Iraq Vote Shows Britain's Changed World Role

By Faisal Islam, Political Editor

The RAF in Akrotiri, Cyprus, now know that they will soon be taking part in airstrikes against IS in northern Iraq.

MPs have voted overwhelmingly in favour of their deployment; 524 Yes and and 43 Noes in favour of the motion.

At first we expect just six Tornados - already being used for surveillance - to be armed and ready for action.

The result came after a creditable, statesmanlike day-long debate.

But there were some political casualties - Shadow Education Minister Rushanara Ali resigned from the front bench, and Iain McKenzie, an aide to Shadow Defence Secretary Vernon Coaker, was sacked, after abstaining and voting against the motion respectively.

MPs voted overwhelmingly for military action

In reality there were two debates. A tightly worded formal debate motion on Iraq, and a shadow debate on Syria.

The PM's personal view, expressed in this debate, was: It would be justified and legal to extend action into Syria. And, in a "humanitarian disaster", it might not require an advance parliamentary mandate.

This muddied the waters a little. Number 10 later clarified that this would have to be a "Benghazi" style imminent massacre.

Given that the US and allies are already bombing IS in Syria, it would hardly come as a surprise. But it did not affect the result in Parliament.

George Galloway was a dissenting voice

The main vote's thumping majority was by design.

The PM had sought the backing of Ed Miliband in a phone call from the UN in New York on Wednesday.

The motion was accordingly tightly drafted on tactics (no combat troops) and territory (Iraq only).

But it was not just a consequence of Labour caution, the Liberal Democrats too have been a break on this process.

For Labour's part, Mr Miliband suggested that it would be better to get a UN Mandate for any extension of action to Syria.

Back in the chamber the critiques ranged in from different directions: "The mission creep hasn't even waited until the end of the debate," said George Galloway.

Ken Clarke pointed out that the action was basically symbolic, and involved six planes.

Senior Tory backbenchers including Liam Fox and Andrew Mitchell called for a mandate for airstrikes in Syria.

All this debate, the publication of legal advice, and front bench Labour resignations for late entry to just a part of ongoing military action, that would occur regardless.

So the airstrikes start soon, but perhaps the real significance is the cementing of Britain's changed world role.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iraq: Islamic State Threat Is World's Problem

Iraq's deputy prime minister has told Sky News that it is the "duty of the world" to stand up against Islamic State extremists.

Saleh al Mutlaq also said he welcomed the UK parliament's decision to back airstrikes against the militants in his country.

He said that IS was "not just the problem of Iraq. It is the problem of all countries".

"Outsiders" from nations including Britain, Australia and the emirate countries were fighting for IS and the coalition aerial raids should target militias as well as the jihadist group, he claimed.

Mr al Mutlaq said: "It is an invitation for every country which can participate in this coalition to do what they can in order to get rid of IS forever.

"Iraq is now fighting on behalf of the world."

Iraq's deputy prime minister Saleh al Mutlaq speaks to Sky News

He added: "It's the duty of the world to stand against this danger which is coming, maybe now to Iraq, but it will separate everywhere if it is not going to be fixed in this country and ended."

And he said without also targeting militias who "facilitated the presence of IS" there would not be stability in Iraq.

The Sunni IS extremists have taken over large parts of Iraq and Syria in recent months and David Cameron said the group posed a direct threat to the UK.

RAF warplanes are poised to launch air strikes against jihadists after Parliament on Friday gave the green light for military action in Iraq.

A RAF Tornado GR4

MPs voted by 524 to 43 - a majority of 481 - to endorse attacks on the insurgents in support of the US-led coalition, with Labour backing the Government motion.

Mr Cameron said the motion had been limited to Iraq in order to secure cross-party consensus.

And also to avoid a repeat of last year's damaging Commons defeat when Labour combined with Tory and Liberal Democrat rebels to block airstrikes against President Bashar Assad's regime in Syria.

The strikes, under Operation Shader, are expected to be carried out by six Tornado GR4s which have been based at RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus since last month where they have been deployed in a reconnaissance role.

Up to now, America and France have been conducting aerial strikes in Iraq in support of Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, while the US and Arab allies have attacked IS targets from the air in Syria.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

RAF Jets Poised To Strike Jihadists In Iraq

British fighter jets could begin airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq as early as today after MPs overwhelmingly backed action.

Parliament gave approval by 524 votes to 43 (a massive majority of 481) for Britain to join the US-led coalition in the Middle East.

The vote came after Prime Minister David Cameron said IS forces are "psychopathic terrorists trying to kill us".

Labour MP Rushanara Ali immediately resigned from the party's front bench after the result was announced.

Labour leader Ed Miliband told her afterwards: "I know that you have thought long and hard about this. I respect and accept your resignation."

Ian McKenzie, the Labour MP for Inverclyde, was sacked as a parliamentary aide to Shadow Defence Secretary Vernon Coaker for voting against military action.

Britain has six Tornado GR4 fighter bombers in Cyprus ready to strike northern Iraq, a figure which Cabinet minister Kenneth Clarke said would make the UK's military contribution "almost symbolic".

The planes, which have been in RAF Akrotiri for the past six weeks carrying out surveillance missions in the Middle East, could begin airstrikes over the weekend.

Defence Minister Michael Fallon told Sky News: "You're not going to see immediate military action - a wave of shock and awe or anything like that ... not tonight no, absolutely not.

Labour MP Rushanara Ali immediately resigned after the result was announced

"We have to select our targets in accordance with the American and international effort that's going on in Iraq.

"There's fighting around these towns - we have to fit in to the day-to-day fighting and see where we can help best."

It came as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said US-led airstrikes had already worsened a dire humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria.

Mr Cameron told the Commons debate that Islamist militants "have already murdered one British hostage" and are "threatening the lives of two more".

He described IS, which has invaded large areas of Syria and Iraq, as "a terrorist organisation unlike those we have dealt with before".

He said: "The brutality is staggering - beheadings, crucifixions, the gouging out of eyes, the use of rape as a weapon, the slaughter of children. All of these things belong to the dark ages."

During the six-and-a-half-hour debate, Mr Miliband said he understood the deep unease about taking military action, but said the UK could not stand by in the face of the threat from IS, also known as ISIL.

"ISIL is not simply a murderous organisation; it has ambitions for a state of its own - a caliphate across the Middle East, run according to their horrific norms and values," he said.

