Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 10 Januari 2015 | 10.03
A gunman killed by police after a siege at a kosher supermarket in Paris claimed he "co-ordinated" with the Charlie Hebdo killers and was a member of the Islamic State group.
The claims, made during a call to France's BFMTV station, emerged after gunfire and explosions marked the violent conclusion to two hostage-takings 30 miles apart.
Just minutes separated the series of blasts at the Paris store and those that rocked a warehouse in Dammartin-en-Goele, where two brothers behind the attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo's offices were holed up.
Police stormed both buildings almost simultaneously, killing brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi but saving their hostage, while at least four hostages and the jihadist gunman died at the Paris grocery store.
Amedy Coulibaly told BFMTV in the call from the supermarket that he had worked with the Kouachi brothers, who he described as his "officers".
Video:Terror Attack Suspects Killed
"They (dealt with) Charlie Hebdo, I (dealt with) the police," he reportedly said.
He said he targeted the kosher supermarket because he wanted to defend Palestinians and target Jews.
In the taped conversation, he also acknowledged he had killed the four of the hostages. Fifteen others were freed when police stormed the building.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed it directed the Kouachis in the attack on Charlie Hebdo "as revenge for the honour" of the Prophet Mohammad.
Video:Special Report - Paris Attack
Witnesses said Said Kouachi, the elder of the brothers, claimed allegiance to al Qaeda during the attack and travelled to Yemen in 2011.
His brother told BFMTV in a separate recording: "I was sent, me, Cherif Kouachi, by Al Qaeda of Yemen. I went over there and it was Anwar al Awlaki who financed me."
However, Coulibaly claimed to be a member of Islamic State.
Hayat Boumeddiene, who was identified along with Coulibaly as a suspect in the killing of a police officer on Thursday, remains on the run.
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Gallery: Faces Of Paris Suspects And Victims
French police have released mugshots of a man and a woman linked to the killing of a policewoman in Paris. They are also believed to be the hostage-takers involved in the siege at a Paris supermarket. Pictured is Hayat Boumeddiene, 26
Police are hunting for the wife of one of the three gunmen who brought three days of terror to France, saying she may be "armed and dangerous".
Hayat Boumeddiene, a suspect in the murder of a Paris policewoman on Thursday, is on the run after her husband Amedy Coulibaly was killed when armed officers brought his kosher supermarket siege to a violent end.
The 26-year-old could hold the key to the ongoing terror investigation, as police admit they may be dealing with a larger extremist cell and authorities brace for more attacks.
Details are emerging of the young woman of Algerian descent and the links between Coulibaly, 32, and the Kouachi brothers, who were killed two days after murdering 12 people at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Boumeddiene is thought to have been radicalised by Amedy Coulibaly
Boumeddiene reportedly started wearing a burkha in May 2009 after meeting Coulibaly and quit her job as a cashier before marrying him in a religious ceremony later that year.
According to French judicial documents, the couple travelled with Cherif Kouachi and his wife in 2010 to central France to visit radical Islamist Djamel Beghal, who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for terror offences.
Video:Special Report - Paris Attack
The pair posed for photos during the visit, taking selfies and a snap of Boumeddiene pointing a crossbow at the camera.
Interviewed that year by counter-terrorism officers over Coulibaly's involvement in an attempt to free Paris bomber Smain Ait Ali Belkacem from jail, she was open about her fanatical views.
According to Le Nouvel Observateur, she refused to condemn al Qaeda attacks, preferring to criticise America's military interventions around the world and the western media.
Video:Paris Supermarket Siege Over
The links between the couple and the Kouachi's apparently thrived, with Paris prosecutor Francois Molins revealing Boumeddiene and the wife of one of the brothers exchanged more than 500 phone calls in 2014.
A police search of Coulibaly's residence in 2010 turned up a crossbow, 240 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, films and photos of him during a trip to Malaysia, and letters seeking false official documents.
In a police interview that same year, Coulibaly identified Cherif Kouachi as a friend he had met in prison and said they saw each other frequently, according to a transcript of the interview obtained by the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.
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Gallery: Magazine Victims Identified
Muslim police officer Ahmed Merabet was killed outside Charlie Hebdo's offices. Video of the attack showed him lying on the ground and begging for mercy as he was shot in the head
Bernard Maris was a journalist and shareholder in Charlie Hebdo
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 09 Januari 2015 | 10.03
Terror Police Search Forest In Hunt For Gunmen
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Video:Armed Police Swarm Countryside
Anti-terror police are searching dense woodland northeast of Paris after two gunmen suspected of killing 12 people in the Charlie Hebdo magazine attack were sighted.
