:00:00. > :00:07.This is BBC World News Today, with me, Philippa Thomas.
:00:08. > :00:09.The fight against Islamic State militants intensifies.
:00:10. > :00:14.British politicians prepare to vote on joining air strikes over Iraq.
:00:15. > :00:18.The latest US-led air strikes have hit 12 oil refineries that
:00:19. > :00:23.are believed to generate about $2 million a day for the IS network.
:00:24. > :00:26.Meanwhile, Iraq says it's uncovered an Islamic
:00:27. > :00:29.State plot to attack the subway systems in Paris and the United
:00:30. > :00:35.Also coming up, the worst of the war is over in
:00:36. > :00:38.Ukraine according to its President Petro Poroshenko, who reveals
:00:39. > :00:47.The American actor takes on many different faces as he recreates some
:00:48. > :01:10.Hit them where it hurts, at the oil wells giving them cash.
:01:11. > :01:14.Action against Islamic State fighters is gathering pace.
:01:15. > :01:18.On the eve of the British Parliament being recalled to debate air strikes
:01:19. > :01:20.on Iraq, France is openly considering extending
:01:21. > :01:26.We'll look at the political situation in just a moment.
:01:27. > :01:28.But first, let's get you right up-to-date on the last 24 hours
:01:29. > :01:34.This is amateur video claiming to show the aftermath of US air
:01:35. > :01:39.The Americans, along with jets from Saudi Arabia and the
:01:40. > :01:44.United Arab Emirates, launched the strikes on 12 small-scale oil
:01:45. > :01:52.These oil refineries produce roughly 300 to 500 barrels a day
:01:53. > :01:56.and were targeted in order to damage the group's financial assets.
:01:57. > :02:00.The US Department of Defence estimates the refineries have been
:02:01. > :02:06.While in the northern Syria town of Kobane, Kurdish forces have
:02:07. > :02:11.pushed back an advance by IS forces and are calling for
:02:12. > :02:17.Also on Thursday, France carried out its first strikes
:02:18. > :02:25.Now, as David Cameron prepares to ask the
:02:26. > :02:30.UK Parliament to approve Britain's active military involvement,
:02:31. > :02:32.our diplomatic correspondent James Robbins assesses what that
:02:33. > :02:36.It's now seven weeks since the United States launched
:02:37. > :02:39.its air strikes against IS extremists in Iraq, and almost
:02:40. > :02:45.Britain has been more cautious after the deep divisions created the last
:02:46. > :02:53.Now the tide of opinion apparently favours ordering these RAF Tornadoes
:02:54. > :02:57.They flew from Norfolk to Cyprus back in August.
:02:58. > :03:00.It only takes a political decision to switch them from
:03:01. > :03:07.So what will Britain's part in strikes against IS
:03:08. > :03:12.They will be carried out by those Tornadoes.
:03:13. > :03:15.Six are based in Cyprus, armed with a variety of weapons to
:03:16. > :03:21.These include Brimstone missiles used in Afghanistan and Paveway
:03:22. > :03:27.Supporting them will be an RAF rivet joint, a successor to
:03:28. > :03:30.Nimrod, providing electronic surveillance of the area.
:03:31. > :03:34.Britain also has a small arsenal of Tomahawk cruise missiles.
:03:35. > :03:37.A submarine with these on-board is believed to be in the Gulf already.
:03:38. > :03:40.It adds up to a British military contribution which is a modest
:03:41. > :03:43.by American standards, one they're certainly not relying
:03:44. > :03:49.Obviously it's up to the British Government to decide
:03:50. > :03:52.and characterise how they will support the coalition but they have
:03:53. > :03:55.been already a huge supporter and we look forward to working with
:03:56. > :04:02.Any capacity, any military capability that the British bring to
:04:03. > :04:07.the fore, bring to the fight, is always welcome and always tangible.
:04:08. > :04:10.For now, though, Pentagon maps show the main focus of Washington strikes
:04:11. > :04:15.is in Syria, where neither Britain nor France is willing to attack.
