IS Claims New Video Shows Cantlie In Kobani

Islamic State has released a new video purporting to show British hostage John Cantlie in the embattled Syrian border town of Kobani.

Narrating the video in the style of a news report, Mr Cantlie counters media claims that IS fighters are being driven out of the town.

He says IS has in fact gained control of large areas of Kobani, despite continual US-led airstrikes.

Mr Cantlie addresses the camera in what appears to be scripted footage.

He adds that IS militants are "mopping up" against Kurdish fighters defending the town and that the weeks-long battle is "coming to an end".

"Contrary to what the Western media would have you believe, it is not an all-out battle here now. It is nearly over," he says.

Video: Analysis: Latest IS Hostage Video

"As you can hear, it is very quiet, just the occasional gunfire."

The 43-year-old photojournalist claims to be in an area of Kobani reported to be held by Kurdish forces, but says they are nowhere to be seen.

"Urban warfare is about as nasty and tough as it gets," he says.

"And it is something of a speciality of the mujahideen."

Video: Hostage Families' 'Mental Torture'

The Foreign Office says it is aware of the tape and is analysing its content.

Sky News cannot independently verify the authenticity of the video or whether the British hostage is in Kobani.

The five-minute, 32-second video, entitled "Inside 'Ayn al-Islam'", opens with what IS claims is an aerial shot of the town. 

It then shows Mr Cantlie purportedly walking through the war-torn streets, addressing the camera.

Video: Hostage's Family In Video Appeal

He refers to several Western media reports published within the last two weeks. 

IS has now released seven videos  featuring the British hostage since August.

In the latest footage, Mr Cantlie is dressed entirely in black. In previous videos, Mr Cantlie speaks from behind a desk wearing an orange jumpsuit.

He appears to be in good health.

Video: Dad Of John Cantlie Appeals To IS

Mr Cantlie was captured in northern Syria in late 2012 while working as an independent photojournalist.

Family members have issued numerous impassioned appeals for his release. 

His father Paul, 80, died last week, shortly after recording a final video message for his son's captors from his hospital bed.

IS, also known as ISIS and ISIL, controls large swathes of Iraq and Syria. 

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1. Gallery: US-Led Airstrikes on Kobani

   Smoke and flames rise over a hill near the Syrian town of Kobani after an airstrike, as seen from the Mursitpinar crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in Sanliurfa province

2. US military forces again focused airstrikes on the area near the Syrian city in their campaign to turn back Islamic State forces and also hit oil facilities held by the militant group

7. Three IS fighters pray as others inspect a hill in the outskirts of Kobani

9. A Kurdish fighters position in the outskirts of the Syrian town

11. Members of media watch Kobani from a hill near the Mursitpinar border crossing

13. Syrians wait to cross to the northern Syrian city of Tal Abyad at the Akcakale border gate in Sanliurfa province, southeastern Turkey

14. Kurdish refugee children from Kobani in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc

16. A Turkish army tank drives downhill, in front of ruins of Kobani

17. A Turkish flag flutters on the top of a silo in the Syrian town

18. Turkish Kurds watch Kobani from a hill near the Mursitpinar border crossing

Since August it has published a number of videos showing the beheadings of four Western hostages.

They include British aid workers Alan Henning and David Haines and US journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley.

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Blunkett: Fallon 'Right To Speak' Over Migrants

Michael Fallon was right to speak out about immigration, despite controversy over his choice of words, says former home secretary David Blunkett.

The Defence Secretary caused an outcry at the weekend when he told Sky News some towns were "under siege", as he dismissed German opposition to changing EU rules on free movement.

He later backtracked on his comments, saying the "swamped" remark was a "bit careless", but Mr Blunkett said he was right to "voice the concerns of ordinary voters".

David Blunkett caused controversy when he used the same term in 2002

"Just because immigration is deeply controversial, that cannot mean that we should avoid talking about it," he wrote in the Daily Mail.

Mr Fallon said in the interview on Sky's Murnaghan programme: "The Germans haven't seen our proposal yet, and we haven't seen our proposal yet.

Video: Reaction To Fallon Comments

"That is still being worked on at the moment to see what we can do to prevent whole towns and communities being swamped by huge numbers of migrant workers.

"In some areas, particularly on the east coast, yes, towns do feel under siege from large numbers of migrant workers and people claiming benefits. It is quite right that we look at that."

Mr Blunkett, who also created headlines when he used the word "swamped" to describe the impact of asylum seekers during his time in the cabinet, said the issued should not be shied away from.

"Yet for all such condemnation, I believe that both Michael Fallon and I were right to speak out on this issue and voice the concerns of ordinary voters," writes the Labour MP.

He adds that trying to turn immigration into a "taboo subject" will "play into UKIP's hands".

UKIP leader Nigel Farage reacted to Mr Fallon's comments by saying it was too late to acknowledge the problem and claimed the Conservatives were panicking.

Mr Blunkett rounded on the party's response, saying they were guilty of an "audacious piece of hypocrisy".

Video: British Towns 'Swamped' By Migrants

"Claiming they would never use the word 'swamped', they had the cheek to describe Michael Fallon's language - and, by extension, my own in 2002 - as 'inflammatory'," he said.

"The hypocrisy would be laughable if it were not so offensive.

"UKIP's entire political stance is inflammatory, since it is based on stoking up divisions. They are the masters of scare-mongering and scapegoating.

"The greatest antidote to the party's bluster is frank, rational discussion, where voters are treated with maturity," he added.

While Britons have proven to be "remarkably tolerant" about the impact of mass immigration and acknowledge the "vast majority" of migrants have a positive impact, "it is foolish to deny some of the problems associated with immigration", Mr Blunkett warned.

"What will not work is shouting down any politician who dares to engage with the British public's concerns. The issue is far too serious for such posturing," he concludes.

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Fourth Man From Portsmouth Dies In Syria

A 19-year-old has become the fourth man from the same British city to be killed after reportedly joining Islamic State (IS) fighters in Syria.

Mehdi Hassan, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, travelled to the conflict-hit country with a group of four other men from the city in October last year.

A photo of his body emerged on Twitter on Friday.

Abdul Jalil, chairman of the Portsmouth Jami Mosque, told Sky News his family have confirmed his death.

Mehdi Hassan travelled to Syria with four other Portsmouth men

Sky's Ashish Joshi, in Portsmouth, said it is understood Hassan died in fighting in the Syrian town of Kobani, where Kurdish forces are battling IS militants.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of reports of the death of a British national in Syria.

"The UK has advised for some time against all travel to Syria, where all UK consular services are suspended.

Muhammad Humidur Rahman also reportedly died while fighting with IS

"As we do not have any representation in Syria, it is extremely difficult to get any confirmation of deaths or injuries."

Hassan is reported to have attended an independent Catholic school and had a place reserved at Surrey University.

On Tuesday it emerged that Manunur Roshid, 24, from Portsmouth, died after reportedly joining up with IS.

Ifthekar Jaman, 23, and Muhammad Humidur Rahman, 25, were also killed, it is believed.

Rahman is believed to have worked in a Primark store in Portsmouth.

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Merkel Set To Sink Cameron's EU Migrants Plan

Plans by David Cameron to get more control over how many EU migrants can enter the UK look set to be blocked by the leader of the German government Angela Merkel.

The German Chancellor said she is against changing one of the fundamental principles on which the European Union is built - freedom of movement.

British Prime Minister Mr Cameron has staked his political future on being able to renegotiate changes that will allow the UK greater control over its borders.