Two men reportedly fitting the descriptions of brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi stole fuel and food from a petrol station near Villers-Cotterets, in the northern Aisne region, 43 miles (70km) from Paris, on Thursday morning.
Heavily-armed police have finished searching the village of Crepy-en-Valois, 10 miles (16km) from the petrol station.
The brothers were spotted in Villers-Cotterets
They are now focusing on a stretch of countryside spanning from Soissons, through Abbaye de Longpont, right up to Villers-Cotteret.
Sky's Joey Jones, at the scene, said officers were going house-to-house "scrutinising each resident".
Video:Sequence Of Events In Paris Attack
Witness Benoit Verdun told Sky News he believes the suspects are in a very large forest near Longpont, which he said is "bigger than Paris" - measuring some 13,000 hectares, or 50 square miles.
Crepy-en-Valois' mayor Bruno Fortier said he could not confirm reports the men were holed up in a house in the area.
"It's an incessant waltz of police cars and trucks," he told Reuters.
Jones said the picture is one of "utter confusion" and there are many rumours flying around.
Earlier the men, wearing balaclavas, were spotted travelling on the N2 road in the direction of Paris in a Renault Clio which had weapons on its back seat and its number plates covered.
1/4
Gallery: First Picture Inside Charlie Hebdo Office
WARNING: GALLERY CONTAINS A GRAPHIC IMAGE FROM INSIDE CHARLIE HEBDO OFFICE. Charlie Hebdo magazine's headquarters in central Paris before the attack
The blood spattered scene inside the office showing the aftermath of the attack, with papers strewn across the rooms.
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A file photo of French cartoonist Charb, publishing director of the magazine, posing for photographs inside the office.
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French police stand guard outside the premises following the attack on Wednesday
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AFP said the pair had Kalashnikovs and what appeared to be a rocket-launcher.
RAID, the French anti-terrorist unit, and GIGN, a paramilitary special operations unit, have been deployed in the region.
But Jones said it would appear the suspects are "a step or two ahead" of authorities at the moment.
Officials said the French nationals, both in their 30s and the sons of Algerian-born parents, are linked to a Yemeni terror network.
The pair are on a US no-fly list, but American officials would not give further details, including whether they fought in the Middle East with extremist groups.
Video:Paris Editor's Partner Speaks Out
Islamic State radio praised the killers as "heroes" and said they had avenged the Prophet Mohammed.
On Wednesday night, police raided an apartment in the city of Reims in the search for the killers. Seven people were arrested.
Another suspect handed himself in to police after he was named on social media as 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad.
Sky sources say the teenager, who has been arrested, is the brother-in-law of the suspects.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said a total of nine people are now in custody and more than 90 witnesses have been interviewed.
1/7
Gallery: Magazine Victims Identified
Muslim police officer Ahmed Merabet was killed outside Charlie Hebdo's offices. Video of the attack showed him lying on the ground and begging for mercy as he was shot in the head.
Bernard Maris was a journalist and shareholder in Charlie Hebdo
]]>
Tensions remain high in the country after a female police officer was shot dead in southern Paris on Thursday morning.
A "criminal" blast was also reported at a kebab shop near a mosque in the eastern French town of Villefranche-sur-Saone. No one was injured.
Officials have not said if either incident is linked to the Paris terror attack.
French investigators found a dozen Molotov cocktails and two jihadist flags in the black Citroen getaway car abandoned shortly after Wednesday's massacre.
Tributes to the victims have been left near Charlie Hebdo's offices and a minute's silence was held in the French capital.
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Gallery: French Villages Filled With Terror Police
Police have swarmed the small village of Crepy-en-Valois
Two men matching the descriptions of brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi were reportedly spotted by a petrol station manager
]]>
Meanwhile, one of the first people to arrive at the bloodbath gave an emotional account of what happened.
Patrick Pelloux, a columnist who is also trained as a doctor, said: "It was horrible. Many were already gone because they were shot down execution-style.
"We managed to save the others who this morning are doing well."
Next week's issue will be published despite the murders, he said, meaning his colleagues "have not died in vain".