:04:16. > :04:19.So having Britain target extremists in Iraq could help Washington.
:04:20. > :04:23.But a veteran British general warns destroying IS as a whole
:04:24. > :04:29.And that, of course, brings us to the contentious subject
:04:30. > :04:35.of ground forces - what sort of ground forces, whose ground forces?
:04:36. > :04:38.And I accept there is great reluctance in this country
:04:39. > :04:44.and arguably in the United States to go back to where we were.
:04:45. > :04:52.Iran's President Rouhani used the UN stage today to condemn what he
:04:53. > :04:59.IS extremism has brought Iran and the United States closer,
:05:00. > :05:03.sharing an enemy, but still the pressure from Iran is for a regional
:05:04. > :05:13.Let's bring you more now of those remarks James mentioned by Iran's
:05:14. > :05:16.President Hassan Rouhani at the UN General Assembly, where he said
:05:17. > :05:20.that it was blunders by Western governments that had led to the rise
:05:21. > :05:27.Certain intelligence agencies have put blades in the hands
:05:28. > :05:38.All those who have played a role in founding and supporting these terror
:05:39. > :05:48.groups must acknowledge their errors, which have led to extremism.
:05:49. > :05:53.They need to apologise not only to the past generations,
:05:54. > :06:01.As British Parliamentarians prepare for that vote on military action
:06:02. > :06:03.on Friday, with me is Sir Christopher Meyer, former British
:06:04. > :06:17.Welcome. Good to see you. Do you think it will be a yes row at
:06:18. > :06:22.Westminster? I do think it will be a yes Grove. All the pundits are
:06:23. > :06:27.saying so. Apparently all three party leaders are agreed. There will
:06:28. > :06:33.be some objections, I guess, from the Tory, Labour and Lib Dem
:06:34. > :06:38.ventures. You will get the votes through and British planes will be
:06:39. > :06:45.bombing over Iraq. Iraq. What about Syria? To me, it does not make any
:06:46. > :06:48.sense to bomb ISIS in Iraq and not bomb them in Syria, because
:06:49. > :06:52.effectively what you're saying to them is, you have a safe haven in
:06:53. > :06:56.Syria but we will hit you all over Iraq. That is not actually a
:06:57. > :07:03.sustainable position and would not be surprised if in due course, David
:07:04. > :07:08.Cameron came back to the House of Commons to revisit this question,
:07:09. > :07:12.because, as the Americans have or be worked out with some of the Sunni
:07:13. > :07:16.states, if you are going to cut the head of the snake, you have to go to
:07:17. > :07:26.Syria rather than Iraq. So what would the solution be? Is it that
:07:27. > :07:30.being in Syria be part of an invitation from the Iraqi
:07:31. > :07:35.government? That is what they are saying. This is being planned in
:07:36. > :07:40.Syria and executed in Iraq, so, please, go after them in Syria as
:07:41. > :07:44.well. I'm not a lawyer and it is all a bit murky but I do believe if you
:07:45. > :07:49.construct a good case in international law for doing what we
:07:50. > :07:55.are doing and going to in Iraq, we can do it also in Syria. Syria was
:07:56. > :08:00.the big vote in Westminster last year and it was decided not to take
:08:01. > :08:03.action, so if we are moving towards Westminster moving towards the
:08:04. > :08:07.previously unthinkable, should we also be thinking about Iran and
:08:08. > :08:13.involving Iran? President Rouhani seemed to be rebuking the West
:08:14. > :08:17.there. He would be, wouldn't he? But he seemed to be making a few points
:08:18. > :08:23.that one of them being if there was a solution, it would need to be a
:08:24. > :08:27.regional one rather than one imposed by the West. He touches on a very
:08:28. > :08:32.important point. We can only justify what we intend to do in Iraq and
:08:33. > :08:37.Syria if we are in coalition with Sunni Arab states and it has to be
:08:38. > :08:43.said, in a de facto operational kind of way with Iran as well, but this
:08:44. > :08:46.cannot be done without the involvement of Iran. And the notion
:08:47. > :08:51.that we can go ahead and deal with ISIS and safely arrange it to stay
:08:52. > :08:57.in a box over there is ridiculous. They are already in Iraq working
:08:58. > :09:01.with people there. I was speaking to a commentator yesterday who was
:09:02. > :09:06.saying, this is an unholy alliance. We are in Syria dealing with
:09:07. > :09:14.President Assad's enemies and then de facto dealing with Iran. The
:09:15. > :09:22.Americans won't stomach that. Well, they truly are the heart of
:09:23. > :09:26.darkness, to use President Obama's words the other day. And the
:09:27. > :09:32.Iranians are in it. It is a fact of rife. We have to work this with some
:09:33. > :09:37.skill politically and tactically. What if there are prize is if the UK
