UK Can And Should Do More In IS Fight, Say MPs

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Britain can and should be doing more in the fight against Islamic State, a group of MPs has said.

A report by the Commons Defence Select Committee also found the UK is contributing less than its NATO partners and that the British military lacks a strategy for defeating IS, also known as ISIS.

The report comes after the father of a Jordanian pilot murdered by IS denounced the group as "wild beasts".

The committee's chairman, Rory Stewart, said: "The UK should be focused much more on Iraq. It should be a higher priority.

Defence Committee chairman Rory Stewart urges a focus on Iraq

"That doesn't mean combat troops on the ground. That means, to begin with, just understanding what is going on.

"That means putting military and civilian personnel on to the ground to start mapping who is the enemy, who are these people in ISIS or Da'ash?

Video: Islamic State Are 'Wild Beasts'

"Who are our allies? How do we work with the Sunni tribes? How do we work with the neighbours? What is the US campaign plan? What is the Iraqi campaign plan?

"Once we answer those questions, and we need to answer them urgently, we're not going to begin to play a constructive role fighting ISIS."

Britain only has three military personnel stationed outside northern, Kurdish Iraq.

They have not yet made any specific pledges to send more. That number compares to 3,000 Americans, 300 Spanish and 280 Italians.

Britain has so far contributed 40 heavy machine guns but Germany is offering a vast arsenal of weapons, including 16,000 assault rifles, 10,000 hand grenades and 8,000 pistols.

RAF aircraft, confined to bombing Iraq and not Syria, have only contributed to 6% of the total strikes against Islamic State positions.

General Sir Richard Shirreff, former deputy supreme commander of NATO forces, is unimpressed with the UK effort, considering it is one of the P5 - permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

He said: "What we need to see from our political leaders is leadership and a preparedness to say, 'this isn't going to be easy, this isn't going to go away, this does affect us dramatically and domestically and internationally'.

"We have a role to play, we have responsibilities as a member of the P5, we have responsibilities in the area, we have history in the area, we have an understanding of the area and we need to be prepared to put our shoulder to the wheel."

The committee emphasised it was not calling for British combat troops to be deployed but saw a need for a strategy which is currently absent.

It also said it was "shocked  by the inability or unwillingness of any of the service chiefs to provide a clear and articulate statement of the UK's objectives or strategic plan in Iraq".

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Parents Of US Hostages Criticise Obama Policy

By Sky News US Team

The parents of two American journalists kidnapped in Syria have criticised the Obama administration's hostage policies.

Speaking to Sky News, the mothers of James Foley and Austin Tice cast doubt on whether media blackouts and a blanket ban on ransom payments are truly effective.

They also voiced shock at the "horrific" recent killings of a Jordanian pilot and two Japanese men by Islamic State militants.

Speaking at an event on press freedom in Washington DC, Mrs Foley said she hoped a new White House-ordered review on Americans held captive by terrorists overseas would bring changes.

Mrs Foley said the US government had kept her "totally" in the dark about her son, who was beheaded by Islamic State militants in August last year.

"Jim was let down big time," she said, adding that the family now regretted abiding by the media blackout.

The Foley family was left to negotiate by email with the captors, she said, after the FBI refused to discuss a ransom, angering the militants.

"There was no communications from our government agencies to us," she told Sky News at the Newseum.

"They were constantly asking us for information but nothing came back to us.

"We never knew a thing. They always told us Jim was the highest priority, trust us, don't talk to the media."

Austin Tice was abducted in Syria in August 2012

Mrs Foley said she never received any official notification of his death, only learning their nightmare had come true from a reporter.

Debra Tice, whose son Austin Tice was abducted in August 2012, said she was now hoping to "raise the volume" on his case.

Video: James Foley's Last Letter To Family

She said her family's relationship with the FBI had "become acrimonious in a middle-school kind of way, unfortunately" because of the "information vacuum" from the agency.

A month after the 33-year-old freelance reporter went missing, a brief video uploaded to YouTube showed him blindfolded, apparently being walked through rocky terrain by Islamist militants.

The State Department raised the possibility at the time that the former US Marine was actually in the custody of the Syrian government. No ransom demands have been made.

The mothers also said the recent immolation of a Jordanian pilot in an Islamic State video had appalled them.

