Henning Murder: How Will The Govt Respond?

By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent

The words spoken by the masked man were sickening: "The blood of David Haines was on your hands, Cameron. Alan Henning will also be slaughtered, but his blood is on the hands of the British parliament."

Alan Henning was a taxi driver who was inspired to travel hundreds of miles in an aid convoy to try to help the suffering of people in Syria.

His death is both horrific and senseless.

The terrorist in the slickly produced video was quick to link the murder to British foreign policy in Iraq.

The question now for the Government is how to react.

Video: Islamic State: Audio Of Threat

I've spoken to a source close to the Prime Minister who insists there will be "no change of policy", and the killing will only "strengthen our resolve" to take military action against Islamic State militants.

The feeling of a renewed resolve is also apparent among MPs, many of whom took to Twitter to express their anger.

While it seems clear that UK airstrikes in Iraq will continue, it is unclear whether there will be increased pressure to extend them into Syria.

Video: IS Hostage Alan Henning Beheaded

There are some MPs who feel that if Britain wants to get fully involved in the campaign against IS, its strongholds in Syria also need to be targeted. This is not, after all, an organisation that respects countries' borders.

Either way, as the Defence Secretary has already warned, this is a conflict that could take years to resolve.

There is another aspect to the murders that is impossible to ignore: the man who styles himself as the killer in the videos speaks with a distinctly British accent.

Video: Alan Henning 'Was Clearly Innocent'

Hundreds of British nationals have travelled to Syria and Iraq in order to fight.

The Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister talk about eradicating the terrorist threat of IS.

If they are serious about eliminating the extremists, they may have to look at home as well as abroad.

Video: Terry Waite: Beheading 'Tragic'

Video: Family Appeals 'Were Last Resort'

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alan Henning Beheaded In Islamic State Video

British aid convoy volunteer Alan Henning has been beheaded by an Islamic State militant in a video posted on the internet.

Mr Henning is seen kneeling in front of a knife-wielding militant in a desert setting before being beheaded in front of the camera.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the murder was "brutal" and revealed "just how barbaric and repulsive these terrorists are".

Mr Henning, a 47-year-old former taxi driver, was captured by militants last December while delivering aid in Syria.

Video: IS Hostage Alan Henning Beheaded

Since then family, friends and colleagues have made repeated calls for him to be released.

However, a video. lasting for one minute and 11 seconds and titled "Another Message To America and Its Allies", was posted on YouTube on Friday evening.

It shows Mr Henning, originally from Eccles in Greater Manchester, kneeling down in front of a man with a knife.

Video: Islamic State: Audio Of Threat

The masked killer, who speaks with a British accent and is believed to be the man responsible for previous beheadings, makes a direct statement to Mr Cameron: "The blood of David Haines was on your hands, Cameron. Alan Henning will also be slaughtered, but his blood is on the hands of the British Parliament."

At the end of the video another hostage - a former US soldier - is paraded in front of the cameras.

The hostage is believed to be Peter Edward Kassig who had returned to the region as a charity worker, after serving in Iraq in 2007.

Video: Terry Waite: Beheading 'Tragic'

The militant in the video says Mr Kassig will be the next victim. 

Mr Cameron said: "The brutal murder of Alan Henning by ISIL shows just how barbaric and repulsive these terrorists are.

"My thoughts and prayers tonight are with Alan's wife Barbara, their children and all those who loved him.

Video: Family Appeals 'Were Last Resort'

"Alan had gone to Syria to help get aid to people of all faiths in their hour of need.

"The fact that he was taken hostage when trying to help others and now murdered demonstrates that there are no limits to the depravity of these ISIL terrorists.

"We will do all we can to hunt down these murderers and bring them to justice."

Video: Alan Henning 'Was Clearly Innocent'

US President Barack Obama condemned the "brutal" murder, saying the United States would bring those responsible to justice.

"Standing together with a broad coalition of allies and partners, we will continue taking decisive action to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL," he said in a statement.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg wrote on Twitter: "Barbaric actions of ISIL are held in complete contempt. We are resolved to defeat this evil."

Video: 'IS Call To Send Ground Troops'

British Muslims also joined condemnation of the murder as a "despicable and offensive act" which showed IS had "no regard for Islam".

Dr Shuja Shafi, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "Alan was a friend of Muslims, and he will be mourned by Muslims.

"Alan Henning's murderers have clearly gone against that spirit of Islam. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family."