Staff hope to print one million copies - instead of its usual run of 60,000.
1/3
Gallery: Paris Attack Suspects' ID Cards
Cherif Kouachi and his brother Said are suspected of carrying out the attack at Charlie Hebdo's offices in Paris. This is Cherif's ID card
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Downing Street said security has been increased at UK ports following the terror attack.
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Terror Police Search Forest In Hunt For Gunmen
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:Armed Police Swarm Countryside
Anti-terror police are searching dense woodland northeast of Paris after two gunmen suspected of killing 12 people in the Charlie Hebdo magazine attack were sighted.
Two men reportedly fitting the descriptions of brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi stole fuel and food from a petrol station near Villers-Cotterets, in the northern Aisne region, 43 miles (70km) from Paris, on Thursday morning.
Heavily-armed police have finished searching the village of Crepy-en-Valois, 10 miles (16km) from the petrol station.
The brothers were spotted in Villers-Cotterets
They are now focusing on a stretch of countryside spanning from Soissons, through Abbaye de Longpont, right up to Villers-Cotteret.
Sky's Joey Jones, at the scene, said officers were going house-to-house "scrutinising each resident".
Video:Sequence Of Events In Paris Attack
Witness Benoit Verdun told Sky News he believes the suspects are in a very large forest near Longpont, which he said is "bigger than Paris" - measuring some 13,000 hectares, or 50 square miles.
Crepy-en-Valois' mayor Bruno Fortier said he could not confirm reports the men were holed up in a house in the area.
"It's an incessant waltz of police cars and trucks," he told Reuters.
Jones said the picture is one of "utter confusion" and there are many rumours flying around.
Earlier the men, wearing balaclavas, were spotted travelling on the N2 road in the direction of Paris in a Renault Clio which had weapons on its back seat and its number plates covered.
1/4
Gallery: First Picture Inside Charlie Hebdo Office
WARNING: GALLERY CONTAINS A GRAPHIC IMAGE FROM INSIDE CHARLIE HEBDO OFFICE. Charlie Hebdo magazine's headquarters in central Paris before the attack
The blood spattered scene inside the office showing the aftermath of the attack, with papers strewn across the rooms.
]]>
A file photo of French cartoonist Charb, publishing director of the magazine, posing for photographs inside the office.
]]>
French police stand guard outside the premises following the attack on Wednesday
]]>
AFP said the pair had Kalashnikovs and what appeared to be a rocket-launcher.
RAID, the French anti-terrorist unit, and GIGN, a paramilitary special operations unit, have been deployed in the region.
But Jones said it would appear the suspects are "a step or two ahead" of authorities at the moment.
Officials said the French nationals, both in their 30s and the sons of Algerian-born parents, are linked to a Yemeni terror network.
The pair are on a US no-fly list, but American officials would not give further details, including whether they fought in the Middle East with extremist groups.
Video:Paris Editor's Partner Speaks Out
Islamic State radio praised the killers as "heroes" and said they had avenged the Prophet Mohammed.
On Wednesday night, police raided an apartment in the city of Reims in the search for the killers. Seven people were arrested.
Another suspect handed himself in to police after he was named on social media as 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad.
Sky sources say the teenager, who has been arrested, is the brother-in-law of the suspects.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said a total of nine people are now in custody and more than 90 witnesses have been interviewed.
1/7
Gallery: Magazine Victims Identified
Muslim police officer Ahmed Merabet was killed outside Charlie Hebdo's offices. Video of the attack showed him lying on the ground and begging for mercy as he was shot in the head.
Bernard Maris was a journalist and shareholder in Charlie Hebdo
]]>
Tensions remain high in the country after a female police officer was shot dead in southern Paris on Thursday morning.
A "criminal" blast was also reported at a kebab shop near a mosque in the eastern French town of Villefranche-sur-Saone. No one was injured.
Officials have not said if either incident is linked to the Paris terror attack.
French investigators found a dozen Molotov cocktails and two jihadist flags in the black Citroen getaway car abandoned shortly after Wednesday's massacre.
Tributes to the victims have been left near Charlie Hebdo's offices and a minute's silence was held in the French capital.
1/6
Gallery: French Villages Filled With Terror Police
Police have swarmed the small village of Crepy-en-Valois
Two men matching the descriptions of brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi were reportedly spotted by a petrol station manager
]]>
Meanwhile, one of the first people to arrive at the bloodbath gave an emotional account of what happened.