"The pain that family's feeling, it's just a horrific thing to go through again," said Mrs Foley.

Douglas Frantz, US Assistant Secretary of State for public affairs, accepted some of their points.

"We have had difficulty communicating consistently with families and I'm confident that the (hostage) review is going to fix this," he said.

He told Sky News the National Counterterrorism Centre would report back with recommendations in the spring.

Mr Frantz also said the State Department was working "very hard" to free a 26-year-old female aid worker who is the Islamic State's last known US captive.

But he said ransom payments "put targets on the back of every American overseas and feed the kidnap economy".

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Iraqi Militant Executed After IS Murders Pilot

Jordan has executed two prisoners after Islamic State murdered one of their pilots, a government spokesman has said.

One of those executed was Iraqi would-be suicide bomber Sajida al Rishawi, who was on death row for her role in a hotel attack that killed 60 people.

The other was Ziad al Karbouli, who had been an aide to the late former leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and who was sentenced to death in 2008 for plotting terror attacks on Jordanians in Iraq.

Jordan had promised a swift and lethal response after IS released a video showing captured pilot Mu'ath Al Kassasbeh being burned alive in a cage.

Jordan promised a swift response to Mr Al Kassasbeh's murder

IS had demanded the release of Rishawi in exchange for Mr Al Kassasbeh and Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, who the militant group killed in a video posted online three days ago.

Jordan had agreed to the swap, but called off the deal after saying it had received no proof that the pilot was still alive.

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1. Gallery: Everything We Know About Sajida Al Rishawi

   Sajida Al Rishawi, believed to be in her 40s, was known as the 'would-be bomber'

She and her husband were involved in the 2005 Amman bombings, a plot to attack a string of Jordanian hotels

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Nine Dead, Dozens Trapped After Plane Crashes

Nine people have been killed and dozens are trapped after a passenger plane crashed into a river in Taiwan.

The TransAsia ATR 72-600 plane - which had 53 passengers on board - was on a domestic flight when it hit a road bridge in the capital Taipei.

Taiwan's Central News Agency said at least 10 people have been taken to safety.

CNA said the flight, from Taipei to the island of Kinmen, lost contact at 10.55am local time.

The plane's fuselage was seen half-submerged in the shallow river, with passengers and rescuers standing on the hull and swimming in the water.

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1. Gallery: Amazing Pics Show Bridge Collision

   The images - which have not been independently verified - appear to show the moment the plane clipped the bridge in Taiwan's capital Taipei Credit: @Missxoxo168

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France Targets 'Ghettos' In Anti-Terror Fight

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Counter-terrorism operations have been launched across France in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, with the Prime Minister declaring the country has collapsed into "apartheid".

A total of 64 suburbs in many major cities have been identified as ghettos and Manuel Valls' admission that geographic, social and ethnic apartheid exists in France signals a seismic change in the country's approach to immigration

It also highlights the scale of the problem.

France has not been able to concede that significant proportions of its population were being left behind economically, marginalised into ethnic enclaves, leaderless and vulnerable to Islamist radicalisation.

Because until now French political thought refused to recognise the notion of the nation having different communities within it.

Video: 'My Son Is Not A Terrorist'

But the 64 ghettos identified in dozens of cities share startling statistical characteristics.

Unemployment is at 23% in the banlieux. Among the young that figure soars to 45%.

The average income is €11,000 (£8,300) a year. Between a third and half of all families are single-parent and about half are made up of immigrants or their children.

Meanwhile, the French interior ministry has designated around 15 Priority Security Zones across the country, which have been seen to be hotbeds of crime and potential hot houses of jihadism.

These zones have been reinforced by extra intelligence and uniformed officers, as well as quick-reaction units which set up road blocks and random checks to look for drugs and weapons.

"There is a very blurred and small gap between organised crime and terrorism," said colonel Gael Marchand, head of the Gendarmerie for the Alpes-Maritime region.

Video: Young Muslims 'Caught In Whirlwind'

"Terrorists need funding and they are often recruited in prisons. If you're a terrorist and a former criminal you know where and how to get weapons."

He said guns were easily obtained via smuggling routes through Italy from eastern Europe.