:09:38. > :09:41.gets involved in active military strikes? There is always the danger
:09:42. > :09:47.of reprisals. That is a constant fear and worry and anxiety, and for
:09:48. > :09:51.families who have hostages in the region, this is a terrible moment,
:09:52. > :09:54.but ISIS has to be dealt with. Otherwise there will be more
:09:55. > :10:02.hostages, more beheadings, more sober she of a kind -- more savagery
:10:03. > :10:06.of a kind. It does require politicians to hold their nerve when
:10:07. > :10:11.you hear about plots and threats in the West, for example. It requires a
:10:12. > :10:17.lot of resilience, resolve and nerve. It will be a tough one and it
:10:18. > :10:21.will last for quite a while. Thank you for coming in. Thank you.
:10:22. > :10:24.Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the UN gathering in New York, Iraq's
:10:25. > :10:27.Prime Minister has made the dramatic claim that his security services in
:10:28. > :10:30.Baghdad have uncovered an imminent terrorist plot to attack the subway
:10:31. > :10:33.Let's get more from our correspondent at the
:10:34. > :10:46.It sounds very dramatic. What was he saying? He said, well, only this
:10:47. > :10:51.morning we were getting information from Iraq about an imminent plot
:10:52. > :10:56.that was targeting the subway in Paris on the transporter -- and the
:10:57. > :11:01.transportation systems of America. We have been trying to clear this up
:11:02. > :11:05.and speaking to an Iraqi official in the last hour or so, who's that the
:11:06. > :11:09.information came from several Islamic State fighters captured in
:11:10. > :11:11.Iraq. They were interrogated by intelligence officials there and
:11:12. > :11:18.they have given up this information which they say means there is a plot
:11:19. > :11:24.being hatched targeting the Paris subway and also transportation
:11:25. > :11:30.systems in America. And it involves recruits, Islamic State recruits,
:11:31. > :11:35.who come from America and France. The Americans are saying, well, we
:11:36. > :11:39.have no evidence of this. They had been threats against transportation
:11:40. > :11:44.systems in America in the past from various militant groups but we
:11:45. > :11:47.haven't got any credible recent information that suggests any new
:11:48. > :11:50.threat. And those are the indications we are getting from the
:11:51. > :11:55.French as well - that they haven't got any of the mage and they have
:11:56. > :11:59.heard. Anything that would point towards an imminent threat on their
:12:00. > :12:09.underground system in Paris. -- any information. How is the news or
:12:10. > :12:13.allegation being received in the US? Well, the Governor in New York has
:12:14. > :12:20.put out a statement in the past few minutes and there is no increased
:12:21. > :12:23.security in response to what the Prime Minister has said this
:12:24. > :12:29.morning. What he has said is that in the past few weeks, they have
:12:30. > :12:33.stepped up security on the new -- New York subway system and the buses
:12:34. > :12:38.because of concern about possible action in New York related to what
:12:39. > :12:43.has been going on in Iraq and Syria. But, again, no new information that
:12:44. > :12:47.points to an imminent threat. That was just a precaution that they have
:12:48. > :12:52.taken. And worth pointing out that the US threat level has not been
:12:53. > :12:54.changed at all. And the sources we have in the administration and
:12:55. > :13:00.intelligence community already knocking this down and suggesting we
:13:01. > :13:05.treat this with great caution. A final thought. We're hearing
:13:06. > :13:09.something from the FBI about the Islamic State fighter that has been
:13:10. > :13:19.called jihadi John. Any details on that? And interview has been done
:13:20. > :13:23.with ABC News here in America and it has indicated they have established
:13:24. > :13:28.the identity of this Islamic State fighter who has appeared in these
:13:29. > :13:34.beheading videos as executioner, believed to have a London accent and
:13:35. > :13:38.believed to be a Briton who they have been trying to identify. He
:13:39. > :13:46.hasn't released that information yet. And given no indication of when
:13:47. > :13:49.they will. It is clear is because David Cameron was asked this
:13:50. > :13:53.question. He was in New York only yesterday and he was asked about
:13:54. > :13:55.whether they were close to identifying this Islamic State
:13:56. > :14:00.fighter who goes by the name or has been called by the media jihadi
:14:01. > :14:05.John, and he said, we are very close, so an indication that the FBI
:14:06. > :14:08.do believe they have identified that individual. Obviously you will keep
:14:09. > :14:11.a watch on that. Thank you very much.