Patrick Pelloux, a columnist who is also trained as a doctor, said: "It was horrible. Many were already gone because they were shot down execution-style.
"We managed to save the others who this morning are doing well."
Next week's issue will be published despite the murders, he said, meaning his colleagues "have not died in vain".
Staff hope to print one million copies - instead of its usual run of 60,000.
1/3
Gallery: Paris Attack Suspects' ID Cards
Cherif Kouachi and his brother Said are suspected of carrying out the attack at Charlie Hebdo's offices in Paris. This is Cherif's ID card
]]>
Downing Street said security has been increased at UK ports following the terror attack.
Al Qaeda is plotting to massacre huge numbers of civilians in Britain and other western countries, the head of Mi5 has warned.
Andrew Parker, director general of the security service, told a select group mostly from the Royal United Services Institute at his London headquarters that while the so-called Islamic State is the newest threat to the West and that self-started lone wolf plots are hard to foil, al Qaeda still has ambitions for something more spectacular.
He said: "We know that terrorists based in Syria harbour... ambitions towards the UK - trying to direct attacks against our country, and exhorting extremists here to act independently."
But this was in addition to newly identified plans from al Qaeda to revisit their traditional style of operations.
He said: "…we still face more complex and ambitious plots that follow the now sadly well-established approach of al Qaeda and its imitators: attempts to cause large scale loss of life, often by attacking transport systems or iconic targets.
Video:'A Huge Worry To Us'
"We know, for example, that a group of core al Qaeda terrorists in Syria is planning mass casualty attacks against the West."
Al Qaeda experts are known to have moved from Pakistan to Syria, where they may be able to draw on British volunteers to conduct attacks in the UK. Their mission is entirely focussed on plots against the West.
They are known to be led by Muhsin al Fadhli, an expert bomb maker wanted by the FBI who has a $7m price on his head. He moved to Syria two years ago and was unsuccessfully targeted in a coalition air strike last year.
It is also known that British citizens are in the ranks of al Qaeda in Syria and could be used in a major atrocity back home.
The domestic spy chief spoke hours after UK's COBRA committee ordered a boost to national security.
Home Secretary Theresa May said: "Following the attacks we took the precautionary step yesterday of increasing security at the French-UK border.
"The UK threat level, which is set by the independent Joint Terrorism Advisory Centre, remains at severe; that means a terrorist attack is highly likely and the public should remain vigilant.
"This morning I chaired COBRA to consider Britain's response to the attacks and our own preparedness to a similar attack."
Extra police have already been deployed at British ports and stations serving the Eurostar.
Lone wolf plots aimed at the police and military have surged over the last year and these have combined with the Paris killings to cause unease among officers.
"It's a huge worry for us," said Sir Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police.
"There is a particular increased threat to police officers at the moment and there have been a number of attacks foiled in differed parts of the country, but I can tell you that our officers are very concerned about it… they see what happened in France, and clearly we are an unarmed police force but it is the nature of that threat which is worrying but despite that our officers go out there and do their duty."
Such concerns from front line police reflect similar fears in the intelligence community. Put simply - the world is getting more dangerous.
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 08 Januari 2015 | 10.03
The youngest of three suspects in the Paris terror attack on a French satirical magazine has surrendered to police, according to reports.
French media claim Hamyd Mourad, 18, handed himself in to officers.
Meanwhile images have been released of brothers Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi, both in their 30s, who are suspected of being part of the attack that left 12 people dead.
Officials have said the suspects are linked to a Yemeni terror network.
Armed police officers at the scene of the raid in Reims
On Wednesday night heavily armoured French police raided an apartment in the city of Reims, east of Paris, as they continued a massive manhunt to find the killers.
Thousands of officers have reportedly been deployed in the hunt for the men behind the attack on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Video:Paris: Gunfire In The Streets
It has previously been targeted over its portrayal of the Prophet Mohammed.
In Wednesday's attack, three masked gunmen stormed the offices and called out their victims by name before opening fire during a morning editorial meeting.
They were armed with Kalashnikov rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade.
Video:Twelve Dead In Paris Attack
They were let inside the Charlie Hebdo building by a female employee who was threatened at gunpoint along with her daughter and forced to punch in a security code to allow them inside.
The editor and a cartoonist for the newspaper, who went by the pen names Charb and Cabu, were among those killed.