But Mrs Merkel has now signalled she will not support the move, which could make Mr Cameron's aim much more difficult to achieve.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, the German Chancellor said: "Germany will not tamper with the fundamental principles of free movement in the EU."

Video: PM Stands Firm On EU Surcharge

The British Prime Minister has previously indicated he will make reforms to the principle of freedom of movement for workers within the union a "red line".

He has promised that if he wins the next general election he will force through a number of changes to the way the EU works and then hold a referendum on Britain's membership.

He is thought to be preparing a manifesto pledge to bring in quotas for low-skilled migrants from the EU.

At present, it is a condition of the EU that member states must allow workers from other EU country to live or work there.

Before the last general election Mr Cameron promised to bring net annual immigration down to the "tens of thousands".

He has failed to get anywhere near the target, with many of those arriving annually coming from EU states to find work.

Mr Cameron has had a difficult few days, with European issues high on the agenda as he tries to fight off a UKIP challenge in the Rochester and Strood by-election.

Video: Britain Will Not Pay £1.7bn 'Bill'

On Friday he attended a Brussels summit only to be told he had to pay an extra £1.7bn into EU coffers.

Mr Cameron said he would not pay the bill by the 1 December deadline and warned that the row risked pushing the UK closer to the leaving.

The European Commission dismissed any objections, saying the figure was calculated by independent statisticians using a standard formula agreed by all member states.

That process depended on the relative economic performance of each state.

Mr Cameron's difficult few days, and those suffered by Labour leader Ed Miliband, appear to be reflected in the latest opinion polls.

A YouGov poll for the Sunday Times finds the Conservatives and Labour neck-and-neck on 33%, UKIP on 16% and the Lib Dems on 7%.

An Opinium survey for the Observer also puts the Tories and Labour on 33%, with UKIP on 18% and the Liberal Democrats on 6%.

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Attacker Among Two Dead In School Shooting

By Sky News US Team

A school student who went on a shooting spree before killing himself wrote a series of chilling tweets in the months before he ran amok with a gun.

Jaylen Fryberg opened fire in a cafeteria, murdering one and critically injuring three others at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Marysville, about 35 miles north of Seattle, Washington.

A student who called himself Austin told an affiliate of CNN that the gunman was initially "quiet" before opening fire on fellow diners.

Austin said: "There was just a big group of kids... He was quiet. He was just sitting there. Everyone was talking. All of a sudden I see him stand up, pull something out of his pocket.

Gunman Jaylen Fryberg Pic: Facebook

"At first I thought it was just someone making a really loud noise, like a bag, like a pretty loud pop, until I heard four more after that, and I saw three kids just fall from the table like they were falling to the ground dead."

Fryberg left a series of posts on Twitter before his attack which painted a picture of a teenager who was familiar with using weapons.

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1. Gallery: Students Distraught After High School Shooting

   Police have said two people are dead, including an armed student, after a shooting at a high school north of Seattle

2. The attacker was named as Jaylen Fryberg

3. He had made a number of emotional posts on Twitter in recent days

4. The attacker took his own life in the incident at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Washington state

5. Three young people are in a "very critical condition" and one other is in a serious condition

6. Witnesses said the freshman took a gun out of his backpack in a cafeteria and opened fire

7. TV footage showed students being evacuated from the school, which has about 2,500 enrolled

8. Armed police conducted room-to-room searches with guns drawn

Next to an Instagram picture of him holding a hunting rifle, he wrote: "Probably the best BirthDay present ever! I just love my parents!!!!"

In August, he issued a threat to an apparent love rival, saying: "Your not gonna like what happens next."

On 18 September he wrote: "Did you forget she was my girlfriend?" and later tweeted: "Dude. She tells me everything. And now. I... hate you! Your no longer my brother."

On Tuesday, one of a series of tweets said: "It breaks me... It actually does... I know it seems like I'm sweating it off... But I'm not.. And I never will be able to."

In his last post on Thursday, Fryberg stated: "It won't last... It'll never last..."

Fryberg was crowned the school's freshman "homecoming prince" just a week ago, according to some US media.

The three in a critical condition were admitted to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett.

Another patient, a young man in a serious condition, was sent to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Two of the wounded were male and two female, hospital officials said.

One student, Jordan Luton, told CNN he saw the attacker take a gun out of his backpack and open fire in the lunch room.

He said: "He had a gun in his hand and he fired about eight bullets into backs of them. They were his friends so it wasn't just random."

"Then he turned and looked at me and my girlfriend... and kind of gave us a smirk."

TV footage showed students being evacuated from the school, which has about 2,500 enrolled.

Another shooting occurred in the state in June at Seattle Pacific University, where a gunman killed a student and wounded two others.

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Automatic Quarantine In US For Ebola Medics

New York and New Jersey are to begin automatically quarantining medical staff who return from areas badly affected by Ebola.

The decision by the health authorities follows former Doctors Without Borders medic Craig Spencer testing positive for the disease several days after he returned from Guinea.

Dr Spencer, 33, was able to travel on the subway and go bowling before he showed the classic symptoms of the virus and had to go to hospital.

The US government said it was considering adopting the move for the whole country after it emerged that Dr Spencer had already been checked at the border and declared safe.

Hours after the policy was announced, a female healthcare worker who had been quarantined when she arrived from the affected region into Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, was isolated with a fever.

Video: Nurse Cured Of Ebola Hugs Obama

She had no symptoms on arrival at the airport before being quarantined, but is now being evaulated at University Hospital, Newark.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. "We've seen what happens... You ride a subway. You ride a bus. You could infect hundreds and hundreds of people."

In Washington, Mr Obama sought to reassure members of the public by hugging Dallas nurse Nina Pham, who was one of the first to be treated for the virus in the US.

Video: Ebola: New York Alert

She had caught it while working as one of the medical staff treating a man who had earlier arrived from Liberia and who later died of the disease.

Ms Pham, 26, was declared cured on Friday, and gave a speech, thanking those who had treated her.

She said: "I feel fortunate and blessed to be standing here today."

Video: Cured Texas Ebola Nurse 'Blessed'

Officials said she did not take any experimental drugs, but she did use blood plasma from previous survivor Dr Kent Brantly, who she also thanked.

Her colleague Amber Vinson, who caught the disease at the same time, was also declared cured, but was not yet well enough to leave hospital.

Dr Spencer remains in a stable condition in an isolation ward at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York undergoing treatment.

Video: Trials For Ebola Vaccines

The disease has now killed nearly 4,900 people - most of them in the countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Top Obama administration officials have met to discuss any potential new rules for healthcare workers returning to the US.

The latest case comes as the World Health Organisation announced that it expects hundreds of thousands of doses of a new Ebola vaccine to be available by early next year.

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Ottawa Residents On Edge After Terror Attack

You don't have to walk far to find signs of normality returning to Ottawa.

The lunchtime queues at the food truck, just a block from the scene of Wednesday's terrorist rampage, were like those on any other day.

"We had to come back, everyone had to come back," the driver told me.

A flag flies at half-mast atop the Canadian Parliament building

As the carpet of flowers, tributes and patriotic messages grows at the war memorial where Corporal Nathan Cirillo died, it was business as usual in offices in the downtown streets nearby.

"Today we wake up, it is a new day and we don't want to let them win," said a man taking a cigarette break outside the Parliament Pub.

Video: CCTV Of Gunman Outside Parliament

"We're going to go on and keep our freedom. This is what we're about."

A passing restaurant worker, who said he was an immigrant, added: "We thought that today we'd have no customers, but it was so busy and I was shocked that we had so many customers.