:14:12. > :14:14.A radical Islamist preacher and political activist has been
:14:15. > :14:15.arrested by counter-terrorism police in London.
:14:16. > :14:18.Anjem Choudary has been detained along with eight other men
:14:19. > :14:20.on suspicion of being members of or supporting a banned organisation,
:14:21. > :14:23.although police say the arrests are not in response to any immediate
:14:24. > :14:33.Our home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford reports.
:14:34. > :14:42.It was a move against some of the most outspoken Islamist in Britain.
:14:43. > :14:45.In all, 19 properties were raided by counterterrorism command officers
:14:46. > :14:51.early this morning. Here in West London, the focus was on a vehicle.
:14:52. > :14:55.In the East End, officers were so watching -- searching a halal sweet
:14:56. > :14:59.shop owned by the brother of one of the arrested men. The only clue to
:15:00. > :15:03.their presence, this card saying the officers were from the
:15:04. > :15:10.counterterrorism search team. The police arrived at this restaurant in
:15:11. > :15:14.West London this morning and spent six hours searching the premises. It
:15:15. > :15:27.is where Anjem Choudary and a large group of men had dinner last night.
:15:28. > :15:31.Will And is and has been one of Britain's most controversial Muslims
:15:32. > :15:38.for more than a decade. -- Anjem Choudary. He was a member of a group
:15:39. > :15:44.which was banned in 2010. He admitted he knew one of the killers
:15:45. > :15:49.of Fusilier Lee Rigby and they were seen together on demonstrations.
:15:50. > :15:53.There was no suggestion that Anjem Choudary was linked to the merger.
:15:54. > :15:59.His views are on the fringe of the that Muslims in Britain have. They
:16:00. > :16:04.do not represent anybody other than the few hundred followers he has in
:16:05. > :16:12.the UK so I would not classify him mainstream Islam. Also arrested,
:16:13. > :16:19.this man. He famously heckled the then Home Secretary in 2006. All
:16:20. > :16:23.nine men detained today are being held on suspicion of encouraging
:16:24. > :16:30.terrorism and belonging to a banned organisation. The police were keen
:16:31. > :16:31.to stress the arrests were part of a long-running operation and no
:16:32. > :16:36.immediate risk to the public. Now a look at some
:16:37. > :16:38.of the days other news. A Mediterranean cruise ship has come
:16:39. > :16:41.to the aid of 300 migrants - thought to be Syrian refugees -
:16:42. > :16:44.packed on board a fishing boat Most of the people
:16:45. > :16:48.on the small fishing boat were Cypriot authorities said they were
:16:49. > :16:52.alerted after they picked up a radio distress signal as
:16:53. > :16:55.the boat was caught in rough seas. Rival Palestinian factions Hamas
:16:56. > :16:57.and Fatah say they've agreed to The two factions made
:16:58. > :17:05.the breakthrough in talks in Cairo - and the new government will take
:17:06. > :17:08.immediate control of the Gaza Strip. Hamas and Fatah split in 2007 and
:17:09. > :17:10.previous reconciliation agreements France is to introduce standardised
:17:11. > :17:16.cigarette packaging and ban electronic cigarettes
:17:17. > :17:18.in certain public places including It's the latest European country to
:17:19. > :17:25.do so, with the aim of reducing the high
:17:26. > :17:32.smoking rates among under sixteens. The president
:17:33. > :17:33.of Ukraine says he believes the most dangerous part of the war
:17:34. > :17:36.against pro-Russia separatists Petro Poroshenko was speaking
:17:37. > :17:45.in Kiev as part of a wide-ranging address in which
:17:46. > :17:48.he made it clear he wants Ukraine to Mr Poroshenko said
:17:49. > :17:52.his priorities include tackling corruption and reforming
:17:53. > :17:58.the economy and the tax system . Our correspondent David Stern is
