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 convoy volunteer Alan Henning by an Islamic State (IS) militant.

Ed and Paula Kassig urged their son's captors to let him go in a video statement released on Saturday.

"We implore those who are holding you to show mercy and use their power to let you go," Mr Kassig's father said.

Mr Kassig converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdul-Rahman

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."

Ed Kassig said his son, who founded an organisation that provides aid to Syrians affected by the country's civil war, "grew to love and admire the Syrian people and felt at home there".

Video: IS Threatens To Kill US Hostage

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

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

The 26-year-old Indiana native and Iraq War veteran was captured by IS militants on 1 October 2013 while en route to Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria.

Video: Henning's Family 'Numb With Grief'

At the end of the video showing Mr Henning's murder, an IS militant spoke directly to President Barack Obama as he threatened to kill Mr Kassig next.

He said: "Obama, you have started your aerial bombardment in Sham. So it's only right we continue to strike the necks of your people."

In the plea for his son's release, Mr Kassig said: "We asked our government to change its actions, but like our son, we have no more control over the US government than you have over the break of dawn."

Video: 'IS Call To Send Ground Troops'

On Friday, Mr Obama condemned Mr Henning's "brutal" murder, saying the US would bring those responsible to justice.

Four IS hostages - two Americans and two Britons - have been killed since the US-led airstrikes in Iraq and Syria began on 8 August.

An estimated 15 to 20 hostages are still being held by the extremist group, according to the AP news agency.

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'Dangerous Crossroads' For Hong Kong Protests

By Greg Milam, Sky Correspondent, in Hong Kong

Authorities in Hong Kong have again called on 'Occupy' protesters to step aside and allow government offices and schools to operate as normal on Monday morning.

There are signs that leaders of the protest movement are willing to co-operate with police and clear access routes on roads they have blocked for a week now.

Police have warned they will take "all necessary action" to restore order after a weekend of tension and little sign of protesters losing enthusiasm in their calls for reform.

Away from the protest areas, it is largely business as usual in Hong Kong: a wedding party at the famous Peninsula Hotel, tourists packing cross-harbour ferries and snapping photos at the statue marking the handover from Britain.

Tens of thousands of protesters occupy streets in the financial district

Irene Pan and her 11-year-old son, who were crossing one of the bridges over a deserted main road through Hong Kong island, said: "I have seen a lot different opinions from all over the country and this city.

"It is a chance for the people of Hong Kong to think and to voice what we think no matter what the opinion is.

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1. Gallery: Protest Is An Art In Hong Kong

   Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong have been keeping their message alive with highly-produced poster art celebrating the 'Umbrella Revolution'. Continue through for more images...

"Hong Kong people have been silenced and politically moderate for a long, long time."

Behind the protest barriers, among the banners, walls of peace messages and tents full of supplies, groups of students continue to join the sit-in.

Shandy Hung told Sky News: "At the beginning I don't know much about politics, but I know that if we don't stand up now we will loose the time to fight for our democracy.

Video: Ultimatum For Hong Kong Protesters

"This is just the beginning. I think the most successful thing about the 'Umbrella Revolution' is that more and more people like me will start to care about politics."

Her friend Florence Lam added: "I think the protesters will allow people to go back to work but they will not stop the protest. We have done so much and this is about Hong Kong's future now."

All around them are signs of the determination of protesters to keep that message alive, including highly-produced poster art celebrating the 'Umbrella Revolution'.

Video: Hong Kong Talks Called Off

Scuffles and angry confrontations over the weekend highlight there are those in Hong Kong who are unhappy at the continuing protests.

As the South China Morning Post reported, Monday represents a "dangerous crossroads" for the people of Hong Kong.

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Pakistani Taliban To Send Fighters To Help IS

The Pakistani Taliban has declared its allegiance to Islamic State (IS), just hours after the group murdered British hostage Alan Henning.

Addressing IS in a message sent to the news agency Reuters, Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid ordered fighters to support the jihadist group in its campaign to set up a global Islamic caliphate.

"Oh our brothers, we are proud of you in your victories. We are with you in your happiness and your sorrow," the spokesman wrote in an email sent from an unknown location.

"In these troubled days, we call for your patience and stability, especially now that all your enemies are united against you. Please put all your rivalries behind you.

"All Muslims in the world have great expectations of you ... We are with you, we will provide you with Mujahideen (fighters) and with every possible support."

Video: Imam Condemns Alan Henning's Murder

The statement came a day after IS published a video showing the murder of British aid worker Alan Henning, the fourth Western hostage to be killed in recent weeks .

The video warns that a former US soldier turned charity worker, believed to be Peter Kassig, will be the next victim.

It follows the UK Parliament's decision last week to launch airstrikes against IS in Iraq where it controls large areas of land. 

Video: Kassig's Parents Issue Video Plea

A US-led international coalition is also striking IS targets in Syria.

The extremist group is reported to be making steps to gain ground in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents currently hold sway.

