World Cup Airport Strike Threatens Chaos In Rio

Thousands of football fans flying to Brazil for the start of the World Cup are facing a chaotic welcome, after ground staff voted to stage a 24-hour strike.

Hours before the tournament gets under way, workers at Rio de Janeiro's Galeao airport, which is expected to be one of the busiest in Brazil over the next four weeks, have declared a partial walkout in a row over pay.

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.

Rio de Janeiro's airports are busy even in a non-World Cup month

They have promised to maintain an 80% service and although fans heading to Sao Paulo will be at least be able to catch the subway after metro staff voted against taking industrial action themselves, there is potential for disruption at already-stretched terminals.

Some 2.1 million people passed through the two airports last month - an average of 68,000 people a day - with World Cup arrivals set to bolster those numbers further still.

Excitement is building in Brazil as the four-week tournament gets under way

Sky's Sports Correspondent Paul Kelso, in Rio de Janeiro, said: "This city is a hub for many supporters, including England fans heading for their team's opening game in Manaus on Saturday, and if the strike goes ahead they face disruption.

"The vote by Sao Paulo's metro workers is a significant relief for organisers, but it may not lift the considerable anxiety around the start of the tournament."

All the latest World Cup news and analysis on the Sky News catch up service

After a build-up dominated by delays to infrastructure projects, deaths at stadium construction sites and protests over spiralling costs, the World Cup kicks off in Sao Paulo later today.

The host nation face Croatia in the tournament's curtain-raiser after an opening ceremony featuring performances by the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull.

The pitch in Manaus appears dry and yellow

England's first match is on Saturday and as Roy Hodgson's players continue to acclimatise, the pitch at Manaus' Amazonia Arena where they will face Italy appears to be in poor condition.

A journalist for the AFP news agency said the playing surface was noticeably dry and particularly bare around one of the goals, "revealing large yellowing areas of turf".

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ISIS Vulnerable Despite Seizing Swathes Of Iraq

Born in Iraq, toughened and grown in Syria, the Middle East's most violent Islamist group has returned to the motherland with a vengeance.

Known as the Islamic State in Iraq and al Shams, ISIS has stormed Mosul, Iraq's second city, then stampeded south at breathtaking speed threatening the capital, Baghdad.

That, ISIS's leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi may soon learn, was the easy part.

He may soon be proclaimed the Emir of a new Islamic caliphate - making real the fantasy of a state.

That will be the moment when his movement becomes most vulnerable.

Spreading terror, organising insurrections, undermining governments and guerrilla war are challenges that legitimate rulers could only ever dream of.

Insurgent tactics almost always give the initiative to the insurgent.

Al Baghdadi, who is believed to be Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri, a native of Samarrah, has applied himself with extreme skill to the task of wrecking.

He took over that was then al Qaeda in Iraq after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and other senior leaders were killed in American and British attacks which were orchestrated with the help of fellow Sunnis who had turned against their extreme view of Islam.

AQI has been almost crippled by 2011.

But the Syrian civil war, which it joined to depose Bashar al Assad, provided a resuscitating boost to a movement - which has so frequently tortured and murdered that the global leaders of al Qaeda have disowned it.

The suicidal daring of its members, many of them volunteers from Europe and Chechnya, at first impressed Syria's other rebel movements.

But by the end of last year the extreme violence of ISIS's methods had alienated even al Qaeda sponsored groups like the al Nusra front.

ISIS has been locked in bitter fighting against other rebel groups inside Syria.

Funded with donations from the Gulf, ISIS began turning its energies back into Iraq  - six months ago it captured the city of Falluja.

It was able to draw on Sunni dismay of what has largely been seen as exclusion from power by the Shia dominated government of Nuri al Maliki.

And translate that into a devastating military campaign as it stormed south from Mosul though Baiji, Tikrit, and Sammarah, about 60 miles from Baghdad.

ISIS is unlikely to attack either Kirkuk or Baghdad, where it would meet resistance from Shia and Kurds.

But it may declare itself the "state" or "caliphate" it has always wanted to be.

If it does that it will mutate from a metastasizing idea of violent jihad to become an entity, a thing in a known place, not an idea with agents in the shadows.

Then it can be attacked, and even destroyed.