France has launched an internet campaign attacking Islamic State's online recruitment drive and warning potential jihadis they will die a "lonely death far from home".

But the colonel said the majority of the most effective indoctrination was conducted by individual preachers who were able to speak directly to potential recruits beyond the scrutiny of members of mosques and prayer rooms.

Anne Mamadou lost his son to jihad. He was radicalised by Omar Omsen, a notorious Muslim convert, originally from Senegal, who settled in Nice and took "dozens" of volunteers with him when he went to fight in Syria.

"It's been very hard to get hold of him," he said.

Video: France 'Gave Us Everything'

"The last I heard is that he was fighting somewhere near Kobani in the north.

"He was brought up a Muslim in the correct way. He got a good education and then he suddenly disappeared - just after getting married and having his first baby.

"He's probably too proud to come back and say: 'Daddy, I made a mistake'."

Bekri Boubekeur is an Imam and member of the local Muslim council who was part of a group that built and funded the first mosque in the region, which sits across the road from a drug den in L'Ariane, a ghetto on the outskirts of Nice.

He said young people who signed up for Jihad were "committing slow suicide".

"They probably don't know they're doing it at the time, but they are," he said.

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MPs To Decide If Babies Can Have Three Parents

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

Britain could today become the first country in the world to legalise the creation of IVF babies with DNA from three different people.

MPs will debate the controversial technique that involves changing the genetic material passed down the generations.

The new regulations MPs will debate "make provision to enable mitochondrial donation" under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act.

It would allow women to have children without passing on serious and incurable diseases of the mitochondria, tiny power generators found in almost every cell.

Opponents question the technique's safety and warn it could lead to "designer" babies.

Video: 3-Parent Embryos: How Does It Work?

But Prof Dame Sally Davies, England's Chief Medical Officer, says the technique would prevent great suffering.

"The 37 genes in the mitochondria are for energy making. They do not make us who we are or what we are.

"Yet children born with defective ones often don't live a year or two.

"Others get gradual deterioration of muscles, heart, kidneys, vision and brain and die in their late teens and early 20s."

Mitochondrial donation has been pioneered by scientists at Newcastle University.

They propose using standard IVF techniques to fertilise an egg from an affected woman and another from a donor.

They would then remove from the affected embryo the nucleus, which contains 99.9% of the parents DNA, and leave behind the defective mitochondria.

At the same time they would remove the nucleus from the donated embryo.

Video: Home DNA Test Goes On Sale

Finally they would transplant the nucleus containing the parents' genes into the donated embryo, which would then be implanted in the mother's womb.

It's estimated that 2,500 women in the UK are affected by mitochondrial diseases and could use the technique.

But David King, of Human Genetics Alert, urged MPs not to allow the technique.

"This is not about protecting embryos but about protecting children from the severe health risks of these unnecessary techniques and protecting everyone from the eugenic designer baby future that will follow from this.

"These diseases can be prevented through conventional egg donation - a reliable method that doesn't risk the child's health. All that these dangerous experimental techniques add is that that they allow the mother to be a genetic parent, which is not a medical benefit for anyone."

The technique has already been cleared by scientific and ethics watchdogs. The public have also been consulted and broadly supported its use.

Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, the UK's biggest research charity, said: "The Government is right to ask Parliament to support regulations that will allow the law to catch up with public and scientific opinion, and we urge MPs and peers to vote for them."

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Reporter 'Won't Rest' Until Friends Also Free

A journalist freed after 400 days in an Egyptian jail "won't rest" until the two colleagues he was detained with are also released, his brother has said.

Australian Peter Greste was flown to Cyprus after a presidential "approval" meant he was allowed out of prison in Cairo.

But fellow al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed remain in jail, where the trio had been held since their arrest in December 2013.

And Mr Greste's brother, Andrew, told a news conference in Brisbane: "On a more sombre note, I know Peter wanted me to...  acknowledge that Peter's two other colleague's are still there.

Peter Greste (L), with colleagues Mohamed Fahmy (C) and Baher Mohamed

"Peter was arrested with Baher and Mohamed, and they also deserve to be free.

"Peter won't rest until they're released from prison and we hope that will follow in the very near future.

