a counter-attack on Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit as jihadists group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), who led a blistering Sunni militant offensive that captured swathes of territory declared a "caliphate". Russia meanwhile delivered warplanes to aid Baghdad in a crisis said to rival Iraq's brutal sectarian war of 2006-2007, with more than 1,000 killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in a matter of weeks. Alarmed world leaders have urged a speeding up of government formation following April elections, warning the conflict driven by sectarian divides cannot be resolved militarily. The Islamic State and its allies have overrun much of Iraq's Sunni heartland, a vast territory stretching west and north from Baghdad to the Jordanian and Syrian borders. Iraq's large, US-trained and equipped military melted away in the face of the offensive, sapping morale and public confidence in its ability to stem the militant surge, let alone claw back lost ground.
Price of non-subsidised cooking gas (LPG) was hiked by Rs 16.50 per cylinder and that of jet fuel by over half-a-per cent after international oil prices surged due to the ongoing Iraq crisis. The increase in rates of non-subsidised LPG and ATF accompanies the Rs 1.69 a litre hike in petrol and 50 paisa a litre in diesel. The price of non-subsidised LPG, which customers buy after using up their quota of 12 subsidised cylinders, was raised by Rs 16.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder, the first hike in six months. Each non-subsidised 14.2-kg cooking gas cylinder will now cost Rs 922.50 in Delhi, up from Rs 906, according to Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the nation's largest oil firm. Non-subsidised LPG rates were last month cut by Rs 23.50 per cylinder. Since India imports roughly 70% of its oil needs, it remains vulnerable to global price fluctuations. In the backdrop of Iraq's shadow over global prices, the government is not inclined towards hurrying up di
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