Ukraine And Pro-Russian Rebels Agree Ceasefire

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.

Mr Poroshenko, who has been attending a Nato summit in Wales, said the agreement followed a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian soldiers respond as separatists fire heavy artillery in Mariupol

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

The United Nations has put the death toll in the five-month conflict at more than 2,600.

Mr Poroshenko said 12 steps, including a decentralisation of powers, the provision of humanitarian aid and the release of prisoners on both sides, had been agreed under the terms of the ceasefire.

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 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

European leaders agreed to hit Russia with a fresh round of sanctions on the second and final day of the Nato summit, despite the deal.

The sanctions include credit restrictions on Russian companies, export bans, and travel bans and asset freezes on a new set of officials.

Speaking after the summit, however, Prime Minister David Cameron indicated they may be lifted if the ceasefire inspires a more durable peace deal.

While welcoming the truce, 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".

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".

David Cameron said sanctions would stand despite the truce

"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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Europe To Hit Russia With Fresh Sanctions

European leaders have agreed to hit Russia with a fresh round of sanctions despite Moscow signing up to a ceasefire in Ukraine.

The sanctions include credit restrictions on Russia companies, export bans, and travel bans and asset freezes on a new set of officials, according to a European Union diplomat who spoke on the condition on anonymity.

Two branches of the world's biggest oil producer - Gazprom Bank and Gazprom Neft - are targeted by the measures, said the diplomat.

Speaking at the end of a Nato summit in Wales on Friday, David Cameron said sanctions would continue despite both sides agreeing to a 12-point peace plan.

However, the Prime Minister said they could be lifted if a lasting peace was found.

The new restrictions, which will be imposed early next week, come as Britain agreed to supply 1,000 troops to a Nato rapid response force aimed at countering Russian aggression in Ukraine and eastern Europe.

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen revealed the plan for a Spearhead force after discussions with members in Newport.

Ukraine was a dominant topic on the final day of the Nato summit

"This decision sends a clear message: Nato protects all allies at all times," he said.

"And it sends a clear message to any potential aggressor: should you even think of attacking one ally, you will be facing the whole alliance."

Western leaders accuse Russia of sending thousands of troops into the east of Ukraine - prompting fears of future incursions into other eastern European countries.

Mr Rasmussen said the Spearhead force would establish a "command-and-control" presence in the east of allied territories ready to deploy air, sea and special forces in the event of aggression.

He told Sky News Tonight: "We have decided to improve our ability to act swiftly. The force could be deployed within very few days if needed.

"The intention is to strengthen the defence of our allies."

Mr Rasmussen said alliance countries would contribute troops on a rotational basis to the high-readiness force.

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Woman Found Beheaded In Back Garden Named

A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after an 82-year-old woman was beheaded in broad daylight in a suburban back garden.

Palmira Silva, a widow believed to be of Italian descent, was found at an address in Edmonton, north London just after 1pm after police received reports of a man with a knife in Nightingale Road.

Other potential victims escaped in what appears to be a random attack, Sky sources say.

Police and ambulance crews are at the scene. Pic: redbutdred

Police say they do not believe there is a terrorist motive but have not confirmed if Ms Silva, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was beheaded.

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "They haven't confirmed that the woman has been beheaded, refusing at this stage to discuss the injuries she's suffered.

"But we are on very good sources reporting the fact that the woman was found decapitated and police are certainly not telling us that we're wrong in doing that."

Police officers at the scene of the stabbing

Witnesses reported seeing a man running around the area as police arrived and he was seen attacking a car.

The first report police received said a man was attacking an animal, a cat or a dog.

One local resident, who did not want to be named, described seeing a man brandishing a machete and shouting about cats.

Sky sources say it was a random attack

The Metropolitan Police said the suspect was cornered in a house by officers after moving through a number of back gardens.

Metropolitan Police Commander Simon Letchford said: "Officers who attended the scene have evacuated a number of those people from those premises to make them safe.