But in a typically firebrand intervention, outspoken Respect MP George Galloway said bombing would not work, and stressed the need to strengthen ground forces in the region.

He said: "ISIL is a death cult, it's a gang of terrorist murderers. It's not an army and it's certainly not an army that's going to be destroyed by aerial bombardment."

An RAF Tornado GR4 carrying Storm Shadow missiles

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, backed UK airstrikes, telling the House of Lords: "The action proposed today is right."

But he warned "we must not rely on a short-term solution" and a wider effort was needed to turn extremists away from the "evil of ISIL".

On Thursday, the Cabinet unanimously backed military action against IS, which could last up to three years.

The PM was desperate to avoid the embarrassment of the Commons defeat on Syria airstrikes last year, and tabled a cautiously-worded motion intended to win support from all parties for action in Iraq.

Some of the locations in Syria hit by US airstrikes

Overnight, the US continued to hit suspected IS positions in Syria for a fifth consecutive day of attacks.

The Pentagon said the raids had disrupted lucrative oil-pumping operations that have helped fund IS militants, but that a final victory would need an on-the-ground campaign.

:: Watch full coverage on Sky News - Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 132

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iraq Front Line 'Trenches' Like World War One

By Stuart Ramsay, Sky News Chief Correspondent

One can see the front line between the peshmerga and the Islamic State fighters from quite a distance on the outskirts of Kirkuk in northern Iraq.

Their flags flutter in the wind. But they are so close now that from some angles you can't tell which is in front of the other.

This is the most dangerous and close front line in this conflict.

They are metres apart. Peshmerga soldiers gingerly peer over the earth wall that separates the two sides. There are snipers everywhere.

Absolutely nobody out here drops their guard for a second. On the wall, that single second lapse in concentration could cost you your life.

These battle lines are reminiscent of World War One. Two armies dug into these huge berms, trenches really, and a watery no man's land, a canal, dividing them.

Ramsay with peshmerga forces

The peshmerga are determined but lightly armed. The IS fighters are determined and heavily armed. But this is now a static front.

The pesh, as they are known, want to attack but know that across the canal IS aren't just well dug in but have the support, or at least tacit support, of the local population.

So this is about holding the line. The Kurds are hoping that will change.

In the clear blue skies above there is an occasional glint of light from the fuselage of jets patrolling and looking for IS targets.

We could hear the jet engines change tone as they began their descent into a bombing raid.

US jets have been involved in raids on IS in Iraq

From maybe a mile away we heard the explosion of a bomb drop and shortly afterwards the smoke rose into the air.

This has just started in this area but is happening across the north of Iraq. The coalition forces are attacking.

It has brought quiet to the front line. IS can't move when the jets are up. When it goes quiet they try to bring their vehicles forward.

The front lines are so close they hope the jets won't attack for fear of killing the Pesh.

In truth there have been a number of friendly fire incidents already and they are likely to continue if the US-led coalition ramps up the target selection and carries out a lot more bombing.

It's inevitable and the peshmerga understand that.

Islamic State fighters are heavily armed and determined

"We are fighting for the whole world, you have to understand that, we are fighting for everyone against these barbarians," Brigadier Bapir Sheik Wassany told me, looking across into IS territory.

"If you attack from the air and give us better weapons we will smash them. We don't want soldiers, we want weapons and airstrikes."

The pesh do have a tendency to get a bit carried away with the rhetoric.

But as a whole the Kurd military, made up of Special Forces and the Counter Terrorism Group, along with the peshmerga and a rather difficult alliance with Shia militia, can be pretty effective if they have the weapons and the all-important "Air" - the coalition's jets.

The reality is, though, that war cannot be won from the air.

In fact this war on IS probably can't be won without the actual support of the Sunni population where IS have made their home in Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi peshmerga troops load rockets into a launcher in northern Iraq

In a refugee camp in an Arab district of Kirkuk I chatted for an hour or so with Sunni refugees.

They have escaped their towns to avoid the bombing and to a degree IS, but mainly to escape the Shia militias; finding sanctuary in Kurdistan.

"We are protected by a military with one goal, to look after its people; answering to a government with one goal, to look after its people," their leader told me.

"If the airstrikes are 100% accurate on IS then we will go home. But if the Shia militia replace IS it will be worse," he said.

These people need a government that represents them and an army that they trust. If that happens then IS are finished here.

But it doesn't look likely for now and IS haven't gone anywhere.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fathers Of Iraq War Dead Split Over Raids

UK Can't Stand By On IS Murder, Says Hammond

Updated: 9:48am UK, Friday 26 September 2014

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Britain cannot stand by and allow Islamic State extremists to murder thousands of people, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has told Sky News ahead of a crucial vote by MPs on airstrikes.

He insisted raids by RAF planes would be based on intelligence to minimise civilian casualties and "target the bad guys".

He was speaking as David Cameron was poised to win support from MPs for airstrikes in Iraq which senior ministers have warned could last up to three years.

Asked on Sky News over the implications for UK hostages held by IS of military action, Mr Hammond said he understood the anguish of the families, but added: "We have seen how ISIL behaves. We have seen of what they are capable of doing."

He went on: "We cannot stand by as they murder thousands of people and displace millions of people.

"We have to respond to that challenge."

He also said future airstrikes in Syria were possible, but that would require a further vote by MPs.

The widow of David Haines, who was beheaded on film by his captors, has backed targeted British airstrikes.

Dragana Prodanovic Haines said: "The recent tragic event has changed my life as well as the lives and perception of most free thinking people around the world.

"I do support British military air strikes but limited to distinctive targets. No changes in such societies can be enforced, they have to come from within."

Operations could begin within hours of a vote in the Commons which is expected to be overwhelmingly in favour of bombing raids.

Desperate to avoid a repeat of the Commons defeat over airstrikes against Syria last year, the PM is proposing a cautiously-worded motion intended to win support from all parties.

"This motion does not endorse UK airstrikes in Syria as part of this campaign, and any proposal to do so would be subject to a separate vote in Parliament," it states.

And it adds: "Her Majesty's Government will not deploy UK troops in ground combat operations."

Mr Cameron goes into the debate with an opinion poll suggesting voters strongly back airstrikes in Iraq, but would also support attacks against Syria.

A YouGov survey for The Sun shows the largest support yet for RAF airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq, with 57% now in favour and just 24% against.