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Iraqi Militants: 'Battle Will Rage In Baghdad'

Militants who stormed cities in northern and central Iraq now plan to launch a wave of attacks on the capital Baghdad, their leader has reportedly warned.

In a statement translated by intelligence officials, Abu Mohammed al Adnani, who heads the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), promised battle would "rage" in the city and Karbala further south.

It came as officials in Iraq allegedly asked the US to consider air strikes, including drone attacks, to halt the militants' progress.

"The battle is not yet raging, but it will in Baghdad and Karbala," al Adnani said, according to the US-based monitoring group SITE.

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

"Do not relent against your enemy," he added. "Put on your belts and get ready."

Karbala, a city southwest of the capital, is considered one of the holiest sites for Shiite Muslims according to SITE.

ISIS, an al Qaeda splinter group, seized control of Tikrit on Wednesday after a devastating show of strength in Mosul, where more than 500,000 people have fled.

Iraqi police said hundreds of prisoners were freed in Tikrit, the home town of former dictator Saddam Hussein, after militants arrived in a convoy of more than 60 vehicles.

The insurgents took over local government buildings and set fire to the court house before heading back out on the road.

They battled security forces on the northern outskirts of Samarra as they closed within 70 miles (110km) of the capital.

An American defence official, speaking to the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity, said the Iraqi government had privately asked for help in stopping them.

A formal request has not yet been made, although the US is considering sending "more weaponry", the official said.

Security has been stepped up at checkpoints in the Iraqi capital

American troops pulled out of Iraq in 2011 after a bitter conflict that left 4,800 coalition soldiers dead.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US would support a "unified approach against ISIS' continued aggression", adding it had long warned of the dangers posed by the group.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has condemned the abductions and the seizure of territory and urged the international community to "show solidarity with Iraq".

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki asked parliament to declare a state of emergency that would grant him additional powers to tackle the crisis. MPs will hold an emergency session on Thursday to vote on the measure.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Baghdad will co-operate with Kurdish forces to "flush out these foreign fighters" and said Iraq's leaders have to unite to face a "mortal" threat.

ISIS, which wants to create a Sunni state, or caliphate, straddling the border between Iraq and Syria, has made serious gains in Iraq in the last year, seizing control of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi.

It was formed after a split with al Qaeda's international leader, Ayman al Zawahiri.

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Freed US Hostage's Homecoming Party Cancelled

Six Things To Know On Bowe Bergdahl

Updated: 11:11pm UK, Wednesday 04 June 2014

Everything you need to know about Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, the US prisoner of war released by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Bowe Bergdahl had a variety of hobbies including ballet and fencing

The 28-year-old grew up in the small mountain town of Hailey, Idaho, where he was home-schooled with his older sister, Sky.

His devout Calvinist parents, Bob and Jani, taught their children about ethics and religious thinkers.

By all accounts, Sgt Bergdahl was a bookish teenager with a number of pursuits from skiing to shooting. He performed ballet, took up fencing and studied foreign languages.

He also became interested in Buddhism and tarot cards.

Sgt Bergdahl once tried unsuccessfully to join the French Foreign Legion, according to his father. He worked as a barista in Idaho before joining the US Army in June 2008.

The soldier reportedly became disillusioned with the US role in Afghanistan

According to a report in a Rolling Stone magazine profile, Sgt Bergdahl wrote an email to his parents saying he was "ashamed" to be an American.

He wrote: "The horror that is America is disgusting."

Members of his unit said Sgt Bergdahl kept mainly to himself. The New York Times cites platoon members as saying he wrote Jason Bourne-type novels in which he made himself the lead character.

He is said to have learned Dari and Pashto in his spare time and was reportedly traumatised after seeing an Afghan child run over and killed by an American armoured vehicle.

Members of his platoon say he sent all his belongings, including a laptop, home before vanishing.

Members of his unit have accused him of desertion

According to soldiers in his platoon, Sgt Bergdahl abandoned his post while on guard duty, with only a compass, a knife, water, a digital camera, a diary and possibly also a phone.

The New York Times reports that he left a note in his tent saying he did not support the American mission in Afghanistan and was leaving to start a new life.

The Pentagon concluded in 2010 that Sgt Bergdahl had walked away from his unit before he was captured by the Taliban.

