Even Al Qaeda Tried To Free Alan Henning

A filmmaker, who was involved in the early negotiations to free Alan Henning, has told Sky News how even al Qaeda thought holding him hostage was "not a good idea".

The terrorist group sent a member to bargain with the Islamic State fighters holding him but failed to secure his release.

The al Qaeda member, who was sent to bargain with the Manchester taxi driver's captors, said the jihadists were "difficult" and "tough".

Delivering aid to the suffering in Syria. Pic: Cage

Bilal Abdul Kareem told how Mr Henning, who was helping to make an aid delivery in Syria, was captured just an hour after arriving in al-Dana, around 30 minutes from the Turkish border, on Boxing Day.

He said Islamic State fighters had arrived in the town and detained all of those in the convoy but quickly released the Muslim members, holding only Mr Henning.

Video: Cameron Condemns Henning Murder

Mr Kareem said when Mr Henning was first taken he was set to be released later that day or even the next but when that did not happen people started to worry.

Then the jihadists claimed the 47-year-old, father-of-two as their prisoner and said they were planning to exchange him for people in British custody.

Mr Kareem said: "They had a course of action that they were going to take and nobody was going to be able to talk them out of it.

Video: PM Pledges 'All Assets' Against IS

"Even al Qaeda affiliates al Nusra went there to talk to them because nobody outside of ISIS thought this was a good idea, nobody thought that it was OK to do this, none of the other groups were doing that, nobody thought it was a good idea.

"When the al Qaeda representative went to go down and try to talk to them he returned, his face was different, he said something to the effect these guys are really being difficult, really being tough but they did say that they were going to release him.

"Everybody was anticipating that but that never happened."

Video: UK Muslims 'Disgusted'

On Friday the terrorists posted a video of Mr Henning's killing. In it he is pictured kneeling in front of a masked man, who speaks with a British accent and is believed to be the man responsible for previous beheadings.

The man makes a direct appeal to David Cameron saying: "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."

Muslim leaders have condemned the beheading on the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Adha, which represents a day of mercy, and said they want to see justice done.

Video: Eccles Pastor: 'It's Gut-wrenching'

As the community of Eccles mourned, Mr Cameron said Britain would use all of its assets to destroy Islamic State.

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

Video: Shock At Murder Of Alan Henning

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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

Video: Wife Pleaded For Henning's Release

Video: Latest Analysis: Sky's Joey Jones

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United Outrage Over Alan Henning Murder

Condemnation of Alan Henning's murder has been swift and fierce, with the Prime Minister calling the killing "repulsive" and Muslim leaders labelling it "despicable and offensive".

David Cameron said the beheading shows "just how barbaric and repulsive these terrorists are" and vowed to "hunt down these murderers and bring them to justice".

"My thoughts and prayers tonight are with Alan's wife Barbara, their children and all those who loved him," said Mr Cameron, who has just increased the jets targeting IS in Iraq from six to eight.

Labour leader Ed Miliband described the killing as "appalling and barbaric", while Deputy PM Nick Clegg said the UK was "resolved to defeat this evil".

RAF jets this week launched their first attacks against IS positions in Iraq after MPs voted overwhelmingly for military action.

Alan Henning went on several aid trips to Syria

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

Outspoken Respect MP George Galloway also took to Twitter to condemn what he described as "a depraved Satanic act committed by devils in human form".

Video: Islamic State: Audio Of Threat

President Barack Obama, who has seen two of his own citizens killed on camera by a masked IS militant, led international revulsion, condemning the "brutal murder".

"Standing together with our UK friends and allies, we will work to bring the perpetrators of Alan's murder - as well as the murders of Jim Foley, Steven Sotloff and David Haines - to justice."

He added: "Mr Henning worked to help improve the lives of the Syrian people and his death is a great loss for them, for his family and the people of the United Kingdom,"

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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

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande said he was "outraged by the heinous crime" and vowed that his country would continue their own airstrikes against IS.

Senior Muslim figures in the UK, whose direct appeals to the terror group to free Mr Henning fell on deaf ears, also hit out at the killing, labelling the group as having "no regard for Islam".

"It is quite clear that the murderers of Alan Henning have no regard ... for the Muslims around the world who pleaded for his life," said Dr Shuja Shafi, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

Video: Wife Pleads For Henning's Release

"Alan was a friend of Muslims, and he will be mourned by Muslims," he added.

"They are nothing but criminals," said Sughra Amed, the President of the Islamic Society of Britain.

She told Sky News: "Every Muslim I know, or have come across, or have seen commenting on this in the public eye has said exactly that."

Video: 'Another Example Of IS Brutality'

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IS Beheadings Provoke 'Clash Of Civilizations'

Twenty one years ago American historian Samuel Huntingdon famously argued that the world was heading towards a "Clash of Civilizations" between Islam and the Christian democratic West.

Some critics dismissed his argument as a fumbling towards a new enemy now that the Cold War was over.

But he had a good student living in the caves of Afghanistan and on 9/11 Osama bin Laden proved Huntingdon's point.

Within days the United States had come out with a "you're either with us or with the terrorists" slogan, announced the War on Terror, and began invasion plans not only for Afghanistan but Iraq too.

From the perspective of many followers of Islam the WoT very quickly began to look more like a War on Muslims - the clash was underway. 

Turkish soldiers on the Syrian border near the southeastern town of Suruc

Defence spending soared in the West. Spy agencies' budgets enjoyed a bonanza.