1/6

1. Gallery: Profile: Alan Henning

   Alan Henning, 47, was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. Friends gave him the nickname "gadget" due to his love of technology

2. He was married for 23 years and he had a teenage son and daughter

3. He worked as a self-employed taxi driver

4. Mr Henning saw the plight of Syrian people and volunteered with a Muslim charity. He had been to the region at least three times

5. He drove life-saving medical equipment from the UK to Syria in old ambulances. He left in December 2013 to make the 4,000-mile trip

6. He was kidnapped by IS in Syria by masked men. He may have been held in Ad Dana near Aleppo, then Raqqa

Mr Henning was previously seen at the end of a video released last month following the beheading of fellow British captive David Haines.

Mr Haines' brother, Mike, wrote on Facebook last night: "Tonight saw the death of Alan Henning at the hands of ISIL. Alan like David had a proven history of humanitarian work. Our hearts and prayers go to his family, our love too."

Meanwhile, another video has emerged purportedly showing a wounded Islamic State fighter with a British accent.

Video: Wife Pleaded For Henning's Release

In the video the fighter taunts Mr Cameron and other coalition leaders to send troops on the ground rather than "bomb us from the skies".

The footage has not been authenticated, and it is not clear when or where it was filmed.

:: Full coverage now on Sky News – watch Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 132.

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Murdered Bride's Parents Plead For Justice

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent

The parents of murdered bride Anni Dewani say they hope to hear the truth from her husband Shrien at his murder trial next week.

They insist their long fight for justice has left them unable to grieve for their daughter who was kidnapped and shot dead on her honeymoon in South Africa four years ago.

Shrien Dewani, 34, is accused of hiring a hitman to murder his new bride.

The Bristol businessman denies faking a carjacking of their taxi and fleeing before Anni Dewani, 28, was driven off to her death.

Her father, Vinod Hindocha, 65, told Sky News: "We really hope we get to know what happened to Anni. That's all we are asking for.

Video: Anni Dewani's Bedroom Now A Shrine

"Shrien, tell us the truth, tell us what's happened. You were there.

"Anni had no right to die the way she did. This is not acceptable, the way she left us."

This week the Hindocha family were packing their suitcases at their home in Mariestad, Sweden, for the 6,000-mile journey to Cape Town, where the trial is due to start on Monday.

Anni's mother, Nilam, 62, said: "I hope we get justice. And I would love to hear what Shrien has to say.

Video: Sister's Shock Over Anni's Death

"They say time will heal the wounds, but they get deeper and deeper. Let's hope we get justice and we can move ahead with our lives."

Shrien Dewani was extradited to South Africa in April after fighting extradition for three years.

He had claimed he was mentally unfit to stand trial, but psychiatrists eventually agreed he was well enough to be treated in a Cape Town clinic, where more doctors said he was ready for the court case.

Dewani denies murder, arguing that he loved his wife and had no motive to have her killed.

Video: 'I Told Anni It Was Wedding Stress'

The prosecution is expected to suggest he is gay and wanted to escape his marriage.

Anni's elder sister, Ami, 37, revealed: "Three weeks before the wedding Anni actually threw the ring back at Shrien.

"She called me and said a lot of things, like it wasn't working well.

"I thought she was just stressed out and told her she would get over it.

Video: Sky's Martin Brunt On Dewani Case

"Looking back, I should have told her to break it off. If I had, maybe she would be alive today. It still haunts me."

Three local men have already been jailed for Anni's murder.

One of them, taxi driver Zola Tongo, told police Dewani offered him £1,300 to arrange for her to be killed.

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PM At Cyprus Base As More Jets Join IS Fight

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Britain will expand its military contribution to the fight against Islamic State, the Prime Minister has announced.

David Cameron has authorised two more RAF Tornado GR4 jets to join the six already stationed at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

He made the announcement on a surprise visit to the Cypriot station to meet and thank the air crews who have been flying combat missions over Iraq.

"Less than a week into combat operations in Iraq, I wanted to come here to thank our troops for the vital work they're doing to defeat these barbaric ISIL terrorists who threaten security not just in Iraq, Syria and the region but on the streets of Britain too," the Prime Minister said.

Three hundred troops in all are working out of Akrotiri as part of the mission, code-named Operation Shader.

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1. Gallery: The Moment RAF Jet Attacks IS Truck

   The RAF carried out its first airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq on 1 October, 2014 (All pictures: MoD)

2. Tornados destroyed a heavy weapon position, which was attacking Kurdish forces, and an armed pick-up truck (pictured). The red circle shows the path of the missile fired at the vehicle

3. The strikes were the first since MPs voted to support aerial raids in Iraq last Friday

4. The targets were in the northwest of Iraq

5. The moment the truck, which had a mounted machine gun, was destroyed by a Brimstone missile

6. A plume of smoke rose above the area

7. The strike was successful, according to an initial assessment, said Defence Secretary Michael Fallon

8. The Tornados safely returned to their base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus after the sortie

9. Six of the GR4 fighter jets are based on the island in the Mediterranean

10. The aircraft began their combat missions on Saturday

The Tornados, working in pairs, have been flying sorties twice daily, mainly over northwest Iraq in support of the Kurdish Peshmerga but also closer to Baghdad to assist the Iraqi Army.