Sgt Bergdahl may have attempted to escape during his captivity

The Taliban released propaganda videos during Bergdahl's time in captivity in which the prisoner, looking under-fed, denounced US foreign policy.

In one clip, a bald and bearded Bergdahl said he was "scared" he would not be able to return home. In others, he was seen eating and exercising.

In one video, he shouted at the camera: "Release me, please! I'm begging you, bring me home!"

In 2011, he is thought to have escaped briefly. When he was recaptured, it reportedly took five militants to overpower him.

"He fought like a boxer," a Taliban fighter told Newsweek.

There are claims US soldiers were killed as a result of having to look for him

Former members of Sgt Bergdahl's battalion and military officials have claimed between six and 14 soldiers died in the search for him.

But the facts seem murky, as so often in the fog of war.

Two of the soldiers whose deaths have been blamed on Bergdahl's disappearance died inside a US military outpost that was under Taliban attack, not while out searching for him.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has said: "I don't know of any circumstances or details of US soldiers dying as a result of efforts to get Bergdahl."

He will likely face a court martial for desertion

Some have called for Sgt Bergdahl, who is said to be in stable condition at a military hospital in Germany, to be shot for desertion.

But that will not happen, according to Yale Law School professor Eugene Fidell, a specialist in military legal affairs.

He told Sky News the last US soldier to be killed for desertion, Eddie Slovik, was tied to a post and shot in 1945.

Prof Fidell thinks it more likely Sgt Bergdahl will face a court martial, a short sentence of confinement and a punitive discharge.

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Videos Show Western Couple 'Held In Afghanistan'

Six Things To Know On Bowe Bergdahl

Updated: 11:11pm UK, Wednesday 04 June 2014

Everything you need to know about Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, the US prisoner of war released by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Bowe Bergdahl had a variety of hobbies including ballet and fencing

The 28-year-old grew up in the small mountain town of Hailey, Idaho, where he was home-schooled with his older sister, Sky.

His devout Calvinist parents, Bob and Jani, taught their children about ethics and religious thinkers.

By all accounts, Sgt Bergdahl was a bookish teenager with a number of pursuits from skiing to shooting. He performed ballet, took up fencing and studied foreign languages.

He also became interested in Buddhism and tarot cards.

Sgt Bergdahl once tried unsuccessfully to join the French Foreign Legion, according to his father. He worked as a barista in Idaho before joining the US Army in June 2008.

The soldier reportedly became disillusioned with the US role in Afghanistan

According to a report in a Rolling Stone magazine profile, Sgt Bergdahl wrote an email to his parents saying he was "ashamed" to be an American.

He wrote: "The horror that is America is disgusting."

Members of his unit said Sgt Bergdahl kept mainly to himself. The New York Times cites platoon members as saying he wrote Jason Bourne-type novels in which he made himself the lead character.

He is said to have learned Dari and Pashto in his spare time and was reportedly traumatised after seeing an Afghan child run over and killed by an American armoured vehicle.

Members of his platoon say he sent all his belongings, including a laptop, home before vanishing.

Members of his unit have accused him of desertion

According to soldiers in his platoon, Sgt Bergdahl abandoned his post while on guard duty, with only a compass, a knife, water, a digital camera, a diary and possibly also a phone.

The New York Times reports that he left a note in his tent saying he did not support the American mission in Afghanistan and was leaving to start a new life.

The Pentagon concluded in 2010 that Sgt Bergdahl had walked away from his unit before he was captured by the Taliban.

Sgt Bergdahl may have attempted to escape during his captivity

The Taliban released propaganda videos during Bergdahl's time in captivity in which the prisoner, looking under-fed, denounced US foreign policy.

In one clip, a bald and bearded Bergdahl said he was "scared" he would not be able to return home. In others, he was seen eating and exercising.

In one video, he shouted at the camera: "Release me, please! I'm begging you, bring me home!"

In 2011, he is thought to have escaped briefly. When he was recaptured, it reportedly took five militants to overpower him.

"He fought like a boxer," a Taliban fighter told Newsweek.

There are claims US soldiers were killed as a result of having to look for him

Former members of Sgt Bergdahl's battalion and military officials have claimed between six and 14 soldiers died in the search for him.

