Search For Alice Gross: Two Men Arrested

Two men have been arrested separately in connection with the murder of missing teenager Alice Gross.

Officers have stressed the disappearance of the 14-year-old schoolgirl, who was last seen on August 28, remains a missing persons inquiry.

But a search area has been expanded as specialist police divers continue examining the Grand Union Canal near her home in Hanwell, west London, where she was last seen.

On Sunday, a 51-year-old man was arrested in Hanwell on suspicion of Alice's murder.

Divers and sniffer dogs have been searching the River Brent

That followed the arrest of a 25-year-old man from Ealing on Saturday for the same offence. Officers have said the two men are independent of each other.

Both men remain in custody at a west London police station.

Alice, who suffers from anorexia, went missing 12 days ago after failing to return home.

She was last seen by her family at 1pm on August 28, and was spotted on CCTV at 4.23pm on the same day walking along the Grand Union Canal.

Police want to speak to cyclists seen near Alice before she disappeared

Officers have released new pictures of five cyclists seen riding along the canal at the same time Alice went missing.

The images show three cyclists passing the Trumpers Way Canal Bridge in Hanwell, just before Alice walked past.

They are followed by two more cyclists who pass under the bridge.

Alice is white, 5ft 2ins tall, of very slim build and with shoulder length, light brown hair.

She was last seen wearing dark blue jeans and a dark green lacy cardigan and carrying a dark rucksack. The bag was recovered last week.

The teenager has not been seen since August 28

She could have been wearing denim blue Vans shoes and tartan-framed glasses.

Officers have urged anyone who befriended Alice at a song-writing workshop at the Camden Roundhouse to contact police.

Last week, Alice's mother Rosalind Hodgkiss, said: "We'd like to say to Alice first of all that we miss her, that we love her and that she's not in any trouble, and we want to know that she's safe. We just want her to come home.

"We're also appealing to anybody who might have seen her or who may have made contact with her or who may know something about her whereabouts to contact police or Missing People, and to just get in touch because we're really concerned about her well-being."

Anyone with information can call police on 020 8358 0100, Ealing Missing Persons Unit on 020 8246 1018 or the charity Missing People on 116000.

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Tight Fight: Leaders Hit Scotland Campaign Trail

Business Leaders Sucked Into Independence Row

Updated: 12:46am UK, Monday 08 September 2014

By Ian King, Business Presenter

Business people hate getting involved in politics, as a rule.

There is little upside to getting involved in political spats, particularly for those running consumer-facing businesses, as such interventions often risk alienating customers.

Shareholders do not like to see chief executives of the companies in which they are invested getting involved in politics, either, as it is a distraction from making them money.

Like it or not, though, business leaders have been sucked into the debate over Scottish independence ahead of the referendum.

Both sides have rolled out some big names, too, with the 'Yes Scotland' campaign's supporters including Sir Brian Souter, the Stagecoach founder, Ralph Topping, until recently the chief executive of William Hill, and Sir George Mathewson, the former chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland.

Sir George, a long-time supporter of Scottish independence, told Sky News there were plenty of benefits for the Scottish economy in the event of a 'Yes' vote.

"It would mean the Scottish government was responsible for both sides of the balance sheet - for the income and the expenditure," he said.

"I think we can better use the revenues we have - Scottish GDP is about the same per head as the UK as a whole, and that's not counting the oil.

"I think we can make much better use of the oil revenues than historically by the UK, and we can do things to tailor the assets we have rather than the UK government as a whole will do, but I also like to think the social aspirations of Scotland will be better catered for in an independent Scotland.

"We will no longer have to go cap in hand to the UK government if we have different plans for education and health."

The Better Together campaign also has some big Scottish business names backing it. They include Douglas Flint, the chairman of HSBC, Andrew Mackenzie, chief executive of BHP Billiton - the world's biggest mining company - and Keith Cochrane, chief executive of Weir Group, the £5.6bn pump and mining equipment maker.