Rights preventing detention without trial were undermined, habeas corpus came under threat, America began using drones to conduct extrajudicial executions of alleged terrorist enemies (including of its own citizens) in Pakistan, the Yemen and Somalia.

Video: Alan Henning Beheaded In IS Video

The argument was, and remains, that al Qaeda and its franchise posed a strategic threat to American and European interests.

It did not, and is many decades from being in a position to do so.

Notwithstanding the mass killings in London on 7/7, the Madrid bombings and other atrocities, al Qaeda cannot cut fuel supplies, disrupt trade routes, and cripple economies.

That kind of war against the West could only conceivably be carried out by the Russian commonwealth, China, or both.

Indeed the WoT has exposed weaknesses in the West's combat potential and political structures that play into the hands of strategic rivals.

By the end of the noughties the war in Iraq was over. This year the Afghan campaign is due to end.

Video: Al Qaeda Could Not Free Henning

The WoT had gone out of fashion and the Clash of Civilizations caused by the Bush administration's overreaction to al Qaeda began to look like a tense standoff.

Then along came Islamic State. It's found a new way to cause overreaction - the televised beheading of Westerners.

Specifically, of those who had already risked their lives to expose the suffering of ordinary Muslims in Syria, who had in large part been abandoned by the West in the revolution against Bashar al Assad.

It's perfectly normal to feel a visceral rage at the murder of Alan Henning and his fellow hostages, to demand their killers and the structures behind them be annihilated.

But attack is precisely what IS wishes to provoke - to keep the Clash alive.

So far their tactic has had strategic effect. With no serious threat to the West, IS has provoked the US, and her allies into airstrikes across Iraq and Syria.

Video: IS Threatens To Kill US Hostage

In Iraq they may hold IS back - but in Syria they are little more than punishment raids that have resulted in new recruits to IS and a reinforcement of Mr Assad's military standing.

They have reinvigorated the Clash of Civilizations without any prospect of success. That will only come when the two civilizations comprehend mutual respect - a very distant prospect.

Rudyard Kipling wrote: "East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet".

It's often forgotten that he added: "But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,

"When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the end of the earth!"

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American Hostage's Parents Issue Video Plea

By Sky News US Team

The parents of American hostage Abdul-Rahman Kassig, formerly known as Peter, have issued a video plea asking for his safe return.

Mr Kassig appeared at the end of a clip posted online on Friday that showed the killing of British aid worker Alan Henning by Islamic State militants.

Ed and Paula Kassig pleaded with their son's captors "to show mercy and use their power" to let him go.

Mrs Kassig, speaking directly to her son, added: "Most of all, know that we love you, and our hearts ache for you to be granted your freedom so we can hug you again and then set you free to continue the life you have chosen, the life of service to those in greatest need."

Peter Kassig changed his name to Abdul-Rahman after years of humanitarian work in the region "culminated in him embracing Islam", his father said.

Ed Kassig said his son "grew to love and admire the Syrian people and felt at home there".

A family spokesman said Mr Kassig's faith "has provided him comfort during his long captivity".

The 26-year-old Indiana native and Iraqi War veteran was captured by IS militants on October 1 while en route to Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria.

More follows...

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Alan Henning's Family 'Numb With Grief'

The family of Alan Henning have paid tribute to a "decent, caring human being" after he was murdered by Islamic State (IS), saying they are devastated.

In a statement they thanked those who campaigned for his release, saying they had comfort "knowing how many people stood beside us in hoping for the best".

"There are few words to describe how we feel at this moment. Myself, Lucy and Adam, and all of Alan's family and friends are numb with grief," the statement said.

Support from the Government, Foreign Office and Greater Manchester Police "meant that we were able to get through the most awful of times", the family said.

The statement went on to add: "His interest was in the welfare of others.

Video: Shock At Murder Of Alan Henning

"He will be remembered for this and we as a family are extremely proud of him and what he achieved and the people he helped."

David Cameron earlier vowed to do "everything we can" to "hunt down" Mr Henning's killers.

Mr Cameron had met officials from the Foreign Office, intelligence agencies and the military at Chequers, his official country residence.

Video: Al Qaeda Could Not Free Henning

The PM said: "We will use all the assets we have as we have been up to now to try and find these hostages, to try and help these hostages, to help their families and do everything we can to defeat this organisation which is utterly ruthless, senseless and barbaric in the way it treats people."

Mr Cameron also paid tribute to Mr Henning, the second Briton to be beheaded by IS, for his "kindness, peacefulness and gentleness".

Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "We will do everything we can to support the efforts of the Government to bring those guilty of this terrible act to justice."

Video: Imam Condemns Alan Henning's Murder

A video lasting one minute and 11 seconds and titled Another Message To America And Its Allies, was posted on YouTube on Friday.

It shows Mr Henning, a taxi-driver who was captured on an aid mission in Syria in December 2013, kneeling in front of a knife-wielding militant in a desert setting before being beheaded in front of the camera.

Mr Henning, who is dressed in red, says: "I am Alan Henning. Because of our Parliament's decision to attack the Islamic State, I, as a member of the British public, will now pay the price for that decision."

Video: Terry Waite: Beheading 'Tragic'

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."

Last week MPs voted to join the US-led coalition and take part in airstrikes against IS fighters in Iraq.