Video: Egypt Deports Jailed Reporter

"Of course, we are thinking of Baher, Mohamed and their families who, thankfully, in this unusual twist of fate, we've got to know very well."

Andrew Greste said his 49-year-old brother was "safe, healthy and very, very happy to be on his way home".

He also thanked journalists "who have not let the story die", adding: "You've all been on this ride with us and have supported us and Peter faithfully."

The three reporters were jailed for offences including spreading lies to help the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, but were facing a retrial after their original convictions were overturned.

Video: Al Jazeera: 'We'll Continue Fight'

Canadian-Egyptian Mr Fahmy is expected to be freed over the coming days, when paperwork is completed that would allow authorities to deport him to Canada,

His fiancee Marwa Omara told reporters: "His deportation is in its final stages. We are hopeful."

It remains unclear what will happen to Mr Mohamed, who is Egyptian.

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Leaders Await Grilling On Issues Facing Young

By Faisal Islam, Political Editor

Young voters have a unique chance to grill party leaders today in a series of live question-and-answer sessions hosted by Sky News and Facebook.

They have been given unprecedented access to Westminster's most powerful politicians as part of Stand Up Be Counted: Ask The Leaders - an all-day, multi-media event.

Today, Labour's Ed Miliband, the Liberal Democrats' Nick Clegg and the Green Party's Natalie Bennett will be interviewed one by one.

They will face questions from a studio audience made up of young voters - and from an online audience through the Stand Up Be Counted Facebook page.

It is being filmed at offices in central London and will be broadcast on TV and online.

Video: Fisayo's #AskTheLeaders Question

UKIP's Nigel Farage was also invited to the event, which comes just three months before a General Election in which social media could play a decisive role for the first time.

In a campaign currently seen as too close to call by most experts, the winner could be the party that best gets to grips with new opportunities to speak to voters.

Memberships of the major parties are dwindling.

Video: Adam's #AskTheLeaders Question

According to the House of Commons Library: "Less than 1% of the UK electorate is now a member of the Conservative, Labour or Liberal Democrat Party, compared to 3.8% in 1983."

But interaction with voters on social networks is soaring - with data reflecting the seismic changes taking place in British politics.

UKIP has surged ahead of Labour in terms of Facebook "likes" and is snapping at the heels of the Conservatives, while the SNP and Greens have overtaken the Liberal Democrats.

Video: Hannah's #AskTheLeaders Question

Nowhere is social media usage higher than among young people and questions they've submitted through Stand Up Be Counted's online platforms form a key part of today's Q&As.

Voters of all ages have also been sending their questions through Sky News' Facebook page.

The whole day's coverage will be streamed from 9am on the SUBC Facebook page, the Sky News Facebook page and Sky News YouTube channel.

Video: Angel's #AskTheLeaders Question

Throughout Monday, people can join the discussion online by using the #AskTheLeaders hashtag on the Stand Up Be Counted Facebook page, the Sky News Facebook page or on Twitter.

Questions and comments can be sent throughout the day - just use #AskTheLeaders.

Video: Michael's #AskTheLeaders Question

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IS Hostage Pilot's Brother: 'It's Not Our War'

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, Karak, Jordan

The brother of the Jordanian pilot held captive by Islamic State has urged his country's leaders to leave the international coalition targeting the group, saying: "It's not our war."

His comments reflect the growing domestic pressure being put on the Jordanian government, as the fate of Mu'ath Al Kassasbeh remains unknown.

In the pilot's home town of Ay, which sits in the Karak Mountains 90 miles south of the capital Amman, there have been demonstrations against the country's involvement in the US-led coalition.

Speaking to Sky News, Mu'ath's brother Jawdat Al Kassasbeh said such sentiments were widely held. 

"The Jordanian people in general and our cousins here in this village are saying this war is not our war. It is not our war," he said.

Video: I.S. Assault On Kirkuk Hotel

Asked whether he believes his brother is still alive, he said: "God bless him. I really don't know. I really don't. I just hope."

Islamic State (IS) had said it would kill Mu'ath by sunset on Thursday unless Iraqi jihadist Sajida al Rishawi was released in exchange for Japanese hostage, Kenji Goto.

The Jordanian government have said they are prepared to make the exchange, but that they have yet to receive proof the pilot is alive.

