24/09/2014 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me, Philippa Thomas. President Obama

has urged the world to help dismantle what he calls the Islamic

State's "network of death". The United States continues to

target Islamic State fighters with five more air-strikes across Syria

and Iraq. And combating the militant group

-tops the agenda at the United Nations General assembly in New

York. Also coming up: Radical Muslim

cleric Abu Qatada is freed from prison after a Jordanian court rules

there was insufficient evidence to convict him of terrorism offences.

Around the world in architectural styles - we'll take you on a journey

through the eyes of some of the world's top photographers.

Hello and welcome. President Obama tells the UN, the only language

Islamic State fighters understand is force, as the US-led coalition

military launched five more air-strikes near the Iraqi Syrian

border. Key IS targets were hit in an air strike in the Syrian town of

Al Qa'im on the Iraqi border. Two air strikes west of Baghdad and two

strikes southeast of Irbil destroyed IS vehicles, a weapons cache and key

militant fighting positions. Earlier there were reports of strikes near

the Syrian border with Turkey, around the Kurdish town of Kobane,

which has been besieged by IS fighters. It comes a day after the

first US airstrikes hit several key towns and cities across Syria

including Raqqa - Islamic State's self-declared capital. So far the US

military has launched missiles from two destroyers, a guided missile

cruiser in the Gulf and a destroyer in the Red Sea. Our Security

Correspondent Frank Gardner reports.

Called Islamic State, the United States has launched an offensive

against them. Britain did not take part in the attacks Pat has hinted

they may. We are working to make sure that we ultimately destroy this

evil organisation. These are Australian attack jets arriving at

an airbase. Five Arab countries have taken part in the air strikes with

others offering discreet logistical support. The governments see the

jihadists as a real threat although not all their populations will

agree. There is no doubting the deepening humanitarian crisis caused

by Islamic State crossing borders. Border guards and tacky as

struggling to contain the exodus of refugees. It is said that Islamic

State since militants have stepped up the pressure, the situation is

worsening. The latest figures are very worrying. I do not need to

quote the numbers again but there are 11 million people in need in

Syria. Much of the top at the United Nations today is how Islamic State

to defeat the so-called. Islamic State. Ran has called the air

strikes are legal. Iran has called the air strikes illegal. By Friday

we should know if Britain will take part in the air strikes.

And it's been confirmed within the last hour that the UK Parliament

will be recalled on Friday to debate British air strikes. Now our Chief

International Correspondent Lyse Doucet joins us from Baghdad - Lyse,

what part is the Iraqi military playing, or expecting to play, in

Any military officer would tell you that it will not be won through air

strikes. There have been six weeks of air strikes and 3000 sorties and

2000 raids have not diminished in any way the strength of the fighters

who are controlling about a quarter of Iraq. The Iraqi army which has

been backed up by air strikes has taken back a few times and some key

installations but every day we're still getting reports of their

brutality. Today 11 Iraqi soldiers were beheaded by Islamic state

fighters and a 16th century Islamic cemetery was destroyed and a seventh

century judge was also destroyed. A massacre of 300 or more Iraqi

soldiers killed at the base not far from Baghdad. This war is not over

and in the end it will have to be the Iraqi army on the ground that

will have to take the territory back and trying to work with the

malicious who are talking of forming a National Guard. --with the

militias. It will take time to mash together the volunteers and the

regular army. --mesh Full stop what do you make of the appeal by

President Obama not to -- for young Muslims not to take up arms? I would

say if I were a young Muslim that these calls should be matched by

action. They want jobs and investment in these areas and

opportunities and political stability but in one country after

another they have been better lonely -- bitterly disappointed by the

interaction of the West. President of Bama was speaking to the United

Nations in New York. --Obama. This is the president arriving. Here at

the United Nations, the president explained why this was not possible

when it came to extremists. There is no God who justifies this terror and

no grievance justifies these actions. There can be no reasoning

or negotiation with this brand of evil. The only language understood

by killers like this is the language of force. The United States of

America will work with a broad coalition to dismantle this network

of death. America has pulled together an international coalition

of around 40 countries. Five Arab states have joined. Not satisfied

with 40 nations, the president says that he wants the whole world to

unite in the fight against Islamic State. He also wants to deal with

the corruption of young minds by violent ideology. There were fresh

air strikes overnight and this unverified footage posted online

Islamic State purports to show fighting on Monday for control of

our time. -- a town. American jets committed air strikes against our

town in the morning. Thank God that only minor injuries and that life as

normal. France has confirmed that a French

tourist who was taken hostage in Algeria on Sunday has been killed.

