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Kurdish forces in Iraq say they have captured several villages near Mosul from the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group, the last major city the militants hold in the country.

The offensive began at dawn on Sunday, backed by air strikes from the US-led coalition battling IS. Kurdish and Iraqi government forces have been encircling Mosul ahead of an offensive to take the city itself. Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, has been under IS control since June 2014.

The militants reportedly responded to the air strikes by trying to ram explosive-packed vehicles into Kurdish lines.

A Kurdish commander said that more than 5,000 troops were involved in the latest operation. Clashes are said to be ongoing. It comes as the Iraqi government is trying to advance from the south. No date has been given for when the operation to retake Mosul will begin.

The northern Iraqi city was from where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate – a state governed in accordance with Islamic law. The loss of Mosul would mark the effective defeat of IS in Iraq, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says.

The UN has warned that the final battle for Mosul could spark “the biggest, most sensitive humanitarian crisis in the world”.

Right-wing protestors dressed in mock Muslim outfits and chanting anti-Islamic slogans have stormed a church service on Australia’s east coast.

The protestors interrupted a service held at Gosford Anglican Church on the Central Coast of New South Wales state.

A group of about 10 people entered the church and pretended to pray while playing Muslim prayers over a loudspeaker. Local police are investigating what the church described as a “racist stunt”.

The Party for Freedom posted photos and video of the incident on social media, claiming it was a demonstration against the church’s support for Islamic leaders and multiculturalism. The organisation has ties to Senator Pauline Hanson’s anti-immigration One Nation party, which has won four seats in Australia’s Senate. “We want to share Islam with you, this is the future,” one of the protesters said in the footage. “This is cultural diversity, mate. The rich tapestry of Islam that we’d like to share with Father Rod, and the congregation, and the social justice agenda we hear all the time.”

More than 24 hours after the altercation, One Nation released a statement saying that it did not have any official affiliation with the Party For Freedom.

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A series of blasts across Thailand has targeted tourist towns, killing four people and injuring dozens.

In the resort town of Hua Hin, south of Bangkok, four bombs exploded over the last 24 hours. Several blasts also hit the island of Phuket, one Thailand’s main tourist destinations, on Friday.

No group has said it carried out the attacks, but suspicion is likely to fall on separatist insurgents. The timing is sensitive, as Friday is a holiday marking the queen’s birthday.

The attackers appear to be focusing on tourist hotspots. So far there have been: Four blasts over 24 hours in Hua Hin where two people have died, Two blasts in Surat Thani where one person has died, Two blasts in the tourist beach town of Patong on Phuket island, One blast in Trang where one person has died, Blasts in the beach province of Phang Nga.

Hua Hin is about 200km (125 miles) from Bangkok while the province of Phuket is in the far south. Both places, as well as Phang Nga are known for their scenic beaches. Surat Thani saw two explosions in front of police stations within the space of half an hour.

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A man killed by police in Canada was preparing an immediate attack with a homemade bomb, police said.

He had already detonated one device inside a taxi during rush hour, injuring the driver, and was carrying a second. Aaron Driver, 24, was known to the authorities for supporting the so-called Islamic State (IS) group.

A senior officer at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said it was “a race against time”. Driver’s father said he knew his son was “lost” but did not know “how far he had gone”. It is unclear where Driver was travelling and whether it was to his intended target, police said. They added that there was no reason to believe he had any accomplices.

Mike Cabana, RCMP deputy commissioner, said the FBI alerted Canadian authorities early on Wednesday about an “unknown individual that was clearly in the final stages of planning an attack using a homemade explosive device” in Canada. “Obviously it was a race against time,” Mr Cabana said. “How quickly this was all established is actually a testament to the level of collaboration that exists between law enforcement agencies.”

The tip included a “martyrdom” video purporting to show a masked suspect, later identified as Driver, saying he planned to detonate an explosive device in an urban centre during morning or afternoon rush hour. Mr Cabana said it was still too early to say how the FBI obtained the video of Driver. Police played the video at a news conference, showing a masked man denouncing Western “enemies of Islam,” making reference to the attacks in Paris and Brussels and pledging his support to IS. “You will pay for everything you brought against us,” the suspect in the video said.

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Theresa May has spoken on the phone to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for the first time since she became PM, Downing Street has confirmed.

Both leaders expressed dissatisfaction with UK-Russian relations, and pledged to improve ties, the Kremlin said.

A Downing St spokeswoman said they agreed that co-operation on aviation security was a vital part of efforts to fight terrorism. The pair will meet at the G20 summit of world leaders in China next month.

Relations between the two countries have been strained, particularly following the UK inquiry which blamed the 2006 poisoning death of former spy Alexander Litvinenko on Russian agents and said it was “probably” approved by Mr Putin. Other contentious topics have included Russia’s support for the Syrian regime, the annexation of Crimea and fighting in Ukraine, and western sanctions against Russia.

Despite Differences

The Downing Street spokeswoman confirmed that the leaders discussed common security threats faced by both countries. She said: “The prime minister noted the importance of the relationship between the UK and Russia and expressed the hope that, despite differences on certain issues, they could communicate in an open and honest way about the issues that mattered most to them. “The prime minister and president agreed that British and Russian citizens faced common threats from terrorism, and that co-operation on aviation security in particular was a vital part of the international counter-terrorism effort.”

The leaders agreed to develop a dialogue between their security agencies on issues relating to aviation security, the Kremlin said. The Russian government also said Mrs May confirmed the UK’s intention to participate in the 75th anniversary of the first arrival of wartime aid by British convoys to the Russian city of Arkhangelsk, later this month.