But the facts seem murky, as so often in the fog of war.

Two of the soldiers whose deaths have been blamed on Bergdahl's disappearance died inside a US military outpost that was under Taliban attack, not while out searching for him.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has said: "I don't know of any circumstances or details of US soldiers dying as a result of efforts to get Bergdahl."

He will likely face a court martial for desertion

Some have called for Sgt Bergdahl, who is said to be in stable condition at a military hospital in Germany, to be shot for desertion.

But that will not happen, according to Yale Law School professor Eugene Fidell, a specialist in military legal affairs.

He told Sky News the last US soldier to be killed for desertion, Eddie Slovik, was tied to a post and shot in 1945.

Prof Fidell thinks it more likely Sgt Bergdahl will face a court martial, a short sentence of confinement and a punitive discharge.

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Police Hunt Gunman After Three Officers Killed

Police are hunting a gunman after three officers were shot dead and two others were injured in Canada.

The shootings began after police responded to a call about an armed man in north Moncton, New Brunswick province, at 7.30pm (11.30pm UK time).

The attacker, reportedly wearing a camouflage outfit, began firing at officers and a massive manhunt is now taking place to catch him.

Police say he is still believed to be in the Pinehurst area of the eastern city and have urged people there to stay inside and lock their doors.

Officers are looking for 24-year-old Justin Bourque of Moncton and say he is considered "armed and dangerous".

The window of the police car is shattered

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in New Brunswick confirmed the three officers' deaths on its Twitter feed.

The two other officers had non-life threatening injuries and were in a stable condition in hospital.

The force tweeted an image of a suspect wearing military camouflage and wielding two guns.

A video has emerged showing officers taking cover behind police cars and at the one point there is a thud and an unnamed person in the footage said: "He shot him, he shot a cop."

The police officers were shot dead in Moncton on the east coast of Canada

Witness Danny Leblanc, 42, said he saw the gunman in the distance on Wednesday evening standing in the middle of the street with his gun pointed at police vehicles.

The construction worker said he believed it was an RCMP officer he was looking at until he heard a burst of automatic gunfire coming from the man's gun.

He said he quickly went back into his home and remained there with his family.

Mr Leblanc said: "It's devastating. I don't know if he was on a hunt for them, or what."

At one point a neighbour posted on social media that their kitchen window was shattered by gunfire.

Another witness said she saw an injured officer being taken away.

The unnamed woman said: "We just came outside. My daughter said there were police in the area, and we noticed that there was a lockdown on the street, they wouldn't let anybody in or out, they were turning vehicles around.

"And we noticed there was a staff supervisor vehicle that had taken an injured officer away, the lady liked like she was, like, really hurt."

RCMP Constable Damien Theriault, who appeared emotional during a news conference, said he personally knew the officers who were killed.

Constable Theriault asked the public not to disclose any information about the police operation or locations of officers on social media.

A number of roads in the city were blocked and drivers were also asked to stay out of the area.

Moncton mayor George LeBlanc urged all residents to pay strict attention to the RCMP warnings.

Such violence is rare in Canada, particularly on Canada's east coast.

Constable Theriault said Moncton did not have a homicide in 2013 or this year until Wednesday evening.

More follows...

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US Pledges $1bn To Boost Military In Europe

Barack Obama has promised $1bn (£597m) to bolster its military influence in Europe amid worries of more land grabs by the Kremlin.

The US president said extra military equipment would be sent to the region in the wake of the crisis in Ukraine, and that more American troops would take part in military exercises.

"We need to make sure that the collective defence ... is robust, it is ready, it is properly equipped," Mr Obama told a news conference in Warsaw's Belweder Palace.

"Today, I'm announcing a new initiative to bolster the support of our Nato allies here in Europe.

"Under this effort, and with the support of Congress, the US will preposition more equipment in Europe."

President Obama also spoke to Polish and US airmen in Warsaw

There are worries that states on Russia's western borders could be at threat after the country took control of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

Mr Obama's plan also proposes more regular naval deployments in the Black Sea and Baltic Sea, right on Russia's doorstep.

No announcement was made on permanent US troop deployments in Europe but the White House said it would review the matter.

It said: "These efforts will not come at the expense of other defence priorities, such as our commitment to the Asia Pacific rebalance."