Earlier an Algerian jihadist group with links to Islamic State released

a short video it said showed Herve Gourdal being beheaded. The group is

demanding an end to French Max Boot is a leading American

military historian and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

He joins me from New York. Do you think that President Obama,

and Nobel Peace Prize winner, is turning into hock? -- a hawk? I

think it will take more effective ground action to destroy this group

which controls an area larger than the United Kingdom. As the White

House considers that, do you feel that the heat is now of President

Assad? My concern is that we may be going to IDE factual Alliance --de

facto alliance. This alliance with President Assad and his resume would

be unfortunate because they have been even more brutal Islamic State

than Islamic State. They will not join any coalition in which Iran and

proxies of Iran and proxies overran figure prominently. It does look

like a rapprochement of sort. Iran is making the situation worse in

Syria and not better. Their hardline militias have driven people into the

arms of Islamic State. I think you can get a much more stable Iraq by

trying to mobilise moderate factions amongst several of the ethnic

groups. There are more responsible voices Npower in Baghdad, if this is

the case, and more active roles are taken by other factions, there is

the possibility of effectively sidelining Iran. During the US-led

surge into Iraq in 2007 2008, this card. --this occurred four. The

Iranians with their murderous tactics as just a big problem as

Islamic State. We should not align ourselves with one group of and Thai

Western extremists with another group of anti-western instruments.

--anti-Western extremists. Abu Qatada was deported from the UK

in 2013. He was freed

from prison earlier today. June Kelly's report contains

some flash photography. Abu Qatada return to his own country

last year as a terrorist suspect. Today he became a free man. One of

his first gestures was to kiss the feet of his father in a traditional

show of respect. He thanked first guard and then his lawyer for his

freedom. Earlier he was brought into the cage of the dark in the security

court to learn his faith. -- fate. As the knot guilty verdict was

delivered, the formality of the court was forgotten. -- not guilty.

His many sisters and brothers have followed his case from the start.

For his lawyer, there was a kiss. He has been cleared of conspiring in a

plot which was thwarted to attack Western and Israeli interests in

Jordan to 15 years ago. This has been an international legal

marathon. Abu Qatada took his case through every British court and then

on to Europe as he fought against being sent ask here to face these

charges. As part of the deal with the UK, the Jordanians promised that

test me obtained through torturing of the suspects would not be used

against him. The judge said the other remaining evidence was too

weak to convicted. There is no chance of him returning to Britain.

The UK courts here with clear that he was a threat. He is subject to a

deportation order and is subject to a UN travel ban and that means he

will not be returning to the UK. This afternoon, he made his way back

to the family home which he left when he moved to London and

established himself as an extremist preacher of international influence.

Since he was deported to the Middle East, he has condemned Islamic

state. But as he returns to family life he remains a supporter of

Al-Qaeda and Abu Qatada is now free to speak openly once again.

Now a look at some of the day's other news.

NATO says there's been a significant withdrawal of Russian

conventional troops from inside eastern Ukraine, although

Moscow has never acknowledged the presence of Russian troops

The European police agency, Europol, says more than1,000 people have

been arrested in what it said was the biggest ever

operation against organised crime across the continent.

200 people, 30 of them children, were saved from traffickers and

France's Defence minister has admitted that an operation to fly

suspected Islamic militants from Turkey to France was a "muddle"

and a "mess" after they walked free from Marseilles airport.

French police had been waiting for them at an airport in Paris.

In the end they handed themselves in to the authorities.

Air France has had to cancel more than half its scheduled flights

today - far more at some airports - following a ten day strike

by its pilots plans to expand its low cost airline Transavia.

Transavia carried 6.5 million passengers last year,

and Air France would like to double that number by 2017.