"During that period they distracted the man from carrying out any further attacks."

Witnesses reported seeing a man running around the area

An attempted attack on two people at another address in Nightingale Road is also being investigated. Police say they believe they were able to get out of the house without being injured.

One witness has told Sky News a man was "fighting" with police.

The suspect was detained by firearms officers and taser stun guns were fired.

It is not known what weapon was used

One officer was injured during the arrest and is believed to have suffered a broken wrist.

The man was injured in the arrest and is being treated in hospital, where he is under guard.

Police will then determine whether he can be interviewed.

A police officer was injured as the man was arrested

A weapon has been recovered but police have not revealed what it was.

Detective Chief Inspector John Sandlin, who is leading the investigation, described it as a "a highly visible attack in broad daylight".

He said: "I can understand why this may cause people concern, however we are confident that we are not looking for anyone else at this stage."

Police described the incident as a "highly visible attack"

Residents are still waiting to be allowed back into their homes and the road remains cordoned off as forensic officers continue their work.

Ms Silva's next of kin have been informed.

A neighbour who knew her said she was "such a sweet lady" who went to work every day in a nearby cafe.

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Nato Leaders Ready Tough New Russia Sanctions

PM: We Should Not Pay Ransoms For Hostages

Updated: 11:27pm UK, Thursday 04 September 2014

David Cameron has urged Nato leaders not to pay ransoms for their countrymen held by terrorists, saying it will only lead to more violence.

He delivered the warning after stating Britain will not pay for the release of the British hostage facing death at the hands of Islamic State extremists (IS).

In a dinner speech at the Nato summit in Wales, Mr Cameron reminded fellow leaders of commitments made at last year's G8 summit in Northern Ireland not to make ransom payments to terror groups.

Speaking ahead of the dinner, Mr Cameron described such payments as "deeply regrettable", adding they were "utterly self-defeating".

He told Sky News the situation of British aid worker David Cawthorne Haines was "desperately difficult", but it would not be right to buy his freedom.

Nonetheless he said he would do everything possible to get him back home safely and was personally overseeing efforts to achieve this.

Two US journalists have already been murdered by IS, who are now threatening to take Mr Haines' life.

Mr Cameron said: "It's a desperately difficult situation, (but) we don't pay ransoms to terrorists when they kidnap our citizens.

"From the intelligence and other information I have seen, there is no doubt this money helps to fuel the crisis that we see in Iraq and Syria."

Mr Cameron told the two-day summit Britain would use "everything we have in our armoury" to defeat IS and put it out of existence.

He did not rule out joining the US in air strikes and even left the door open to attacking IS in Syria without the approval of President Bashar Assad.

However, he appeared to indicate such action was some way off, stressing his immediate priority was to offer support to legitimate regional forces already confronting IS on the ground.

Foremost among these are the Iraqi government in Baghdad and the Kurdish authorities in the north of the country.

"I think sometimes people think that there is no strategy unless it simply consists of air strikes," said Mr Cameron.

"That is not the case. What it needs is a fully-formed strategy to squeeze this from every angle. That is what you are getting from this conference."

The crisis in Iraq and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine have topped the agenda at the summit, which has seen protests by hundreds of anti-war campaigners.

Nato is under pressure to harden its response to Russian incursions into Ukraine, even more so after reports the EU will announce a new package of sanctions against Moscow on Friday.

It comes after Mr Cameron, US president Barack Obama and other senior Nato leaders held talks with Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko at the summit.

The 28 Nato members are also expected to finalise plans for a new Rapid Reaction Force that will number around 4,000 troops, on notice to deploy within 48 hours.

Logistic and planning teams will be stationed in Poland and the Baltic States along with key equipment to speed up any deployment.

Nato Secretary General Anders Rasmussen said: "We are still witnessing Russian involvement in destabilising the situation in eastern Ukraine."

He urged Moscow to draw back its forces from the Ukrainian border and withdraw support from the separatist rebels.

Ahead of the summit, Mr Obama and Mr Cameron visited a local primary school.