IS activists have recently been spotted in the Pakistani city of Peshawar distributing pamphlets praising the group.

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1. Gallery: The Moment RAF Jet Attacks IS Truck

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

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

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

4. The targets were in the northwest of Iraq

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

6. A plume of smoke rose above the area

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

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

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

10. The aircraft began their combat missions on Saturday

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World First As Baby Is Born From Donated Womb

By Sean Dilley, Sky News Reporter

A mother from Sweden has become the first woman to give birth after receiving a womb transplant.

Her baby boy was born last month according to The Lancet, which describes the delivery as a breakthrough for infertile women.

The 36-year-old woman, who has not been identified, was born with healthy ovaries but no uterus - a condition that affects one woman in every 4,500.

Prof Matts Braennstroem led the operation

But thanks to the donation of a live womb by a 61-year-old "close family friend", doctors were able to harvest eggs from the recipient's ovaries for fertilisation and cryogenic freezing.

A year after the pioneering transplant, doctors introduced a single early stage embryo in to the womb; a pregnancy test three weeks later was positive.

The baby was delivered by caesarian section at 31 weeks after the woman developed preeclampsia.

But despite the boy's premature birth, he weighed a healthy 3.9 lbs (1.77 kg) and doctors say mother and baby are both fine at home.

Liza Johannesson, gynaecology surgeon at the University of Gothenburg, said: "I think it can have major impact, huge impact, because it actually gives hope. And it gives hope to those women and men also, of course that thought they would never have a child."

Doctors in Britain are among those planning similar operations from next year, potentially helping thousands of British women in the future.

However, Professor Mats Brannstrom, team leader of the Uterus Transplantation Team at the University of Gothenburg, who led the research and delivered the baby, said this won't be a routine surgery "until many years yet". 

"It depends on the results of coming research studies on the same subject," he said.

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Former Haitian Dictator 'Baby Doc' Dies

Haiti's notorious former leader Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier has died of a heart attack aged 63, his lawyer has said.

Lawyer Reynold George confirmed the man who once called himself "president for life" died at his home in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on Saturday.

The former president ruled the impoverished Caribbean nation from 1971 until his ousting in a popular uprising in 1986.

He spent 25 years in exile in France before returning to Haiti in January 2011 in what he described a gesture of solidarity to the nation following a devastating earthquake in 2010.

'Baby Doc' returned to Haiti in 2011

"Baby Doc" came to power following the death of his father Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier at the age of just 19.

Like his father, he ruled Haiti with an iron fist and was accused human rights abuses, corruption, and the violent repression of dissidents and opposition activists.

Both leaders relied heavily on a secret police known as the Tonton Macoutes, which is accused of kidnapping, torturing and killing up to 30,000 suspected opponents during the 1960s and 1970s.

Mr Duvalier consistently denied any responsibility for alleged abuses committed during his time in power and attempts to prosecute him yielded little progress.

In February a court in Haiti ruled he could be charged with crimes against humanity under international law, but the case made little progress in the ensuing months.

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Brazil Presidential Race: Poll Gap Narrows

By Karine Mayer, South America News Editor

The world's seventh largest economy takes to the polls today, yet many Brazilians are still unsure who to vote for.

Although for the last month the race has been between two women - incumbent president Dilma Rousseff and environmentalist Marina Silva - the latest polls show that conservative Aecio Neves has crept into second place just ahead of Ms Silva.

It has been a roller-coaster ride campaign, but the latest polls show that 40% of Brazilians are likely to vote for the stability of the Workers' Party instead of the sustainable environment of Ms Silva, or a return to the Social Democracy Party with candidate Mr Neves.

The three main candidates are known in Brazil just by their Christian names; Dilma, Marina and Aecio.

Brazil's President and Workers' Party presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff

Ms Rousseff, 66, Brazil's incumbent president, was imprisoned and tortured by the country's military dictatorship as an armed Marxist guerrilla group in the early 1970s.

But it was due to the former president's support and help that she stepped into the limelight and became the first female president in Brazil.

Despite her tough stance she has failed to weed out corruption, and economic growth has stumbled under her administration.

Ms Silva is the election wild card. She was born to a desperately poor family of rubber tappers in the Amazon and was illiterate until the age of 16.

She then went from working as a maid to environmental activist alongside Chico Mendes, and became Brazil's youngest ever senator in 1994.

She became an official candidate at the end of August when her running mate was killed in a plane crash.

Mr Neves comes from a political family; his grandfather, Tancredo Neves, was the first post-dictatorship elected president in 1984 but died before being sworn in.

He represents the centre-right party. Initially labelled a playboy he has toughened his image in the last few months and attacked Ms Rousseff over the corruption scandal of state run oil company Petrobras which involved some of her colleagues.

A lot still remains to be done in Brazil as the government will have to address health, education, security and urban transport, as well as getting the country's economy growing again, as it experienced its first slowdown following the World Cup.