They have carried out strikes against IS targets on four missions, destroying vehicles, command and control positions and machine gun posts.

A Voyager refuelling aircraft is also flying out of RAF Akrotiri in support of these missions.

It's understood the two added aircraft won't lead to an increase in tempo.

"Obviously, these operations are just one element of our strategy. We are also working hard to deliver a training package for Iraqi forces with advisers in Iraq now to assess their needs," the Prime Minister said.

Video: Tornado Returns From Strike Mission

"But today is really about thanking our brave airmen and women. We should never forget the sacrifices they make and the risks they take to make Britain a safer home for all of us and our families."

The Prime Minister also announced that the life of 2 Squadron will be extended for a further year.

The squadron, one of only three remaining Tornado squadrons, was due to be stood down next April.

The Tornado, almost 40 years old, remains the only out-and-out ground attack aircraft in the British military until the introduction of the multi-role F35 Joint Strike Fighter later in the decade.

The Tornado's value has been proven in Afghanistan, Libya and now Iraq.

Video: Tornado Refuelled In Iraq Mission

Meanwhile, Turkey's parliament has authorised its own military action against IS fighters near its borders.

The order allows incursions into Syria and Iraq to counter the threat "from all terrorist groups" and also means NATO powers could use the country as a base for airstrikes.

However, there is little sign so far that any military action by Turkey is imminent.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alice Gross Police Find Body In River Brent

Police searching for missing teenager Alice Gross have found a body in the River Brent in west London, Scotland Yard has said.

The body has been removed from the scene and the 14-year-old's family are aware of the development.

Scotland Yard said Commander Graham McNulty will make a statement on Wednesday morning.

"Formal identification awaits and a post-mortem examination will be scheduled in due course," a Scotland Yard statement said.

"We ask the media give Alice's family and friends the privacy they require at this difficult time."

Video: Alice's Movements Reconstructed

More than 300 officers have been involved in the hunt for Alice, who failed to return to her home in Hanwell, west London, on 28 August.

She was last seen on CCTV walking along the towpath of the Grand Union Canal towards Hanwell at 4.26pm that day.

A stretch of canal was searched in the hope of finding possessions such as her iPhone - but no new leads were discovered.

Later the RAF was drafted in to help identify new search areas.

On Saturday, officers revealed that footage from 300 CCTV cameras within a six-square-mile radius was being analysed.

Video: Missing Girl's Parents' Anguish

Police received 150 phone calls after staging a reconstruction of the teenager's last-known movements.

On Monday, the operation moved to the National Trust-owned Osterley Park, in west London.

Alice's mother, Rosalind Hodgkiss, said last week: "This has obviously been a very distressing time for the whole family and every morning as Alice's disappearance grows longer and longer brings new agony, new anguish.

"We're coping as best we can and we're trying to keep hopeful.

"We've had a lot of support from the community, our family and friends, the Facebook page and the police, and we're making an appeal today to Alice, if she can hear us, that we want her to come home, that we miss her and love her."

Video: Latvia Asked For Help Over Alice

Convicted murderer Arnis Zalkalns, who was filmed cycling along the same route behind Alice, has emerged as the prime suspect in the case.

The Latvian builder was reported missing within days of her disappearance, but police stress he is just "one line of enquiry".

Zalkalns worked at a building site in Isleworth, west London, and is thought to have come to the UK in 2007.

Authorities have been criticised for apparently holding no record of his conviction for bludgeoning and stabbing his wife Rudite to death in Latvia.

He is described as white, 5ft 10in and stocky, with dark brown hair that he normally wears tied in a ponytail.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Video Shows RAF Airstrike On IS In Iraq

Footage has been released of the moment an RAF Tornado destroyed an Islamic State truck in the first round of British airstrikes against militants in Iraq.

Two fighter jets carried out the aerial raids in support of Kurdish troops who were being attacked by IS insurgents in the northwest of the country.

The Tornados hit a heavy weapons post that was endangering Kurdish forces and also struck an armed pick-up truck in the same area, said Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.

It was the seventh combat mission for the RAF since the GR4 jets took to the skies on Saturday after the UK Parliament gave the green light for aerial attacks over Iraq a day earlier.

A Paveway IV guided bomb was used to attack the IS post.