Mr Obama greeted the pupils in Welsh saying "bore da" - which means "good morning" - and then listened to a welcome message, thanking him for being the first serving US president to visit Wales.

The Nato summit is the first to be held in the UK since the collapse of the Soviet Union - the last time the alliance met in Britain was in London in 1990.

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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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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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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

The White House is investigating a video which purports to show the beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff by an Islamic State militant, who warns 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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Chinese War On Terror May Breed Extremists

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent in Xinjiang Province, China

Sky News has obtained rare access to China's Xinjiang Province to investigate reports Muslims are being targeted and oppressed by the government.

China's leaders say foreign Islamist extremists, perhaps with links to IS and al Qaeda, are infiltrating its population, responsible for growing unrest in the region.

Since December, a series of bloody bomb and knife attacks have killed more than a hundred people across China.

There are reports of authorities targeting and oppressing Muslims

Urumqi, a city on the old Silk Road with a population of three million, is the provincial capital and a place on edge right now.

Soldiers stand guard outside the city's great mosque. Armoured police vehicles are parked in the shadows.

Oil and gas rich, the far-western province of Xinjiang is home to the Uighur people, China's Muslim minority. The province was once almost all theirs.

These days, they share it with the Han Chinese, the country's dominant ethnic group; the people who would be globally recognisable as Chinese.

In recent years, relations between the Uighurs and the Han have become increasingly difficult.

Xinjiang is home to the Uighur people, China's Muslim minority

Ancient Uighur homes have been destroyed. Uighur culture has been diluted and their freedom to practise Islam has been restricted.

In May, two 4x4 vehicles drove up a busy market street in a Han Chinese district of Urumqi. It was early morning and Gongyuan Street was crowded with shoppers.

Explosives were thrown from the vehicles as they passed up the street. Forty-three died and more than 90 were injured.

Today, the same street is almost deserted. We meet a Mr Sun, a retired Han Chinese teacher.

He saw it all happen and we ask him who did it. "Minorities," he says. He leans forward and whispers: "Muslims."

The Uighur heartland lies under 200 miles from Afghanistan and Pakistan

Our taxi driver, also Han Chinese, goes further. Echoing the government line, he says the attack was the work of religious fanatics infiltrating the south.

"From Kashgar," he says. "It's only those who are uncultured who cause problems.

"People who were not educated, who live in the south. They are brainwashed by terrorists."

The Chinese government says it is facing an unprecedented threat from Islamist extremism.

They say foreign extremists are infiltrating the Uighur population and radicalising them.

Ancient Uighur homes have been destroyed... ...and replaced by tower blocks

However, Uighurs in exile, human rights organisations and the US government doubt that Islamist extremism is to blame.

They believe the Communist Party is blaming external forces as a way of dealing with internal unrest.

The tactics used to counter the violence are exacerbating the problem, they say.

Kashgar is further west from Urumqi; closer to Baghdad than it is to Beijing.

It is the Uighur heartland and lies just under 200 miles from the Afghan and Pakistani borders.

10 million Uighurs live in China's far-western Xinjiang Province

At the city's centre, the Id Kah mosque is the country's largest. In July, the Imam was murdered here; stabbed and clubbed to death.

"He deserved to die," a Uighur shopkeeper tells me quietly. He does not want to be identified. All Uighurs fear government reprisals if caught talking to foreigners.

The shopkeeper tells me that the Imam was a stooge of the Chinese government and condoning a series of restrictions for Uighurs in the region.

The restrictions are spelt out on a sign in a neighbouring street. With pictures, it states that beards are banned for young men and veils are banned for women.

Other policies include preventing Muslims from fasting at Ramadan.

"You understand what this sign means?" a young Uighur man says. "There's no freedom for us here."

The message was the same from the Uighur men. If you pressure and restrict people, they will fight back.

There are signs all around that this Chinese "war on terror" is intensifying. As it does, the resentment will only increase.