"Everyone was okay about it, they were not nervous. Maybe it has something to do with the character of the people here because this is how they are - they can forgive things."

Video: Canadian Police News Conference

And Justin Trudeau, son of Canada's longest serving prime minister and himself now a Liberal Party MP, stopped to tell Sky News that the country's traditions of peace and freedom would prevail.

The only physical impact for many residents of Canada's capital was a backlog on the buses as they tried to negotiate a city with many roads closed.

At the city centre bus stops, they scroll through news updates on their phones.

Video: 'Planet Descending Into Savagery'

But beneath the surface the spirit of "Keep Calm and Carry On" hides more that a little edginess.

It was a telling moment of the tension in this city that, even as roads around parliament were opened up by police, a significant presence of officers moved in to maintain security.

Privately, some people do admit that they feel uncertain, that they wonder what is around the corner after two terrorist attacks in three days left two soldiers dead.

Video: The Face Of Canada's Terror Fight

Nobody mentions Canada losing its innocence. Some do openly recognise that the country's decision to enter the fight against Islamic State has changed the game at home.

In shops and on building sites, overheard conversations on the streets of Ottawa reveal that this week's events are all anyone is talking about.

"Things will change," they say. But nobody is quite sure how.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Canada Terror Attack Gunman's Criminal Past

The suspect in the killing of a Canadian soldier at an Ottawa war memorial had a criminal record for violent and drug-related offences and wanted to travel to Syria, police say.

Michael Zehaf-Bibeau has been identified as the lone gunman in Wednesday's terror attack at the National War Memorial and inside Canada's parliament building.

Police say the 32-year-old Muslim convert was seeking to travel to Syria and had a passport application delayed over concerns about extremism.

CCTV footage of the moments leading up to the attack shows people fleeing the suspect as he ran into the parliament complex.

After entering the building, the suspect opened fire before being shot dead by Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers, who has been hailed as a hero.

Video: Canadian Police News Conference

Moments earlier Zehaf-Bibeau shot and killed 24-year-old Canadian soldier Nathan Cirillo at the National War Memorial.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Bob Paulson said Zehaf-Bibeau had a "very developed criminality".

"He is an interesting individual in the sense he had a very developed criminality," he said.

Commissioner Paulson added that the suspect also had a history of "violence and of drugs and of mental instability".

He said the delay over Zehaf-Bibeau's passport application may have contributed to his motive for carrying out the attack.

Video: Ottawa Not Intimidated By Attack

"I think the passport figured prominently in his motives and his - you know I'm not inside his head - but I think it was central to what was driving him."

An email from Zehaf-Bibeau was found on the hard drive of someone who has been charged with a terrorism-related offence in Canada, the RCMP said.

Authorities say the suspect acted alone and police have not linked his attack with the killing of another soldier in Quebec on Monday.

The suspect's mother Susan Bibeau said she is crying for the victims of the shooting, not for her son.

"We have no explanation to offer. I am mad at our son, I don't understand and part of me wants to hate him at this time."

Video: Brother's Pride For Shooting Hero

She added that her son was a social misfit who was "lost".

"(He) was lost and did not fit in," the woman said in a statement given to Associated Press.

"I, his mother, spoke with him last week over lunch, I had not seen him for over five years before that."

Zehaf-Bibeau was not among 93 high-risk travellers being monitored by authorities, but was seeking a passport.

Police were asked to carry out background checks when Zehaf-Bibeau applied for the passport, but he had not been placed under surveillance.

Video: 'Planet Descending Into Savagery'

A former friend who once lived with Zehaf-Bibeau at a Vancouver homeless shelter said the suspect had once tried unsuccessfully to get off drugs.

"We referred to him as Muslim Mike. He didn't seem like a bad guy," said Steve Sikich told the Reuters news agency.

Mr Sikich said he last saw Zehaf-Bibeau "a month of two ago", adding that the suspect was rambling about wanting to travel to Libya and join Islamic State.

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Nathan Cirillo Made 'The Ultimate Sacrifice'

Hundreds of messages have been posted on a tribute site to the soldier who was killed in the shooting at a war memorial near parliament in Ottawa.

The victim has been named locally as Corporal Nathan Cirillo of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

He is believed to have been guarding the National War Memorial in the Canadian capital when he was attacked.

He was treated at the scene but later died of his injuries.

One message on the Facebook tribute page, from Bob Rodkin, read: "RIP Nathan. Thank you for your service and the ultimate sacrifice.

Video: Canadian PM: The Full Statement

"So tragic, so unnecessary. My prayers go out for you and to your family, friends and colleagues."

Olivia Mancini wrote: "He not only was a great father, son, and brother, but a close friend of mine. RIP Nathan Cirillo. I will love and miss you forever. Not only did you protect our country, but you were such a loving, caring, and funny person to everyone around you."

Another message, from Olivia Marie, said: "RIP Nathan! Thank you for defending our country, your son is so proud of you. I miss you."

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1. Gallery: Ottawa In Lockdown After Attacks

2. Canadian police have reacted to shootings at locations in the capital Ottawa, including a fatal shooting at the parliament building

Megan Underwood posted a picture of Cpl Cirillo posing with a friend in front of the war memorial taken on Sunday.

The message said: "On Sunday, we asked a very handsome guard for a picture with my friend visiting from Cali - RIP Nathan Cirillo."

Video: Witness & Reporter Peter Henderson

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Canada Will 'Never Be Intimidated' By Terrorists

Canada will "never be intimidated" by terrorists who seek to bring "savagery" to the country's shores, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said.

Speaking after a soldier was shot dead at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Mr Harper said terrorists would find "no safe haven" in Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaks after the terror attack

"Let there be no misunderstanding - we will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated," Mr Harper said.

"In fact, this will lead us to strengthen our resolve and redouble our efforts - and those of our national security agencies - to take all necessary steps to identify and counter threats and keep Canada safe here at home."

Video: How The Ottawa Attack Unfolded

Canada will work with its allies to "fight against the terrorist organisations who brutalise those in other countries with the hope of bringing their savagery to our shores", he added.

Corporal Nathan Cirillo was guarding the National War Memorial when he was shot at point-blank range at around 10am local time on Wednesday.

Witnesses say the gunman raised his arms in triumph after the shooting, which led to a lockdown in downtown Ottawa which lasted until Wednesday night.

Authorities say federal government buildings remain off limits following the attack.

Video: Footage Of The Ottawa Gunman

After firing upon Cpl Cirillo, the gunman entered Canada's nearby Parliament building where he was pursued by law enforcement officers.

People fled the building, took cover, or barricaded doors as police cordoned off the streets outside.

Officials say 58-year-old sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers shot the attacker dead outside the MPs' caucus rooms.

At least three people were treated in hospital for minor injuries after the attack.

Video: Canadian PM: The Full Statement

Police are investigating potential suspect Michael Zehaf- Bibeau, 32, who US agencies have been advised is a Canadian convert to Islam.

The shooting occurred two days after an Islamic convert ran down two Canadian soldiers near Montreal, killing one of them.

Mr Harper said the two terrorist attacks "are a grim reminder that Canada is not immune to the types of terror attacks we have seen elsewhere around the world".

US President Barack Obama has condemned the shootings, describing them as "outrageous".

Video: Shots Fired In Canada Parliament

"We have to remain vigilant," Mr Obama said.

"It's very important, I think, for us to recognise that when it comes to dealing with terrorist activity, that Canada and the United States (have) to be entirely in sync."