Mr Cochrane, who recently helped co-ordinate a letter of business leaders urging Scots to support remaining in the UK, said he was worried about the uncertainty that a 'Yes' vote would create, particularly over the currency that an independent Scotland would use.

But he said his main reason for voting 'no' was that businesses would do better from remaining in the United Kingdom.

He told Sky News: "I will vote no because I think we can have the best of both worlds. A strong Scottish Parliament, focused on the domestic agenda, but, as part of the UK, we can benefit from being a part of a domestic market of 63 million - the skill, the ability to manage risk far more effectively than as an independent Scotland."

The key issue facing every voter in the Scottish referendum is whether Scotland's economy will be stronger, and more jobs created, in the event of independence.

Few people are better placed to speak out on this subject than business people and wealth creators. It is good that they are doing so.

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Ukraine Ceasefire Holds With Pro-Russian Rebels

Fighting is reported to have subsided in eastern Ukraine after the government agreed a ceasefire with pro-Russian rebels.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko confirmed on his Twitter account that a peace plan had been signed, while pro-Russian rebels also announced the news on the social media site.

There were initial reports of shelling in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk moments after the deal came into force at 4pm UK time, but the area later fell quiet.

The deal was reached after talks between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels in the Belarussian capital, Minsk. Officials from Russia and the OSCE security watchdog also participated.

The deal saw an agreement on the release of prisoners on both sides, the delivery of humanitarian aid and the withdrawal of heavy weapons. 

Nato leaders say they hope the truce will foster a lasting peace deal

Speaking at a Nato summit in Wales, Mr Poroshenko said Kiev was also ready to grant a significant decentralisation of power and economic freedom to the turbulent east.

It is hoped the deal will go some way towards ending the five-month conflict that, according to the UN, has killed more than 2,600 people.

"Human life is the highest value and we must do everything possible and impossible to end the bloodshed and the suffering," Mr Poroshenko said.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, said Russia was hopeful the ceasefire would be "thoroughly implemented" and that all sides would continue talks to reach a "full settlement of the Ukraine crisis."

The West has accused Russia of sending troops and tanks to participate in the conflict, something Moscow has consistently denied. 

A man repairs the damage to a building caused by shelling in Donetsk

Despite the deal European leaders agreed to hit Russia with a fresh round of sanctions, including credit restrictions on Russian companies and export bans.

Further Russian officials were issued travel bans and asset freezes.

Speaking after the summit Prime Minister David Cameron indicated the sanctions may be lifted if the ceasefire leads to a more durable peace deal.

However US President Barack Obama admitted there was a degree of pessimism about the chances of lasting peace.

He said he was "hopeful but based on past experience also sceptical that the separatists will follow through and the Russians will stop violating Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity".

David Cameron said sanctions would stand despite the truce

Sky's Katie Stallard, who is on eastern city limits of Mariupol, said soldiers from both sides remained in position and that it was difficult to see the ceasefire holding "long term".

"No one has much faith in the ceasefire here," she said.

"There is scepticism about the timing. President Putin has come up with the peace plan right at the point European leaders were preparing to finalise tougher sanctions on Russia.

"What this also doesn't resolve is that we're hearing from the self-proclaimed prime minister of the Lugansk People's Republic, who is saying that this ceasefire doesn't address the status of their 'republic' and they do not abandon their plans to separate from Ukraine."

Meanwhile, Nato announced plans to create a 'Spearhead' rapid response force to counter Russian aggression in Ukraine.

But Moscow said joint military exercises planned by Kiev and Nato in Ukraine - and announced along with the Spearhead force - could undermine peace moves.

Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement that military exercises - planned for September 16-26 - would cause "increased tensions, threaten the tentative progress in the peace process in Ukraine and contribute to the aggravation of a split in the Ukraine society."

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Police Chief Warns Cuts Raise Risk Of Terror

Police Asking Victims To 'Investigate Own Crimes'

Updated: 2:49pm UK, Thursday 04 September 2014

Hard-pressed police forces are "encouraging" victims of high-volume crimes to carry out their own investigations, a policing watchdog has warned.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said the "emerging trend" was identified in an investigation into 43 forces in England and Wales.

