Face-To-Face With The Dying In An Ebola Centre

By Garwen McLuckie, Sky News Cameraman

Before filming inside the high-risk zone, we were told that all or equipment would have to be either disinfected or incinerated.

I had prepared hard - bringing tailor-made plastic sealed containers for the small DSLR camera I would be using and rigging up microphones for Sky News Correspondent Alex Crawford to carry under her clothing, or in a waterproof "dry sack".

In the end, none of them worked, but we were saved by our DSLR camera mike, which provided astonishing sound quality despite being smothered in plastic.

On arrival at the unit, we were first taken to a wooden shed so we could change into medical scrubs.

I felt confident, even excited about the challenge ahead as we moved to a small room be prepped for the high-risk area.

Each person was assigned a nurse to help us dress and to make sure we were properly covered.

First we had to put on large plastic socks which went up to our calves and white plastic boots.

Health workers secure protective body suits with duct tape

Then there was a hairnet, followed by a plastic PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) onesie which zipped right up to my neck and had a double sticky seal down the zip.

The first of three latex gloves went on and were sealed on to the onesie by duct tape round my wrist.

The onesie had its own hood which I pulled over my head, followed by a surgical mask over my mouth and nose.

I was then given another separate hood which went over my head and shoulders, covering my forehead, chin and neck. By this stage I was really feeling the heat and the humidity.

Alex Crawford with extra equipment used for filming in the virus zone

A huge yellow plastic apron was draped over me before my face was finally sealed by goggles. Not even a millimetre of my skin was exposed under these three layers of protection.

Almost immediately I was struggling with the heat and an extreme claustrophobic sensation which I had never experienced before - I wondered how long I would last.

Within a very short time, perspiration was filling my face mask, covering my nose and mouth and I could feel the bubbling of my own sweat as I kept trying to suck in air.

There didn't seem to be much of it.

Alex Crawford speaks to an ebola survivor in a quarantine area

At one stage while Alex was talking to one of the ebola victims I had to close my eyes whilst filming to try to calm myself.

I kept thinking: "I can't breathe, I can't breathe."

After filming for an hour, it took a painstaking 10 to 15 minutes to strip off each layer and be carefully disinfected each time.

The doctor could see I was anxious to get everything off but it was essential to observe all the health protocols.

My upbringing means I always give way to women, letting them through doors first and so on.

But in this case I think I would have rugby-tackled Alex to the ground if she hadn't let me go through the disrobing procedure before her.

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Ebola Deaths Hidden As Fear Grips Liberia

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, Monrovia

Liberia's few ebola treatment centres are overwhelmed with the sick and dying - with patients sharing beds and the dead laying near the desperately ill.

The country has accounted for more than half of the world's deaths from the latest ebola outbreak in West Africa and despite assurances from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf that it is under control, evidence on the ground seen by Sky News appears to suggest otherwise.

Whole communities are gripped with fear about the virus - and terrified citizens prefer to die alone, unaided because of the stigma attached to admitting to the disease.

Dozens of ebola victims are dying in their homes in Monrovia, increasing the chances of the virus spreading.

And official numbers of victims are almost certainly unrepresentative of the real death count because of the lack of co-ordination and nationwide spread of the disease.

Video: Ebola Outbreak: On The Front Line

Small teams of about half a dozen workers set out daily to retrieve the ebola dead - most of whom have died after suffering in secret.

Their relatives are reluctant to admit ebola has caused the death, as this invariably invites ostracism from their communities and targets them as potential virus carriers.

The body recovery squads - still called "burial teams" despite government orders that all ebola victims be cremated - are doing one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

They take extreme precautions, wearing multiple protective clothing layers along with goggles, boots, gloves and head coverings to try to stay safe.

Video: Music Protects Against Ebola

Head of Team Three, Mark Korvoyan, told Sky News: "There's no day comes that people don't die in their house. Every day, every blessing day."

There's simply too much work for the recovery teams to do, not enough hours in the day for them to track down the dead.

Even as they were picking up the latest corpses from the Elwa Treatment Centre, a young man was sobbing outside.

He cried: "Oh my God, I was just bringing a phone for my sister. Now they say she's died. What am I going to do? She has children..."

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1. Gallery: The Desperate Fight To Contain The Ebola Outbreak

   A man rests outside the clinic.

2. A woman is comforted after medical officials remove her husband, who is suspected of having the disease.

3. Officials try to prevent themselves from spreading the disease.

4. A local who has just brought his brother to the centre. He had to rely on plastic bags tied around his hands to try to protect himself.