David Cameron responded to the attack on Twitter, saying: "I'm appalled by today's attack in Ottawa.

"I offer my full support to @pmharper and the Canadian people as they deal with this incident."

Video: "We Must Remain Vigilant"

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Father Of British Hostage John Cantlie Dies

The father of British hostage John Cantlie has died just weeks after making an impassioned plea for his son's release.

Paul Cantlie died "from complications following pneumonia", according to a family statement.

The 80-year-old recorded a video message for his son's Islamic State (IS) captors earlier this month, which has so far gone unheeded.

The family said they had made urgent attempts to inform their son since the death last Thursday.

John Cantlie has featured in several Islamic State videos

In a statement, they said: "Paul died not knowing whether John's captors had received any of the messages he had sent to them.

"The failure of communication to date has inevitably led to a terrible sense of abandonment, particularly for John's father, with the family feeling ignored."

Video: Hostage's Family In Video Appeal

The Cantlies, from Surrey, added that the father-of-three's strength had been diminishing since his photojournalist son was kidnapped in Syria two years ago. 

"Paul Cantlie will be remembered by many for his fortitude, quiet courage, wry humour and keen intelligence, as well as for his great gentleness," their statement went on.

John Cantlie has been shown in a series of videos in recent weeks in which he speaks about Islamic State (IS) and criticises the West over its strategy in Iraq and Syria.

In a video message from his hospital bed earlier this month, his father said: "For the first time in almost two years, we saw John when he made a televised broadcast during which he told viewers that he was still a prisoner of the Islamic State and that maybe he will live and maybe he will die.

Video: Appeal By Hostage Victims' Families

"As a family we experienced great relief seeing and hearing John and knowing that he is alive. This was followed by the feeling of despair and helplessness.

"To those holding John, please know that he is a good man. He sought only to help the Syrian people and I ask you for all that is sacred to help us and allow him to return home safely to those he loves and those who love him."

IS, which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq, has killed four Western hostages over recent months.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Foreign Criminals Costing Taxpayers £850m

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

Foreign criminals are costing taxpayers £850m a year, with thousands of offenders living in the community instead of being deported.

Of the 4,200 foreign convicts living in the community, one in six - 760 - have absconded, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report.

Those who have absconded include 58 "high harm" individuals who have been missing since 2010, the report said. 

The NAO found that despite greater resources the Home Office has made "slower than expected progress" in dealing with the problem.

The report estimated that public bodies spent £850m in 2013/14 managing and removing foreign national offenders, working out at around £70,000 per offender.

Meanwhile, foreign prisoners have risen 4% from 10,231 to 10,649 since 2006, the NAO said.

Removal numbers have fallen to 5,097 from a peak of 5,613 in 2008/09. Meanwhile, the time it takes to deport an overseas criminal is  319 days.

This comes despite a 10-fold increase in the number of Home Office staff working on foreign national offenders (FNOs), from 100 to more than 900.

Amyas Morse of the National Audit Office, said: "It is no easy matter to manage foreign national offenders in the UK and to deport those who have completed their sentences.

"However, too little progress has been made, despite the increased resources and effort devoted to this problem."

Conservative MP Philip Hollobone, has long raised concerns about the number of foreigners in UK prisons and failures to deport them.

He said: "Most people will be staggered that despite increasing its staffing for deportations from 100 to 900, the Home Office is not actually deporting any more FNOs than it was before.

"The public will also be concerned that at any one time over 4,000 convicted FNOs are at large within our communities and that of these over 700 go missing.

"My view is that if you are a foreign national who commits a crime in the UK, you should be caught, convicted and sentenced with your sentence served back in your own country at the expense of your fellow nationals."

Immigration and Security Minister James Brokenshire MP said: "The countless appeals and re-appeals lodged by criminals attempting to cheat the system cost us all money and are an affront to British justice.

"That is why we are putting a stop to that abuse through the Immigration Act.

"New powers came into force this week to cut the number of grounds on which criminals can appeal their deportation and to end the appeals conveyor belt in the courts.

"The Immigration Act will help us deliver an immigration system that is fair to the people of this country and legitimate immigrants and tough on those who flout the rules."

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Oscar Pistorius To Be Sentenced For Reeva Death

Oscar Pistorius will be sentenced in a South African court today for the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.

The Olympic and Paralympic athlete is due to appear at the court in Pretoria, where Judge Thokozile Masipa is expected to pass sentence on the 27-year-old.

Pistorius could be jailed, handed a suspended sentence, given correctional supervision or fined after he was found guilty of culpable homicide last month.

The seven-month trial of the sprinter, known as the "Blade Runner", has been closely watched by many South Africans and others around the world.

Video: The Pistorius Sentencing Options

On the eve of the sentencing, Pistorius' family spoke of the love they had for Ms Steenkamp, 29, who died when the athlete fired four 9mm rounds through a bathroom door at his home.

Speaking to South African television station eNCA, Pistorius' sister Aimee said her family "could never understand" what Ms Steenkamp's parents are going through.

"It's an impossible situation and we could never understand, but it's important for us that they know she was very much cared for and loved and accepted as part of our family in the short time she was with us," she said.

Video: From Hero To Convicted Killer

"If you knew Reeva you didn't need to know her for very long for her to just creep into your heart.

"She had a wonderful charisma and zest for life that she just exuded and it was easy to fall in love with her."

Last month, Judge Masipa ruled Pistorius did not intend to kill his girlfriend when he fired through the bathroom door on Valentine's Day 2013.

Video: Pistorius: From Boy to Icon

Pistorius' legal team argued during the marathon trial that he mistook Ms Steenkamp for an intruder and believed they were in danger.

At Pistorius' sentencing hearing last week, his lawyer Barry Roux said the athlete had "lost everything" after Ms Steenkamp's death, and argued he should not go to prison.

Instead, Mr Roux told the court, Pistorius should be put under house arrest and carry out community service.

Video: What Will The Judge Decide?

But state prosecutor Gerrie Nel has argued that only 10 years imprisonment would satisfy the South African public.

He said the public would lose its faith in the country's justice system if Pistorius avoids jail.

Ms Steenkamp's cousin, Kim Martin, previously told the court Pistorius needs to "pay for what he'd done" and warned a lenient sentence would send the wrong message to society.

Video: Oscar Pistorius' Sister Speaks Out

She said: "My family is not seeking revenge, but to shoot someone behind a door who's unarmed and harmless needs sufficient punishment."

"He needs to pay for what he's done to my aunt and uncle, my whole family and his family. Everyone has suffered here."

:: Watch a Sky News special programme with all the developments as they happen in Pretoria live from 8am on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.

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1. Gallery: Pistorius: Death, Despair And Drama

   Hooded and head down, the Paralympic and Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius leaves a police station in Pretoria hours after he shot dead his model girlfriend in the bathroom of his home.

2. Before Valentine's Day 2013, this is how the couple were known... handsome, glamorous and seemingly happy

3. A day after shooting Reeva, he was taken to court for a lengthy bail hearing during which he denied murdering his girlfriend. He was eventually granted conditional bail

4. Reeva's Valentine's card to Oscar was later shown in court. She had left it out for him on the night of her death, along with some pictures of the couple and one of her she'd had taken especially as a gift

5. Five days after her death, Reeva's funeral was held in her home town of Port Elizabeth

6. Reeva's family and friends comforted each other after her coffin was carried into a crematorium. After the ceremony, her brother Adam said: "There's a space missing inside all the people that she knew that can't be filled again. We will miss her."