Radio France chief executive Mathieu Gilet announced revealed that contributor Bernard Maris was also killed.
Video:What Do Gunmen Videos Tell Us?
Two police officers were among the dead, including one assigned as Charb's bodyguard after he had received death threats and another who was shot in the head as he lay wounded on the ground outside the offices.
French President Francois Hollande has declared today a national day of mourning.
In a televised address on Wednesday he said: "We have to respond according to the crime, first of all by finding the authors of this infamy and we have to ensure that they are arrested, judged... and punished very severely.
Video:Controversy Over Prophet's Image
Tens of thousands of people have staged silent protests in France and across the world in solidarity for the victims of the attack.
Social media users have used the hashtag #jesuischarlie to show solidarity for the victims of the shooting, with the Charlie Hebdo website also using the image as its masthead.
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Gallery: Magazine Cartoonists Identified
Bernard Maris was a journalist and shareholder in Charlie Hebdo
Bernard Velhav was a contributer to the magazine. Pic: Georges Seguin
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1/10
Gallery: Vigils Held For Charlie Hebdo Victims
Vigils have been held across the world in support of the victims of the Paris terror attack
People lit candles at the Place de la Republique in Paris
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Others held up pens and placards reading "I am Charlie"
]]>
Police officers also gathered in the French eastern city of Strasbourg to pay their respects
]]>
Vigils have been held in cities across the globe to mourn the victims of the Paris terror attack and show support for freedom of speech.
More than 35,000 people gathered in Paris where gunmen stormed the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 10 journalists and two police officers.
Thousands also turned out in the French cities of Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Marseille, according to police.
Many of those at the Place de la Republique in the French capital carried signs with the words Je suis Charlie, which translates as "I am Charlie" in English.
Others used slogans such as "press freedom has no price" and "Charb mort libre" (Charb died free), a reference to the magazine's editor Stephane Charbonnier, one of four cartoonists killed by the terrorists.
1/5
Gallery: Magazine Cartoonists Identified
Bernard Maris was a journalist and shareholder in Charlie Hebdo
Bernard Velhav was a contributer to the magazine. Pic: Georges Seguin
]]>
Jean Cabut's cartoons were first published in Paris newspapers in 1954
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Hundreds of people took to the streets of Berlin, London, New York, Brussels, Madrid, Rome and Vienna to express their horror at the killings.
About 500 people stood in silence in front of the French embassy in Berlin, with many holding candles and waving the European Union flag.
In Trafalgar Square, people held up their mobile phones showing the "Je suis Charlie" message.
Some sang the Marseillaise, the French national anthem, while holding pens as a symbol of press freedom.
Video:Controversy Over Prophet's Image
"I heard the news... like everyone else and it hit me hard," said Frenchman Nabil Nadifi, 29, who lives in London.
"I didn't necessarily agree with everything Charlie Hebdo published but that doesn't mean an act like this was justified."
In Spain, the French ambassador to Madrid, Jerome Bonnafont, joined a crowd of several hundred people outside the embassy shouting "Free speech, free speech."
"I came because in the face of barbarity, freedom of expression must prevail," said Natalia Prieto, a 27-year-old Spanish woman.
1/28
Gallery: Gunmen Attack Paris Magazine Office
Armed gunmen face police officers near the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris
An attack on the offices of the newspaper left twelve dead, including two police officers, according to sources close to the investigation
]]>
Around 150 people, most of them French, also stood in silence outside the French embassy on the Piazza Farnese in the heart of Rome.
In Montreal, more than 1,000 people braved temperatures of minus 20C to express solidarity with France.
Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed his anger and sadness over the "barbaric" attack.
"Canadians stand with France on this dark day," he said.
Video:Cartoonists' Solidarity For Charlie
"Canada and its allies will not be intimidated and will continue to stand firmly together against terrorists who would threaten the peace, freedom and democracy our countries so dearly value."
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1/10
Gallery: Vigils Held For Charlie Hebdo Victims
Vigils have been held across the world in support of the victims of the Paris terror attack
People lit candles at the Place de la Republique in Paris
]]>
Others held up pens and placards reading "I am Charlie"
]]>
Police officers also gathered in the French eastern city of Strasbourg to pay their respects
]]>
Vigils have been held in cities across the globe to mourn the victims of the Paris terror attack and show support for freedom of speech.
