Obama's Syria Plan Clears Sceptical Senate

President Obama's plan to train and equip "moderate" Syrian rebels has passed Congress, despite misgivings.

The Senate backed the measure by 73 votes to 22, a day after it was approved by the House of Representatives.

Leaders of both parties are backing Mr Obama's strategy to help Syrian insurgents take on the Islamic State extremists, but the rank and file in each chamber expressed grave reservations.

"Intervention that destabilises the Middle East is a mistake," said Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, a potential 2016 presidential candidate.

Syrian refugees crowd a Turkish border fence on Thursday

"And yet here we are again wading into a civil war."

Democratic Alaska Senator Mark Begich said he also disagreed with Mr Obama's strategy, adding: "It is time for the Arab countries to...get over their regional differences."

The administration dispatched its top officials to Capitol Hill for a second day to assure lawmakers there would be no US troops fighting in the Middle East.

A jihadist gunman looks at bottles of perfume at a shop in Raqqa, Syria

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told a House panel that Mr Obama "is not going to order American combat ground forces into that area".

Secretary of State John Kerry told another committee the administration appreciated the danger of a "slippery slope". 

Focusing lawmakers' minds, the Islamic State paraded their latest hostage on Thursday.

They released a video showing a British journalist, who they said he was their prisoner.

The Pentagon chief is the latest official to rule out ground forces

The extremists have already beheaded three Westerners after capturing a third of Syria and Iraq.

The group also took over 21 villages in northern Syria this week, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The House approved the Obama proposal by 273-156 on Wednesday.

Republicans, usually stalwart antagonists of the president, backed the measure by more than double the margin of his war-weary Democratic allies.

A protester is removed as the Defence Secretary testifies before the House

The plan, which is an amendment to a short-term spending bill, does not include the $500m (£300m) the White House says it needs to arm and train the rebels.

The idea is that US troops will train Syrian rebels at camps in Saudi Arabia, a process that could take a year, say military officials.

Defence officials have said they expect to recruit and train about 5,000 non-jihadist rebel fighters.

The Islamists took 21 Syrian villages this week, sparking a refugee exodus

But lawmakers have expressed doubt this will be enough to take on the Islamic State, who the CIA estimates can muster up to 31,000 fighters.

Mr Obama's strategy is to use American warplanes to help Kurdish peshmerga fighters and national forces in Iraq and the rebels in Syria do the fighting on the ground.

Fears of mission creep were raised two days ago when the nation's top military leader, General Martin Dempsey, raised the possibility of US ground troops eventually fighting in Iraq.

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British Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Planes

British fighter jets have been scrambled to intercept two Russian planes flying through international airspace.

The Typhoon jets were sent to identify the planes, which turned out to be Russian military Bears.

A statement released by the RAF said the aircraft did not enter UK airspace.

A number of images were released by the RAF

The statement said the launch was the first time a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) had been issued from RAF Lossiemouth since the Moray base took on the role of defending the UK's northern airspace.

It was the first QRA issued at RAF Lossiemouth

RAF Lossiemouth's Station Commander, Group Captain Mark Chappell, said: "This first successful launch for QRA North has been what all of the hard work by RAF Leuchars and RAF Lossiemouth personnel over recent months has been for.

"The relocation of two Typhoon squadrons was a significant challenge, one that was met by our whole team.

"The many months of preparation and infrastructure improvements have made us absolutely ready for this launch, and shows we are in the best position to provide the service to the United Kingdom that the Royal Air Force was primarily created for - that is, the protection of our airspace."

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GlaxoSmithKline Fined £297m For China Bribes

A Chinese court has fined GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) £297m - a record in the country - for bribing doctors and hospital officials to use its products.

The pharmaceutical firm confirmed the penalty imposed by the Changsha Intermediate People's Court in Hunan Province, saying it accepted that illegal activities took place and the fine would be paid through existing cash resources.