7. Judge Thokozile Masipa presided over the trial. It should have run for three weeks but lasted at least five months

8. Reeva's mother June Steenkamp was in court throughout proceedings, sat just feet away from the man who killed her daughter and in the same row as members of his family. Within weeks of Reeva's killing, Mrs Steenkamp said: "I don't hate Oscar. I've forgiven him. I have to, that's my religion. But I am determined to face him and reclaim my daughter."

9. Gerrie Nel, a seasoned prosecutor, is known in South African legal circles as "the pitbull". He led the prosecution against Pistorius, claiming the defence was inconsistent

10. The prosecution tried to prove the couple had problems - that Pistorius was an angry and controlling boyfriend. This email was among the evidence they used to make their point, along with a series of texts. The defence said it simply showed they were a normal couple, with normal ups and downs in their relationship

11. Barry Roux defended Pistorius. He made his presence felt at the very start of proceedings by totally dismissing a senior police officer's case, leaving the man offering an embarrassing admission that his case was weak. "I don't have any facts," said Hilton Botha. Mr Roux has since said his performance was "nothing special".

12. Sky News uncovered this CCTV image of the couple just a few days before the shooting. They were in a shop in Pretoria, kissing and laughing

13. The CCTV is among the final images taken of Reeva

14. The world gasped at pictures of the shooting scene obtained by Sky's Alex Crawford

15. At one point in the trial, as lawyers flicked through a series of pictures on a large screen in court, they accidentally showed a picture of Reeva's body without warning. Friends of Reeva ran from the courtroom in tears at the violent image

16. On another occasion, the prosecution taunted Pistorius, telling him to look at the image and take responsibility. Pistorius sobbed back: "As I picked Reeva up, my fingers touched her head. I don't have to look at a picture. I remember. I was there."

17. Much of the case centered on whether Pistorius was wearing his prosthetic legs at the time of the shooting. Did the bullet holes in the bathroom door prove that he was wearing them, and therefore able to move faster and with more ease? Or was he on his stumps, at a lower height and possibly feeling more threatened?

18. Sitting almost within touching distance throughout the trial, Reeva's mother and Pistorius' sister Aimee have been seen speaking to each other at times

19. The defendant wretched and vomited more than once. At one point, Pistorius collapsed in the dock and his psychologist was seen trying to calm him by stroking the defendant's face

20. The trial was adjourned for a psychiatric evaluation of Pistorius. Around this time the defendant had a night out and got involved in an altercation, making headlines again

21. Following the row, Pistorius tweeted some cryptic messages. This was one

22. Lawyers went step-by-step through how Pistorius would have got out of bed in the night, walked or run down the corridor shouting at whoever was locked in the toilet, shot through the door and then, on realising it was Reeva inside, bashed down the door using a cricket bat

23. After the shooting, the door was removed from Pistorius' house and was stored in a police HQ office instead of a contamination-free zone

24. Footage emerged of Pistorius recreating the fateful night in a private attempt to make his case clear. Australia's Channel 7 got hold of the video, which described events in graphic detail, and released it while the trial was ongoing

25. Friends and family of Reeva have given various interviews to the media, talking about how the model with a law degree was also someone who cared deeply about others and wanted to help people. "She was more than just a pretty face," one said

26. The world's focus once again closed in on the court in Pretoria when the time came for Judge Masipa to give her verdict

27. The runner's brother made it to court for the verdicts, coming out of hospital in a wheelchair. He is recovering from a head-on car crash that happened on August 1

28. As the judge read her findings to the court on the first day of her verdict delivery, Pistorius sat in the dock and sobbed, gulping back air as he struggled not to cry out loud

29. Reeva's father Barry Steenkamp did not attend the first few weeks of the trial, but he sat through the end and closely watched the man who killed his daughter as the verdict was read out

30. He was found not guilty of premeditated murder on Thursday, September 11, 2014. And the weight of the case took so long for the judge to get through that it was not until the next morning that he was told to stand to hear the verdict on culpable homicide. He stood silently, breathing deeply...

31. At the end of it all, Oscar Pistorius, world-famous athlete, was found guilty of culpable homicide. A similar charge to manslaughter, it means he did shoot at someone but the judge said he may not have known it was Reeva behind the toilet door. Pistorius has yet to be sentenced for his crime

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Oscar Pistorius: The Sentencing Options

Judge Thokozile Masipa's decision to convict Oscar Pistorius of the South African equivalent of manslaughter has provoked outrage among those who think he has literally got away with murder.

She decided that he did not intend to kill his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp when firing four shots through the door of his bathroom on Valentine's Day last year and was therefore guilty of the lesser charge of culpable homicide.

This means the disgraced Paralympian no longer faces the possibility of life in jail with 25 years without parole - the sentence for premeditated murder.

Judge Masipa also acquitted him of what is known elsewhere in the world as second-degree murder - which would have meant at least 15 years behind bars (unless the defence had provided "substantial and compelling" reasons why he should not serve it).

The verdict of culpable homicide leaves the judge with a wide range of possible sentences.

It does not carry a minimum jail term, but she can still put him behind bars - or pass, for example, a suspended prison sentence.

Video: Oscar Pistorius: A Life In Pictures

Other punishments include correctional supervision (including house arrest), a fine, or a combination of these options.

Pistorius also faces sentence for illegally discharging a firearm in a public place. This carries a potential fine as well.

Judge Masipa's perceived leniency prompted protests outside the court and on the internet and led to her being given police protection.

Video: From Hero To Convicted Killer

However, in the recent sentencing of men convicted of violent crimes against women she has been anything but lenient.

Last year, she sentenced a robber and serial rapist to 252 years in jail.

And in 2009, she sentenced a police officer to life in prison for shooting his wife dead at a police station.

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1. Gallery: Reeva Steenkamp's Life In Pictures

   Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was born in Cape Town and grew up in Port Elizabeth. She went to a convent school and studied law. She was a keen horse rider until she broke her back.

2. She moved to Johannesburg from Cape Town to model for Avon cosmetics. In 2012, Reeva was voted number 45 in the South African FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll.

3. She featured as a celebrity contestant on BBC Lifestyle show Baking Made Easy in 2012.

4. The model was a keen Twitter user, and had more than 34,000 followers. She used the site to promote women's rights and empowerment.

5. Her former fashion editor, Barbara Robertson, described the model as being "sweet, and down-to-earth" with the "it factor". She compared her to an "early Kate Moss".

6. Reeva Steenkamp on the set of reality TV show Tropika Island of Treasure (Pic: Stimulii)

:: Watch a Sky special programme with all the developments as they happen in Pretoria live from 8am on Tuesday on Sky News, Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

How Kurds The World Forgot Are Holding Off IS

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Sari Kani, Syria

Right now in Syria a desperate fight is under way against Islamic State (IS) forces that control so much of the north of the country.

In the east that fight is being carried out virtually unseen to the rest of the world by YPG fighters, Syrian Kurds, who are doing so with almost no assistance.

They have been fighting IS for longer than any other group.

With homemade weapons and armoured cars and some old heavy guns, they fight in dusty villages, the countryside and larger towns to try and force IS back to the west of Syria.

The YPG and YPJ have held off IS for two and a half years

Kobani has been surrounded for weeks by IS but there are many other towns that are under siege. From Sari Kane 100 miles or so east of Kobani the YPG have been taking back ground from IS.

They would dearly love to reach their colleagues in Kobani but, with no assistance, even they accept it will be an almost impossible mission.

Video: Kurds Face Future Without A Home

Always moving and repositioning themselves, the front line is a confused and confusing battle of attrition.