More than 35,000 people gathered in Paris where gunmen stormed the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 10 journalists and two police officers.
Thousands also turned out in the French cities of Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Marseille, according to police.
Many of those at the Place de la Republique in the French capital carried signs with the words Je suis Charlie, which translates as "I am Charlie" in English.
Others used slogans such as "press freedom has no price" and "Charb mort libre" (Charb died free), a reference to the magazine's editor Stephane Charbonnier, one of four cartoonists killed by the terrorists.
1/5
Gallery: Magazine Cartoonists Identified
Bernard Maris was a journalist and shareholder in Charlie Hebdo
Bernard Velhav was a contributer to the magazine. Pic: Georges Seguin
]]>
Jean Cabut's cartoons were first published in Paris newspapers in 1954
]]>
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Berlin, London, New York, Brussels, Madrid, Rome and Vienna to express their horror at the killings.
About 500 people stood in silence in front of the French embassy in Berlin, with many holding candles and waving the European Union flag.
In Trafalgar Square, people held up their mobile phones showing the "Je suis Charlie" message.
Some sang the Marseillaise, the French national anthem, while holding pens as a symbol of press freedom.
Video:Controversy Over Prophet's Image
"I heard the news... like everyone else and it hit me hard," said Frenchman Nabil Nadifi, 29, who lives in London.
"I didn't necessarily agree with everything Charlie Hebdo published but that doesn't mean an act like this was justified."
In Spain, the French ambassador to Madrid, Jerome Bonnafont, joined a crowd of several hundred people outside the embassy shouting "Free speech, free speech."
"I came because in the face of barbarity, freedom of expression must prevail," said Natalia Prieto, a 27-year-old Spanish woman.
1/28
Gallery: Gunmen Attack Paris Magazine Office
Armed gunmen face police officers near the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris
An attack on the offices of the newspaper left twelve dead, including two police officers, according to sources close to the investigation
]]>
Around 150 people, most of them French, also stood in silence outside the French embassy on the Piazza Farnese in the heart of Rome.
In Montreal, more than 1,000 people braved temperatures of minus 20C to express solidarity with France.
Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed his anger and sadness over the "barbaric" attack.
"Canadians stand with France on this dark day," he said.
Video:Cartoonists' Solidarity For Charlie
"Canada and its allies will not be intimidated and will continue to stand firmly together against terrorists who would threaten the peace, freedom and democracy our countries so dearly value."
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Written By Unknown on Rabu, 07 Januari 2015 | 10.03
By Adele Robinson, Sky News Correspondent
Sky News is following four people as they embark on a mission to lose excess weight to find out whether diets really hold the key to tackling Britain's obesity epidemic.
Some £5.1bn a year is spent by the NHS on problems caused by eating too much and not taking enough exercise - and experts warn it will be completely swamped if action is not taken.
Latest figures show the number of hospital admissions linked to obesity in England rose tenfold in the 10 years to 2012-13 - from 29,237 to 292,404.
Tom Sanders, emeritus professor of nutrition and dietetics at King's College London, told Sky News the NHS could not cope with the increased demand for surgery to help with weight loss.
Labour says patients should be prescribed exercise rather medication
"Unless obesity can be successfully prevented, it will overwhelm the NHS," he said.
However, an even greater burden is type 2 diabetes, which can cause a host of life-limiting and deadly conditions, including strokes, heart attacks and cancer.
Video:Dieter: 'We Want To Conceive'
Something undeniably needs to be done, but does the diet industry hold the answer?
As part of a series of reports looking at the truth behind dieting, Sky News is following four people who badly want to lose weight.
Safira Ali, 32, weighs more than 17 stone and wants to shed the pounds to have children.
Video:Dieter: "Living On Borrowed Time"
Hywell Roberts, 33, weighs 15 stone 9 pounds and is concerned about his long-term health.
Michelle Okpocha, 47, weighs over 15 stone and says she was lighter when she was pregnant.
Philip Wark, 38, weighs more than 18 stone and believes he is living "on borrowed time".
Video:Dieter: "I've Tried Everything"
Sky will follow them as they each try different medically-supervised diets to see whether they can achieve their goals and go on to keep the weight off.
Politicians agree it is a huge problem but are divided when it comes to how to deal with it.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says part of the solution relies on early intervention.
Video:'I Love Coke and Sweets'
"I think the shocking statistic is that 9% of children enter primary school clinically obese and 19% leave obese. That is just not acceptable and we need to do a lot more."