At the end of the video another hostage, a former US soldier turned charity worker believed to be Peter Edward Kassig, is paraded in front of the cameras. The militant in the video says Mr Kassig will be the next victim.

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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

The UK Muslim community condemned Mr Henning's murder, which came on the eve of the Islamic festival Eid Al-Adha.

Leaders said it was a "cowardly and criminal act" and called for action to be taken to bring the terrorists to justice.

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

Video: UK Muslims 'Disgusted'

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Aids Pandemic From Kinshasa, Scientists Say

The Aids pandemic started in the city of Kinshasa - now the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo - in the 1920s, scientists have concluded.

A "perfect storm" of population growth, a rampant sex trade and railways allowed HIV to spread, according to the team from the journal Science.

They used archived samples of the virus's genetic code to trace its source and found the evidence pointed to Kinshasa, then known as Leopoldville, where unsterilised needles used in health clinics helped spread the disease.

The virus was helped by the large number of men in the city - where they outnumbered women by two to one - which lead to the growth of a massive sex trade.

Once the disease took hold in the city, it was spread to neighbouring regions by the Belgian-backed railway.

"Data from colonial archives tells us that by the end of 1940s over one million people were travelling through Kinshasa on the railways each year," Nuno Faria of Oxford University's Department of Zoology, one of the authors of the paper, said.

"We think it is likely that the social changes around the independence in 1960 saw the virus 'break out' from small groups of infected people to infect the wider population and eventually the world."

Kinshasa, capital of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo

Over the following decades it spread throughout the world, but was only identified in 1981 before ballooning into the epidemic of the 1980s. It has infected nearly 75 million people.

As part of the research, scientists from the University of Oxford and the University of Leuven in Belgium tried to reconstruct HIV's "family tree" to trace its origin.

HIV is a mutated version of a chimpanzee virus which was probably passed to people through contact with infected blood while handling meat.

The virus jumped to humans on a number of occasions - once to a subgroup that infected tens of thousands of people in Cameroon. But only one jump went on to infect millions of people around the world.

Dr Andrew Freedman, a reader in infectious diseases at Cardiff University, said: "It does seem an interesting study demonstrating very elegantly how HIV spread in the Congo region long before the Aids epidemic was recognised in the early 80s.

"It was already known that HIV in humans arose by cross species transmission from chimpanzees in that region of Africa, but this study maps in great detail the spread of the virus from Kinshasa, it was fascinating to read."

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Untraceable 'Ghost Guns' Maker Sells Out

A device that can create untraceable "ghost guns" is completely legal in the US and has sold out within hours.

Libertarian non-profit group Defense Distributed unveiled the Ghost Gunner on Wednesday - a computer-controlled milling machine which lets people make a key component for the AR-15 rifle.

Creating the aluminium body at home requires no expertise or regulation, and crucially means there is no serial number on the gun.

This means that there are no state records of who owns each gun.

The AR-15 was used in the Sandy Hook shooting which left 28 people dead, 20 of them children at a Connecticut school.

The original plan was to sell just 110 of the $1,200 (£750) devices before cutting off orders, but more than 200 of the cube-shaped machines have been bought in 24 hours.

More than 200 of the machines have already been ordered

Cody Wilson, from the manufacturer, told Wired magazine: "People want the battle rifle and the comfort of replicability, and the privacy component."

Blocks of aluminium which need holes and cavities milled out to create a gun are available online, which can then be placed into the miller for their finishing touches.

Taking advantage of this loophole is perfectly legal. Under US law the aluminium section is the only part of a gun that is legally considered a firearm.

Manufacturing guns at home is not new, but the process makes it quicker and more efficient.

California state senator Kevin de Leon is currently trying to pass a law to require self-made guns to contain permanent pieces of metal, registered with the Department of Justice with a serial number and gun owner background check.

This would negate any privacy benefit of creating a gun at home.

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Iraq: Fleeing IS Fighters Destroy Key Bridge

Islamic State fighters retreating from an attack by pro-government forces have blown up an important bridge in the Salaheddin province of the country, according to officials.

The bridge was over a tributary of the River Tigris.

"At 5:00 am, peshmerga and Iraqi forces attacked several areas, going from Tuz Khurmatu towards Tikrit, to reach Zerga bridge, a strategic link between the two," said a senior official from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party.

"During this advance, retreating IS forces blew up the bridge and left dozens of bodies behind," he said.

Tuz Khurmatu's mayor, Shallal Abdul, said the coalition troops have won back five villages on Thursday from the jihadists and five more on Friday.

"They are going to retake all the areas under IS control, they fled leaving bodies behind," Mr Abdul said.

Tikrit, the hometown of former president Saddam Hussein, has been under IS control since it launched its attack on Iraq four months ago.

The Iraqi army has tried but failed to recapture it several times.

Security sources said warplanes carried out strikes on IS targets north of Tuz Khurmatu, near Taza, on Friday.

A senior police officer from Kirkuk province said 16 jihadists were killed in the strike, although the figure has not been confirmed.

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How Long Will China Tolerate Hong Kong Unrest?

The direction of Hong Kong's protests will now probably be determined by two factors: Beijing's patience and the protesters' continued cohesion.

It's important to remember that neither side is looking for trouble. The protest leaders have made that clear throughout with consistent and repeated reminders to their numbers to keep it peaceful.

And despite the miscalculated use of tear gas last weekend, the Hong Kong authorities (and by extension the central government in Beijing) don't want violence on Hong Kong's streets.