But it also suggests voters support bombing raids against IS in Syria by 51% to 26%, even though Mr Cameron has already ruled this out for now.

The poll findings are a complete turnaround from 13 months ago, when voters opposed airstrikes on Syria's President Bashar al Assad by two-to-one.

The Cabinet met for 90 minutes yesterday and "unanimously" backed airstrikes in Iraq.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon suggested the campaign against IS could be a "long haul" of "two to three years".

"But we have to face up to this. This kind of extremism has been spreading, taking root in democracies," he told Parliament's House magazine.

After the Cabinet meeting, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the Government was confident Parliament would approve the Government's motion and stressed that Britain's role would currently be limited to airstrikes in Iraq.

"There will be a ground operation. It's just that we will not be providing ground combat troops," Mr Hammond said.

"If we were to put large numbers of Western troops into Iraq now that would simply feed ISIL's narrative.

"If ground forces are needed they have to come from regional countries - primarily from Iraq itself."

Asked whether the action could be extended into Syria at a later stage, Mr Hammond replied: "We haven't ruled out anything for the future."

Although the Labour leader Ed Miliband has said his MPs will support the Government in the vote, some anti-war left-wing MPs are expected to oppose military action.

Labour's John McDonell told Sky News: "I think our intervention makes it worse.

"It has to be resolved regionally."

And fellow Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn has handed in a petition at 10 Downing Street opposing bombing raids.

But some Conservative MPs want the Government to go further and deploy raids on Syria and commit troops.

Former defence minister Sir Gerald Howarth said: "If you don't attack their bases in Syria, then clearly you are not addressing it.

"One will be left with the taste in the mouth that we are leaving it to the Americans to do the dirty end of the job."

:: The Commons debate will begin at 10.30am with the vote expected at around 5pm. Watch on Sky News Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 132.

:: Live coverage will also available on sky.com/news and Sky News for iPad and on your mobile phone.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK Can't Stand By On IS Murder, Says Hammond

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Britain cannot stand by and allow Islamic State extremists to murder thousands of people, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has told Sky News ahead of a crucial vote by MPs on airstrikes.

He insisted raids by RAF planes would be based on intelligence to minimise civilian casualties and "target the bad guys".

He was speaking as David Cameron was poised to win support from MPs for airstrikes in Iraq which senior ministers have warned could last up to three years.

Asked on Sky News over the implications for UK hostages held by IS of military action, Mr Hammond said he understood the anguish of the families, but added: "We have seen how ISIL behaves. We have seen of what they are capable of doing."

David Cameron says airstrikes will only target Iraq, not Syria

He went on: "We cannot stand by as they murder thousands of people and displace millions of people.

"We have to respond to that challenge."

He also said future airstrikes in Syria were possible, but that would require a further vote by MPs.

The widow of David Haines, who was beheaded on film by his captors, has backed targeted British airstrikes.

The UK strikes would follow raids by US planes in Syria and Iraq

Dragana Prodanovic Haines said: "The recent tragic event has changed my life as well as the lives and perception of most free thinking people around the world.

"I do support British military air strikes but limited to distinctive targets. No changes in such societies can be enforced, they have to come from within."

Operations could begin within hours of a vote in the Commons which is expected to be overwhelmingly in favour of bombing raids.

Desperate to avoid a repeat of the Commons defeat over airstrikes against Syria last year, the PM is proposing a cautiously-worded motion intended to win support from all parties.

"This motion does not endorse UK airstrikes in Syria as part of this campaign, and any proposal to do so would be subject to a separate vote in Parliament," it states.

And it adds: "Her Majesty's Government will not deploy UK troops in ground combat operations."

Mr Cameron goes into the debate with an opinion poll suggesting voters strongly back airstrikes in Iraq, but would also support attacks against Syria.

A YouGov survey for The Sun shows the largest support yet for RAF airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq, with 57% now in favour and just 24% against.

But it also suggests voters support bombing raids against IS in Syria by 51% to 26%, even though Mr Cameron has already ruled this out for now.

The poll findings are a complete turnaround from 13 months ago, when voters opposed airstrikes on Syria's President Bashar al Assad by two-to-one.

The Cabinet met for 90 minutes yesterday and "unanimously" backed airstrikes in Iraq.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon suggested the campaign against IS could be a "long haul" of "two to three years".

"But we have to face up to this. This kind of extremism has been spreading, taking root in democracies," he told Parliament's House magazine.

After the Cabinet meeting, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the Government was confident Parliament would approve the Government's motion and stressed that Britain's role would currently be limited to airstrikes in Iraq.

"There will be a ground operation. It's just that we will not be providing ground combat troops," Mr Hammond said.

"If we were to put large numbers of Western troops into Iraq now that would simply feed ISIL's narrative.

"If ground forces are needed they have to come from regional countries - primarily from Iraq itself."

Asked whether the action could be extended into Syria at a later stage, Mr Hammond replied: "We haven't ruled out anything for the future."

Although the Labour leader Ed Miliband has said his MPs will support the Government in the vote, some anti-war left-wing MPs are expected to oppose military action.

Labour's John McDonell told Sky News: "I think our intervention makes it worse.

"It has to be resolved regionally."

And fellow Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn has handed in a petition at 10 Downing Street opposing bombing raids.

But some Conservative MPs want the Government to go further and deploy raids on Syria and commit troops.

Former defence minister Sir Gerald Howarth said: "If you don't attack their bases in Syria, then clearly you are not addressing it.

"One will be left with the taste in the mouth that we are leaving it to the Americans to do the dirty end of the job."

:: The Commons debate will begin at 10.30am with the vote expected at around 5pm. Watch on Sky News Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 132.

:: Live coverage will also available on sky.com/news and Sky News for iPad and on your mobile phone.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Anjem Choudary: Preacher Held In Terror Arrests

Nine men have been arrested in London on suspicion of being members of a terrorist organisation and encouraging terrorism.

Radical preacher Anjem Choudary, 47, was reportedly among those held by officers from the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) on Thursday.

The men, aged between 22 and 51, have been taken to police stations in central London and remain in custody on suspicion of being members of a proscribed organisation or supporting a proscribed organisation.

The organisation is believed to be Al Muhajiroun, the Press Association reported. Set up by Omar Bakri Muhammad, who was told he could not return to the UK after the 7/7 bombings, the group was banned in 2005.