The extra $1bn will also help boost the defence capability of Western-friendly states bordering Russia, such as Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. For example, through extra training for their troops.

Pro-Russian troops have forcibly taken charge in areas of Ukraine

The European Reassurance Initiative - as the plan is called - must first be signed off by the US Congress.

Mr Obama was speaking at a joint news conference with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski at he beginning of a four-day visit to Europe.

He also urged other Nato members to do more to help the alliance's defence role, although he admitted the US had to play the biggest role.

Nato states have a target of spending 2% of GDP on defence, but many lag behind.

"Everyone has the capacity to do their fair share, to do a proportional amount to make sure we have the resources, the planning, the integration, the training in order to be effective," said Mr Obama.

There are fears Vladimir Putin's military could move into other countries

The US leader's remarks come ahead of a potential meeting with Russia President Vladimir Putin at D-Day commemorations in France.

The pair have no meeting scheduled but White House officials have not ruled one out. The men have not met since the Ukraine crisis began.

"Mr Putin has a choice to make," Mr Obama said, speaking about the Russian leader reining in pro-Kremlin troops in Ukraine.

"That's what I will tell him if I see him publicly. That's what I have told him privately."

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Tiananmen: China Lockdown For 25th Anniversary

'It Crushed Our Hope For Democracy'

Updated: 6:25am UK, Wednesday 04 June 2014

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

Lee Cheuk Yan is the Chairman of the Hong Kong Labour Party and the founder of the June 4th Museum.

In 1989 he travelled to Beijing to support the uprising and provide the protesters with money.

He told Sky News: "I was in the Beijing Hotel looking down in the Tiananmen Square, seeing the tricycles bringing bodies to the hospital.

"I remember them switching off the light in Tiananmen Square, and I would say that was the darkest hour of my life. At that time it crushes all our hope for democracy.

"Then I was arrested, detained for three days, money confiscated, and only allowed to come back [to Hong Kong] after three days of detention back in 1989.

"In a way, that was the turning point of my life, I promised myself I will dedicate my life to the democratisation of China, to continue our struggle in Hong Kong for democracy.

"It was a moment of despair. We had a hope ... Over the May, the spring time, you can (feel) democracy, and then suddenly the guns and the tanks come in.

"It really crushes our hope and into a moment of despair. And that was the really saddest moment of my life."

"Already a quarter of a century [has passed]. A new generation of young people have grown up, but then when you look at China itself, they try to erase all the memory of June 4th and ban any discussion of June 4th.

"So in that environment, it's a sort of brainwashing.

"This museum is to fill the void ... We hope by having this museum and preserving the truth, it is a struggle of remembering against forgetting.

"And also we hope that the truth [will] struggle against lie. Therefore, we felt it's very important.

"Twenty-five years after the massacre, we have a museum to commemorate those who sacrificed for democracy and at the same time to educate the public, especially the younger generation and the mainlanders, [to explain] exactly what happened and challenge the Communist Party, to reveal the truth."

Mr Lee dismisses the suggestion that the crackdown stabilised China, prevented civil war and allowed the country to become a global economic giant.

"I'm really very angry with that because it assumes that economic growth and democracy cannot go hand in hand, which is absurd ... It is totally compatible and I can imagine that if there [was] democracy 25 years ago, there would still be economic growth, there would be better distribution of wealth, and there can be freedom, people would be happier.

"One important thing is, now in China, it's all a culture of lies.

"People make money by lying, and get corrupted, and get a lot of money buy doing all sorts of immoral acts.

"If there is democracy, at least in culture, I believe, would not be a culture of lies.

"But there would be freedom, checks and balances, and a democratic China.

"I think corruption can only be totally erased if there is democracy."

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Taliban Releases Video Of Hostage Handover

Sgt Bergdahl: Army 'May Pursue' Desertion Probe

Updated: 4:14am UK, Wednesday 04 June 2014

The US soldier freed after being held nearly five years by the Taliban could still face charges over allegations that he deserted his post prior to his capture in 2009.

General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the Army may pursue an investigation and would "not look away from misconduct if it occurred".

The senior military adviser to the president told the AP news agency that the decision would fall to the Army, but cautioned against prejudging the matter.