But against that, is the length of time that Beijing is willing to allow this 'disobedience' to continue. Other than offering talks, it's almost inconceivable that Beijing would yield to any of the protesters' demands.

So, will the protesters sit it out? And if they do, what happens then?

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1. Gallery: Hong Kong Protest Deadline Passes

   Protesters had warned they would occupy government buildings if Hong Kong's leader did not step down by 5pm BST on Thursday

2. Thousands had gathered outside his office to hear his last-minute news conference

3. CY Leung avoided potential clashes by offering talks between his government and pro-democracy protesters - but he refused to quit

4. Joshua Wong, leader of the student pro-democracy group scholarism, speaks to the crowds after the chief executive's speech

5. Demonstrators are angry over plans that will see them having to choose their leader from among approved Communist candidates. Continue on for more pictures

6. A protester holds an umbrella to protect the police from rain during a confrontation outside the legislative government complex

7. A pro-democracy demonstrator holds a placard

8. As the sun comes up, a protester reads a book at a sit-in blocking the entrance to the Chief Executive's office

9. Protesters sleep next to a barricade blocking the entrance to the office

10. Pro-democracy demonstrators recycle plastic bottles at a collection point in Hong Kong

11. A man jogs past plastic bottles collected by demonstrators

12. People look at messages of support displayed on a wall outside the government headquarters

14. Hong Kong police stand guard as protesters confront them outside the legislative government complex

16. Student protesters sleep as the stand-off continues

19. A man stands near umbrellas, which have become the symbol of this protest

Here are a few factors to consider as the protests continue:

:: Leadership and unity

Although dedicated and motivated, the protest movement has no single leader, which could become a problem.

The movement is made up of three groups, all of whom have their own leadership: Occupy Central (a broad pro-democracy movement lead by Benny Tai), Scholarism (representing high school students led by Joshua Wong) and Hong Kong Federation of Students (representing university students led by Alex Chao Yong-kang).

As the stalemate continues, different groups could call for different tactics. The lack of a singular leadership spanning all the groups increases the prospect of a split.

:: Beijing's patience

The Chinese government does not want trouble; it would no longer be able to get away with a crackdown of the like seen in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Video: Hong Kong Leader Refuses To Resign

China is a global player these days and despite significant human rights abuses, it is (surely) not about to slaughter unarmed protesters in Hong Kong.

But weighed against that, China cannot tolerate open-ended unrest.

It undermines the Communist leadership, shows weakness and could give the ideas to elements of the mainland population.

For now, a concerted programme of censorship is keeping the Chinese population in the dark about what's really happening in Hong Kong.

But for how long can that succeed? And for how long will Beijing put up with the protests?

Remember, no form of protest is tolerated over the border on the mainland.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will sit it out for a while, but if the protesters stay united and stand firm, a crunch point will come: tear gas, pepper spray, water cannon, rubber bullets?

Video: Protest Talks Buy Time In Hong Kong

:: The financial sector

Hong Kong is a key financial hub. With the exception of a blip in the stock market, when it opened up at a two-month low last Monday, the impact of the protests on the business community has been minimal.

Despite Chinese state media claims that the city is in turmoil with markets crashing, business life has continued largely as normal.

However, most of this past week has been a holiday period.

A key test of the patience and tolerance of the business community, who hold huge influence over the politics of the city, will come on Monday when businesses re-open again.

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Hong Kong: Clashes Between Rival Groups

Protesters have said they are calling off talks with the government after clashes with hundreds of supporters of Chinese rule in Hong Kong.

Police were forced to appeal to protesters to remain calm and return to their homes after tensions between the two groups boiled over.

Hundreds of pro-Beijing supporters had ripped up banners, destroyed tents and thrown water bottles at the pro-democracy protesters in Mong Kok.

Protest leaders urged their supporters to leave the Mong Kok area for their own safety but hundreds ignored the plea and descended on the area to outnumber the counter-protesters.

Officers formed a human chain to keep the two groups apart, with some pro-democracy protesters reportedly throwing objects as some members of the pro-China group were led away by bus.

It was unclear whether the pro-China protesters were an organised group but they were said to be visibly older than pro-democracy group and yelled, shoved and tried to drag the younger protesters away. Many shouted their anger that the protesters were preventing them from going to work and earning a living.

"Give us Mong Kok back, we Hong Kongers need to eat!" one man shouted as he attempted to remove the barricades. 

Video: Clashes Erupt At Hong Kong Protests

One young female protester said: "We're sorry for the inconvenient cause but we hope you can show consideration."

She said she was determined to stay, adding: "Yes I do (have safety worries) but I don't have other choice."

A woman on the other side said: "My father lives here and I come here to buy things but the shops are closed and the roads are closed and everybody cannot go to work. I completely respect their rights to express their views but I just think Hong Kong is not such a place where you have to occupy roads or create such a tension between people to express their views."

The scuffles were the most chaotic since police used tear gas and pepper spray last weekend to try to disperse protesters pushing for greater electoral reforms for the territory.

In Causeway Bay, another area under student occupation, groups of young men in face masks were forced away from the protesters by police.