1/10

1. Gallery: The Moment RAF Jet Attacks IS Truck

   The RAF has carried out its first airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq. (All pictures: MoD)

2. Tornados destroyed a heavy weapon position, which was attacking Kurdish forces, and an armed pick-up truck (pictured). The red circle shows the path of the missile fired at the vehicle

3. The strikes were the first since MPs voted to support aerial raids in Iraq last Friday

4. The targets were in the northwest of Iraq

5. The moment the truck, which had a mounted machine gun, was destroyed by a Brimstone missile

6. A plume of smoke rose above the area

7. The strike was "successful", according to an initial assessment, said Defence Secretary Michael Fallon

8. The Tornados safely returned to their base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, after the sortie

9. Six of the GR4 fighter jets are based on the island in the Mediterranean

10. The aircraft began their combat missions on Saturday

The Tornados then identified the truck which had a mounted machine gun and the vehicle was destroyed using a Brimstone missile. Footage of the strike was released by the Ministry of Defence.

Mr Fallon said both aerial attacks against IS, also known as ISIS and ISIL, were "successful" according to an initial assessment.

The planes then returned safely to base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, where there are six Tornados.

Video: Tornado Returns From Strike Mission

The UK is supporting Iraqi and Kurdish forces who are battling Sunni Muslim extremists from the militant group which has taken over large parts of Iraq in recent months.

IS has also seized swathes of Syria. The vote in Parliament on Friday did not include authorising airstrikes over that country.

Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said Kurdish peshmerga fighters had called in the strikes which were thought to have taken place around 1pm.

Video: IS Threat: Baghdad 'Crisis Point'

Sky's Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay said he believed the raids happened in the Iraqi town of Rabia on the border with Syria.

He said the strikes were at the time that the peshmerga were taking the area back.

"It's a very significant town. It's where IS have been moving supplies to their people. There's trade, there's oil," he said.

Video: FSA: No Contact With US On Strikes

"I think it's likely it was there because there was a fight taking place which means the RAF were able to identify targets. They were called in by the peshmerga and they were able to destroy them (IS targets)."

The Ministry of Defence said: "Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 aircraft have been in action over Iraq as part of the international coalition's operations to support the democratic Iraqi government in the fight against ISIL.

"In the course of an armed reconnaissance mission from RAF Akrotiri, two Tornados were tasked to assist Kurdish troops in northwest Iraq who were under attack from ISIL terrorists.

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1. Gallery: RAF Tornados Pictured In Mission Over Iraq

   RAF Tornado GR4s were pictured over Iraq as they began their armed combat mission in support of Operation Shader

2. The images were taken as the Tornados were being refuelled in mid-air by a RAF Voyager aircraft

3. The Ministry of Defence says the Tornados are now flying daily over northern Iraq

4. They are supporting the US military in its efforts to target Islamic State militants

5. The RAF carried out two sorties over Iraq on Saturday

6. In both missions the fighter bombers did not use their weapons

7. But the Ministry of Defence said "invaluable intelligence" had been gathered using the planes' surveillance equipment

8. Click on to see more photos of the Tornados in action...

"On arriving overhead, the RAF patrol, using their Litening III targeting pod, identified an ISIL heavy weapon position which was engaging Kurdish ground forces.

"One Paveway IV guided bomb was used to attack the ISIL position. Following this engagement, the patrol identified an ISIL armed pick-up truck in the same area and conducted an attack on the vehicle using a Brimstone missile.

"An initial assessment indicates that both precision strikes were successful."

1/10

1. Gallery: Tornado Jets 'Uniquely Equipped'

   The Tornado GR4 is 'uniquely equipped to carry some of the most potent weapons systems of their type in the world', defence analyst Professor Chris Bellamy told Sky News. Picture: Ministry of Defence

2. Among the weapons it can carry is the Brimstone anti-tank and anti-vehicle missile, and according to Prof Bellamy, this the benefit of allowing pilots to fire the missile off to one side

3. This image, released by the MoD, shows Tornados on the ground in Cyprus before their first combat mission over Iraq

4. The ground attack aircraft flies at up to Mach 2.2 - 1,400mph. Pic: MoD

5. The Tornado, which is an all-weather fighter, first took part in RAF operations in 1982 and went through a major upgrade from 1998-2003. Pic: MoD

6. A Tornado can also carry the Paveway IV laser guided bomb and Storm Shadow missile - which Prof Bellamy referred to as a 'bunker buster' that can be guided to its target. Click through for more pictures of the aircraft from the MoD

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Choose Slogans: Osborne's Trainspotting Speech

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

George Osborne invited voters to choose a number of things during his conference speech, Anushka Asthana takes a look.

It was all a bit Trainspotting when the Chancellor rounded off with a list of things to choose, including the Tories and David Cameron. Here's what you can choose from Mr Osborne's Speech.