He added that "it's not necessarily one thing that would work everywhere" but there needs to be encouragement for "much closer engagement between NHS and the school system".
Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham told Sky part of the answer lies in "exercise on referral or on prescription".
Video:One Dinner A Day
"So instead of people being put on medication, people are put on specialist weight management and exercise courses to break the cycle and get control," he said.
"The sustainability of the NHS is a major question here. I believe that physical activity is the cheapest route towards a sustainable NHS in the 21st Century."
The Health Secretary has admitted the NHS is under a "huge amount of pressure" as figures show waiting times at A&E in England have hit their worst level in ten years.
New data shows just 92.6% of patients were treated within the four-hour time limit against a target of 95% and a growing number of NHS hospitals are declaring "major incidents" as they struggle to cope with the rising number of admissions.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt admitted the figures were "disappointing" but said the NHS was continuing to see nine out of 10 people within four hours and that better social care is at the heart of the solution.
A&E waiting times over the last decade
"We do very well by international comparisons," he said.
The Prime Minister claimed a lot of the pressure on emergency departments comes from frail, elderly people but insisted that around 2,500 more patients were being seen within four hours every day than four years ago.
Video:More People And Harder To Discharge
And David Cameron accused the health workers' union Unison of "scaremongering," after it claimed the NHS was "on the brink of disaster".
The figures come as a surge in demand at emergency departments has forced several hospital trusts to activate major incident plans, leading to routine operations being put on hold and extra staff being drafted in.
The hospitals and trusts include Addenbrooke's in Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals of North Midlands in Staffordshire and Walsall Manor Hospital, Gloucester Royal, Cheltenham General Hospital and Scarborough Hospital.
Others, including the Royal Surrey County Hospital, urged people to stay away from A&E unless their case was a genuine emergency.
Video:Why Are A&E Wards Struggling?
The British Medical Association (BMA) warned there was "unprecedented levels of pressure" on the health service and the Royal College of Nursing said the system was in "crisis," blaming chronic underfunding and staffing shortages.
Charities said the surge in demand for A&E services was being fuelled by cuts to social care.
Responding to the figures, Mr Cameron said: "We've got a short-term pressure issue which we need to meet with resources and management.
"We've got a longer-term issue which is making sure that there are named GPs in your local area which are responsible for every single frail, elderly person.
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Gallery: When Should You Go To A&E?
Unresponsive - Loss of consciousness
Confusion - Acute confused state and fits that are not stopping
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 06 Januari 2015 | 10.03
The Duchess of York has paid a glowing tribute to Prince Andrew, who strongly denies claims of having sex with an underage girl.
Speaking for the first time since the allegations against the Duke of York surfaced, Sarah Ferguson said her former husband was "the best man in the world".
The Duke flew home on a private jet from a ski resort in Verbier, Switzerland, following the claims, which were made in court papers in the US.
The Duchess, 55, who had been on holiday with the Duke and the couple's daughter, Princess Eugenie, remained in Verbier, where she spoke to reporters as she headed off for a mountain walk.
Asked if she was sticking by the Duke, she replied: "The York family is a tight unit. We've always been a tight unit.
Sarah Ferguson divorced from the Duke in 1996
"He is the greatest man there is. It was the finest moment of my life in 1986 when I married him. He is a great man, the best in the world."
The Duke, 54, reportedly spent the day at Royal Lodge, the home in Windsor Great Park he shares with the Duchess.
Buckingham Palace has in recent days issued two denials over the woman's claims.
It has "emphatically denied" the Duke had sexual contact with the woman, who has been named in reports as Virginia Roberts.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman insisted "any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors" was "categorically untrue".
The woman's father, Sky Roberts, claimed in an interview with the Daily Mail that his daughter met the Queen during a visit to London.
However, a palace spokesman insisted: "There is nothing to suggest the claim is true. We have no record of such a meeting."
Scotland Yard has confirmed it has not received a complaint relating to the case, but added it would investigate if an allegation was made.
Jeffrey Epstein was jailed for 18 months in 2008
Two Sunday newspapers have published details of interviews with the woman, who reportedly named Prince Andrew in US court documents.
Her claim is part of a lawsuit in connection with American billionaire and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein - a former friend of the Duke.
Andrew was photographed with Epstein in New York two years after his release from prison in 2009, and has faced criticism over their friendship.