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1. Gallery: Hong Kong Clashes As Sit-In Drags On

   Pro-democracy protesters gather outside the government offices in Hong Kong

2. The umbrella has become a symbol of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement

3. An anti-protester shouts at pro-democracy demonstrators in an occupied area of Hong Kong

4. Pro-democracy campaigners, mainly students, stand firm

5. Many of the anti-protesters are angry they have not been able to go to work during the protests

6. Police officers try to get a man to let go of a fence guarded by pro-democracy demonstrators

7. The protests are about to enter their second week

Police spokesman Steve Hui appealed to the members of the public to "observe the laws of Hong Kong when they are expressing their views."

Protesters, who are mostly students, said that if authorities did not act to protect peaceful demonstrators, they would go back on an agreement to hold talks with the city government as proposed by Hong Kong's leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

Tens of thousands took to the streets of Hong Kong a week ago to demand democracy in the former British colony, the main issue being a free voting system to choose their new leader in 2017.

Numbers have recently dwindled, however, as people returned to work following a two-day holiday.

Leung Chun-ying agreed to open talks with pro-democracy protesters on Thursday but has refused the give in to their demands that he resign.

Video: How Protesters Use Social Media

Police had warned protesters of serious consequences if they try to block off government buildings and were pictured unloading of what appeared to be tear gas canisters and rubber bullets on Thursday.

After the clashes on Friday, the protesters said they would not meet Mr Leung unless the "organised attacks" on their sit-in are stopped.

The protests are the biggest challenge to China's authority since Britain handed control of Hong Kong to Beijing in 1997.

While Leung may have made a concession in offering talks with the students, he gave no timeframe for when these might take place.

Meanwhile, Beijing has signalled its opposition to the protests with a front-page commentary in the country's official People's Daily.

Video: Hong Kong Leader Offers Talks

"For a few consecutive days, some people have been making trouble in Hong Kong, stirring up illegal assemblies in the name of seeking 'real universal suffrage'."

"Such acts have outrightly violated the Basic Law, Hong Kong's law, as well as the principle of the rule of law, and they are doomed to fail."

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Japan Halts Rescue Mission Over Volcano Fears

A recovery operation to retrieve at least 24 bodies on Japan's second-highest volcano has been halted because of fears of another eruption.

Troops, firefighters and police were stood down for the day and helicopters grounded due to growing levels of toxic gas.

Climbers were stopped in their tracks when scientists noted increasing vehemence in the volcanic earthquakes on the 3,067m (10,121ft) Ontake, with steam and sulphurous gases continuing to billow from Ontake's ruptured crater.

Volcanic tremors have been detected constantly since Saturday's eruption, with underground water boiling into steam and breaking or moving rocks, a volcanologist at the meteorological agency said.

The volcano began erupting on Saturday

"The shakes became bigger, prompting worries over possible secondary casualties," he revealed.

In Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged maximum efforts on rescue and disaster prevention.

"There are people still out of contact, although the police, firefighters and the self-defence forces have been conducting all-out rescue efforts despite the ongoing volcanic activity at Mount Ontake," he told MPs.

"The government will continue its utmost rescue efforts with the cooperation of all organisations concerned," he said.

"In light of experience from these disasters, the government is all united in taking disaster-prevention measures including development of necessary laws to protect people's life and property," Mr Abe said.

An injured person is lifted off the mountain by helicopter

Japan's second-highest active volcano erupted without warning during the weekend, spewing gas, rocks and ash high into the sky.

Thirty-six people are known to have died - with officials warning the death toll could be higher - as hundreds of hikers were caught on the slopes of the volcano, with dozens trapped on the peak by flying rocks and hot, toxic gases.

A Japanese army official who took part in the search has said rescuers have been wearing helmets, bullet-proof vests, goggles and masks to protect themselves from any fresh eruption.

Saturday's natural disaster came a month after more than 70 people were killed in huge landslides caused by heavy rainfall in the western city of Hiroshima.

The volcano straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures

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Thai Murders: British Backpacker 'Was Raped'

A British backpacker in Thailand was raped by both her killers before she was murdered, police have said.

They believe three people were involved in the attacks on 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, 24, whose semi-naked bodies were found on a beach on the island of Koh Tao earlier this month.

Lieutenant General Panya Mamen told the Bangkok Post: "Two of the suspects raped and killed Witheridge while another one witnessed the murder.

"We're confident we have a very high chance of finding the suspects."

David Miller, 24, died from drowning and a blow to the head

Two different semen samples were collected from Ms Witheridge's body, he added.

Mr Miller, from Jersey, died from drowning and a blow to the head, while Miss Witheridge, from Great Yarmouth, died from head wounds on Sairee beach in the early hours of September 15.

A blood-stained garden hoe, which is thought to be the murder weapon, was discovered nearby.

Officers have collected 200 DNA samples from people on the island - including more than eight Thai footballers - and the results are expected at some point this week.

Almost three weeks after the murders police are no closer to an arrest

The group of Thai footballers, who reportedly threw a late-night party at the nightclub where the victims spent their final hours, are the latest to be questioned by officers investigating the murders.

Almost three weeks after the deaths police are no closer to making an arrest and are offering a reward of more than £13,000 (700,000 baht) in an effort to catch the killers.

The latest development in the probe comes as it emerged tourists in Thailand may be issued with wristbands in the wake of the murders to help identify those who run into trouble.

Party curfews and restrictions on where they can be held are also being considered, as well as the idea of introducing a "buddy system" - pairing tourists with a local minder.

Tourists in Koh Tao where the bodies of two British backpackers were found

Thailand's tourism minister, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, said: "When tourists check in to a hotel they will be given a wristband with a serial number that matches their ID and shows the contact details of the resort they are staying in so that if they're out partying late and, for example, get drunk or lost, they can be easily assisted.