A number of residential, business or community properties - 11 in east London, one in west London, one in northwest London, five in south London and one in Stoke on Trent - are also being searched as part of the investigation.

A statement from the Met Police said: "These arrests and searches are part of an ongoing investigation into Islamist related terrorism and are not in response to any immediate public safety risk."

Last month, the Government raised Britain's terror threat level from substantial to severe because of the threat from militant groups in the Middle East.

A severe threat means an attack is deemed to be "highly likely", but there is no intelligence to suggest one is imminent.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM: 'Whole World Must Unite Against IS Evil'

Islamic State has "murderous plans" to expand and carry out terrorist atrocities across the world, David Cameron has warned.

Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, the Prime Minister said the militant group's rapid advance could be tackled with help from Iran and an end to Bashar al Assad's regime in Syria.

Mr Cameron was speaking ahead of an emergency debate in Parliament on Friday where he is expected to win cross-party support for airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Iraq.

MPs will vote on whether RAF planes should join the US, France and five Arab states in bombing IS positions, possibly by the weekend.

The PM asked for support from Iran's President Hassan Rouhani

Mr Cameron also called a Cabinet meeting on Thursday to discuss action against IS.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats pledged their support after a formal request for assistance from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi put potential UK involvement on a legal footing.

The Prime Minister insisted Britain had learned from "past mistakes" in Afghanistan and Iraq, but they would not become an excuse for inaction.

"Isil (Islamic State) is not a problem restricted to just one region. It has murderous plans to expand its borders well beyond Iraq and Syria and to carry out terrorist atrocities right across the world," he said.

US-Arab airstrikes are continuing against IS targets in Syria

"It is recruiting new fighters from all over the world. Five hundred have gone there from Britain and one of them almost certainly brutally murdered two American journalists and a British aid worker.

"We should learn the lessons of the past. But we have to learn the right lessons. Yes to careful preparation; no to rushing to join a conflict without a clear plan.

"But we must not be so frozen with fear that we don't do anything at all."

The Prime Minister's proposals only include military action in Iraq and not Syria, however, the Government has indicated that could expand but would need to be put to another vote.

Speaking on his regular LBC radio programme the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "If we were to decide to take a fuller role on Iraq and Syria then we would go back to the vote."

Iraq's PM Haider al Abadi has requested UK assitance to defeat IS

However, he insisted there would not be boots on the ground.

When asked about the cost of the action Mr Clegg said: "There will be funds to contribute to this but we can't say how much at the moment." But he added: "It will not break the bank."

During an historic meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani earlier, Mr Cameron extended an invitation to Iran to join the fight against IS.

"We have severe disagreements," he said. "Iran's support for terrorist organisations, its nuclear programme, its treatment of its people; all these need to change.

"But Iran's leaders could help in defeating the threat from Isil. They could help secure a more stable, inclusive Iraq; and a more stable, inclusive Syria."

The Prime Minister added that an end to Bashar al Assad's regime in Syria was key to defeating the militant group.

"The failure to meet people's aspirations can create a breeding ground where extremist and even terrorist insurgency can take root," he said.

"In Syria, it must mean a political transition and an end to Assad's brutality. I know there are some who think that we should do a deal with Assad in order to defeat ISIL.

"But this view is dangerously misguided. Our enemies' enemy is not our friend. It is another enemy. Doing a deal with Assad will not defeat ISIL."

The PM was speaking as the US and an Arab alliance launched a fresh wave of airstrikes against strategic IS targets in Syria.

The attacks resulted in the death of a 19-year-old British insurgent from Brighton who was reportedly fighting alongside Islamist group Jabhat al Nusra against the Syrian regime.

In France, President Francois Hollande is holding an emergency meeting of his defence council following the "cowardly" beheading of French hostage Herve Gourdel in Algeria by IS-linked extremists.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK To Strike Iraq - But Is Syria The Real Target?

This week in New York has given David Cameron what he's needed. A platform and a justification to bring British airpower to the fight against the Islamic State.

There was palpable relief in the delegation travelling with the Prime Minister when I interviewed him earlier. Britain can now play a more aggressive role in the coalition its special relationship partner is building.

And the Prime Minister seems confident he will not suffer another embarrassing debacle in parliament. Ed Miliband has much to lose if he opposes him. But there is an inconsistency in Britain's role and clear limits on its intervention.

In his speech to the UN General Assembly David Cameron spoke of specific atrocities IS has carried out in Syria, the slaughter of 700 tribesmen for instance in the east of the country, and he talked of the dangers of inaction.

But Britain will not be striking IS in Syria. It will only target the organisation in Iraq. What remains to be hit there and remains exposed for further airstrikes is not clear. 

IS strongholds are in Syria and any effort to destroy it, the clear endgame for both the US and UK, will require attacking it there.

The Prime Minister is not confident about either the legality of airstrikes in Syria or the chances of persuading MPs to support the idea.

So if the Prime Minister is able to win support for intervention on Friday, which seems likely, Britain joins the air campaign late and in a limited role.

Any expansion of that across the border into Syria will need another debate in parliament. The Prime Minister's adamant about that.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Families Living In Fear In IS-Controlled Raqqa

By Jason Farrell, Sky Correspondent

Children in Syria are being taken from their families to be trained as Islamic State fighters and used as informants, according to a civilian who fled the city of Raqqa.

Former student Abu Abrahim Raqqawi gave Sky News a chilling account of life inside the IS-controlled city where he claimed children are being indoctrinated to become jihadists.

Abu, whose name has been changed, is able to talk because he was smuggled out of Raqqa two weeks ago but remains in regular contact with more than a dozen other underground activists in the city.

Abu Abrahim says there is no education for children in Raqqa

"They (IS) say to the young people, those between 16 and 18, 'Okay, we will give you money if you say who are talking about us or are saying something bad about us'.

"There is a camp for under-16 children. They took a lot of children without their families knowing, and it's very bad. It's just a special camp for young people. They make them like a bomb; a time bomb."

The US launched airstrikes against IS targets in Syria on Tuesday and Abu Abrahim said IS members in the city were killed after rockets struck their communications hub and a hospital used exclusively by the militants.

The US has launched airstrikes against IS targets in Syria

But there are mixed feelings about the Western military intervention.

Abu Abrahim said: "There is anger because the city is being destroyed but some accept they have to do a deal with the devil to get rid of IS.