:17:59. > :18:09.in Kiev. TRANSLATION: I have no doubt my
:18:10. > :18:14.peace plan will work. I have no doubt that the most dangerous part
:18:15. > :18:20.of the war is in the past, thanks to the heroism of Ukrainian fighters
:18:21. > :18:24.and soldiers. Moreover, this war is an additional argument in favour of
:18:25. > :18:32.changes without any delay because with the state which does not
:18:33. > :18:37.function, we can lose. Our correspondent is in Kiev. I
:18:38. > :18:44.understand the president has been making great play of today being
:18:45. > :18:50.momentous. Exactly, he was speaking at a news conference. It lasted for
:18:51. > :18:54.two and a half hours. He struck a very positive note about the
:18:55. > :18:59.developments, saying that the most dangerous part of the conflict is
:19:00. > :19:06.now over. Earlier he had said this was the first 24 hour period, with
:19:07. > :19:10.no casualties or fatalities and this puts him in a good mood. The
:19:11. > :19:16.cease-fire which was declared at the beginning of the month is still very
:19:17. > :19:22.shaky, the fighting continues although at a lower level. We have
:19:23. > :19:29.heard of more casualties today but this has not been confirmed.
:19:30. > :19:33.Premised apologetically said the fighting was decreasing. He was
:19:34. > :19:37.presenting his reform programme and said he needed peace in the country
:19:38. > :19:40.to open a new front against corruption to introduce reform which
:19:41. > :19:45.he says is crucial for the Ukraine at the moment. Is there evidence
:19:46. > :19:51.that Russian forces are pulling back from that eastern region? We have
:19:52. > :19:55.heard reports from NATO officials saying they are pulling back. The
:19:56. > :19:59.Ukrainians say there are less numbers but there are still
:20:00. > :20:04.significant numbers on the ground. When we heard the Russian forces
:20:05. > :20:09.were pulling back, they are just moving across the border so they
:20:10. > :20:16.could move in quickly if necessary. But the fact that his troop movement
:20:17. > :20:17.is adding to the positive note, by President Poroshenko and other
:20:18. > :20:25.Ukrainian officials. Thank you. The British Prime Minister David
:20:26. > :20:27.Cameron is to apologise to the Queen in person for his overheard comment
:20:28. > :20:30.that she "purred" down the phone when he told her that voters in
:20:31. > :20:33.Scotland had rejected independence. The Queen lays great emphasis
:20:34. > :20:35.on her political impartiality. Mr Cameron has now said he is
:20:36. > :20:38."embarrassed" and "extremely sorry" for his remarks - as our political
:20:39. > :20:45.correspondent Alex Forsyth reports. The meeting with New York's former
:20:46. > :20:49.mayor was meant to be a photo opportunity but
:20:50. > :20:51.the camera caught the Prime Minister recounting a private conversation
:20:52. > :20:54.in which he told the Queen Scotland Protocol dictates conversations
:20:55. > :21:11.between the Queen and her ministers David Cameron may not have meant
:21:12. > :21:19.for his comments to have been made public but his indiscretion
:21:20. > :21:21.and choice The Queen has 60 years
:21:22. > :21:28.of experience and part of her role was to pass on her views
:21:29. > :21:32.to the Prime Minister but it is They probably had some choice words
:21:33. > :21:38.in private for the Prime Minister. Downing Street has already contacted
:21:39. > :21:40.Buckingham Palace to offer He is said to be very embarrassed
:21:41. > :21:44.and extremely sorry and it is thought he will apologise
:21:45. > :21:48.in person during -- next. At future public
:21:49. > :22:00.engagements, David Cameron may be more wary about what he says,
:22:01. > :22:20.especially when he is in front of A US man sentenced to five years
:22:21. > :22:28.hard labour in North Korea has spoken publicly about his ordeal.