"The next step would be some sort of electronic tracking device, but this has not yet been discussed in detail."

Having consulted hotels over the identity wristband idea, she admitted it had already been met with some resistance.

"Most people welcome the idea but some hotels are concerned that tourists may not want to wear the wristbands," she said.

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Hong Kong Protesters Reject Call To Go Home

Demonstrators in Hong Kong have set a deadline of Wednesday for the government to respond to demands for reforms, as protests enter a fifth day.

But in his first public comments since police fired tear gas at demonstrators, Hong Kong's chief executive Leung Chun-Ying called on protest leaders to "immediately" withdraw their followers from the streets.

"Occupy Central founders had said repeatedly that if the movement is getting out of control, they would call for it to stop," he said.

"I'm now asking them to fulfil the promise they made to society, and stop this campaign immediately."

But Occupy, the main group behind the last two days of street protests, rejected Mr Leung's demands and renewed its calls for him to step down.                 

Protesters light up the street with their mobile phones

"If Leung Chun-Ying announces his resignation, this occupation will be at least temporarily stopped in a short period of time, and we will decide on the next move," co-founder Chan Kin-Man told reporters.

"This would be a very important signal, then at least we know the government has changed their attitude and wants to solve this crisis," he said.

Some demonstrators have worn masks and resorted to umbrellas or plastic capes to protect themselves - prompting the phrase "umbrella revolution" to trend on social media.

However, in a shift of tactics, uniformed police looked on from behind barricades and have so far not intervened in the peaceful protest.

The demonstrations have brought the centre of Hong Kong to a standstill

Sky's Asia Correspondent Mark Stone, on the scene, said the activists were "good natured but utterly driven".

On Sunday night, riot officers fire 87 rounds of tear gas after being charged by "violent protesters", with police saying 41 people had been injured.

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron has told Sky News that he is "deeply concerned" about the situation in the former colony and hopes it can be resolved.

China, meanwhile, has warned the international community not to "interfere".

Protesters run away from tear gas

Officials called on the activists to leave peacefully on Monday but thousands remained camped on a normally busy road near government headquarters.

Organisers estimate as many as 80,000 people have taken to the streets since Friday.

With no imminent end in sight, China appears to have blocked photo-sharing site Instagram, suggesting authorities are worried about inspiring similar protests on the mainland.

Many shared photos of the demo have been hashtagged "Occupy Central".

Police try to block a street leading to the financial district

The phrase was also blocked on Sunday on Weibo, China's version of Twitter.

The unrest began after it was ruled that in 2017 Hong Kong residents must choose their leader, or chief executive, from candidates picked by Beijing who must declare their "love" for China and its Communist system.

Under the agreement of the 1997 handover from Britain to China, Hong Kong was given an independent legal and political framework.

Unlike the mainland, protests are allowed - but the current demonstrations are potentially the biggest political challenge to Beijing since the Tiananmen Square crackdown 25 years ago.

The protests have affected Hong Kong's important commercial hub, forcing buses to be cancelled or diverted and some banks to close.

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Odd Text Real Estate Agent Is Found Dead

Real estate agent Beverly Carter, who had been missing since last week, has been found dead in Arkansas, police have said.

The 49-year-old's body was found in a shallow grave, the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Authorities had been searching for Mrs Carter since last Thursday, when she failed to return from an appointment to show a home to a potential buyer.

Beverly Carter, 49, had been missing since Thursday

On Monday, police arrested Arron Lewis, 33, on suspicion of kidnapping Mrs Carter.

Now authorities are planning to charge him with capital murder, the statement said.

According to the sheriff's office, Lewis was questioned for more than 12 hours on Monday.

He eventually admitted that he had abducted Mrs Carter, but did not divulge her whereabouts.

Police said they then received information leading them to the address where she was found.

Local residents joined in the search in the past days

Lewis told reporters as he was being taken from the jail to the sheriff's office that he did not kill Mrs Carter.

He described her as "a woman that worked alone - a rich broker".

Last Thursday, Mrs Carter told her husband she was going to meet the potential buyer at a repossessed property in the town of Scott, east of Little Rock.

Mr Carter said he later found his wife's car abandoned with her purse and wallet still inside.

He said he received three out-of-character text messages in a row from his wife's phone at about 1am on Friday.

The first read simply: "Yes."

The next said: "My phone's low. The battery's down, and I'll call you whenever I get signal."

The final message read: "Oh, I'm out drinking with some friends" - though Mr Carter said his wife was not a drinker.

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Iraqi Forces Retake Crucial Crossing From IS

Iraqi Kurdish forces have captured a strategic border crossing from Islamic State fighters in northern Iraq, as the militants were pounded by US-led air strikes.

Kurdish peshmerga fighters took control of several villages as well as of the Rabia border crossing with Syria in a battle that began before dawn.

There were a total of three fronts in northern Iraq where Kurdish forces were battling the IS Sunni militants.

The Rabia border crossing is considered crucial because the ability to cross the frontier freely has been a major tactical advantage for Islamic State fighters on both sides.

Iraqi forces and Kurdish peshmerga fighters have recaptured Sunni villages that had been under IS control south of the Kurdish-held oil city of Kirkuk. 

The US expanded its air campaign to Syria last week

IS fighters had used positions in the villages to fire mortars at neighbouring Daquq, a town populated mainly by ethnic Turkmen Shi'ite Muslims.