"But others feel if the US cared about the people here, Obama would have acted when President Assad crossed the red line."

Here he is referring to the Syrian leader's alleged use of chemical weapons last year.

Several Syrian cities and IS strongholds were targetted in the attack

"There are a lot of executions, secret executions and public executions, especially after the Friday sermons - crucifying, beheading and things like that," he said.

He provided images to back this up; some showed children watching the gruesome events.

"There are no hospitals inside the city of Raqqa now. When there is an airstrike (previously from President Assad's forces) wounded people are taken to small hospitals in houses without any equipment," he said.

"They're dying in the street. ISIS have their own hospitals that do not allow citizens to go in."

The group have made rapid advances across swathes of Iraq and Syria

Abu Abrahim says there is no education in the city and some families are struggling to find food.

He claims IS fighters have also seized people's homes to house foreign fighters, but the biggest problem is access to medicine and hospital treatment.

His friends have been filming and taking photographs - posting images on a Facebook page called "Raqqa Is Being Silently Slaughtered".

One of the group was killed by IS when his activities were discovered. Despite being tortured, he didn't release the names of the others.

IS has ousted the Free Syrian Army from Raqqa - the original resistance movement to the Syrian leader Bashar al Assad is much diminished by the terrorist group across Syria.

Abu Abrahim said: "I think if the West wants to do something to kick ISIS out from Syria, they must bomb the Assad regime. If the Assad regime gets bombed and down, then easily the ISIS regime will get out of Syria because the FSA and all the fighters will just fight ISIS and not both ISIS and Assad."

IS fighters proclaim Raqqa is a paradise, but Abu says normal civilians are struggling for survival - that life in a terrorist-controlled city is one of fear, and lives are being risked to tell the real story of the city.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alan Henning Pleads For Life In Recording

The wife of British hostage Alan Henning has issued a plea to Islamic State militants after receiving an audio recording of her husband pleading for his life.

"I am Barbara Henning, the wife of Alan Henning. I have a further message for Islamic State," she said in a statement released through the Foreign Office.

"An audio file of Alan pleading for his life has just been received by me. I and people representing me continue to reach out to those holding Alan.

"Islamic State continue to ignore our pleas to open dialogue."

Mr Henning travelled to Syria in December last year as part of a convoy delivering humanitarian aid to Syrian citizens.

Mr Henning travelled to Syria last year to deliver humanitarian aid

He had volunteered to drive an ambulance full of medical supplies as part of the charity trip, which was organised by the Bolton and the UK Arab Society.

The group planned to transport life-saving medical equipment to a hospital in Idlib, northwestern Syria.

It is believed Mr Henning was abducted by IS in al Dana, a town 24 miles from Aleppo, shortly after arriving in the country.

Mrs Henning said her husband went to Syria to help the country's "most vulnerable" people by delivering "much-needed aid".

"We are at a loss (as to) why those leading Islamic State cannot open their hearts and minds to the facts surrounding Alan's imprisonment and why they continue to threaten his life," she said.

"I have been told that he has been to a Sharia Court and found innocent of being a spy and declared to be no threat.

"I implore Islamic State to abide by the decisions of their own justice system. Please release Alan."

Prime Minister David Cameron is in talks over Britain's role in the battle against Islamic State fighters.

US President Barack Obama wants to build a coalition to defeat IS

Mr Cameron was consulted before the US and Arab Allies launched strikes against the terrorist group in Syria overnight.

Downing Street said Mr Cameron would spend the next 48 hours at the United Nations discussing "what more the UK and others can do to contribute to international efforts to tackle the threat we face from ISIL".

The PM is expected to recall MPs, who are on recess for the party conference season, as soon as Friday to consult on the issue of Britain joining the US airstrikes.

Speaking after the US and five Arab nations launched their strikes in Syria, President Barack Obama repeated his vow to build an international coalition to defeat IS.

He said defeating IS would take time and effort, but added: "We're going to do what's necessary to take the fight to this terrorist group."

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Britain Edges Closer To Launching IS Airstrikes

Britain could be days from military involvement in the Middle East after David Cameron warned the fight against Islamic State was one the UK "could not opt out of".

Sky's Deputy Political Editor Joey Jones says Parliament is expected to be recalled on Friday, paving the way for possible airstrikes this weekend.

Speaking ahead of a United Nations summit in New York, the Prime Minister insisted IS was planning attacks on Britain and an international coalition was needed to destroy "this evil organisation".

The PM warned of terrorist plots in Britain and the US

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi is expected to formally ask for Britain's involvement in airstrikes against IS positions in the north of the country when he meets Mr Cameron.

Such a request would legally underpin any UK military action in Iraq, something that is less clear in the case of Syria where Britain has stressed it will not co-operate with President Bashar al Assad to defeat IS.

With Parliament expected to be recalled, Mr Cameron will be hoping to avoid the defeat he suffered last year over plans to target the Assad regime.

Iraq's PM Haider al Abadi is likely to ask for Britain's help to defeat IS

Labour leader Ed Miliband has told Sky News that Britain could not turn away from tackling IS and said he would consider a proposition from the Prime Minister.

He said any military action would be considered on the basis of whether it was legitimate, would succeed and be effective but added: "There is no question of British troops on the ground."

Iraq has not yet formally asked Britain to join the US and France in airstrikes on IS, which has made rapid territorial gains in northern Iraq, but the UK responded swiftly to Baghdad's plea for arms and ammunition earlier this month.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani will also hold talks with Mr Cameron

Speaking to US TV channel NBC, Mr Cameron said: "There are other plots they (IS) have been attempting, including in my own country, in order to kill and maim innocent people and the same applies to the United States.

"So this is a fight you cannot opt out of. These people want to kill us. They've got us in their sights and we have to put together this coalition … to make sure that we ultimately destroy this evil organisation."

Mr Cameron will also attempt to secure regional involvement in the fight against IS during talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. It will be the first time a British prime minister has met an Iranian president since 1979.

But Mr Cameron has made clear he will not soften his stance on Iran's nuclear ambitions, nor its support for other militant groups the West regards as terrorist organisations.

UK hostage Alan Henning is being held by the group. Pic: Cage

"I will be very clear," Mr Cameron told NBC News. "We think they are wrong to have this nuclear weapon programme. We think they are wrong to support terrorist organisations.