If religious extremists are among the Uighur population, and we saw no evidence of it, their efforts to recruit and to rally will only be made easier.

For the Chinese government, Islamist extremism could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

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Rare Visit To Town At Centre Of Massacre Claims

Avoiding The Chinese Authorities

Updated: 1:55am UK, Tuesday 02 September 2014

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent in Xinjiang Province, China

Reporting anything sensitive in China requires planning, a bit of stealth and some luck thrown in too.

China's far western province of Xinjiang is one of those areas (like Tibet and Tiananmen Square) where the country's Communist government is particularly sensitive.

Foreign journalists are not banned from visiting Xinjiang, it's just that we can't report freely when we get there.

The Chinese government is obsessed with controlling the message. Its state-run media is the perfect tool, loyally conveying the government-endorsed line.

And so the idea of foreign journalists wandering around in a region which China considers to be the frontline in its "war on terror" is not something they are willing to allow.

They do not want scrutiny of the tactics they deploy to deal with those they believe to be Islamist extremists.

The team at Sky's bureau in Beijing had tried for months to get permission for a fully sanctioned trip to the region.

The Chinese government has pumped huge investment into the resource-rich province. They claim to have transformed the lives of millions - both indigenous Uighur Muslims and the Han Chinese who have moved here over the past few decades.

We wanted to see that investment: the new high-speed rail line, the new hospitals, schools, universities.

We also wanted to examine the suggestions that the Chinese government is eroding the culture and religion of the Uighurs, perhaps fuelling unrest.

Our trip was initially given a tentative green light. But then, a week before we were due to travel, they U-turned: the trip was off.

No explanation was given. We decided to come anyway.

Colleagues of mine from other media organisations have been here recently. Most have been detained and some have had their images and video deleted.

So it's necessary to stay one step ahead of the authorities. Flights are booked at the last minute, different hotels night to night, check in late, check out early. We use small tourist-style cameras.

I'll admit, it's easy to get overly paranoid. Do the authorities really care that much about what we're doing? It turns out they do.

In Kashgar we tried to check into one hotel but were turned away. The staff noticed our journalist visas in our passports.

"You can't stay here," the receptionist said. "You must stay in the hotel down the road: it's the hotel for journalists."

After a few days of moving every day, complacency set in: we stayed two nights in the same place. It was a mistake.

On the second day, we had a call. "This is reception. The Kashgar police are downstairs to see you. Please come down."

We had a chat with two men. What were we reporting on? Did we have permission?

We showed them the paperwork for our original pitch for the rejected trip. It seemed to work.

The police took photos of us and then left, but not before admitting that they'd been trying to track us down for three days.

A constant worry is the prospect of having our footage deleted or destroyed. In 2012, a German TV crew was on an assignment in another part of China.

They left their hotel room for dinner. When they returned, the reporter's tablet computer and smartphone had been dunked in water. They were still wet and their contents destroyed.

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Ashya's Grandmother: Police Action 'Disgraceful'

The grandmother of Ashya King whose parents took him out of hospital without medical consent has condemned police for arresting the couple.

Patricia King told Sky News that Brett, 51, and Naghemeh, 45, are "brilliant parents, both of them", adding: "My daughter-in-law hasn't left the hospital since he was admitted there."

The pair, from Portsmouth, were arrested in Spain after taking Ashya out of hospital in Southampton to seek specialist cancer treatment abroad.

Mrs King said she is "so upset" to learn her son and daughter-in-law are facing court action, accused of neglect.

The pair were handcuffed and taken to a court in Velez-Malaga on Sunday night.

A judge will decide whether they are to be sent to a high court in Madrid on Monday for further legal proceedings.

Mrs King heavily criticised Hampshire Police for launching a Europe-wide search for them.

An international search was launched after Ashya was taken on Thursday

"I think they (the police) have been absolutely disgraceful … I have nothing but condemnation for them," she said.

Mrs King said her son took desperately-ill Ashya because the NHS said there was nothing more they could do for him.