Meanwhile, airstrikes struck IS targets near a besieged Kurdish town along Syria's border with Turkey.

It was not immediately clear if Tuesday's airstrikes succeeded in halting the militants' advance on Kobani, also known as Ayn Arab.

Kobani has been under attack by the Islamic State group since mid-September. Despite the air campaign, the militants were able to advance toward the town over the past few days.

Syrian refugees crossing into the Syria border

US-led forces have been bombing Islamic State targets in Iraq since August.

They expanded the campaign to Syria last week in an effort to defeat the fighters, who have swept through Sunni areas of both countries, killing prisoners, chasing out Kurds and ordering Shi'ites and non-Muslims to convert or die.

Washington hopes the strikes, conducted with European allies in Iraq and with Arab air forces in Syria, will help government and Kurdish forces in Iraq and moderate Sunnis in Syria.

The head of the Free Syrian Army has told Sky News there has been no co-operation between his fighters and the coalition conducting the airstrikes.

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Beheading Suspect's Mum Makes Video Apology

The mother of a man suspected of beheading a colleague at a food-processing plant in Oklahoma has apologised in a video posted on Facebook.

The suspect, Alton Nolen, 30, is due to be charged later on Monday with first-degree murder, as well as assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

He may also face federal charges.

"Our hearts bleed right now because what they're saying Alton has done," Nolen's mother said in the short video statement, sitting next to her daughter Megan.

"That's not my son."

Alton Nolen was fired from Vaughan Foods Pic: Facebook

Nolen went on an apparently random knife rampage after being fired.

He allegedly decapitated Colleen Hufford, 54, and was stabbing Traci Johnson, 43, when warehouse boss Mark Vaughan shot him.

"I want to apologise to both families, because this is not Alton."

However, Ms Nolen said that there are "two sides to every story, and we're only hearing one".

"I'm praying that justice will prevail, the whole story will come out - the whole story," she added.

The scene outside the factory after the attack

In the video, Megan Nolen said the family was "in shock" and that her brother has always been a "loving person".

The video is dimly lit and neither woman states her name.

But local newspaper The Oklahoman confirmed their identities on Sunday with another sister of the suspect, Paige Nolen.

Nolen had tried to convert workers to Islam, colleagues told investigators, though it is not clear if his beliefs had any link to the attack.

The suspect's Facebook page, where he used the name Jah'Keem Yisrael, is filled with bizarre rants in capital letters.

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Hong Kong: China Warns UK Not To 'Interfere'

Thousands of democracy protesters have defied tear gas and police baton charges to remain on the streets of Hong Kong amid rising international tensions.

Some demonstrators wore masks and resorted to umbrellas or plastic capes to protect themselves - prompting the phrase "umbrella revolution" to trend on social media.

The UK Foreign Office said it was "concerned" by the heavy response to the protests in its former colony - but China warned the international community not to "interfere".

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said: "Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong. Hong Kong is purely our internal affair.

"We are resolutely opposed to any foreign country using any method to interfere in China's internal affairs."

Protesters remained defiant on Monday night Some wore plastic and goggles, fearing more tear gas

The Hong Kong government said it withdrew riot police on Monday as the protests began to calm.

A spokesman called on the activists to leave the protest areas peacefully - but many remain camped on a normally busy highway near the government headquarters.

Hong Kong's chief executive should resign, say demonstrators

Organisers estimate as many as 80,000 people have taken to the streets since Friday.

Police fired 87 rounds of tear gas on Sunday after being charged by "violent protesters", and said 41 people had been injured, 12 of them police officers.

Demonstrator Rick Chan said: "I came last night and saw police fire many rounds of tear gas at the crowd, who were mostly young students and even included some old people.

Demonstrators flee the tear gas on Sunday night Police lined up against the demonstrators

"I feel it was extremely unnecessary."

Photo-sharing site Instagram has also reportedly been blocked in China, suggesting authorities could be worried about inspiring similar protests on the mainland.

Many photos of the demo have been hashtagged "Occupy Central".

The phrase was blocked on Sunday on Weibo, China's version of Twitter.

Thousands remained on the streets on Monday

A movement to occupy central Hong Kong, in protest at Chinese interference, was originally planned for National Day on Wednesday, but began early on the back of separate student protests.

Last month, the Communist Party ruled that while Hong Kongers could choose their next leader or chief executive in 2017, they must select from candidates picked by Beijing who must declare their "love" for China and its Communist system.

Under the agreement of the 1997 handover from Britain to China, Hong Kong was allowed to have an independent legal and political framework.

Unlike mainland China, protests are allowed - but the current demonstrations are one of the biggest political challenges to Beijing since the Tiananmen Square crackdown 25 years ago.

Phones were raised aloft outside the Hong Kong government complex Protesters have been blocking the main street to the financial district

China has endorsed the Hong Kong government's crackdown.

But a spokesman for the UK Foreign Office said: "The British government is concerned about the situation in Hong Kong and is monitoring events carefully.

"It is Britain's longstanding position, as a co-signatory of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, that Hong Kong's prosperity and security are underpinned by its fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to demonstrate."

Occupy Central co-organiser Dr Chan Kin-man urged "fearless" protesters to remain on the streets until their calls were heeded.

In a statement, the group called on Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Leung Chun-ying, to resign, saying his "non-response to the people's demands has driven Hong Kong into a crisis of disorder".