"It'll be a tough conversation. I'm not saying that my enemy's enemy is my friend. I don't believe that.

"But the fact is if we want to have a successful, democratic, pluralistic Iraq and if we want to have a successful, democratic, pluralistic Syria, Iran can play a constructive role in helping to bring that about."

The first US raids on IS targets in Syria were launched yesterday, supported by Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Among the areas hit was the IS stronghold of Raqqa where it is thought British aid worker Alan Henning is being held hostage by the group.

Mr Henning's wife Barbara called for his release after she received an audio message from her husband pleading for his life.

Barbara Henning said she had been told a Sharia court had found her husband innocent of being a spy.

"I implore Islamic State to abide by the decisions of their own justice system. Please release Alan," she said in a statement released through the Foreign Office.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cameron Ready To Work With Iran To Defeat IS

By Dominic Waghorn, US Correspondent

David Cameron is to become the first British Prime Minister to meet an Iranian President since 1979 in a historic encounter in New York.

Downing Street says the meeting with Hassan Rouhani is part of efforts to mobilise support against the Islamic State and drop Iran's support for the Assad regime in Syria.

The Prime Minister will be attending the United Nations general assembly and is hoping to secure UN approval for a comprehensive strategy to deal with the brutal militant group.

The PM will dicuss the threat posed by Islamic State with Iran's president

It marks Mr Cameron's determination to enlist the active support of regional powers in the Middle East in taking on IS, which has seized control of swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.

The group has also carried out a string of atrocities against local people and foreigners as it seeks to impose its own brand of extremist Sunni Islam.

Mr Cameron will also join US President Barack Obama and other members of the UN Security Council to discuss the threat posed by foreign fighters - thought to include hundreds of Britons - engaged in the conflict.

Officials say he will set out in his speech that the threat from extremism is faced by everyone and international action is required to defeat it.

World leaders meet annually for the event in New York which is often criticised for being long on talk and short on action.

Ahead of the encounter, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei issued damning criticism of the UK and the US calling them warmongers for their planned actions in Iraq.

Also on the agenda with be Iran's nuclear-enrichment programme

Britain has yet to commit support for air strikes and there has been US speculation it may step up its military intervention now the Scottish independence referendum is out of the way.

Britain and the US also hope to see a new UN Security Council resolution preventing the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq and Syria.

Tehran will also call for flexibility on its uranium-enrichment programme which has led to sanctions due to Western concerns any nuclear capability could be used militarily.

Downing Street said Mr Cameron had "no illusion" about the threat posed by Iran's nuclear operations, but was ready to work with Tehran if it was willing to join the effort to defeat IS.

There is a sense of urgency this year given the threat posed by IS, but also the catastrophic dangers posed by global warming. 

Ahead of the meeting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned time is running out to unite against the global threat of climate change. 

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel Says It Has Shot Down Syrian Aircraft

Israel says it has shot down a Syrian fighter jet over its airspace - the first such incident in more than 30 years.

The aircraft was hit by a Patriot missile while trying to "infiltrate" the Quneitra area of the Golan Heights, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said.

An Israeli defence source identified the jet as a Russian-built Sukhoi Su-24 fighter plane. Previously it was reported to have been a MiG-21 aircraft.

It flew 800 metres into Israeli airspace and tried to return to Syria after the Patriot missile was fired, he said.

The crew managed to abandon the plane in time and landed in Syrian territory, he added.

The Golan area, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, has seen clashes between the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and Syrian President Bashar al Assad's forces in recent weeks.

Syrian state TV confirmed Israel had shot down one of its planes, and described it as an act of aggression.

It quoted a military source saying the attack came "in the framework of (Israel's) support for the terrorist (Islamic State) and the Nusra Front".

Israel's Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said the aircraft had crossed into Israel in a "threatening way" and vowed to retaliate to any similar incidents in the future.

"We will not allow (any) element, whether it is a terror group or a state, to threaten our security and breach our sovereignty," he said.

"We are committed first and foremost to ensure the security of the Israel's citizens and we will use all means at our disposal to do so."

It came hours after the US and five Arab countries began airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria for the first time.

The raids were carried out using fighter jets, bombers, drones, and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from US ships in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar were involved in the raids, a US official said, although their exact roles were unclear.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

US And Arab Allies Attack IS Targets In Syria

The US and five Arab countries have been carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria for the first time.

Fighter jets, bombers and drones as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from US ships in the northern Persian Gulf and the Red Sea were used in the aerial raids.

The strikes form part of the expanded military campaign against IS insurgents which was authorised by President Barack Obama two weeks ago.

The strike involved the use of US fighter jets. File pic

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar were involved in the raids, a US official said, although their exact roles were unclear. The strikes did not involve the UK.

Damascus said Washington informed Syria's UN envoy before launching the bombings.

Where the airstrikes took place in Syria

The US also carried out aerial raids on its own in Syria against al Qaeda extremists that were thought to be planning an "imminent attack" against US and western interests.

There were at least 50 airstrikes on IS targets and 20 fighters were killed, according to activists.

They also said 30 fighters from the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front group died, along with eight civilians, including children.

Saudia Arabia, UAE, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar were involved in the raids

The attack sites reportedly included the IS headquarters in the stronghold of Raqqa, weapons supplies, checkpoints and a Syrian army base the insurgents recently seized.

As well as Raqqa, there were strikes on Deir al Zor, Tabqa, Ein Issa, Idlib and Tal Abyad near Turkey, activists claimed.

US military officials said targets including militants' command and control centres, re-supply facilities, training camps and other key logistical sites were expected to be hit.

Residents in Raqqa had said last week that IS was moving underground after Mr Obama signalled on September 11 that air attacks on its forces could be expanded from Iraq to Syria.

Islamic State have made rapid gains in Iraq and Syria

The group had evacuated buildings it was using as offices, redeployed its heavy weaponry, and moved fighters' families out of the city, the residents said.

The strikes follow a summit of world leaders in Paris where agreement was reached to form a broad coalition to counter the advance of IS in Syria and to provide military aid to Iraq to fight the extremist network.

Military leaders have said about two thirds of the estimated 31,000 IS militants are in Syria.

A second video of UK hostage John Cantlie has been released by IS

International efforts to combat the group, who have grabbed swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, have taken on an added urgency after the beheading of two US journalists and British aid worker David Haines, and the threat to kill UK hostage Alan Henning.