:: Choose the Future

Did Mr Osborne get his inspiration from Mark Renton?

The Chancellor sought to present Labour as the party of a past mired in economic incompetence, high risk in the banking sector and ruin. He even named the downturn that started in 2007 as "Labour's Great Recession" - one for the history books.

It's a pretty smart move: they made it bad, we are making it better, it's not yet, but the future will be great… unless you vote Labour back in. Basically the "long-term plan is working".

To sum-up he chose the phrase "choose the future" - on the end of a big list of things for voters to choose from, which totally made him sound like Renton from Trainspotting, you know, the one played by Ewan McGregor, who says: "Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family..."

:: Choose Pensions

One for the older voter

Abolish the 55% "death tax" for pension pots. One for the elderly voter, who is demographically the most likely to switch to UKIP and does not want to leave their hard-earned pension savings to the tax man. However, don't forget it will also please those in their 30s and 40s, especially middle income earners who are feeling the pinch, hoping the inheritance might get them out of a hole and looking to the future for their children.

:: Choose Work

White Dee: Life is about to get tougher on Benefits Street

A two-year freeze on working age benefits. This is one that will chime with "working hard Britain" and those low to middle income earners who are struggling with the rising cost of living. Mr Osborne's words "families out of work should not get more than the average family in work" will chime with a number of voters whose wages have failed to keep pace with inflation.

It will present a £3bn saving but the Chancellor has warned there are £9bn more of welfare cuts on their way and the sobriquet "the nasty party" is never far away.

:: Choose Together

'Really we are all in this together'

"We're all in this together." This phrase has been parked for a bit but he's brought it back. There's a new slant on it, mind. This time the "togetherness" of us is what has helped us turn corners make a recovery and get Britain back on track. As a nation "together" we fought back and dragged ourselves off the floor, etc.

The "together" was all Ed Miliband could talk about last week, but if the swing to UKIP tells politicians anything it's that voters are not feeling the "together".

Nigel Farage is on to something when he talks about voters disillusioned with a ruling political elite for whom hardship does not mean defaulting on the mortgage payment, losing your job/family/mental health.

:: Choose to Mention The Deficit

Hush. Not another word about the deficit

It was an open goal. Not to score would have been a shocker. In fairness, he did it well. "Ed Miliband made a pitch for office that was so forgettable he forgot it himself." Ho, ho. It was the only humour in an otherwise patrician speech.

The Tories are putting the economy at the centre of their election battle, that much is clear. Mr Miliband has offered it on a plate by entirely omitting the deficit from his speech.

:: Choose the NHS

It's my NHS, no it's my NHS

"The real party of the NHS is in this hall today." Both Labour and the Conservatives appear to have adopted a "core voter strategy" - ie they are preaching to the converted. Labour is reinforcing its standing as the "party of the NHS", while the Conservatives are continuing to paint themselves as the party of business and the guardians of the economy.

So far so obvious but actually Mr Osborne made a valiant attempt to take the NHS on his own terms. His argument: no recovery, no robust economy; no money for the health service.

Labour would ruin the economy, therefore the NHS - and should not be trusted with either. A pretty robust comeback to Labour's claims last week.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Osborne: 'Raise The Ambition Of The Nation'

UKIP Defections: PM Did Too Little, Too Late

Updated: 10:09pm UK, Saturday 27 September 2014

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

During the 2010 election, I travelled to Rochester and Strood in Kent, where I met the Tory candidate Mark Reckless.

One thing that struck me as I watched him take to the doorsteps, was the number of constituents raising the issue of immigration.

One awkward incident involved an elderly man ranting about why he supported the far-right National Front. Mr Reckless backed off, embarrassed.

He certainly didn't share those extreme views. But it was clear then that he was a politician who was worried about immigration and angry about Europe.

I remember another conversation with Mr Reckless last year in the Commons.

Tory backbenchers were nervous about immigration, he told me. They felt David Cameron hadn't done enough, and the looming prospect of transitional controls lifted on Bulgarians and Romanians was of particular concern. 

Things could get tetchy in January 2015, he said.

Mr Cameron knew about these misgivings among his MPs and tried to act on them.

Late last year he unveiled a toughening up in the rhetoric on immigration – bringing in new rules to crack down on the access that new EU migrants would get to benefits. Then came the pledge of an EU referendum.

The hope was to appease the concerns of people like Mr Reckless, and you might have thought it was working.

After all, following the defection to UKIP of Douglas Carswell many asked the MP if he would be next. He insisted not.

When I texted Tracey Crouch, a neighbouring MP in Kent, about his decision to leave the Tories, she replied: "Nothing I can say right now would be becoming of a lady. I'm so angry. He looked me in the eye and promised he wasn't going to defect."