She said he was selling his holiday home in Spain to pay for proton beam therapy, which she thought would cost £90,000.

"To be told that that's it, that you can't do any more for the child, of course Brett took alternative measures," she said.

"Other people have done it (sought proton beam therapy), so why have they gone after my son like this?

"They've made him out to be a criminal."

Brett King with his seriously-ill son Ashya

Officers in the Malaga area pulled over the family's car on Saturday night and found Ashya and his parents inside after a tip-off.

Sky News sources say British police have arrived in the area to question his parents, who face extradition to the UK.

Ashya, who had surgery for a brain tumour last week at Southampton General Hospital, is thought to be in a stable condition at the Materno-Infantil hospital in Malaga.

His six brothers and sisters are still thought to be in the southern Spanish city.

Earlier, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Shead, of Hampshire Police, defended his force's actions.

"Faced with the situation that we were, we had medical experts telling us Ashya was in grave danger ... if he didn't get the care that he needed there was a potential threat to his life," he said.

"So I make no apologies for being as proactive in this investigation as we have been."

He said it was too soon to say when Ashya would come back to the UK, but said Southampton General Hospital was liasing with doctors taking care of him in Spain.

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Terror Plans: More Details On Air Passengers

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

An aviation package under which the intelligence agencies will be able to access better passenger information from airlines is among those expected to be agreed by David Cameron and Nick Clegg.

Sky News has learned that the measure is one the Prime Minister is likely to put forward as part of a package of tougher anti-terror measures following late-night coalition talks.

Other plans include tougher measures to seize the passports of individuals, and increased de-radicalised efforts, including making the Prevent programme compulsory.

The teams were also negotiating about plans to temporarily ban British jihadis returning to this country.

They are also under pressure from Labour to return to control orders under which suspects are kept under virtual house arrest.

David Anderson, the independent reviewer of terrorism, has called for some powers of the control orders to be returned after criticism of the TPIM (Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures) system that replaced them.

In particular, the parties are discussing exclusion zones for suspects and controversial powers to relocate individuals two or three hours from their homes.

They had not come to an agreement on those areas yet.

The Lib Dems are keen to maintain civil liberties but the Government is under pressure to act after Britain's terror threat was raised to severe.

Mr Cameron promised tougher measures that he will lay out in a statement to the House of Commons later today.

A Government source told Sky News: "The Government is considering a range of measures to keep the country safe in the face of an increased threat level from Islamist extremism.

"The areas include making it harder for potential foreign fighters to travel abroad by making it easier to remove their passports through additional temporary seizure powers at the border.

"We are also looking at stopping British citizens from re-entering the country if they are suspected of terrorist activity abroad."

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ashya's Parents Held After Missing Boy Found

The parents of Ashya King, who was taken out of hospital against medical advice, have been arrested after being found with their son in Spain.

Police say officers in the Malaga area pulled over the family's car at 9pm UK time and found the five-year-old and his parents inside.

The boy from Portsmouth, who underwent "extensive surgery" during an operation on his brain tumour seven days ago, has been taken to hospital.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Shead of Hampshire Constabulary said his parents, Brett King, 51, and Naghemeh King, 45, were in custody after being arrested on a European arrest warrant.

"We don't have many details on Ashya's condition at this point in time but what we do know is that he was showing no visible signs of distress," he said.

An international search was launched after Ashya was taken on Thursday

"There are no winners in this situation. I've said all along that this must be a terribly distressing time for Ashya's family and I stand by that now."

He added that it was too soon to say when Ashya would come back to the UK but said Southampton General Hospital had been contacted so they can liaise with doctors taking care of him in Spain.

"Ashya's brothers and sisters were not in the vehicle," he said.

"We have located them. They're all okay, they're fine. They are actually in a hotel about 10 miles away."

He said a team of Hampshire police officers would now be travelling to Spain to continue the investigation.

It came as footage emerged on video-sharing website YouTube in which Ashya's father, a Jehovah's Witness, insists they had taken him from hospital to seek a cancer treatment not available on the NHS.