The Chinese state news agency, Xinhua, reported that Briton Mark Reilly, the former head of GSK in China, and other executives faced jail terms.

However, a GSK source told Sky News that Reilly was to be deported after being handed a three-year suspended sentence.

Mark Reilly used to run GSKCI

The London-listed firm's statement said the court found that "GSK China Investment (GSKCI)... offered money or property to non-government personnel in order to obtain improper commercial gains.

"The illegal activities of GSKCI are a clear breach of GSK's governance and compliance procedures; and are wholly contrary to the values and standards expected from GSK employees.

"GSK has published a statement of apology to the Chinese government and its people on its website.

"GSK has co-operated fully with the authorities and has taken steps to comprehensively rectify the issues identified at the operations of GSKCI.

"This includes fundamentally changing the incentive programme for its salesforces (decoupling sales targets from compensation); significantly reducing and changing engagement activities with healthcare professionals; and expanding processes for review and monitoring of invoicing and payments."

GSK chief executive Sir Andrew Witty added: "Reaching a conclusion in the investigation of our Chinese business is important, but this has been a deeply disappointing matter for GSK.

"We have and will continue to learn from this. GSK has been in China for close to a hundred years and we remain fully committed to the country and its people."

The investigation took a number of twists with a British man, who was hired as an investigator by GSK, being jailed for two-and-a-half years in August.

Peter Humphrey's health is said to be poor

Chinese authorities claimed Peter Humphrey illegally obtained Chinese citizens' personal information and sold it to companies including GSK.

GSK hired him after an anonymous email containing a sex tape of Reilly and his Chinese girlfriend was sent to senior management in January last year.

The email alleged corrupt practices in GSK's China operation.

GSK's ethical standards have also been called into question in Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Poland.

Its share price was almost 0.6% higher in the wake of the announcement.

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Alibaba Shares Open 37% Up On Market Debut

Billionaire Alibaba Founder Shows US Doubters

Updated: 2:25pm UK, Friday 19 September 2014

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent in Beijing

At the northern end of the runways at the world's second busiest airport is a huge warehouse.

Inside, a labyrinth of conveyer belts and an army of workers.

This is the heart of a distribution operation that is as slick as it is mind-boggling.

YTO Express is China's answer to DHL or FedEx but it is growing at a rate its western cousins can only dream about.

"From the beginning the average daily volume was only about 2,000 pieces. Now our average daily volume is 6.5 million pieces," said Li Shaoming, YTO Express's Director of Overseas Business.

We watch as a fleet of laden lorries pull up at one side of the warehouse.

Parcels are unloaded onto conveyer belts. Over an hour, a combination of barcodes and manpower shuffles the parcels from conveyer to conveyer.

At the other end of the warehouse, they are loaded onto more lorries and driven away.

In between the functioning conveyers, are more under construction.

The company has seen a growth rate of 50% every year for the past five years and it cannot keep up.

YTO Express can thank one man for its success.

Jack Ma is the most successful businessman you have never heard of - the founder of Alibaba.

Some 80% of all online retail sales in China are via Alibaba's platforms: Taobao, T-Mall and Alipay.

The company has stakes in Sina Weibo (Chinese Twitter) and YouKu.com (Chinese YouTube).

It is Amazon, eBay, PayPal, Twitter and YouTube all rolled into one and it's bigger than all of them.

Across China, small businesses have been linked together and consumers empowered to buy.

Taobao is Alibaba's answer to Amazon.

T-Mall is something new. Think of a virtual shopping centre; a place where the world's brands are available with just one click.

It is not exactly revolutionary stuff, but no-one else has done it.

Western companies like Marks & Spencer are 'renting' virtual shop floors on T-Mall, opening the door to China's 600 million internet shoppers.

Remember, the individual wealth of Chinese consumers is growing daily.

For foreign investors wary of diving into China with bricks and mortar, T-Mall is a perfect alternative.

Alipay is similar to PayPal, accounting for half of all online payment transactions within China. It provides a verification process and payment system for customers - a secure online 'counter' for customers.