Others pointed out that he was openly supportive of the Conservatives as recently as yesterday.

Then he tweeted: "Good to lead coach for Team2015 campaigning in Birmingham Northfield on Sunday + will be followed by our Clacton action next Thursday."

That is why Tory sources say they are "surprised". Other MPs told me they felt "let down", "frustrated" and "fed up".

"Another battle when we should be fighting Labour," said one.

Others argued that although he had behaved irresponsibly, giving a leg-up to Ed Miliband, that a number of backbenchers were angry with the party's position on Europe.

They believe that Mr Cameron hasn't done enough to prove he can loosen Britain's ties to the EU. They want to see the issue addressed at his conference speech this week.

The problem for men like Mr Reckless is they don't share the Prime Minister's views on Europe.

Mr Cameron wants to reform the UK's relationship with the continent and then – ideally – campaign for us to stay IN.

And that is the sticking point with Mr Reckless.

The former Tory MP was clear today that he believes in an independent Britain, and wants to follow the Scotland Yes campaign with what he said was a positive, patriotic message for voters.

He wants OUT – and UKIP is the only party that is fully with him.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ex-IS Fighter: Airstrikes Won't Stop Militants

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent

For tens of thousands of Syrians, the Kilis border crossing is the official way in and out of Turkey from Syria.

But if you're an Islamic State fighter, Kilis is not an option.

Abu Mustafa (not his real name) is a Syrian people smuggler. He says he's helped hundreds of IS fighters get into Syria.

He's also brought militants - some of them injured - back out.

He took us to the spot where the smuggling happens, he says, several times a day and it didn't take long to see it in action.  

We waited on the side of the road barely 10 minutes before we saw a white car speed across the open field towards the border.

The Kilis border crossing is the official way into Syria from Turkey

The car stopped halfway there and six men got out each holding a big bag. The car sped off and the men headed towards the fence.

We couldn't tell if they were fighters or Syrians without passports, but they were illegally crossing into Syria.

Moments later, more people appeared at the border. It looked like a family including a woman and child.

This time the military police saw them and chased one man, possibly the smuggler, along the fence. 

And the reward for taking such a risk? Abu Mustafa charges just £15 per fighter.

He said: "Last time they caught three people there were seven in total trying to get across among them Turks and Arabs.

A people smuggler talks to Sky's Sherine Tadros

"But the three that got caught were foreigners. They spoke English and the police took them away.

"They often cross with their families - their wives and children. They tell us we're coming to fight with Islamic State and live there.

"Some of them don't even know where exactly they're going, they just say, we are going to the Islamic State."

It's a common story. Abu Ahmed fought with IS for 10 months in north-western Syria.

We met him in Turkey where he agreed to speak with us as long as we covered his face and changed his name.

He joined IS at the start because they were the most effective force fighting Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

A car speeds across an open field towards the Turkey-Syria border

But when they turned against the Free Syrian Army (FSA) he left the group.

He explained why so many foreign fighters join the group.

"They go to Syria to be martyred, they say their former lives are over and there is no going back. Most of them rip up and throw away their passports when they arrive."

Abu Ahmed also thinks US-led airstrikes against IS are backfiring, bringing extremist groups closer together.

"After the recent strikes, more fighters are joining IS - like the Nusra Front. I know some of them who have joined," he said.

Abu Ahmed doesn't have much hope for Syria's future, or his own.

He thinks the situation is out of hand and too many players have a vested interest in keeping the war going.

"What will happen next?" he said. "Only God knows."

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chancellor To Abolish 'Death Tax' On Pensions

UKIP Defections: PM Did Too Little, Too Late

Updated: 10:09pm UK, Saturday 27 September 2014

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

During the 2010 election, I travelled to Rochester and Strood in Kent, where I met the Tory candidate Mark Reckless.

One thing that struck me as I watched him take to the doorsteps, was the number of constituents raising the issue of immigration.

One awkward incident involved an elderly man ranting about why he supported the far-right National Front. Mr Reckless backed off, embarrassed.

He certainly didn't share those extreme views. But it was clear then that he was a politician who was worried about immigration and angry about Europe.

I remember another conversation with Mr Reckless last year in the Commons.

Tory backbenchers were nervous about immigration, he told me. They felt David Cameron hadn't done enough, and the looming prospect of transitional controls lifted on Bulgarians and Romanians was of particular concern. 

Things could get tetchy in January 2015, he said.

Mr Cameron knew about these misgivings among his MPs and tried to act on them.

Late last year he unveiled a toughening up in the rhetoric on immigration – bringing in new rules to crack down on the access that new EU migrants would get to benefits. Then came the pledge of an EU referendum.