The men of the YPG and the women fighters of the YPJ work together. There is no battlefield difference between the sexes. They all throw themselves into the fight. They are protecting their homeland and say to us that they can die at the front or at home, but either way they are prepared to die.

Against the odds and the better equipped IS forces, they have made ground and captured weapons. In a rear position they work on tanks captured from IS and they showed us the bodies of 20 IS jihadists they killed in a night operation.

We travelled from Iraq through Syria. The birthplace of IS is one of the most dangerous places on earth today. The YPG grip is tenuous and the vast open spaces are difficult to protect from IS incursions.

Video: Turkey Turns Water Cannon On Kurds

These Syrian Kurds are hemmed in. The Turkish border lies to the north and its military considers the YPG a terrorist organisation.

To the south, east and west IS controls all the land leading to Iraq and across its border.

On the newest YPG front lines we came across a seemingly rag-tag group of fighters. But while they may look so they are in fact well trained and utterly determined.

A hill-top cemetery has become a fort. They watch across the plains and the villages that IS control. They are so close they can hear the foreign languages of the IS fighters on their walkie-talkies.

Video: View from the Peshmerga trenches

But nobody here seems in any way frightened of IS. They laugh and joke and prepare to fight. Day in, day out.

The YPG are very canny. Their front-line positions are never static for long. Their numbers are small so they move positions and manoeuvre around the battlefield looking for signs of IS weakness. Then they attack. Both sides are doing this but one gets the sense that the Kurds are more determined.

While IS have many foreign fighters the YPG also have a small contingent. Chechens, Europeans and Americans who have decided to help fight IS.

Brian Wilson is from Ohio. A divorcee with two children, this veteran of the first Gulf War and 16 years a police sheriff in the United States decided to come here a month ago and join the fight. He was shocked that the West was doing nothing to help here.

Video: Desperate Help Needed In Kobani

"They have been holding out against DASH (IS) in this area for going on two, two and a half years," he told me on the front line.

"They are outgunned. They are brave fighters. They just need more help. If they had better technology, better weapons, they could finish IS on their own. More airstrikes would be very helpful to clear out some areas."

The YPG are fighting multiple fronts on a constant basis. Sometimes they are in cities and towns, sometimes in open countryside. But they are holding on and sometimes doing better than that.

And, as they say, they will do that to the death if necessary.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

US Airdrops Weapons For Kurds Fighting IS

The US has airdropped weapons and supplies for Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State (IS) in the town of Kobani in Syria.

A statement from US Central Command said Air Force C-130 planes "delivered weapons, ammunition and medical supplies that were provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq and intended to enable continued resistance against ISIL's (IS) attempts to overtake Kobani".

Multiple airdrops were completed near the town, which is close to the border with Turkey and would be seen as a strategic coup for IS.

Kurdish forces said they had received a "large quantity of ammunition" from the US airdrop.

The statement said 135 US airstrikes near Kobani - combined with continued resistance on the ground - had slowed IS advances and killed hundreds of its fighters.

Video: Stuart Ramsay With 'Rag Tag' Army

"However, the security situation in Kobani remains fragile as ISIL continues to threaten the city and Kurdish forces continue to resist," the statement added.

The Kurds have been under IS assault for more than a month - and US Commander General Lloyd Austin has warned that the city could fall.

However, airdrops are likely to anger key ally Turkey, which has said it would oppose the US helping to arm Kurdish rebels.

Ankara views the main Kurdish group in Syria as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an organisation that has waged a 30-year insurgency in Turkey.

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1. Gallery: The Kurdish Refugees Of Kobani

   A Kurdish refugee woman and her child from the Syrian town of Kobani rest in front of their family tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Turkey

2. The United States is bombing targets in Kobani to relieve the defenders of the Syrian town and give them time to organise against Islamic State militants, a senior US official said

3. A Kurdish refugee from the Syrian town of Kobani sweeps a passage in the camp

4. A child looks out of a tent

5. Kurdish people watch smoke billowing from Kobani as they gather on a hill overlooking the Syrian town of Kobani

6. A child walks through the camp in Suruc

7. A Turkish aid worker distributes food to Kurdish refugees

8. Kurdish refugees from the Syrian town of Kobani queue to get food

9. Smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobani

10. Kurdish people shout slogans while standing upon a hill opposite the Syrian town of Kobani

11. The graves of Kurdish people killed fighting alongside People's Protection Units (YPG) against IS jihadists in Kobani

The PKK is designated a terror group by the US and NATO.

Turkey has resisted pressure from the West to take a more direct role in fighting IS in Kobani.

However, in an earlier call with Barack Obama, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to "strengthen cooperation".

An unnamed official said that while the results of the airdrop mission were still being assessed, it appeared "the vast majority" of the 27 bundles reached the intended Kurdish fighters.

Video: New Video Of The Battle For Kobani

Another official suggested "you might see more" drops in the days ahead.

:: Sky's Stuart Ramsay joined the forgotten Kurds who have held off IS for more than two years with homemade weapons and armoured cars.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Web Trolls To Face Two-Year Jail Terms

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

Internet trolls who target people with abusive material online will face up to two years in jail under Government plans being set out by the Justice Secretary.

Chris Grayling said he was determined to crack down on trolling with harsh punishments because it was leading to "absolute misery for victims".

He said the venom thrown at people over the internet would never be acceptable in real life.

Mr Grayling said it was "terrible" that the model Chloe Madeley recently received rape threats after defending controversial comments made by her mother, Judy Finnigan, about convicted rapist Ched Evans.

Chris Grayling said trolls are causing 'absolute misery for victims'

He said: "We already have offences in place to deal with this appalling behaviour, but we've toughened up the law to make sure these crimes can be properly investigated and those who commit the most serious offences face a longer prison sentence."

Cases are currently dealt with under the Malicious Communications Act in the magistrates courts, with a maximum sentence of six months.

Video: Chloe Madeley Slams Internet Trolls

Now Mr Grayling is changing the law so the most serious cases can be passed on to the Crown Courts where they could result in much longer sentences.

It comes after Peter Nunn was sentenced to 18 weeks in jail after an online "campaign of hatred" against the Labour MP Stella Creasy.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, Mr Grayling said trolls were "cowards who are poisoning our national life".

And Ms Madeley told the paper she supported the change, describing the current laws as outdated.

They were drawn up 10 years ago before Twitter existed.

She said: "The current law obviously needs to be reviewed. It needs to be accepted that physical threats should not fall under the 'freedom of speech' umbrella.

"It should be seen as online terrorism and it should be illegal."

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ched Evans Shows No Remorse Over Rape

Disgraced footballer Ched Evans, who was released from jail on Friday after serving half of a five-year sentence for raping a woman, has said he is "ashamed" of his actions but continues to protest his innocence.

In an interview with the Sunday Mirror shortly before he was released on Friday, the 25-year-old striker said cheating on his loyal girlfriend Natasha Massey was "unforgivable".

But of the crime he was convicted of by a jury at Caernarfon Crown Court two years ago, he said: "It was something that should never have happened. I cheated on my girlfriend and had sex with this girl - but it was definitely consensual."

A statement posted on Evans' website from his family and girlfriend said he would "continue the fight to clear his name".

"Chedwyn Evans maintains his absolute innocence and his family, friends and many who know the true facts of the case believe that his conviction was a gross miscarriage of justice."

Video: 'Heartbreaking' If Evans Re-Signs

Katie Russell, of charity Rape Crisis, told the Sunday Mirror the player's words were insulting to his victim.