"We were much disturbed today to find that his face is all over the internet and newspapers and we've been labelled as kidnappers, putting his life at risk, neglect," he says.

"There's been a lot of talk about this machine. As you see, it's all plugged in. We've got loads of these feeds here, we've got iron supplements and we've got Calpol.

French media had picked up the story after Ashya was taken from hospital

"As you can see, there's nothing wrong with him. He's very happy actually, since we took him out of hospital. He's been smiling a lot more, he's been very much interacting with us.

"But I just wanted to say very quickly why we took him out of the hospital.

"The surgeon did a wonderful job on his head that took out the brain tumour, completely they reckon. But straight away afterwards he went into what's called posterior fossa syndrome, which means very limited moving or talking or doing anything."

He said he had spoken to specialists after Ashya's surgery and had requested proton beam treatment, which was not available on the NHS.

"Proton beam is so much better for children with brain cancer," he said.

"We pleaded with them for proton beam treatment. They looked at me straight in the face and said with his cancer - which is called medulloblastoma - it would have no benefit whatsoever.

"I went straight back to my room and looked it up and the American sites and French sites and Switzerland sites where they have proton beam said the opposite, it would be very beneficial for him."

Mr King also urged police to call off "this ridiculous chase".

"We're not neglecting our son, he's in perfectly good health," he said.

Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood transfusions on religious grounds but are open to other medical procedures.

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EU Gives Russia Ultimatum Over Ukraine Crisis

Russia could be facing a fresh wave of EU sanctions within a week after Russian tanks reportedly attacked a town near the Ukrainian border city of Luhansk.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said tanks had been used to "destroy virtually every house" in the town of Novosvitlivka.

There were now thousands of foreign troops and hundreds of foreign tanks inside Ukraine, he told a news conference in Brussels, where EU leaders met to discuss the crisis.

"There is a very high risk not only for peace and stability for Ukraine but for the whole peace and stability of Europe," he said.

After meeting his European counterparts, Mr Poroshenko warned that efforts to end violence with pro-Russian rebels were close to a "point of no return" and that failure could lead to "full-scale war".

European leaders have ordered officials to make urgent preparations for a toughening of measures, likely to target senior Kremlin figures as well as the defence, energy and financial sectors.

Satellite imagery reportedly shows Russian military vehicles inside Ukraine

Prime Minister David Cameron said the EU summit in Brussels had taken "important steps" and the European Commission would present firm proposals for tougher sanctions within a week.

"It is totally unacceptable that there are Russian soldiers on Ukrainian soil. We have now set out a timetable for further sanctions that could be ... significant steps," Mr Cameron said.

"It's a deeply serious situation and we have to show real resolve, real resilience in demonstrating to Russia that if she carries on in this way the relationship we have between Europe and Russia, Britain and Russia, America and Russia will be radically different in the future."

Outgoing EU Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso insisted it was not too late to find a political solution, but he added: "We are in a very serious, I would say, dramatic situation ... where we can reach the point of no return.

"If the escalation of the conflict continues, this point can come."

He added: "Russia should not underestimate the European Union's will and resolve to stand by its principles and values."

This image shows trucks and armoured vehicles near the Russia border

Meanwhile, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite called for a stepped up arms embargo on Russia.

She said: "It is the fact that Russia is in a war state against Ukraine. That means it is in a state of war against a country which would like to be closely integrated with the EU.

"Practically Russia is in a state of war against Europe."

Nato released images apparently showing Russian forces on the ground in eastern Ukraine.

Government sources said separatists are believed to have heavy weaponry supplied by President Vladimir Putin.

Included in the weaponry are 100 tanks and artillery pieces, anti-tank weapons and shoulder-mounted missile launchers, the sources said.

Russia has repeatedly dismissed accusations it has sent soldiers or equipment across the border.

President Barack Obama has said the satellite pictures made it "plain" that Russia had "deliberately and repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine".

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