So what's the objection and how much damage is the strike

In our Paris studio is the Aviation consultant and CEO of the auditing

How bad is this for Air France? It is a terrible impact. The strike is

costing about 20 million euros in operational cost. Also in terms of

credibility, image, for maybe weeks, months and even years. It has a

terrible impact on duty-free shops, retail shops, taxis and the French

tourism industry. Tens of thousands of people have been stranded at

world airports for the past ten days. Tens of thousands of tourists

who were about to come to France for the holidays, thousands of investors

and businessmen prevented on coming to France to do their business. It

has a bad impact on the finances of Air France and the image and

credibility of France as a business and touristic destination. How is

the airline trying to change its business model in expanding this low

cost airline? Their plan is to expand Transavia France which is a

fully owned subsidy based in France and they are trying to set up a

company called Transavia Europe outside of France. A low-cost

subsidiary which will be in line in terms of the business model of

Ryanair and easyJet. That is their plan for the next few years to try

to compete against the low-cost airlines on European routes. That is

the main issue for the pilots, who fear that their jobs will be

relocated in other countries, and less in favour with the pilots

because of lower wages. That is at the heart of the problem at the

moment in the conflict between Air France and its pilots. Air France is

also trying to get round France's strict labour laws? They are trying

to get round the French labour laws indeed. Trying to find a business

model that will allow them to compete more affect Eveleigh against

Ryanair and easyJet and other low-cost airlines. -- compete

effectively. That is indeed the plan, they are trying to find ways

to pay their pilots lower wages and find ways to pay lower social

charges and find ways to have more flexible labour law to improve the

flexibility of the pilots's schedules. I am afraid we are going

to happen to leave it there. But thank you very much.

India has become the first country to succeed

in putting a spacecraft into orbit around Mars on the first attempt.

It is also one of the cheapest missions to Mars ever carried out.

Sanjoy Mujumder sent this report from Bangalore.

Celebrating a historic triumph at mission control. Reaching the red

planet on the very first attempt and joining an elite club of space

explorers. A proud moment for the scientists and India's Prime

Minister who had flown in a specially for the moment. History

has been created today. We have dared to reach out into the unknown

and have achieved the near impossible. There were a few tense

moments as the spacecraft was put through a series of critical moments

before being placed in orbit. But it all went to plan. There is a sense

of pride for not only succeeding in sending a mission to Mars on the

very first attempt, they have done it at a fraction of the cost of

compatible missions. India's home-grown mission is almost a 10th

of the cost from NASA, even cheaper than the Hollywood Lock buster,

gravity. It will explore the red planet's atmosphere and send its

findings back to Earth. But today was all about national pride.

From the first skyscrapers in New York to the modern towers of

Venezuela and the construction around

China's Three Gorges Dam, a new exhibition is opening on Thursday

that brings together powerful photographs of modern architecture.

I've been talking to some of the international photographers

featured in "Constructing Worlds" at London's Barbican Centre

This is the opening image of the exhibition, taken in 1932. It is

night view in New York. It was taken from the top of the Empire State

building, looking down at twilight on the December solstice. It begins

a global journey. Some of the images are grandiose, others are very down

to earth. The intention early on was to provide a global journey through

the 20th and 21st century, looking at how history is expressed through

architecture and the built form. We wanted to traverse the globe,

starting with New York and the first modern metropolis. Quickly sites of

interest is have changed over the last two decades. I am interested in

looking at the world with attention. To photograph something that is

obvious that doesn't require attention. I think attention is

better described by photographing the everyday. What seems fascinating

to me, is to go through life and the most ordinary moments with

attention. Here is work by a British-based photographer in 2007.

He travelled from the mouth of a river in Shanghai through to Tibet.

In one of his journeys he came across this brutalist sculpture

which is a controversial monument to the three Gorges Dam. I was in

Berlin and I had the opportunity to go and visit the Jewish Museum. It

is a very important Goulding and was still in construction, which is

something I love to photograph because the building is like a

skeleton. It is just concept, you don't need Windows or a fire escape.

It is just the main idea of the architecture. After those images

celebrating lights, comes a room in which darker forms loomed towards

us. The work of a Japanese photographer. His 1997 image of the

twin towers, the World Trade Center serves as a memorial to what is

gone. That is all, thanks for being here

today. Most of us have enjoyed some

sunshine today. Tomorrow will be different. We will have cloud around

and it will be thick enough to bring out rakes of rain. Weather fronts

continue to blow in. On Thursday, it will be a damp and mild