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A 22-year-old British man has been killed fighting against so-called Islamic State in Syria, Kurdish fighters have said.

Luke Rutter, from Birkenhead, Merseyside, was killed on 6 July in a neighbourhood south of Raqqa, in northern Syria, a statement said.

The fighters said he was killed «during the big campaign to liberate Raqqa from the terrorism of IS».

Mr Rutter’s family said they did not wish to comment. He is the fourth British man to be killed while fighting against IS in Syria.

In a video posted online by the General Command of the Kurdish fighting forces, the YPG, Mr Rutter said he joined the group because it «stands for the best opportunity for peace that this region might have». «I lied to people I care about to come here,» he said. «I said I was going somewhere else — I didn’t. I apologise massively for that. «Apart from that I don’t regret my decision and I hope that you respect it.»
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A video advising UK holidaymakers what to do in the event of a terror attack abroad has been released by police.

The four-minute film depicts a firearms attack unfolding at a hotel and uses the «run, hide, tell» safety message.

Thirty British tourists were among 38 people killed when a gunman attacked a Tunisian beach resort in June 2015.

Counter terrorism police said there is no specific intelligence Britons will be targeted this summer and the film is part of a general awareness campaign. But Det Ch Supt Scott Wilson said it was «only right» to offer advice following the terror attacks in London and in Sousse, Tunisia. «These people are not there to steal a mobile phone or steal your watch, they are there to kill you, you have to get yourself out of that danger zone,» Mr Wilson said. «It’s very unlikely [that you will be caught up in a terror attack]. «It’s very much like the safety briefing you get on an aeroplane before it takes off — it’s very unlikely that plane is going to crash, but it’s very important you are given that knowledge of what you should and what you shouldn’t do.»

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A self-confessed IRA bomb maker who has said he was part of the group responsible for the Birmingham pub bombings has issued an apology.

Twenty-one people were killed on 21 November 1974 when bombs exploded in two city centre pubs. Six innocent men were wrongfully convicted. No-one has ever been brought to justice for one of the worst single losses of life in the Troubles.

Michael Christopher Hayes said he was sorry innocent people were killed.

The 69-year-old, who now lives in south Dublin, refused to say who planted the bombs in the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town, but said he was speaking out to give «the point of view of a participant». The bombs had not been intended to kill people, he said, adding that there had been a crucial eight-minute delay before police were warned of the bombs’ location.

Once he became aware of the death toll from the two bombs, he personally defused a third bomb left on Birmingham’s Hagley Road, said Mr Hayes.

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A fight between rival gangs in a prison in south-western Mexico has left at least 28 inmates dead, officials say.

The pre-dawn fight broke out in the maximum security wing of Las Cruces prison in the city of Acapulco. The victims were stabbed and beaten to death, with some decapitated. The governor has ordered an investigation.

Acapulco is the largest city in Guerrero state, one of Mexico’s most violent areas and a big centre for drug production.

Bodies were discovered throughout the unit, including inside the kitchen and in an area for conjugal visits, said Roberto Álvarez, a state security spokesman. There were no signs that weapons were used, he added. The investigation would also focus on the prison staff. «The incident was triggered by a permanent feud between rival groups within the prison,» he said.

Federal police and the army set up a security cordon outside the Las Cruces prison, which is reportedly overcrowded, with more than 2,000 inmates.

Acapulco used to be one of Mexico’s most popular tourist spots, but has seen a rise in violence as criminal gangs fight for control over illegal activities. It has become one of the country’s deadliest cities.

This is the latest in a series of violent incidents across Mexico this year. May was the deadliest month in the country since 1997, when official statistics began, with 2,186 homicides. From December 2006 until May this year, there were 188,567 murders, according to government records.

China’s first operational aircraft carrier Liaoning has arrived in Hong Kong.

Its first trip outside mainland China is part of the events marking the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China. Its follows Xi Jinping’s visit last week, his first as Chinese president.

During his trip, which was marred by protests, he warned that any challenge to the Beijing central government was «impermissible».

Hong Kong’s political climate has grown tense in recent years with increasing calls for self-determination and even independence.

In 2014, Beijing said it would allow direct election of the city’s leader, but only from a list of pre-approved candidates. That led to mass protests — known as the umbrella demanding universal suffrage.

Mr Xi’s visit to the city came amid tight police security. Following his departure on Saturday, thousands of people marched in an annual event calling from more democracy.

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