Uniquely, Alipay will only transfer money to sellers once the customer has accepted and is satisfied with the product.

With China's lack of consumer trust, this has proved particularly attractive.

Essentially, with Alibaba, Jack Ma has made it incredibly easy for China's new, hungry online community to buy, and for companies across China and abroad to sell.

Alibaba charges for advertising and commission paid by companies who use its virtual marketplaces.

According to its own figures, Alibaba has 279 million active users and 8.5 million sellers.

Just 15 years ago, Jack Ma went to America with his ambitions. No one took him seriously.

He is back now, with a world-record breaking IPO (Initial Public Offering) on the New York Stock Exchange and a personal wealth of £12bn.

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First French Airstrikes On IS 'Kill Dozens'

France has destroyed an Islamic State (IS) logistics depot in its first airstrikes against the militant group in Iraq.

President Francois Hollande said Rafale fighter jets, accompanied by support planes, "entirely destroyed" the depot in the north of the country.

Iraq's military spokesman said four morning airstrikes killed dozens of fighters.

"Other operations will follow in the coming days with the same goal - to weaken this terrorist organisation and come to the aid of the Iraqi authorities," Mr Hollande said. "There are always risks in taking up a responsibility. I reduced the risks to a minimum."

A soldier prepares a jet before the strikes

Qassim al Moussawi, a spokesman for the Iraqi military, said four airstrikes hit the town of Zumar, killing dozens of extremist fighters.

Zumar and surrounding towns are heavily contested by IS fighters, even though Iraqi and Kurdish security forces have managed to make headway nearby with the support of US airstrikes.

France is the first foreign country to publicly add military muscle to American airstrikes against IS.

Mr Hollande has ruled out French troops on the ground.

US Central Command said on Thursday that the US military has conducted 176 airstrikes in Iraq since August 8.

On Wednesday, it hit a militant training camp southeast of Mosul and an ammunition stockpile southeast of Baghdad. It has also conducted a number of strikes this week in Iraq's Anbar province, near the strategic Haditha Dam.

Mr Hollande at the Elysee Palace before announcing the strikes

The French air attacks took place while US General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in France for meetings with his counterpart, General Pierre de Villiers.

The two men visited an American military cemetery in Normandy.

Gen Dempsey, who was told of the attack by de Villiers, praised the French action.

"The French were our very first ally and they are there again for us," he told reporters travelling with him in Normandy. "It just reminds me why these relationships really matter."

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New IS Video Shows Another British Hostage

British Muslims Plea For 'Mercy' For UK Hostage

Updated: 8:39am UK, Thursday 18 September 2014

British Muslim leaders have united to call for the Islamic State extremist group to release the UK hostage Alan Henning.

They have urged the militants to show mercy to the 47-year-old from Salford, and to let him go unharmed.

The father of two travelled to Syria with charity workers in December, but was kidnapped and now faces beheading at the hands of the terrorist dubbed Jihadi John.

The intervention came as a friend of Mr Henning, who was on the same aid convoy, made a direct appeal to IS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, to show "compassion and mercy".

In the video the man describes travelling "several times" to Syria with Mr Henning.

"On all occasions, we - your Muslim brothers - brought him with us under our care and protection," he says.

"Alan was so moved by the suffering of the Syrian people, in particular the children, that he devoted all his free time in raising money and awareness about their suffering.

"He washed cars to raise money, he collected aid, he talked to everybody he met about crimes committed against the Muslims in Syria."

More than 100 Muslim leaders have signed a statement to IS pleading for Mr Henning's release, and branding them "monsters" for the brutal murder of fellow hostage David Haines.

In a letter published in the Independent newspaper, they said: "We, the undersigned British Muslim Imams, organisations and individuals, wish to express our horror and revulsion at the senseless murder of David Haines and the threat to the life of our fellow British citizen, Alan Henning."