"His protestations of innocence and sympathy only for his girlfriend are insulting, harmful and hurtful - not only to his victim but also to the countless other victims of sexual violence out there," she said.

"He has never taken a moment's responsibility for his crime nor shown any regard for the terrible impact it has had on her."

The former Sheffield United player's release has divided opinion over whether he should be allowed to return to football.

Many Blades fans have called for Evans to be rehabilitated but more than 151,000 people have signed an online petition urging the Bramall Lane club to block his return.

Sheffield United Community Foundation patron Charlie Webster said if Evans re-signed for the club she would be "heartbroken" and "disappointed".

She told Sky News: "It would send out the wrong message to the next generation to watch Ched Evans score a goal and cheer him on as a hero."

Ms Webster also said it would "wrong" for her to stay in her role with the foundation if the club took him back.

The Welsh international admitted having sex with the unnamed woman, who told the jury she had no memory of the incident which took place in in a hotel room in Rhyl, North Wales.

The prosecution said his victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was too drunk to consent to sexual intercourse.

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1. Gallery: Sports Stars Whose Careers Survived Criminal Convictions

   England defender Tony Adams was arrested in 1990 for crashing his car into a wall near his home whilst drunk. He served half his prison sentence and in 1999 received an MBE from Buckingham Palace.

2. American boxer Mike Tyson was convicted of raping an 18-year-old in the U.S in 1991. He was sentenced to six years in prison, but served three. He returned to the ring in 1998.

3. In 1998 ex-footballer Vinnie Jones was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage against a neighbour in 1997. He now lives in LA and works as an actor.

4. American figure skating champ Tonya Harding avoided jail for her involvement in an attack on fellow skater and rival Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. She's since followed a career in boxing.

5. Haitian-born Canadian boxer Adonis Stevenson's was released from prison in 2001 after serving four years in prison for managing prostitutes, assaults and making threats. His professional career began in 2006.

6. In 2007 Michael Vick served 21 months in prison, followed by two months in home confinement for his involvement in an illegal dog fighting ring. In 2009 he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

7. NBA star, Dennis Rodman has been in and out of trouble and has served 45 days of community service for allegedly hitting his wife. In 2010 it was reported he owed more than $300,000 in child support.

8. Craig Thomson of the Scottish Premier League pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent behaviour with two underage girls in 2011. He remains on the sex offenders register.

9. American basketball star, Lamar Odom was arrested in 2013 on drink driving charges and put on a three-year suspended sentence. He now plays for Spanish team Laboral Kutxa

10. Footballer striker Marlon King is serving an 18-month sentence for dangerous driving. He's had several convictions and served multiple jail sentences.

Port Vale defender Clayton McDonald also admitted having sex with the woman, but was found not guilty of the same charge.

On Saturday, Sheffield United dismissed reports that the club has offered a new contract to convicted rapist Ched Evans as "false and damaging".

The club's co-chairmen, Kevin McCabe and Jim Phipps, said they had not yet made a decision about whether to re-employ him.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cameron Presses EU Leaders On Ebola Fund

David Cameron has called for European Union leaders to double their contribution to help tackle ebola, demanding a combined 1bn euro (£800m) pledge.

The Prime Minister has written to the other 26 leaders and European Council president Herman van Rompuy calling for agreement to an "ambitious package of support" at a Brussels summit next week.

He made clear his frustration that other countries are failing to shoulder their share of the burden of international efforts to deal with the epidemic in West Africa which has killed more than 4,500.

Britain has committed £125m to its contribution - the second highest sum after the US. Downing Street said the total contribution from the EU is 500m euros (£400m).

More money is needed to train at least 2,000 workers to go out to the affected regions, Mr Cameron suggested - appealing also for a "duty of care package" to be established for any that contracted ebola while working at a European-run or funded medical facility.

Video: Paying The Price For Ebola

In his letter, the Prime Minister said: "The rapid spread of the disease and recent cases outside the West African region demonstrate the magnitude of the task at hand.

"The World Health Organisation forecast 20,000 cases in West Africa by November 2014. I believe that much more must be done."

The demand comes after the head of the World Bank warned the battle against the ebola outbreak is being lost,

Video: Questions Over Ebola Checks

Speaking after the United Nations revealed it had received less than 40% of the nearly $1bn ($600m) it had requested to fight the deadly disease, World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim blamed a lack of international solidarity for the failure to stop its spread.

"We are losing the battle," he told reporters in Paris.

"Certain countries are only worried about their own borders," he told reporters in Paris. 

Video: HMS Argus in More Detail

International anxieties over the spread of ebola were highlighted as a cruise ship carrying a lab technician who worked with samples taken from an infected nurse in Dallas was stopped from docking in Belize and Mexico

"It is the first time that this has happened, and it was decided the ship should not dock as a preventative measure against Ebola," Erce Barron, port authority director in Quintana Roo, said.

As part of European efforts to stop the spread, France will start screening air passengers for ebola today.

Video: Ebola Victims' Families Shunned

Air France flight attendants have also called for a halt to all flights from Guinea, one of the three hardest-hit countries.

The US, Britain and Canada have already launched screenings at airports for passengers from ebola-hit areas.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fears For Britons Caught In Nepal Snowstorms

Fears are growing for the safety of a number of British trekkers who have not contacted their families since a series of deadly blizzards and avalanches in Nepal.

The Foreign Office has confirmed it has spoken to concerned families who have not heard from their relatives since unseasonably bad weather caused at least 29 deaths earlier this week.

A spokeswoman said they had been in close touch with authorities in Nepal but had not been informed of any British casualties.

Snowstorms hit the Thorong La pass. Pic: Flickr/Roshan Thapa

More than 230 trekkers - most of them foreigners - have been rescued since Wednesday and search teams continue to scour the Annapurna range looking for more survivors, who may be sheltering in lodges and huts.

An unofficial list of trekkers suggests more than a dozen Britons may have been in the area at the time of the storms, although some of them have since been confirmed as safe or rescued. 

Video: Rescuers Reach Trekkers On Mountain

Officials believe some people may be stranded in waist-deep snow in remote locations where mobile phone signal is poor.

Meanwhile, a British survivor has told how he escaped the disaster - on course to be the worst trekking and climbing tragedy Nepal has seen.

Paul Sheridan said walkers were left stumbling through "an abyss of nothing" as dense snow left them unable to get their bearings on the slopes of the mountain range in northern Nepal.

Mr Sheridan said that trekkers should have been prevented from going up the mountain, but were "herded to their deaths" by guides who he alleged were not carrying the correct emergency equipment.

The Nepalese government has announced a high level committee with two senior ministers to monitor and co-ordinate rescue efforts.

For two days this week, Nepal was lashed by heavy rain brought by the cyclone that also battered neighbouring India.

The 150-mile (240km) Annapurna circuit offers spectacular views of jagged peaks and Buddhist villages.

It takes almost three weeks to complete and is nicknamed the "apple pie" circuit because of the teahouses lining the route that offer cold beer and home baking.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola Probe Expanded To Nurse's Earlier Flight

The Texas nurse being treated for ebola may have shown symptoms as early as last Friday - three days before being diagnosed.

A spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is expanding its investigation to include passengers on a Friday flight from Dallas to Cleveland that Amber Vinson was on.

The 29-year-old was visiting family in the Akron area last weekend before flying on Monday from Cleveland back to Dallas before being diagnosed.

CDC officials are already trying to track down 132 passengers on the Monday flight.

A second nurse who contracted the disease at the same Dallas hospital is now being moved to a federal facility in Maryland.