In a report summarising its findings, HMIC said its inspectors had witnessed call-handlers asking victims of offences like vehicle crime and "burglaries of properties other than dwellings" to assess the likelihood of the crime being solved.

It said some forces asked victims whether there was any CCTV footage of the area, any potential fingerprint evidence and whether the victim knew if there were any witnesses to the crime. 

In some cases victims were asked to interview their neighbours and to search for their property on second-hand sales websites.

"HMIC finds this expectation by these forces that the victim should investigate his own crime both surprising and a matter of material concern," the report said.

"The police have been given powers and resources to investigate crime by the public, and there should be no expectation on the part of it."

Teacher Louise Kimpton told Sky News she was surprised by the response when she called police after her car was stolen from outside her home near Rochdale in July.

"The police came round and they explained that unfortunately they only had very few officers on the beat in the area so it was highly unlikely they'd find the car" she said.

"They said they would try their best but obviously if we could look round as well that would help.

"My husband and his friend drove around and eventually they found the car."

She said they contacted police and within days received a letter saying that their case was closed.

Inspector of Constabulary Roger Baker, who led the inspection, said overall police forces have "done a good job in tackling crime and anti-social behaviour".

However he said the emerging trend suggested many officers have essentially "given up" on investigating high-volume crimes.

"It's more a mindset, that we no longer deal with these things," he said.

"Effectively what's happened is a number of crimes are on the verge of being decriminalised.

"So it's not the fault of the individual staff, it's a mindset thing that's crept in to policing to say 'we've almost given up'."

The report, named 'Core Business: an inspection into crime prevention, police attendance and the use of police time,' investigated a number of aspects of modern policing, including response to calls, quality of investigation and the use of technology.

Among its findings, HMIC said some forces were losing track of suspects and wanted persons as their systems for actively pursuing them were not up to scratch.

It also identified a policing "postcode lottery", saying attendance rates at crime scenes varied widely between police forces.

In the year to November 30, 2013, for example, 100% of crimes in Cleveland were attended by a police officer. In Warkwickshire, however, that figure stood at just 39%.

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Man Shot Dead By Police In Knife Incident

Police have shot dead a man who was threatening a woman with a knife at a house in London, Scotland Yard said.

The incident happened at a property in Islington.

A statement from the Metropolitan Police said the woman was unharmed and is being treated for shock.

The man was treated at the scene in Shepperton Road but died on the way to hospital.

Police had sent a negotiator to the scene at 11.19pm on Thursday following reports the man had broken into a house.

It is believed the man and woman knew each other.

More follows...

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Nato Leaders Ready Tough New Russia Sanctions

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Tough new measures designed to halt Russian aggression in Ukraine will be unveiled on the second and final day of a Nato summit in Wales.

The United States and European Union are to come together later to announce a new round of co-ordinated economic sanctions against Russia, US and British government sources have reported.

These are set to include restrictions on some of the country's all important energy firms as well as travel restrictions.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Nato summit on Thursday, Deputy White House national security adviser Ben Rhodes said: "The key point is that Russia must continue to face costs for its own escalation.

"If Russia escalates, we can escalate our pressure."

The conflict in Ukraine is set to top the agenda for the second day of the Nato summit, with western leaders accusing Russia of sending thousands of troops into the east of the country.

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has warned that Russia's incursion poses the most serious security threat to Europe since the Cold War, although Moscow has consistently denied direct military involvement.

Nato says thousands of Russian troops are in Ukraine

Nato is also expected to finalise plans for a Rapid Reaction Force that can deploy to Eastern Europe on 48 hours notice.

This will include pre-positioning logistic and planning support in Baltic countries as well as vital equipment.

Nato insists this does not breach a 1997 agreement not to create permanent bases near the Russian border.