5. A man thought to be infected with ebola waits for treatment.

6. Patients wait to be seen by medical staff.

7. Workers try to decontaminate themselves.

8. A worker with a child who may have caught ebola.

9. A make-shift hand-washing station in Monrovia.

10. Decontaminated boots of medical staff.

11. The basic conditions make containing the disease very difficult.

George Nyumah, like so many of Liberia's citizens, is frantically worried about catching the virus.

So the five children his sister cares for are left alone to fend for themselves in their one-room, corrugated iron shack home.

The eldest is 16, the youngest just two and they all sleep on the dirty mattress which their sick mother lay on in the days before she was taken into the ebola centre.

Their chances of catching or carrying the virus must be very high.

Video: Ebola: A Global Threat

For that reason, their uncle George - and the rest of the extended family - will keep well away for 21 days, just to see if they develop signs of the killer disease.

Even if they survive the virus, they'll have to fight poverty and the community's suspicions in the weeks and months ahead.

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IS Hostage Tells Parents He Fears Being Killed

A former soldier threatened with death by Islamic State militants has spoken of his fear of being killed by his captors in a letter sent to his parents.

Peter Kassig, 26, was captured on 1 October 2013 in Syria, where he was taking aid to refugees fleeing the country's civil war.

In a statement released to the media, Ed and Paula Kassig said their son had written of his sadness at the pain his captivity was causing his family.

He wrote: "I am obviously pretty scared to die but the hardest part is not knowing, wondering, hoping, and wondering if I should even hope at all.

"I am very sad that all this has happened and for what all of you back home are going through.

Video: Kassig's Parents Issue Video Plea

"If I do die, I figure that at least you and I can seek refuge and comfort in knowing that I went out as a result of trying to alleviate suffering and helping those in need."

Mr Kassig was threatened at the end of a video showing the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning on Friday.

The former Army Ranger, who set up Special Emergency Response and Assistance (SERA) in Turkey to provide aid for Syrian refugees, had begun delivering supplies to refugee camps in 2012 and providing medical aid to injured civilians.

Video: Alan Henning Memorial Service

According to a former IS hostage, Mr Kassig voluntarily converted to Islam sometime between his captured and December 2013 and is now known as Abdul-Rahman Kassig.

In the letter, he added: "In terms of my faith, I pray every day and I am not angry about my situation in that sense.

"I am in a dogmatically complicated situation here, but I am at peace with my belief."

Video: Henning's Family 'Numb With Grief'

In a statement, the Kassigs said: "We continue to pressure the government to stop its actions and continue to call on his captors to have mercy and release him."

They added that the text of the letter had been edited to remove "sensitive information", and that they received it in June, but did not indicate how they obtained it.

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IS Raises Flag In Town Near Turkey Border

Islamic State militants have apparently captured part of a town close to the Syrian border with Turkey after days of fierce fighting.

The extremist group raised its black flag on a building on the eastern side of Kobani, where Kurdish fighters have been involved in clashes after a nearly three-week siege of the town, according to Reuters.

Idris Nahsen, a Kobani official, had said the militants were less than a mile from the town, which was hit by rockets and mortars during fighting over the weekend.

Turkish tanks are lined up facing the Syrian border

The US also carried out three airstrikes targeting IS positions near the town in Syria on Sunday.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed at least 33 IS militants and 23 Kurdish defenders were killed during the fighting.

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1. Gallery: IS Oil Refineries Hit By US Airstrikes

   A man inspects damage at an oil refinery that was targeted by what activists said were US-led air strikes at al-Khaboura village, near the Syrian town of Tel Abyad of Raqqa governate

2. Three makeshift oil refineries in Syria's Raqqa province were hit as part of an assault to weaken Islamic State (IS) militants

3. The United States has been carrying out strikes in Iraq against the Islamic State since July and more recently in Syria with the help of allies

4. It aims to damage and destroy the bases and forces of the al Qaeda offshoot which has captured large areas of both countries

5. Street vendors selling diesel and gasoline wait for customers along a street in the Islamic State's stronghold of Raqqa

6. Activists said that the price of the diesel and gasoline has increased since the beginning of the US air raids. Continue through for more pictures

One shell was fired from inside Syria and hit a house in the Turkish village of Buyuk Kendirci, injuring four people.

IS began its advance on Kobani on 16 September, forcing around 186,000 people to flee across the border into Turkey.

It has seized swathes of Syria and Iraq after declaring an Islamic caliphate in June, including a long stretch of the Syria-Turkey border.