The protests have affected Hong Kong's commercial hub, forcing bus routes to be cancelled or diverted and banks to close.

Clashes also broke out in Taiwan when dozens of students gathered in the lobby of the Hong Kong Trade Office in Taipei in support of the democracy protests.

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British 'Islamic State Recruiter' Arrested

A British man has been arrested in Bangladesh on suspicion of recruiting people to fight alongside Islamic State militants in Syria.

Samiun Rahman, who is from London, arrived in the country in February to find fighters for both IS and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, according to Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of the Detective and Criminal Intelligence Division (DCID).

"He has plans to recruit and send a team from Bangladesh to fight in Syria," Commissioner Monirul said.

Islamic State fighters have seized large parts of Iraq and Syria

Rahman, whose parents are from a town northeast of the capital Dhaka, has confessed to trying to recruit fighters for the groups, police said, although it is not clear if his efforts were successful.

He told police he had joined the Nusra Front in Syria last September and fought with the group until December 2013.

Police say Rahman returned to Britain at some point and visited other countries to recruit jihadis before going to Bangladesh to do the same.

Foreigners have travelled to Iraq and Syria to fight with IS

IS has seized large parts of Iraq and Syria in recent months, and fighting is reportedly continuing around the capital, Baghdad.

An explosion at a makeshift IS hospital has killed at least three fighters in Baquba, Diyala province on Monday, according to Sky sources.

There has also been intense fighting between Kurdish rebels and IS militants close to the Turkish border.

The US has been conducting airstrikes in Iraq since last month in a bid to reverse IS gains, and recently expanded their campaign to neighbouring Syria.

Britain joined the mission last week when MPs approved military action against the Islamists in Iraq.

Although RAF Tornados have flown a number of missions over northern Iraq since then, they have yet to fire any missiles.

Kurdish peshmerga fighters in position in Jalawla

But, a former IS fighter has told Sky News the airstrikes are backfiring, bringing extremist groups closer together.

A key part of the effort against IS are the Kurdish peshmerga battling the group in the north.

A peshmerga commander has also told Sky's Stuart Ramsey that airstrikes alone will not be enough to defeat the group.

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IS Fighters Smuggled Into Syria For Just £15

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 several times a day, he says, 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 northwestern 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.

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."

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RAF Airstrikes: Cypriots Urged Not To Panic

RAF Airstrikes Wait As Intelligence Is Key

Updated: 3:16pm UK, Monday 29 September 2014

As I write this, RAF Tornados have completed four armed missions over northern Iraq and are currently engaged in a fifth.

They have managed more than 12 hours of flying time in the theatre of operations since Friday's Parliamentary vote, hunting for Islamic State (IS) convoys, hideouts and strongholds. 

And yet, the Tornados haven't dropped a single bomb or fired a single missile. Should we be surprised? Not necessarily.

Privately I know military chiefs and senior politicians are slightly dismayed that the British haven't managed their first strikes on IS, but they acknowledge that it proves their pre-emptive warning that this will be a slow conflict with much patience required.

"Intelligence, intelligence, intelligence," is how analyst put it to me this morning. "That is the key to this battle, intelligence."

He is spot on.

The UK has its Rivet Joint aircraft flying out of Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar. It vacuums up communications data from 30-odd thousand feet. Telephone conversations, email traffic, text messages.

The US has at least eight drones monitoring patterns of life. These can stay up in the air for many hours, watching a single spot if necessary.

IS have been smacked around a bit this past week and they're changing their tactics, minimising their exposure.

For all the technology in the sky, nothing beats eyes on the ground. Local knowledge.

The person who quietly points out the farmhouse down a track, an IS bomb-making factory. The source that passes on details of militants' movements. This is the aim: the local population working against the occupying insurgency.

But the local population needs to be convinced that the coalition, which they can barely see up in the skies above them, is the right side to be on.

They need to be sure the airstrikes will work. If they don't, the IS reprisals will be unforgiving.

Too many times, in this part of the world, has the West promised to defend the people only to leave them at the mercy of the enemy.

In 1991, after American and British missiles pummelled Saddam's Iraq for weeks, President Bush encouraged the Iraqi people to rise up and overthrow the government themselves.

Rise up they did, expecting the support of US fighter jets. Instead Iraqi helicopter gunships came for them. Some 60,000 Iraqis were killed; two million Kurds fled to Turkey and Iran.

Last year the United States, UK and France promised airstrikes against the Assad regime. They never came.

In the aftermath of that fateful vote in the House of Commons, we have talked much about the damage that night did to Washington-London relations. It was nothing compared to the loss of trust between anti-Assad forces and the West.

What will they now make of these airstrikes which, if anything, are helping Assad?

We mock the abject failure of the Iraqi army to protect its country against the march of ISIS, but in truth they were never going to succeed. They just weren't welcome in many of the towns and cities they sought to defend.

The widespread Sunni hatred of the Maliki government kept them out.

They were weak - yes, too weak for an army that has received billions of dollars in equipment and training from Washington. Their capitulation was a failure of politics as much as it was one of military.

My colleague Stuart Ramsay writes today about the Peshmerga's inability to re-take Mosul, despite their will to do so.

The truth is that at the moment there is a dramatic mis-match between the modern warplanes dropping precision missiles and the poorly armed, inadequate armies on the ground.

The two need to work together, if this is going to work at all. 

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