They said those holding Mr Henning hostage must accept that what they are doing is against the Koran and "constitutes the worst condemnable sin".

The Muslim Council of Britain was among the signatories.

Dr Shuja Shafi, the council's Secretary General, said: "Such a man should be celebrated, not incarcerated. Taking such people hostage, and murdering them, are against the principles laid out in the Qur'an and our Prophetic traditions."

It comes as new footage shows Mr Henning en route to Syria, saying it is "all worthwhile" to make sure aid gets to where it is needed.

Mr Henning, a taxi driver, was kidnapped within 30 minutes of crossing from Turkey into Syria.

He had volunteered to drive an ambulance full of medical aid as part of a community-funded charity trip organised by volunteers from Bolton and the UK Arab Society.

It is believed he was abducted by IS in Al Dana, a town 38km (24 miles) from Aleppo.

Reports suggest he was separated from Muslim counterparts by masked men.

Friends who travelled with him said they made desperate attempt to get him freed before returning to the UK.

The man in the video appeal describes Mr Henning's commitment to raise as much money as he could for refugees of Syria's civil war.

The YouTube appeal was partly co-ordinated by Cage - a group campaigning against the so-called "war on terror".

Emotionally overwhelmed at the end of the video, the man urges IS leader al Baghdadi to "please, please, please, release Alan."

"He has no affiliation with any political agenda," he says.

"Show him compassion and mercy as he showed compassion and mercy to Muslims of Syria."

Mr Henning appeared at the end of the video released on Saturday in which Mr Haines was beheaded by IS - with a threat that he would be next.

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IS Planned Beheading In Australia, PM Says

Fears supporters of Islamic State were planning to kidnap a random person and carry out a "demonstration killing" prompted Australia's largest ever anti-terror raids, the prime minister has said.

Asked about reports that the planned attack involved a plot to behead a person in Sydney, Tony Abbott said: "That's the intelligence we received.

"The exhortations - quite direct exhortations - were coming from an Australian who is apparently quite senior in ISIL (also known as IS or ISIS) to networks of support back in Australia to conduct demonstration killings here in this country.

"This is not just suspicion, this is intent and that's why the police and security agencies decided to act in the way they have."

A sword was removed from one of the properties

More than 800 officers took part in the operation which saw at least 15 people detained and one charged with a serious "terrorism-related" offence.

The suspects had purchased machetes, balaclavas and military fatigues and planned to record the killing to be released on social media, Australia's ABC News reported. 

Pictures in the Australian media showed a sword being removed from one of the properties

The early morning raids of homes and businesses in Sydney and Brisbane came just days after Australia raised its national terror threat level to "high" for the first time, citing the likelihood of terrorist attacks by Australians radicalised in Iraq or Syria.

A suspect is detained by armed police during the operation

One of the suspects arrested made a brief appearance in court on Thursday.

Prosecutors said Omarjan Azari - who is charged with conspiracy to prepare for a terrorist attack- was involved in an alleged plan to "gruesomely" kill someone, an attack that was "clearly designed to shock and horrify" the public.

Court documents accused the 22-year-old of conspiring with former Sydney nightclub bouncer Mohammad Ali Baryalei, 33, who is suspected to be Australia's most senior member of IS in Syria and Iraq.

Prosecutor Michael Allnutt said the charge followed from the interception of a phone call made in recent days.

A police forensic expert gathers evidence at a property in Sydney

Police have also issued an arrest warrant for Baryalei.

Sydney is home to around half of Australia's 500,000 Muslims, with the majority living in the western suburbs where the raids were carried out.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the operation showed the reality of the threat facing Australia.

He said: "You know it is of serious concern that right at the heart of our communities we have people that are planning to conduct random attacks.

"Today we work together to make sure that didn't happen. We have disrupted that particular attack."

Australia, which is due to host the G20 Leaders Summit in Brisbane in mid-November, is concerned over the number of its citizens believed to be fighting overseas with Islamist militant groups.