The Turkish parliament authorised involvement in the campaign against IS last week, but no military operations have been announced.

It comes after a masked IS militant was filmed murdering British aid worker Alan Henning and threatening US hostage Peter Kassig in a video released on Friday.

The 47-year-old former taxi driver, from Eccles in Greater Manchester, was captured as he drove an ambulance full of aid supplies into Syria on 27 December last year.

The Ministry of Defence said two Tornado fighters had dropped Paveway bombs on IS targets near Ramadi, in Iraq, on Sunday night.

The RAF jets, based in Akrotiri, Cyprus, attacked IS forces who were shooting at Iraqi troops from a building near the city.

A leader from the al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a Taliban ally that has been based in Pakistan's tribal belt since 2001, has declared its support for IS.

The group was set up in the 1990s and is listed as a terrorist group by the US.

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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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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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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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F1 Driver Suffers Severe Head Injury In GP Crash

Formula One driver Jules Bianchi is undergoing surgery after suffering a severe head injury in a crash at a wet Japanese Grand Prix.

The 25-year-old sportsman will be moved to intensive care where he will be monitored following the surgery, said world motor sport's governing body.

Bianchi lost control of his Marussia, travelled across the run-off area and hit the back of a tractor that was removing Adrian Sutil's stricken Sauber, the FIA added.

Jules Bianchi was unconscious as he was taken to hospital

Sutil's car had "aquaplaned" off the wet track, coming off at the same turn a lap earlier and skidding into a wall.

Frenchman Bianchi was unconscious as he was transferred to hospital by road in an ambulance because the medical helicopter could not fly because of heavy rain from Typhoon Phanfone.

Video: F1's Sutil: Rain Got More And More

The driver is in a critical condition, his father reportedly said.

Typhoon rains had been forecast for the race which began behind the Safety Car - and the drivers were called back to the pits minutes later.

Following Sutil's crash, yellow flags were waved before the corner to warn drivers of the incident, according to the FIA.

The Safety Car was sent out after Bianchi's crash on lap 44 and the race was suspended two laps later with the rain getting heavier and the light rapidly deteriorating at Suzuka.

Sutil, who was not hurt in his accident, told Sky Sports F1: "The yellow flags were out after I aquaplaned at the corner as the rain got more and more.

"And one lap later with waved yellow flags Jules came around and had the same spin there.

"It was more or less the same crash, but just the outcome was a bit different."

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1. Gallery: Profile Of Racer Jules Bianchi

   Frenchman Jules Bianchi is the grandson of three-time GT World Champion Mauro Bianchi

2. The 25-year-old graduated from karting in 2007 and performed in senior Formula Three races

3. He drove in the GP2 Series for ART, taking two pole positions

4. In 2010 he suffered a back injury after spinning off the track and being struck head-on by another car

5. He began his F1 career as a test and reserve driver at Ferrari in 2011

6. Bianchi's Marussia debut was in 2013 when he finished 15th in the opening race in Australia

7. His best result in the 2013 season was 13th at the Malaysian GP, beating teammate Max Chilton

8. In 2014 he overcame the odds to score both his, and his team's first points in F1, in Monaco

9. In Japan, Bianchi's car collided with a crane which was removing Adrian Sutil's car

Sutil said he felt the Safety Car should have been deployed after he crashed due to the risk of another driver going off at the corner.

"With respect to this corner I think everyone knows this is one of the most tricky corners and when it is getting late and the rain increases.

"Let's say when you have an accident there you should probably think about a Safety Car."

Williams driver Felipe Massa said "there was too much water on the track" and it was "dangerous".

He said: "In my opinion they started the race too early because it was not driveable at the beginning and they finished the race too late.

"I was screaming on the radio five laps before the safety car that there was too much water on the track. But then they just took a bit too long and it was dangerous."

FIA head of communications Matteo Bonciani told reporters: "The driver (Bianchi) is not conscious and has been sent to the hospital by the ambulance because the helicopter cannot fly in these conditions."

Video: Felipe Massa: Track Was Dangerous

The grand prix was won by Britain's Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes with German team-mate Nico Rosberg second.

Hamilton said: "Our first thoughts go to Jules - it overshadows everything else when one of our colleagues is injured and we are praying for him. Next to this, the race result doesn't seem significant at all."

After the prizes were presented, no champagne was sprayed on the podium and there were no celebrations.

Bianchi, a graduate of Ferrari's young driver academy, is seen as an up-and-coming talent in F1 after scoring Marussia's first ever points when he finished ninth at this year's Monaco Grand Prix.