The measures will come a day after British Prime Minister David Cameron, US President Barack Obama and other senior Nato leaders met Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

Mr Poroshenko has announced plans to order a ceasefire, provided a peace plan is agreed during separate talks in Minsk, attended by representatives from Ukraine, Russia and pro-Russian rebel forces. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also expressed hopes a truce will come into force later, two days after he unveiled his own seven-point peace plan.

Nato wants Iraq to request military training support

Alongside Ukraine, Nato leaders will use the final day of the summit to discuss the threat posed by Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria.

Last night the Alliance leaders met for a formal dinner at Cardiff Castle.

US President Barack Obama is trying to bring together a coalition of nations.

It is becoming increasingly likely the UK will authorise air strikes against IS in northern Iraq.

But for any operation to be effective, it needs the support and involvement of countries in the region.

Nato is encouraging Iraq to request training support for its military although it will not go further and involve itself in a combat mission.

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Beheaded Journalist 'Was No War Junkie'

Sotloff: Driven Reporter And Mideast Expert

Updated: 1:19pm UK, Wednesday 03 September 2014

Steven Sotloff, the US journalist who was beheaded by Islamic State militants, also held Israeli citizenship, Israel has revealed.

The information had been apparently withheld by Israel in a bid to reduce the risks to the captive.

"Cleared for publication: Steven Sotloff was #Israel citizen RIP," tweeted Paul Hirschson, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem.

Friends and colleagues described 31-year-old Mr Sotloff as an honest and courageous journalist who sought to understand the culture of the places he reported from and tell the stories of the people affected by conflict.

His work appeared in Time, Foreign Affairs and World Affairs magazines. He also contributed to some Israeli publications.

"We refused to acknowledge any relationship with him in case it was dangerous for him," said Avi Hoffman, editor of the Jerusalem Report magazine, which had published Mr Sotloff's work.

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, quoting a former fellow captive, said Mr Sotloff had kept his Judaism a secret from the Islamist insurgents, pretending he was sick when he fasted for the Yom Kippur holiday.

Colleagues stressed that he understood the dangers of reporting in war zones, but remained committed to the task.

"Steven was very ethical, very driven, an exceptional journalist and an exceptional person," said Matthew Van Dyke, an activist and film-maker who met Mr Sotloff in Libya in 2012.

"He was also a cautious journalist, he did everything the right way," he told Sky News.

Mr Sotloff vanished in Syria in August 2013. His capture was kept secret for months at the request of his family, who said they were now grieving privately.

He then appeared in a video that showed the beheading of fellow US journalist James Foley last month.

A Miami native, Mr Sotloff attended the University of Central Florida, where he took an interest in journalism. He did not graduate from the university.

He covered the Arab Spring uprisings and several Middle East hotspots, including Yemen, Egypt and Libya. He learnt Arabic.

"He lived in the region for a time, he really got to know the people, the culture," said Mr Van Dyke.

"This was a region that was important to him, he wasn't somebody who jumped from conflict to conflict all over the world, he was a regional specialist and he knew what he was doing."

In his Facebook and Twitter profiles Mr Sotloff called himself a "stand-up philosopher from Miami" and often spoke of his love for baseball and the Miami Heat.

World Affairs, in an August 20 statement, described Mr Sotloff as "an honest and thoughtful journalist who strives to understand the story from local perspectives and report his findings straightforwardly."

The executive director of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, Joel Simon, said: "Journalists know that covering war is inherently dangerous and that they could get killed in crossfire.

"But being butchered in front of camera simply for being a reporter is pure barbarism."

The group said at least 70 other journalists have been killed covering the conflict in Syria, including some who died over the border in Lebanon and Turkey, and that more than 80 had been kidnapped.

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Ukraine And Iraq 'Arc Of Crisis' Tops Nato Talks

Nato Plans 'Spearhead' Force To Face Russia

Updated: 12:53pm UK, Tuesday 02 September 2014

Nato is set to create a high-readiness force and stockpile military equipment in Eastern Europe as a bulwark against potential Russian aggression, the alliance's chief has said.

Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the proposed new force could be comprised of several thousand troops contributed to on a rotating basis by the 28 Nato countries.

Backed by air and naval assets, he said the unit would be a spearhead that could be deployed at very short notice to help Nato members defend themselves against any threat, including from Russia.

Nato leaders are to consider the plans at a summit this week in Wales that is likely to be dominated by how the US-led alliance should respond to the Russian-backed separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine is not a member of Nato, but its UK ambassador told Sky News he backed the move and appealed for Ukraine's allies to step up sanctions and provide military help now.

Andrii Kuzmenko said: "What is important for Ukraine is to provide the means for our defence ... including armaments."

The move could provoke Russia, whose foreign minister warned on Monday that Ukrainian forces must pull back from areas where they can harm civilians.

Sergei Lavrov spoke amid reports that Ukrainian forces had been ordered to pull back from Luhansk airport in the face of an onslaught from Russian tanks - the latest claim of direct Russian involvement in the fighting.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Valeriy Geletey said Russian units were moving into other towns in the region, including the largest city of the Donetsk region.

"The information that Russian troops are there has been confirmed," he said.

"We are fighting Russia and it is Russia which is deciding what will happen in Donbass," he told Ukraine's Inter channel, referring to the informal name of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Mr Lavrov again denied that Russian troops were in Ukraine and said he hoped talks taking place in the Belarussian capital Minsk would focus on agreeing an immediate, unconditional ceasefire.

Speaking in the east Siberian city of Yakutsk on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Europe of ignoring the Ukrainian army "directly targeting its fire on residential areas".

He said he hoped "common sense will prevail" and that Russia and the West would not harm each other with further sanctions.

Speaking in the House of Commons, David Cameron said Russia appeared to be trying to force Ukraine "to give up its democratic choices at the barrel of a gun".

The PM said the presence of Russian soldiers on Ukrainian soil was "completely unjustified and unacceptable".

A rights group that works to expose Russian army abuses claims up to 15,000 soldiers have been sent to Ukraine by Moscow in the last two months, and several hundred may have died in combat.

Valentina Melnikova, head of the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, a prominent organisation representing the families of military servicemen, said that some 7,000-8,000 Russian troops are believed to be in Ukraine at present.

"Military commanders are conducting a secret special operation," said Ms Melnikova, who is a member of the defence ministry's public council.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian military spokesman said a rescue operation was continuing for two seamen missing in the Azov Sea after pro-Russian separatists attacked a Ukrainian navy vessel for the first time.

Eight other seamen survived the attack and were being treated for wounds and burns after the vessel was hit by artillery from the shore.

Separatists in the region claimed responsibility for the attack on social media.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the events of the past few days showed Russia had launched a "direct and open aggression" against Ukraine.

Leading American senators have called for the US to send weapons to help Ukraine defend itself against what they called a "Russian invasion".

Democrat Robert Mendez, who runs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told CNN: "We should provide the Ukrainians with the type of defensive weapons that will impose a cost upon Putin for further aggression."

The call was echoed by former Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who told CBS's Face The Nation that Mr Putin was "an old KGB colonel that wants to restore the Russian empire".

Earlier, the European Union gave Russia a week to scale back its intervention in Ukraine, warning of further sanctions.

China opposes additional sanctions against Russia and has urged world leaders to find a political solution to the crisis.

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Sotloff Family Grieving After Hostage 'Killed'

The family of US hostage Steven Sotloff have seen a video which purportedly shows him being beheaded by an Islamic State fighter, and are grieving privately.

Barak Barfi, a family spokesman, also said authorities have not established its authenticity.

He said: "The family knows of this horrific tragedy and is grieving privately. There will be no public comment from the family during this difficult time."

Mr Sotloff, 31, was a freelance journalist for Time and Foreign Policy magazines who went missing in Syria.

He was apparently killed by IS in revenge for US airstrikes on the Islamist militant group in Iraq.