The US action comes four days after France destroyed an IS logistics depot in its first airstrikes against the militant group in Iraq.

The group is still holding British hostage Alan Henning

Meanwhile, a second propaganda video of British hostage John Cantlie has been released by IS.

Speaking to the camera and seemingly under duress, he addresses the coalition of states targeting the group, though it is not clear when the video was filmed.

"Everyone now is getting involved," he said. "Denmark and France have sent air power, Britain is arming the Kurds, Iran is sending troops and contractors are being sought in Iraq.

An IS splinter group has threated to kill French tourist Herve Gourdel

"Even Bashar al Assad, until earlier this year the most hated and villainised tyrant in the Arab world, is being approached for permission to go into Syria.

"It's all quite a circus. Not since Vietnam have we witnessed such a potential mess in the making."

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Balls To Freeze Child Benefit To Balance Books

A child benefit freeze, a cut in politicians pay and higher tax for top earners will form part of Labour's plan to bring the deficit down, Ed Balls will say at the party's conference.

The shadow chancellor will present a 1% cap on rises for the first two years of a Labour government as one of the "tough decisions" necessary to deal with the deficit if the party takes power next year.

In a speech in Manchester today, Mr Balls will pledge to "change the way our economy works" and to "not flinch from the tough decisions we must make".

He will say: "Three years of lost growth at the start of this parliament means we will have to deal with a deficit of £75bn - not the balanced budget George Osborne promised by 2015. And that will make the task of governing hugely difficult.

Mr Balls will say a cap in child benefit rises will save £400m

"People know we are the party of jobs, living standards and fairness for working people. But they also need to know that we will balance the books and make the sums add up and that we won't duck the difficult decisions we will face if they return us to government.

"Working people have had to balance their own books. And they are clear that the Government needs to balance its books too."

Speaking on Sky News ahead of his appearance Mr Balls said he would not "duck or flinch" from the tough decision and  he defended claims the savings provided by the measures would be miniscule.

He said the child benefit move would save £400m in the next parliament, plans to end the winter fuel allowance for rich pensioners would bring an extra £100m a year of savings and the introductino of a 50p tax rate for those earning more than £150,000 would bring in £3bn.

Under austerity measures introduced by the coalition, child benefit was frozen from 2010 to this year.

Labour also plans to cut ministerial salaries - taking £7,125 off the Prime Minister's annual wage, and £6,728 from Cabinet ministers.

Child benefit rose by 1% in April and is due to rise by the same amount in 2015/16, but Mr Balls will commit to extending below-inflation hikes for at least one more year.

A 5% cut in ministerial salaries is also on the cards

The party also has plans to raise the minimum wage to £8 an hour, and introduce a jobs guarantee for young people and the long-term unemployed funded by a tax on bank bonuses and limiting pensions tax relief for the highest earners.

Treasury Exchequer Secretary Priti Patel poured scorn on Mr Balls' plan for the economy, claiming Labour would put the deficit up, not down.

"These savings on ministerial pay only cut a miniscule fraction of the deficit ... And it comes just days after the Institute for Fiscal Studies said Labour's economic policy means £28bn extra borrowing," she said.

"For all his bluster, Ed Balls still refuses to admit that Labour spent too much and he's opposed every decision we've taken to cut the deficit. All a Labour government would offer is more inefficient spending, more taxes and more debt than our children could ever hope to repay."

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alice Gross: Police Ask For File On Suspect

Police have asked colleagues in Latvia for the case file of Arnis Zalkalns, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Alice Gross, Sky sources say.

The hunt for the 14-year-old, who went missing in west London on August 28, is the biggest search operation since the 7/7 bombings in 2005.

Zalkalns, a Latvian national, has been named as the main suspect by police after he, too, went missing from his home, in Ealing on September 3.

Zalkalns was spotted on CCTV cycling along a path by the Grand Union Canal

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt says police have denied they linked the builder with the case only after a reporter made the connection.

It has emerged that the 41-year-old was jailed in his native country in the late 1990s for murdering his wife and burying her in a forest after a dispute about her sexuality.

He was also arrested in London five years ago on suspicion of indecent assault on a 14-year-old girl, but was never charged.

Police in the garden of builder Arnis Zalkalns

Zalkalns' ex-girlfriend has told The Daily Telegraph he was accused of drugging and molesting the girl.

Search teams, including dogs and divers, have been deployed across west London looking for Alice, who is from Hanwell.

Some 630 officers from eight police forces have been involved.

They have searched 25 square kilometres (9.6 square miles) of open land and 5.5km of canals and rivers.

Police load a bike into a van during the search for Alice

On Friday, police recovered a bicycle belonging to Zalkalns after searching one of his former homes in Hanwell.

Zalkalns has not accessed his bank account or used his mobile phone since September 3, nor has he returned home to his partner and young child.

He was seen on CCTV footage cycling along a path by the Grand Union Canal 15 minutes after the last sighting of Alice.

Detectives believe he is likely to have seen Alice as they were both going north along the canal towpath.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tesco Suspends Bosses Over £250m Profit Error

Tesco Cuts Profit Forecast As Trading Slumps

Updated: 2:46pm UK, Friday 29 August 2014

Tesco's share price took its biggest one-day hammering in more than two years on Friday after it slashed its profit forecast following a sales slump.

The supermarket chain, which has seen its position as the UK's market leader slowly eroded amid a price war with rivals, underlined the sense of internal crisis by announcing that its new chief executive Dave Lewis would now start work on Monday September 1 - a month early.

He replaces Philip Clarke who paid the price for a string of problems with the company's UK offering.

Tesco, which now issued three profit warnings this year, said Mr Lewis would review all aspects of the business and Mr Clarke would be available to him as a source of information though he would relinquish his position on Friday.

The chain now expected trading profit for 2014/15 to be in the range of £2.4bn to £2.5bn, compared with an analyst forecast of around £2.8bn.

The group also cut its interim dividend by 75% to 1.16p-per share - a move that will hit many pension funds - and confirmed that its store refresh programme which was ordered by Mr Clarke as part of efforts to improve Tesco's customer appeal, would be slowed.

It said the move would hold back £400m from its planned annual capital expenditure.

Tesco said: "The combination of challenging trading conditions and ongoing investment in our customer offer has continued to impact the expected financial performance of the group."

Chairman Sir Richard Broadbent added: "The board's priority is to improve the performance of the group.