Marussia is an Anglo-Russian team based in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

More follows...

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IS Threatens To Kill American Hostage Next

By Dominic Waghorn, US Correspondent

Islamic State (IS) has threatened to kill American hostage Peter Kassig next, after releasing a video showing the murder of British aid convoy volunteer Alan Henning.

The former soldier appeared at the end of a YouTube clip which showed the killing of Mr Henning by IS, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL.

An IS fighter says in the video: "Obama, you have started your aerial bombardment in Sham. So it's only right we continue to strike the necks of your people."

Speaking after the video was released, President Barack Obama said: "The United States strongly condemns the brutal murder of United Kingdom citizen Alan Henning by the terrorist group ISIL.

"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.

"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.

Peter Kassig set up his own charity to deliver aid to Syrians

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

Lisa Monaco, Homeland Security adviser to the White House, described Mr Henning's murder as "yet another clear example of the brutality of this group", which has previously killed two American journalists - James Foley and Steven Sotloff.

Video: 'Another Example Of IS Brutality'

Mr Kassig, who is in his mid-20s and from Indiana, went to the region to volunteer in hospitals in Lebanon after serving in Iraq.

After spending time in Lebanon, Mr Kassig then set up his own charity to deliver aid to Syrians - Special Emergency Response and Assistance (SERA).

Mr Kassig was undertaking a project for SERA when he was detained on 1 October 2013 on his way to Deir Ezzour in eastern Syria.

Video: IS Hostage Alan Henning Beheaded

His family say that Mr Kassig has converted to Islam since being captured and has taken on the first name Abdul-Rahman.

Former hostages have told them that his faith has given him comfort in captivity.

In a statement his parents, Ed and Paula Kassig, said: "The Kassig family extends our concern for the family of Alan Henning.

Video: Terry Waite: Beheading 'Tragic'

"We have read about his work and his generous character with great respect and admiration.

"We ask everyone around the world to pray for the Henning family, for our son, and for the release of all innocent people being held hostage in the Middle East and around the globe."

SERA has suspended operations while efforts continue to secure Mr Kassig's release.

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PM Vows Justice For Alan Henning's Killers

David Cameron has vowed to do "everything we can" to "hunt down" Alan Henning's killers and bring them to justice.

Mr Cameron, who arrived back in the UK on Friday night after visiting troops in Iraq, has been meeting with officials from the Foreign Office, intelligence agencies and the military at Chequers, his official country residence.

He said: "We must do everything we can to hunt down and find the people who are responsible for this."

And he added: "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."

The Prime Minister also paid tribute to Mr Henning for his "kindness, peacefulness and gentleness".

Video: Even Al Qaeda Could Not Free Alan

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 evening.

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

Video: Latest Analysis: Sky's Joey Jones

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 by a majority of 481 to join the US-led coalition and take part in airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq.

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

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.

French president Francois Hollande spoke of his "outrage" at the killing, US president Barack Obama condemned the "brutal murder", and the United Nations Security Council described it as "heinous and cowardly".

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

Video: Terry Waite: Beheading 'Tragic'

Leaders said it was a "cowardly and criminal act" and called for action to be taken to bring the terrorists to justice. They say they are struggling to understand why disaffected young people born and brought up in Britain are travelling to Syria to join Islamic State fighters.

There are fears the beheadings could lead to a backlash against the Muslim community.

Mr Henning's wife Barbara had made a number of emotional appeals to her husband's captors urging them to release him - most recently after they issued footage of him begging for his life.

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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

In her appeal, Mrs Henning said: "Some say wrong time, wrong place. Alan was volunteering with his Muslim friends to help the people of Syria. He was in the right place doing the right thing."

Bill Green, a pastor in Mr Henning's home town of Eccles, said the news had been "gut-wrenching" for the close-knit community. 

Kasim Jameel, from Bolton, who was with Mr Henning on the convoys, said: "Everyone that knew him from the convoys just can't stop crying, grown men with beards. We keep expecting him to come round the corner, and say, 'I was only joking'."

Video: Wife Pleaded For Henning's Release

It comes as Bilal Abdul Kareem, who played part in the initial negotiations for Mr Henning's release when the father-of-two was first captured during an aid delivery in Syria, told Sky News even al Qaeda had tried to convince Islamic State fighters to release him.

He said the terrorist group had tried to negotiate with the jihadists and added that even they had thought taking British aid workers hostages was "not a good idea".

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

Video: UK Muslims 'Disgusted'

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