Questions are swirling over Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl's ordeal, including whether his alleged desertion endangered fellow soldiers and may have even led to the deaths of comrades conducting search missions after he vanished on June 30, 2009.

Earlier, Barack Obama, who faces mounting criticism for agreeing to release five Taliban prisoners in exchange for Sgt Bergdahl's freedom, defended the actions despite the mystery surrounding the soldier's capture.

Mr Obama said on Tuesday: "Regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American soldier back if he's held in captivity.

"We don't condition that."

Sondra Andrews, the mother of 2nd Lieutenant Darryn Andrews, told the privately-owned Army Times newspaper that she believes her son was killed while on a mission to find Sgt Bergdahl.

She said the military told her that her son was on a mission to find a high-value Taliban target when he was killed in September 2009.

But she said that men who served with her son later contacted her and told her that their unit had been on a mission to find Sgt Bergdahl.

In 2010, the Pentagon concluded that Sgt Bergdahl walked away from his base in Paktika province, and the military curbed any high-risk rescue plans after an initial flurry of searches.

Greg Leatherman, the non-commissioned officer in charge of Sgt Bergdahl's unit has called for an investigation, saying that his fellow soldier "crawled away" from his post.

He said: "His welcoming as a hero is not something that sits well with me. I'm glad he is home and healthy, but there needs to be an investigation and the truth needs to be told."

A story published by Rolling Stone magazine in 2012 quoted emails Sgt Bergdahl is said to have sent to his parents that suggested he was considering desertion.

Meanwhile, a petition posted on the White House website that calls for desertion charges against Sgt Bergdahl has generated more than 10,000 signatures as of mid-day on Tuesday.

The motion must reach 100,000 signatures by June 30 to elicit a response from the Obama administration.

On Monday, the mayor from Sgt Bergdahl's hometown of Hailey, Idaho, urged Americans not to rush to judgment.

Sgt Bergdahl, 28, is still under the care of doctors at a US military hospital in Germany. It is not immediately known when he will return to the US to be reunited with his parents.

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'Chocolate King' Claims Ukraine Election Win

Ukrainian confectionery billionaire Petro Poroshenko has claimed victory in his country's presidential elections after exit polls predicted he has won outright.

It comes after a day during which voters in the west of the country have flocked to the ballot boxes while few in the east have been able to have their say.

Polls closed at 8pm local time (6pm UK time) and early indications were that Mr Poroshenko had won a landslide.

One of the polls said he had managed to get 55.9% of the vote and another said he had 57.3%.

In a distant second was former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko with 12.9%.

Full results are expected on Monday but Mr Poroshenko seized the opportunity to say he had been given a mandate to lead.

The vote has been billed as the most important since the former Soviet republic won independence from Moscow 23 years ago.

But it is feared that the absence of over 15% of the electorate, due to Russia's annexation of Crimea and separatist action in two eastern regions, may mar any result.

It could leave the Kremlin questioning the victor's legitimacy, despite Mr Putin's new pledge to respect the will of the people.

Mr Poroshenko claimed victory within minutes of the results of the exit polls being announced.

He immediately pledged to follow the path of European integration in line with the wishes of most voters, said Reuters.

Mr Poroshenko alongside ex-boxer and politician Vitali Klitschko

Standing side by side with Vitali Klitschko during a rally for supporters, he said his first steps would be to "end war and bring peace".

He said that Ukraine would never recognise the Crimea referendum and what he called the "occupation of Crimea".

He said he wanted parliamentary elections by the end of the year and when asked about relations with Russia, he said "sovereignty and territorial integrity of my country are paramount".

Only about 20% of the polling stations in the heavily industrialised, Russian-speaking Donetsk region, which has 3.3 million registered voters, were open, authorities said.

None were open in the city of Donetsk, where the streets were empty, and only 426 of 2,430 were open across the region.

Although there was no significant violence, armed pro-Russian militias were seen on the streets in the region with ballot boxes being smashed.

Sky's Katie Stallard, in eastern Ukraine, witnessed separatists burning ballot papers in the town of Makiivka.

She said: "They burned ballot papers with Molotov cocktails in front of our camera on Sunday to make their point - as far as they are concerned this new president is illegitimate.

"They do not recognise his authority, nor do they adhere to his demands."

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