Police chiefs said the operation highlighted the reality of the threat

Mr Scipione said: "Our police will continue to work tirelessly to prevent any such attacks but certainly can I stress that right now, is a time for calm.

"We don't need to whip this up.

"We need to let people know that they are safe and certainly from our perspective we know that the work this morning will ensure that all of those plans that may have been on foot have been thwarted."

Up to 160 Australians have either been involved in the fighting in the Middle East or actively supporting it, officials said.

At least 20 are believed to have returned to Australia and pose a national security risk, the head of the country's spy agency said when raising the threat level last week.

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Plot Suggests Grip Of Extremists Is Widening

IS Planned Beheading In Australia, PM Says

Updated: 2:23pm UK, Thursday 18 September 2014

Fears supporters of Islamic State were planning to kidnap a random person and carry out a "demonstration killing" prompted Australia's largest ever anti-terror raids, the prime minister has said.

Asked about reports that the planned attack involved a plot to behead a person in Sydney, Tony Abbott said: "That's the intelligence we received.

"The exhortations - quite direct exhortations - were coming from an Australian who is apparently quite senior in ISIL (also known as IS or ISIS) to networks of support back in Australia to conduct demonstration killings here in this country.

"This is not just suspicion, this is intent and that's why the police and security agencies decided to act in the way they have."

More than 800 officers took part in the operation which saw at least 15 people detained and one charged with a serious "terrorism-related" offence.

The suspects had purchased machetes, balaclavas and military fatigues and planned to record the killing to be released on social media, Australia's ABC News reported. 

Pictures in the Australian media showed a sword being removed from one of the properties

The early morning raids of homes and businesses in Sydney and Brisbane came just days after Australia raised its national terror threat level to "high" for the first time, citing the likelihood of terrorist attacks by Australians radicalised in Iraq or Syria.

One of the suspects arrested made a brief appearance in court on Thursday.

Prosecutors said Omarjan Azari - who is charged with conspiracy to prepare for a terrorist attack- was involved in an alleged plan to "gruesomely" kill someone, an attack that was "clearly designed to shock and horrify" the public.

Court documents accused the 22-year-old of conspiring with former Sydney nightclub bouncer Mohammad Ali Baryalei, 33, who is suspected to be Australia's most senior member of IS in Syria and Iraq.

Prosecutor Michael Allnutt said the charge followed from the interception of a phone call made in recent days.

Police have also issued an arrest warrant for Baryalei.

Sydney is home to around half of Australia's 500,000 Muslims, with the majority living in the western suburbs where the raids were carried out.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the operation showed the reality of the threat facing Australia.

He said: "You know it is of serious concern that right at the heart of our communities we have people that are planning to conduct random attacks.

"Today we work together to make sure that didn't happen. We have disrupted that particular attack."

Australia, which is due to host the G20 Leaders Summit in Brisbane in mid-November, is concerned over the number of its citizens believed to be fighting overseas with Islamist militant groups.

Mr Scipione said: "Our police will continue to work tirelessly to prevent any such attacks but certainly can I stress that right now, is a time for calm.

"We don't need to whip this up.

"We need to let people know that they are safe and certainly from our perspective we know that the work this morning will ensure that all of those plans that may have been on foot have been thwarted."

Up to 160 Australians have either been involved in the fighting in the Middle East or actively supporting it, officials said.

At least 20 are believed to have returned to Australia and pose a national security risk, the head of the country's spy agency said when raising the threat level last week.

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Obama Again Rules Out Iraq Combat Role For US

President Barack Obama has reiterated there will be no US combat troops in Iraq, a day after his top general raised that very possibility.

Mr Obama spoke upon receiving an update from military chiefs at US Central Command in Tampa, Florida, about the US campaign of airstrikes against the Islamic State militants.

"The American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission," he told troops at MacDill Air Force Base.

"They will support Iraqi forces on the ground as they fight for their own country against these terrorists.