In an interview in 2011 he denied any sexual contact with any of the young women connected to the banker.
The woman claims that between 1999 and 2002 she "was forced to have sexual relations with this prince when she was a minor" in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island owned by Epstein.
She is believed to have been 17 at the time - underage in US law.
A father who rescued his own jihadi son from the clutches of Syrian rebels is now travelling back to the country to track down other young foreign fighters.
Dimitri Bontinck risked his life on a perilous 10-month quest to find his teenage son, travelling to Syria three times before the pair were eventually reunited in late 2013.
Dimitri Bontinck travelled to Syria three times where he met local fighters
Despite the continuing danger, the former Belgian soldier is now helping other families, including some from the UK, in the search for their loved ones in the war-torn country.
Mr Bontinck told Sky News: "I have no other choice than to help those going through the same kind of trauma and nightmare I experienced."
Video:Finding Lost Sons In Syria
He claims the Belgian, British and many other western governments are adding to that trauma by refusing to help in the search for those who have gone to Syria and Iraq - and for criminalising those who return from the region.
"It's so sad that parents like me and so many thousands of parents worldwide are standing alone, that nobody's helping them. It's disgusting really, it's selfish," he said.
Mr Bontinck claims he approached the police and other agencies in Belgium on numerous occasions after his son Jejoen converted to Islam and later began to show signs of radicalisation.
"We asked for help from everyone, from the police, from the authorities and youth organisations ... because we see that something is going wrong, we see that it's no good for his future - and they were just watching," he said.
"The reply from all those we asked for help was the same: 'We are living in a democracy, you have freedom of speech, you have freedom of religion'. So it was very sad for us."
Jejoen Bontinck was a popular teenager in his native Antwerp, an accomplished breakdancer who appeared in a number of music videos, but according to his parents he became increasingly radical in his religious and political views and eventually ran off to join rebel groups in Syria.
After the Belgian authorities told him they were unable to help track down his son, Dimitri Bontinck took the extraordinary decision to travel to the region himself to try to find the teenager.
"I followed a father's instinct, I followed my heart. I couldn't stay here just watching, not taking action and responsibility," he said.
Video:Handcuffed and Beaten
On repeated trips to Syria he befriended local people and many rebel fighters who helped in the search for his son. "It was a danger mission, believe me. I risked my life and met many fighting groups. At times, there were snipers above my head; bombs and attacks."
Although the vast majority of rebel fighters he met were very friendly, Dimitri said he was held captive at one point, suspected of spying. "They put a cap over my head and handcuffed me. They were beating me on the head and I was thinking 'Is it all worth it?'
"Then another part of me thought 'I believe in my son, there is love for my son, if there is a God, they'll release me.' And they did."
On his third trip to Syria, he was reunited with his son, who he claimed was happy to return to Belgium because he realised he had been "naive" and that he "had been used" by others.
Dimitri Bontinck says he is in contact with dozens of other families and is now actively trying to help them find their loved ones.
Ozana Rodrigues, whose son ran off to fight with Islamic State in Syria more than a year ago, said Dimitri was the only person willing to help her.
In a cafe in central Antwerp, she told Sky News: "Dimitri talks to people, parents that have lost their kids - but the authorities don't want to help. They don't care and there is no support, while we're suffering."
She said Dimitri had made contact with her son Brian, but that so far, he is refusing to return home.
Video:How I Found My Son
"When Dimitri went to Syria to get his son, I was praying to God that he would see my son and bring him back but it didn't work out that way," she said.
Although Dimitri's son is safely back in Antwerp, the 19-year-old is now at the centre of a huge terrorism trial in Belgium, one of more than 40 people being prosecuted for membership of a banned organisation.
His father is deeply critical of the Belgian government's decision to prosecute.
"With this wrong attitude and stigmatisation they're creating more frustration against the West," he said.
"They're creating more violence against the West. It's totally wrong."
Despite the prospect that other young Europeans he rescues from Syria will also be prosecuted, Dimitri Bontinck said he still feels compelled to help.
"I thought I would never return to Syria, but when mothers are calling me and crying on the phone because nobody's helping them ... when they ask to meet me, I'm not going to say no," he said.
Dimitri Bontinck has now risked his life eight times travelling to Syria. He has just returned from his latest trip there and says he plans to return to the region again in the weeks ahead.