:22:29. > :22:32.North Korean authorities claimed he tore up his Visa and demanded
:22:33. > :22:41.asylum. He spoke under close supervision. Prison life is eight
:22:42. > :22:46.hours per day, mostly it is agriculture, digging around. Other
:22:47. > :22:49.than that it is isolation, no contact with anyone. But I have been
:22:50. > :22:59.in good health, no sickness. The American actor John Malkovich
:23:00. > :23:01.has featured in a series recreating more 40 iconic photographs -
:23:02. > :23:04.each taken with incredible care and detail - but in an ironic twist, the
:23:05. > :23:08.project has now gone viral online - even though the photographer
:23:09. > :23:11.Sandro Miller, started it to fight back against what he sees as social
:23:12. > :23:16.media's degradation of the art form. Anna Bressanin spoke to Miller
:23:17. > :23:19.about what he was trying to do This is a Malkovich,
:23:20. > :23:27.this is not Warhol. The project Malkovich, Malkovich,
:23:28. > :23:35.Malkovich is about me playing My mind began to think what if I
:23:36. > :23:43.recreated those images with John is willing to experiment
:23:44. > :23:52.and has no fear. When he got in front of the camera,
:23:53. > :23:56.I would see him with the fullest of confidence transform him
:23:57. > :23:58.self into Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davies, the migrant mother,
:23:59. > :24:03.Salvador Dali, Picasso. We brought hair in
:24:04. > :24:22.from all over the country. We had a seamstress make
:24:23. > :24:23.the clothing. We took every shot,
:24:24. > :24:26.dissected it and figured out where the photographer was at that time,
:24:27. > :24:28.what light he was using. My goal was to sustain
:24:29. > :24:30.as true to what It would be a two-hour time
:24:31. > :24:37.for hair and make up to get ready I could see he would go to that time
:24:38. > :24:54.and place and become that person. The one that really amazes me is the
:24:55. > :24:58.Diane Arbus one - this twins shot. Just to see the difference
:24:59. > :25:01.in the mind of both of those twins. One accepting the photographer and
:25:02. > :25:03.enjoying the moment well the other John nailed both
:25:04. > :25:10.of those expressions In Today's world with the internet,
:25:11. > :25:23.we are bombarded with images. It is tough to see all this work,
:25:24. > :25:39.most with no thought behind it. I was hoping maybe I would be able
:25:40. > :25:42.to recreate a little bit of awareness again
:25:43. > :25:49.of classic movie imagery. Not just putting images out to put
:25:50. > :25:51.an image out, Think about what we're capturing
:25:52. > :26:03.here, let us have an idea. On Wednesday we brought you
:26:04. > :26:05.celebrations from India, as the country successfully put a
:26:06. > :26:12.spacecraft into orbit around Mars. is the first picture
:26:13. > :26:16.of Mars taken by the satellite. Part of its mission is to study
:26:17. > :26:20.the Martian atmosphere for signs Just to remind you, it's
:26:21. > :26:26.the first time a maiden voyage to Mars has entered orbit successfully
:26:27. > :27:03.and it is the cheapest too. Hi there, it's been a cloudy day for
:27:04. > :27:08.most parts of the British Isles but tomorrow this will change, early
:27:09. > :27:12.morning sunshine in Scotland and northern Ireland and these sunny
:27:13. > :27:18.skies will mood so forth. Overnight tonight it will be very windy with a
:27:19. > :27:20.band of rain pushing southwards across Scotland and