"We have taken prudent and decisive action solely to that end."

Tesco's shares opened almost 9% lower at one stage before recovering some of that ground - while those of its rivals also suffered when the FTSE 100 opened for business.

Sainsbury's lost more than 5% while Morrisons' value slipped by 3.5%.

Asda is owned by US retailer Walmart and not listed in London.

The problems at Tesco underline a big challenge for the so-called 'Big Four' from hard discounters.

According to industry figures by Kantar Worldpanel released earlier this week, Tesco sales declined 4% in the 12 weeks to August 17 compared to the same period last year.

Kantar estimated the drop in sales cost Tesco £300m.

Morrisons has also been suffering in the battle with Aldi and Lidl, with Asda the only member of the Big Four to be growing its share.

Analysts have speculated that the savings Tesco is planning could allow it to cut prices further to tackle the discount threat.

Nicla Di Palma of Brewin Dolphin told Sky News: "Refreshing the stores and cutting costs are the two priorities. They need to get customers in."

Mike Dennis of Cantor Fitzgerald believed it could go further: "Tesco's investment in margin and recovery plan could easily wipe-out the majority of its main competitors' trading margins, forcing them to reduce their dividends and capital expenditure and also forcing the discounters back to a loss making position, as they were in 2009".

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Scotland Devolution Pledge 'Non-Negotiable'

Better Together leader Alistair Darling has insisted a pledge to devolve more powers to Scotland made before the independence referendum will be acted upon within the timetable.

The former chancellor said in a recorded interview that any of the leaders of the three main Westminster parties who rowed back on the devolution timetable would "pay a heavy price".

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "The agreement reached by the three parties, as far as I'm concerned, is non-negotiable.

"It was promised, it's got to be delivered, and anyone who welshes on that will pay a very heavy price for years to come.

"I believe that it will be delivered, the process is already under way. By the end of January next year you will have a bill ready to go and become an act of Parliament.

"You cannot hold up or delay in any way at all what was promised. The three leaders gave an absolute commitment and I'm confident they will deliver on it."

The pledge, to be signed by the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat leaders, would call on the Government to establish a command paper including the devolution proposals of all three parties by October 30.

Draft clauses for a new Scotland Bill would then be ready by the end of January, with the legislation being delivered by whichever government comes into office at the General Election.

Alex Salmond has accused No campaign leaders of tricking voters

Around 1,000 people, including shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander and Scotland's Finance Secretary John Swinney, will be at a special church service at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh on Sunday.

Church of Scotland moderator the Rt Reverend John Chalmers will lead the service, where he will ask Scots to put aside their differences three days after the Better Together campaign won the independence referendum by 55% to 45%.

Politicians from all parties are expected to attend the service where they will light a single candle to symbolise a commitment to work together.

Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond has accused the No campaign of tricking voters into believing the promise of devolution.

Scotland rejected independence with 55% of people voting against it

He told STV News: "I suppose I feel sorry for those in the No side who were tricked by Westminster into believing there would be an immediate offer of extra powers, an explicit timescale, the vow that was given to Scotland obviously persuaded some people to vote No at the last minute, and now within 24 hours of the polls closing they start to tear up the commitments."

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has said that promises have been made that now must be kept.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he said: "If the Scottish Parliament - and probably other devolved assemblies - are to be given new powers, then England has to be a priority as well.

"We cannot have a situation where more and more decisions about Scotland are being taken in Scotland, and yet Scottish MPs come to Westminster and vote on English-only issues, shaping the destiny of health, education, justice, environment and probably taxation, too, in England, potentially against the wishes of most English representatives.

"That would be a travesty of democracy, and would be regarded with fury by the English."

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Briton's Body Found After Mexico Hurricane

The body of a British woman who went missing while travelling on a yacht off the coast of Mexico has been found.

The Foreign Office confirmed one Briton had died after a search operation was launched earlier this week for couple Paul Whitehouse and Simone Wood in the aftermath of Hurricane Odile.

The pair, from London and Wolverhampton, were reported missing on Friday after their yacht overturned in the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez.

Mr Whitehouse is still missing. Pic: Facebook

The couple are thought to have been living in La Paz, Mexico, for a year.

Mr Whitehouse, who is believed to be a scuba instructor, is reportedly still missing.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national, reported missing along with another British national earlier this week off the coast of Mexico.

The hurricane affected power and water supplies

"The Embassy is working with the local authorities and consular staff are providing assistance to both families at this very difficult time."

Hurricane Odile left a trail of destruction when it hit the Baja California Peninsula last Sunday.

Three other people have been confirmed dead following the storm - two Korean citizens and a German man who reportedly died from a heart attack.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alan Henning's Wife Pleads For His Release

The wife of British aid convoy volunteer Alan Henning has issued a statement to the Islamic State calling on his captors to release him.

Mr Henning, 47, a former taxi driver from Manchester, was captured last December near the town of al Dana in Syria by IS militants.

He was shown at the end of a video last week following the murder of fellow British captive David Haines.

The statement, issued through the Foreign Office, said: "I am Barbara Henning the wife of Alan Henning. Alan was taken prisoner last December and is being held by the Islamic State.

"Alan is a peaceful, selfless man who left his family and his job as a taxi driver in the UK to drive in a convoy all the way to Syria with his Muslim colleagues and friends to help those most in need.

Mr Henning (L) had driven an ambulance full of food and water to Syria

"When he was taken he was driving an ambulance full of food and water to be handed out to anyone in need.

"His purpose for being there was no more and no less. This was an act of sheer compassion.

"I cannot see how it could assist any state's cause to allow the world to see a man like Alan dying.

"I have been trying to communicate with the Islamic State and the people holding Alan. I have sent some really important messages but they have not been responded to.

"I pray that the people holding Alan respond to my messages and contact me before it is too late.

"When they hear this message I implore the people of Islamic State to see it in their hearts to release my husband Alan Henning."

It is the first public statement by Mr Henning's family since he appeared in the IS video.

It follows an appeal by Muslim scholars in the UK calling for the release of the Briton, who was captured in December near the town of al Dana.

IS has previously released footage showing the murders of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff.

A separate video last week showed British photojournalist John Cantlie, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, saying he wanted to "convey some facts" about IS and saying he would speak about the group in future videos. There was no threat to kill Mr Cantlie in the video.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More