Mr Sotloff has reportedly been killed by Islamic State

His reported death comes two weeks after the release of a video showing the killing of fellow US citizen James Foley and Mr Sotloff being threatened with death.

That led to Mr Sotloff's mother Shirley pleading for her son's life.

A friend of both hostages, Matthew Van Dyke, told Sky News it was time for the US to consider paying ransoms to secure the release of hostages.

IS had reportedly demanded £80m for Mr Foley's release.

But the US - unlike several European countries that have given millions to the terror group to spare their citizens - refused to pay.

Mr Van Dyke told Sky News he hoped the apparent killing was a "wake-up call to Americans", adding: "This is a serious threat".

Shirley Sotloff had pleaded for her son's life

He went on: "They are executing Americans and videotaping it and we need to do something about that. The US administration needs to get serious about the problem."

Mr Van Dyke said there were more Americans being held by IS and "we need to bring them home".

He said authorities should "re-examine the policy of paying ransoms for prisoner exchanges to at least get these people home and then take on IS and kill them before they get to spend the money."

Mr Van Dyke said the news of Mr Sotloff's reported death was "horrible", adding: "I've lost two friends in two weeks."

He said Mr Sotloff was a "brilliant journalist, hard working and dedicated".

"He knew the dangers but he knew the story needed to be told."

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Reports: IS Beheads Second American Journalist

An IS militant in a video which purports to show the beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff has warned that a British hostage will be next.

Mr Sotloff was last seen in Syria in August 2013. He appeared in a video released last month by the Islamist group showing the murder of fellow journalist James Foley, who was beheaded.

In that video, the 31-year-old from Florida was threatened with death unless the US stopped airstrikes targeting IS in Iraq.

Tuesday's film carried the title A Second Message to America and was released just days after Mr Sotloff's mother Shirley pleaded for his release.

The freelance journalist, who had worked for Time and Foreign Policy magazines, is seen dressed in an orange jumpsuit in the video.

A masked militant in the video with an English accent tells governments to back off "this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State".

Mr Sotloff worked as a freelance journalist in the Middle East

He warns that a British hostage - who is shown kneeling at knifepoint - will be targeted next.

The extremist says: "I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State ... despite our serious warnings."

Sky's US Correspondent Dominic Waghorn said that according to Site - a US terror video monitoring agency in Maryland - the footage showed Mr Sotloff being beheaded by the same man, believed to be British, who killed Mr Foley.

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Sam Kiley watched the video and said: "The killer is holding an identical knife, standing just behind and to the left of Mr Sotloff.

"He is also armed with a shoulder holster identical to the one that carried a pistol on his last video, just prior to the murder of James Foley.

"He has got exactly the same accent... but it is clear that the voice has been somehow treated or adjusted.

"There is some kind of disguising mechanism that has been put to use to try to further hide his identity in addition to the black mask that reveals only his eyes."

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: "The intelligence community will work as quickly as possible to determine its authenticity.

Journalist James Foley was murdered in a video two weeks ago

"If the video is genuine we are sickened by this brutal act, taking the life of another innocent American citizen. Our hearts go out to the Sotloff family."

She would not be drawn on whether current events meant the US was at war with IS, formerly known as ISIS and ISIL, which has claimed territory across Syria and Iraq.

Hours after the video emerged, President Barack Obama authorised a State Department request for 350 extra US military troops to be stationed in Iraq.

The White House said the troops would "protect our diplomatic facilities and personnel in Baghdad".

"The President has made clear his commitment to doing whatever is required to provide the necessary security for US personnel and facilities around the world," a White House statement said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, who will be chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency committee Cobra on Wednesday morning, said: "If verified, this is a despicable and barbaric murder.

"We have already been working hard to keep British people safe and we will continue to do all we can to protect our country and our people from these barbaric terrorists."

The Foreign Office said it was also "urgently working to verify the authenticity of the video".

Mr Sotloff's relatives said they were aware of "this horrific tragedy" and were "grieving privately".

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