Some 142 million Brazilians will, by law, have to vote on today as they choose their president, 27 state governors, 513 congressmen, 1069 regional lawmakers, and a third of the Senate.

Then in three weeks' time, should no candidate win more than 50%, the second round will determine the future of the country.

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Alan Henning's Life To Be Celebrated In Church

A church service is being held today to remember Alan Henning, the British taxi driver killed by Islamic State militants.

The special service will take place in Mr Henning's home town of Eccles in Greater Manchester this evening and organisers say it will mark his life and the good he did.

It comes after Mr Henning's family paid tribute to a "decent, caring human being" after he was murdered.

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.

Video: Friend Describes Henning Kidnapping

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.

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

Video: 'Tactics Will Change' In IS Battle

The PM 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."

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.

Video: British Jihadi's Message To Cameron

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."

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.

Video: Henning 'Handed Death Sentence'

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

A second video emerged on Friday which purports to show a British IS fighter - thought to be 27-year-old Omar Hussein, a former supermarket security guard from High Wycombe - calling on Western governments to send ground troops to fight IS militants.

Downing Street has said it is examining the video.

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

Video: Imam Condemns Alan Henning's Murder

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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 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 who were holding Mr Henning, but failed to secure his release.

The al Qaeda member who spoke to the Manchester taxi driver's captors said the IS 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 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 condemned the beheading on the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Adha, which represents a day of mercy, and said they wanted 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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US Ebola Patient's Condition Now Critical

The Liberian man diagnosed with the ebola virus in the United States is "fighting for his life", a US health official has said.

Thomas Eric Duncan - the fist person to test positive for the deadly virus on American soil - was downgraded to critical condition by doctors treating him at hospital in Texas.

Dr Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), told CNN on Sunday that Mr Duncan "is fighting for his life".

Mr Duncan, pictured, had come into contact with an ebola patient in Liberia

He also said the patient was not being treated with the experimental drug ZMapp, which was used to treat two Americans who recovered after contracting the virus while working in West Africa.

Dr Frieden said the drug is "all gone" and is "not going to be available anytime soon".

Video: Ebola: Flight Route Of US Patient

It is not yet clear if ZMapp contributed to the two Americans' recovery.

Mr Duncan's ebola diagnosis raised concerns that the disease could spread in the US after killing more than 3,000 people in West Africa.

Authorities have dealt with some 100 inquiries from people who thought they might also have the disease, but there have been no other confirmed cases.

Dr Anthony Fauci, from the National Institutes of Health, said it is "extraordinarily unlikely" for an ebola outbreak to occur in the US.

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1. Gallery: August: Ebola Victims In Isolation

   A sick man staggers through a makeshift ebola isolation ward in Liberia. The images released in August illustrate the scale of the difficulties in treating sufferers

2. The sick are often left to die in the makeshift wards, sometimes former classrooms

3. A woman tries to help her sick husband who trips and falls in one of the wards

4. Liberia is struggling to contain the outbreak and the sick face dying in terrible isolation

5. The wife of a sick man despairs as her husband lies on the floor after falling

6. A child lies sick in an isolation ward in Liberia

7. A medical worker with a young family in an isolation ward

8. A sick woman lies in a classroom now used as an ebola isolation ward

Dr Frieden echoed that on Sunday, telling CNN he was confident that the virus would not spread in America.

Mr Duncan arrived in the country on 20 September after a 28-hour journey from Liberia via Brussels that spanned three flights and three continents.

He was initially sent home with antibiotics after his first visit to A&E, despite telling a nurse he had returned from Liberia.

The CDC has identified 10 people who had contact with Mr Duncan and who may have been exposed to the virus. They have been placed under isolation, and an additional 40 are being monitored though none have yet shown symptoms.

Video: Dallas Mayor: We Must Stop Ebola

A family who hosted Mr Duncan and who were subsequently placed in a quarantined apartment, have now been allowed to leave the building.

Days before flying to Texas, Mr Duncan had helped a pregnant woman in Liberia who later died of ebola, a fact he concealed from Liberian airport officials before boarding the plane.

Liberian authorities have announced plans to prosecute Mr Duncan when he returns, accusing him of lying to airport officials about not having any contact with an infected person.

Dr Frieden said the case had raised awareness among US hospitals to check patients for potential risks, particularly those from the disease epicentre in West Africa.

Video: Ebola Victim Plea For Help

On Saturday, officials dressed in biohazard suits escorted two passengers off a plane in New Jersey because they were believed to be from Liberia and exhibiting signs of illness during the flight.

An airport official was quoted by newspapers as saying CDC officials did not believe the pair - a man and his daughter - were sick with ebola. The official added that all other passengers on the flight from Brussels were cleared to leave the plane.

The governments of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia are struggling to contain the worst outbreak on record of the deadly hemorrhagic fever.

The World Health Organisation on Friday updated its death toll from the virus to at least 3,439 out of 7,492 suspected, probable or confirmed cases.

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