The hope was to appease the concerns of people like Mr Reckless, and you might have thought it was working.

After all, following the defection to UKIP of Douglas Carswell many asked the MP if he would be next. He insisted not.

When I texted Tracey Crouch, a neighbouring MP in Kent, about his decision to leave the Tories, she replied: "Nothing I can say right now would be becoming of a lady. I'm so angry. He looked me in the eye and promised he wasn't going to defect."

Others pointed out that he was openly supportive of the Conservatives as recently as yesterday.

Then he tweeted: "Good to lead coach for Team2015 campaigning in Birmingham Northfield on Sunday + will be followed by our Clacton action next Thursday."

That is why Tory sources say they are "surprised". Other MPs told me they felt "let down", "frustrated" and "fed up".

"Another battle when we should be fighting Labour," said one.

Others argued that although he had behaved irresponsibly, giving a leg-up to Ed Miliband, that a number of backbenchers were angry with the party's position on Europe.

They believe that Mr Cameron hasn't done enough to prove he can loosen Britain's ties to the EU. They want to see the issue addressed at his conference speech this week.

The problem for men like Mr Reckless is they don't share the Prime Minister's views on Europe.

Mr Cameron wants to reform the UK's relationship with the continent and then – ideally – campaign for us to stay IN.

And that is the sticking point with Mr Reckless.

The former Tory MP was clear today that he believes in an independent Britain, and wants to follow the Scotland Yes campaign with what he said was a positive, patriotic message for voters.

He wants OUT – and UKIP is the only party that is fully with him.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Conservative MP Mark Reckless Defects To UKIP

UKIP Steps Up Bid To Build Four-Party Politics

Updated: 9:45am UK, Saturday 27 September 2014

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Nigel Farage and UKIP are attempting to step up from a party of protest to genuine contenders in four-party politics.

After the European elections in May, they could legitimately claim to have done that, having topped the poll with 27.5% of the vote.

It was the first time since the 1906 general election that any party other than Labour or the Conservatives had come top in a national poll.

Now UKIP is bidding to win its first seat in a parliamentary election, when Douglas Carswell attempts to hold his Clacton seat in a by-election on 9 October triggered by his shock defection from the Conservatives. UKIP is also challenging Labour in another by-election on the same day in Heywood & Middleton.

But while Mr Carswell stands a good chance of turning his 12,068 Tory majority in 2010 into a comfortable win for his new party in Clacton, realistically UKIP will win no more than a handful of seats at next year's general election.

The party had hoped its conference this weekend would be a springboard to victory in the two by-elections next month and then a major breakthrough in next year's general election.

But suddenly, Parliament has been recalled to debate going to war and, with no MPs, UKIP has no influence on that decision and its conference is in danger of looking like a sideshow.

It was all very different after the European elections, UKIP's 27.5% of the vote gave the party 23 MEPs. Labour was second with 25.4% and 18 MEPs and the Conservatives third with 23.94% and also 18 MEPs.

The Greens polled 7.87% with three MEPs, while the Liberal Democrats slumped to 6.87%, winning just one MEP. On that showing, it wasn't so much four-party politics as three, with UKIP replacing the Lib Dems as the third party.

But that was the European elections. Parliamentary by-elections are different and the general election different again. Making a breakthrough is harder, as UKIP has already found.

UKIP's task has been made harder by the fact that many of the 18 by-elections since the 2010 general election have been in fairly safe Labour seats. And while UKIP has come second in five, Labour has held them all comfortably, with one spectacular exception.

But in Bradford West, Labour's shock defeat wasn't at the hands of a flamboyant beer-drinking party leader, but an equally flamboyant teetotal firebrand, George Galloway, who stormed to victory by 10,000 votes.

UKIP came second in Barnsley Central, Middlesbrough, Rotherham, South Shields, and Wythenshaw & Sale East.

It came third in Corby and Croydon North, but fourth in Oldham East & Saddleworth, Leicester South, Feltham & Heston and Manchester Central and fifth in Bradford West and Cardiff South & Penarth.

By far UKIP's best result was in Eastleigh, where in the seat previously held by the disgraced Cabinet minister Chris Huhne, Mr Farage's party fell just 1,771 votes short of defeating the Lib Dems.

While UKIP's Diane James was a strong candidate, Mr Farage faced claims that if he had stood he might have won. Not so, he insisted.

In the most recent by-election, in Newark, a monumental Tory effort saw the Conservatives see off the UKIP threat with a comfortable majority of nearly 7,500.

Now the UKIP leader has opted to fight Thanet South, where the Tory majority is 7,617 and a one-term Tory MP, Laura Sandys, is standing down at the general election. Mr Farage is tipped to win. But how many seats will his party win in 2015?