President Obama and US Central Command chief, General Lloyd Austin

"As your commander in chief, I will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq."

Army General Martin Dempsey told Congress on Tuesday he might recommend to the president that US troops fight alongside Iraqi forces if the current strategy of airstrikes failed to break the Islamic State group.

Since last month, the US has conducted more than 160 airstrikes to weaken the extremists.

Secretary of State John Kerry said the group must be stopped "end of story"

Mr Obama plans to rely on US air power as well as Iraqi and Kurdish forces and the Syrian opposition to carry out the fight on the ground.

The House of Representatives approved by 273-156 Mr Obama's request for authority to equip and train "moderate" Syrian rebels to take on the Islamic State.

Testifying before a Senate committee on Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry said Islamic State forces "must be defeated. Period. End of story".

A displaced Iraqi child displays his drawing at a refugee camp in Irbil

US Vice President Joe Biden, meanwhile, appeared to leave the door ajar for US combat troops, as he visited Iowa.

Asked about Gen Dempsey's remarks, he said: "We'll determine that based on how the effort goes."

But Iraq's new prime minister said foreign ground troops were "out of the question".

Haider al Abadi, who took office this month, said: "Not only is it not necessary, we don't want them. We won't allow them. Full stop."

Shia fighters, who have joined the battle against IS, train in Najaf

However, Gen Dempsey, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said half of Iraq's army is incapable of working with the US to recapture territory from Islamic State.

Only 26 of 50 Iraqi army brigades were capable partners for the US, he said, as he flew to Paris for a meeting with his French counterpart.

The others were too dominated by Shias to be part of a credible national force, he added.

Meanwhile, Islamic State has released a video warning the US that fighters await it in Iraq if troops are sent there.

Islamic State fighters have seized large parts of Iraq and Syria

The 52-second clip, entitled Flames Of War, shows fighters destroying tanks, wounded US soldiers and others about to be killed.

It ends with a text overlay that reads "fighting has just begun".

The CIA estimates the Sunni militant group has somewhere between 20,000 and 31,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.

On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told NC News the Islamic State militants want to "kill humanity".

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Poland Sets Up Military Unit With Ukraine

Poland will establish a joint military unit with Ukraine and Lithuania to be based in the east of the country.

The Polish president's office said the new unit will be commanded from Lublin, in eastern Poland.

The proposed brigade will be made up of Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Polish soldiers who will be located close to their home countries.

A defence ministry spokesman said the project is aimed at creating a unit for peacekeeping operations.

The brigade may also become the basis to build a Nato battle group in the future, the spokesman added. 

It comes as the United States pledged $53m (£32m) in aid to Ukraine, including radar equipment to counter mortar attacks.

The assistance includes $46m (£28m) to bolster Ukraine's security in its conflict with Russian-backed separatists, and $7m (£4m) in humanitarian aid.

The package does not include the type of lethal weaponry that some Republican politicians wanted the US to provide.

Mr Poroshenko speaks during a joint meeting of Congress in Washington

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko appealed to US Congress for lethal and non-lethal aid during his visit to Washington today.

He asked for more aid for the military, beyond the basic equipment such as night-vision goggles which the US has already supplied.

"I strongly encourage the United States to give Ukraine a special security and defence status which reflects the highest level of interaction with non-NATO allies," Mr Poroshenko said.

"They need more political support throughout the world. They need more military equipment, both lethal and non-lethal.

"Blankets, night-vision goggles are also important, but one cannot win the war with blankets.

Mr Poroshenko also pushed for more sanctions to be put in place against Russia.

"I also asked that the United States be forceful and reflect its principles with the respect of further sanctions against the aggressor," he said.

On Tuesday the Ukrainian parliament passed a law granting greater autonomy to rebel-held parts of Ukraine's east and an amnesty for separatist fighters.

A ceasefire was also declared on September 5 which has been threatened by violations, and both sides have promised to re-group and continue fighting if required.

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