Video: Ebola Nurse Speaks From Hospital

Officials have released a video showing Nina Pham speaking to her doctor, Gary Weinstein, from her hospital bed in the city's Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital before the move.

The footage shows an emotional Ms Pham sitting up in bed and joking that colleagues should join her in Maryland, before wiping away tears as she tells them: "I love you guys."

Fellow nurse, Brianna Aguirre, who had been helping to treat Ms Pham has spoken publicly about what she says were substandard safety procedures inside the Texas hospital.

"The most disturbing things I saw were breaching of basic infection control principles.

Video: Nurse Describes Chaotic Scenes

"I saw people who were supposed to be in charge, the CDC infection control department, telling nurses, telling doctors to do things that were not safe."

US officials are reviewing whether to issue a ban on travel from West Africa because of the ebola outbreak, as a congressional oversight panel called for such a measure.

Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta said: "We are all working together to assess this on a day-to-day basis."

On Capitol Hill, House Energy and Commerce subcommittee chairman Tim Murphy urged an "immediate ban" on nonessential travel from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Video: Why Is Ebola So Dangerous?

US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Washington, urged a travel ban on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama has said he does not have a "philosophical objection" to imposing a travel ban from ebola-afflicted West Africa.

But he said experts tell him it is less effective than measures already in place, insisting a ban could result in people trying to hide where they are coming from and making them less likely to be screened.

Mr Obama also said he may appoint an additional person to lead the ebola response in the US.

Video: Why Is The Ebola Virus So Deadly?

Appearing before the congressional panel, CDC chief Tom Frieden said passenger screenings at US and West African airports were sufficient.

"One of the things I fear about ebola is that it could spread more widely in Africa," he said.

"If this were to happen, it could become a threat to our health system and the healthcare we give for a long time to come."

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama authorised a call-up of National Guard troops if needed to support the fight against ebola in West Africa.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Hundreds' Of UK Terror Arrests This Year

Police have foiled several potentially deadly attacks and arrested hundreds of suspected terrorists so far this year, Britain's counter-terrorism chief has claimed.

Mark Rowley - the UK's National Policing Lead for Counter Terrorism - said officers were dealing with "exceptionally high" numbers of investigations and had been contacted by "dozens" of families concerned that loved ones may be planning to join jihadists in Syria or Iraq.

Amid widespread fears over the influence of Islamic State terrorists, he revealed police have been taking down more than 1,000 pieces of extremist material from the internet each week, including videos of beheadings, torture and suicides.

Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Rowley said: "So far this year we have made 218 arrests and are running exceptionally high numbers of counter-terrorism investigations, the likes of which we have not seen for several years.

Britons have been joining IS, currently fighting over Kobani in Syria

"Against an increasing operational tempo we are disrupting several attack plots a year.

"These plots are of varied sophistication, from individuals planning to carry out spontaneous yet deadly attacks to more complex conspiracies, almost all seemingly are either directed by or inspired by terrorism overseas.

Video: 'Thousands Of Terror Suspects'

Asst Comm Rowley said 16 people had been charged with terrorist offences after returning to the UK from Syria.

He added: "The volume, range and pace of counter-terrorism activity has undergone a step-change.

"Public safety is our number one priority and we will always focus our disruption activity against those posing the greatest and most imminent threat.

"Sometimes this means intervening very early - essential to prevent attacks, but presenting enormous challenges in securing sufficient evidence to charge."

Video: Social Media Terrorism

He added that more than 80% of the material removed from the internet was related to Iraq and Syria, where the success of Islamic State has prompted fears the group's influence may be growing abroad.

Asst Comm Rowley said 66 people who have been reported missing to police are feared to have travelled to Syria.

"The growing problem of young, impressionable, and in some cases vulnerable individuals being radicalised online is an increasing risk," he said.

"Extremist groups are using social media in highly sophisticated ways in order to recruit or persuade individuals towards their violent and warped ideologies.

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1. Gallery: The Battle for Kobani Continues

   Smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobani. American-led forces conducted 21 airstrikes near the border town in the last two days to slow the advance of Islamic State militants, the US military said

2. The US warned the situation on the ground is fluid as militants try to gain territory

3. A US-led coalition aircraft flying over Kobani

4. Smoke rises from a village on the outskirts of Kobani

5. Unidentified armed men run in Kobani

6. Photographers and journalists watch Kobani from a hill

7. Kurdish refugees from Kobani stand in an abandoned village near the Turkish-Syrian border

8. A black flag belonging to the Islamic State is seen in Kobani. The airstrikes appear to have done little to blunt the group's onslaught on the town

9. Unidentified people gather in Kobani

10. A Turkish Kurd watches Kobani near the border crossing in Turkey. Continue through for more images

22. Cundi Minaz, one of four female Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Unit (YPG) who were killed during clashes with Islamic State fighters in Kobani, is buried in a cemetery in the southeastern town of Suruc

23. People attend the funeral of Cundi Minaz

"Dozens of families have contacted us concerned about loved ones or information when they believe someone is travelling abroad.

"It is only through courageous action like that that we can help and we have been supporting such families in every way we can."

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Barnardo's Accused Of Blaming Victim For Abuse

By Gerard Tubb, Northern Correspondent

The children's charity Barnardo's has been accused of blaming a victim of child sexual exploitation for her own sexual abuse by a gang of men who had groomed her.

A letter written by a Barnado's project worker in 1993 says that abuse of a 16-year-old girl in accommodation owned by the charity could have been avoided if she had not placed herself in danger.

The letter states that the girl was sexually assaulted but: "The situation could have been avoided if [she] had not been party to the antics of a group of young men."

It goes on: "Having consumed a quantity of alcohol and three valium tablets [she] was not able to maintain control or respond to the situation in a constructive and cohesive way."

Last month chief executive of Barnardo's Javed Khan condemned institutions that had blamed children for their own abuse and called for them to be investigated by the Government's independent inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation.

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1. Gallery: Barnardo's Letter Accused Of Blaming Victim

The victim, now 37, says the sexual assault that triggered the letter happened in her Leeds flat after British Pakistani men befriended her and let her run up debts before giving her drink and drugs.

"I woke up and I didn't have any clothes on and there were half naked men around," she said.

"I knew I'd been assaulted. I didn't know to what extent, I didn't know if I'd been raped or what, really."

She says she spent years feeling ashamed after being told at the time that the attack, which occurred shortly after she had left a children's home, was her fault.

"Looking back, how I feel now is absolute disgust with predominantly Barnardo's for knowing this happened, for blaming me for it happening and doing nothing about it," she said.

She remained in the flat for a further six months and says her abuse by the men escalated over that time and included rape.

Greg Mulholland, the woman's MP, is demanding an investigation by Barnardo's and Leeds City Council for what he calls "shocking and utterly disgraceful" behaviour.

"To actually blame her for the most appalling abuse and grooming and indeed blackmail that she suffered is really appalling," he said.

"This woman who was then a 16-year-old girl, shortly out of care, very vulnerable, was seriously, seriously let down by the two organisations who were there to protect her."

In a statement Barnado's told us it was shocked at the contents of the letter.

The statement said: "This woman has been very brave in bringing this issue to light. It must have been a very difficult and distressing step to have taken after so many years.

"Barnardo's takes this very seriously and we will fully investigate."

Nigel Richardson, director of children's services at Leeds City Council, said: "We are very sorry to hear about what this young woman was subjected to."

He said the council was very keen to investigate the case, and added: "We are confident that an incident like this would be managed very differently today."

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