That may depend on whether any more Conservative MPs follow Mr Carswell into the arms of UKIP. And that could depend on how well he does in his by-election next month. Another question: will Mr Carswell hold Clacton in the general election?

Provocatively, UKIP is holding its party conference at Doncaster racecourse, in Ed Miliband's constituency. Mr Farage claims his party takes votes off Labour and Conservatives in equal numbers.

But the evidence of the by-elections so far in this Parliament suggests UKIP will damage the Conservatives more in the general election, handing victory to Labour in some marginals and merely eating into Labour's majority in its safe seats.

The European elections may have given us four-party politics. But unless UKIP springs a surprise and wins more than a handful of seats at Westminster, we won't see four-party politics after the general election.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

UKIP Defections: PM Did Too Little, Too Late

UKIP Steps Up Bid To Build Four-Party Politics

Updated: 9:45am UK, Saturday 27 September 2014

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Nigel Farage and UKIP are attempting to step up from a party of protest to genuine contenders in four-party politics.

After the European elections in May, they could legitimately claim to have done that, having topped the poll with 27.5% of the vote.

It was the first time since the 1906 general election that any party other than Labour or the Conservatives had come top in a national poll.

Now UKIP is bidding to win its first seat in a parliamentary election, when Douglas Carswell attempts to hold his Clacton seat in a by-election on 9 October triggered by his shock defection from the Conservatives. UKIP is also challenging Labour in another by-election on the same day in Heywood & Middleton.

But while Mr Carswell stands a good chance of turning his 12,068 Tory majority in 2010 into a comfortable win for his new party in Clacton, realistically UKIP will win no more than a handful of seats at next year's general election.

The party had hoped its conference this weekend would be a springboard to victory in the two by-elections next month and then a major breakthrough in next year's general election.

But suddenly, Parliament has been recalled to debate going to war and, with no MPs, UKIP has no influence on that decision and its conference is in danger of looking like a sideshow.

It was all very different after the European elections, UKIP's 27.5% of the vote gave the party 23 MEPs. Labour was second with 25.4% and 18 MEPs and the Conservatives third with 23.94% and also 18 MEPs.

The Greens polled 7.87% with three MEPs, while the Liberal Democrats slumped to 6.87%, winning just one MEP. On that showing, it wasn't so much four-party politics as three, with UKIP replacing the Lib Dems as the third party.

But that was the European elections. Parliamentary by-elections are different and the general election different again. Making a breakthrough is harder, as UKIP has already found.

UKIP's task has been made harder by the fact that many of the 18 by-elections since the 2010 general election have been in fairly safe Labour seats. And while UKIP has come second in five, Labour has held them all comfortably, with one spectacular exception.

But in Bradford West, Labour's shock defeat wasn't at the hands of a flamboyant beer-drinking party leader, but an equally flamboyant teetotal firebrand, George Galloway, who stormed to victory by 10,000 votes.

UKIP came second in Barnsley Central, Middlesbrough, Rotherham, South Shields, and Wythenshaw & Sale East.

It came third in Corby and Croydon North, but fourth in Oldham East & Saddleworth, Leicester South, Feltham & Heston and Manchester Central and fifth in Bradford West and Cardiff South & Penarth.

By far UKIP's best result was in Eastleigh, where in the seat previously held by the disgraced Cabinet minister Chris Huhne, Mr Farage's party fell just 1,771 votes short of defeating the Lib Dems.

While UKIP's Diane James was a strong candidate, Mr Farage faced claims that if he had stood he might have won. Not so, he insisted.

In the most recent by-election, in Newark, a monumental Tory effort saw the Conservatives see off the UKIP threat with a comfortable majority of nearly 7,500.

Now the UKIP leader has opted to fight Thanet South, where the Tory majority is 7,617 and a one-term Tory MP, Laura Sandys, is standing down at the general election. Mr Farage is tipped to win. But how many seats will his party win in 2015?

That may depend on whether any more Conservative MPs follow Mr Carswell into the arms of UKIP. And that could depend on how well he does in his by-election next month. Another question: will Mr Carswell hold Clacton in the general election?

Provocatively, UKIP is holding its party conference at Doncaster racecourse, in Ed Miliband's constituency. Mr Farage claims his party takes votes off Labour and Conservatives in equal numbers.

But the evidence of the by-elections so far in this Parliament suggests UKIP will damage the Conservatives more in the general election, handing victory to Labour in some marginals and merely eating into Labour's majority in its safe seats.

The European elections may have given us four-party politics. But unless UKIP springs a surprise and wins more than a handful of seats at Westminster, we won't see four-party politics after the general election.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More