Earlier on Saturday, the Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister told reporters in Amman that talks with Islamic State remained "dead-locked".

The Kassasbeh family are part of one of the largest tribes in Jordan and one of the most loyal to the Royal Family.

But in the last week they have increasingly taken their frustrations to the streets, calling for more information about the talks and for Jordan's leadership to do more to save their son.

Analysts have suggested IS is set on exploiting the captured pilot to cause instability in Jordan, driving a wedge between the Western-backed government and the network of tribal communities.

Video: Deadline Passes For Bomber Release

However, those close to the Royal Family believe the organisation is underestimating the bonds that hold the Hashemite Kingdom together.

"They're not going to get anywhere. The tribes have always been the pillars of the country and the pillars of the army," said retired Jordanian General Ali Shukri.

General Shukri served for 23 years as the Director of the Private Office of the late King Hussein.

He says Jordan's current leadership is right to be fully involved in the international coalition, alongside other Arab states, in their battle with Islamic State.

"Do we wait for them until they appear on our borders or in our towns? Or do we join the coalition and pre-empt all their plans?" said General Shukri

"We simply cannot turn our backs and say: 'It's not our problem.' It is our problem," he added.

Mu'ath Al Kassasbeh was taken captive by Islamic State when his fighter jet crashed in Syria in late December.

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Japan: 'Hostage Murder' Video Appears Genuine

The Japanese government says a video showing the apparent murder of hostage Kenji Goto appears to be genuine.

The one minute-long footage was apparently released by Islamic State (IS) on Saturday evening.

It purportedly shows the beheading of the Japanese freelance journalist and film-maker, who was a father of three.

The man was wearing an orange jumpsuit and the video was similar to previous beheading footage the militant group has released.

The video was called "A Message to the Government of Japan" and the apparent murderer spoke with a British accent.

Video: Mother's Plea To Save Son

He blamed Mr Goto's beheading on Japan's support for the US-led coalition fighting IS in the Middle East.

The kneeling hostage did not speak in the footage.

The Japanese, UK and US governments strongly condemned IS, with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visibly upset as he spoke to reporters in Tokyo.

"I am extremely angry about these heinous and despicable terrorist acts. We will never forgive terrorists," he said.

"We will co-operate with the international community to make them atone for their crimes."

US President Barack Obama said America condemned the "heinous murder" and would continue to work with allies to destroy the jihadist group.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said it was a "further reminder that ISIL is the embodiment of evil, with no regard for human life".

Video: Negotiations With IS Are 'Futile'

Speaking from her home in a suburb of Tokyo, Mr Goto's mother Junko Ishido said: "Kenji has died, and my heart is broken.

"Facing such a tragic death, I'm just speechless."

The family of another IS hostage, Jordanian fighter pilot Lt Mu'ath al Kassasbeh, said they were "devastated" by Mr Goto's murder.

Mr Goto travelled to Syria in October seeking to secure the release of Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa, according to friends and business associates.

Earlier this month, IS released a video of Mr Goto and Mr Yukawa and threatened to kill them unless a $200m (£133m) ransom was paid.

Last week, Mr Abe slammed "an outrageous and unforgivable act" after a video reportedly showing an image of Mr Goto holding a picture of a beheaded Mr Yukawa was posted online.

Mr Goto's family made public pleas to Mr Abe to negotiate his safe release.

Video: I.S. Assault On Kirkuk Hotel

Earlier on Saturday, a top Japanese diplomat said there was a "state of deadlock" in negotiations to release Mr Goto.

Japan's deputy foreign minister Yasuhide Nakayama made the comments in the Jordanian capital Amman, where he had been leading Tokyo's team attempting to secure the freedom of the veteran war reporter.

Mr Goto, 47, had appeared in videos released by IS in which his fate was linked to Jordanian pilot Lt Mu'ath al Kassasbeh.

Jordan and Japan held indirect negotiations with the militants, who control around a third of Iraq and Syria, for the release of the men in exchange for a jailed jihadist.

Jordan demanded evidence that the airman who crashed in Syria on 24 December is still alive before freeing the would-be suicide bomber, who is on death row.

IS had said it would kill Jordan's captured pilot by sunset on Thursday unless Iraqi jihadist Sajida al Rishawi was released.

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