The sister of a British photojournalist kidnapped in Syria has spoken of her relief that two members of an alleged ISIS assassination squad will finally face trial in the United States.
The UK High Court yesterday cleared the way for El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey to stand trial accused of killing western hostages kidnapped in Syria.
They are accused of being part of a brutal four-strong group dubbed The Beatles because of their British accents.
They are said to have kidnapped 27 people and beheaded three Americans and two Britons in Syria and Iraq. The deaths were filmed and published online. The two men, held in US military custody, deny the charges against them.
Their kidnap victims allegedly included John Cantlie, a photojournalist, who was taken in Syria in 2012 along with an American reporter, James Foley. Mr Foley was killed by his captors in 2014.
Mr Cantlie was last seen on an ISIS propaganda video four years ago and remains missing.
His sister, Jessica Pocock, told the BBC that the decision by a court to allow the UK to hand over evidence to US prosecutors was the first piece of good news she had received since he was abducted.
She said that the group of victims’ families were always determined to press for “nothing less than a fair trial”.
“We have only ever wanted these two to face justice,” she told the broadcaster. “We feel that we all have to stand accountable for our actions.
“I think at times we felt absolutely desperate as to whether the legal system was ever going to bring these two to justice wherever that might be.”
She said that her brother had told her of his determination to return to Aleppo after previously being kidnapped before he was able to complete his assignment. He was snatched after he went back to finish his story.
The court decision ended a long legal battle over where the two alleged members of the group should stand trial in the US, the UK or elsewhere.
They were captured in Syria in January 2018 and were among thousands of suspected ISIS fighters held in the north of the country.
British prosecutors originally said they were unlikely to secure convictions because of the mistreatment they suffered after their capture by Syrian Democratic Forces. They suggested a trial would have a greater chance of success in the United States.
The family of Mr Elsheikh, whose British citizenship was stripped in 2014, first went to court to argue that the UK would be abandoning a long-standing policy to help in cases that could end with the death penalty.
American officials revealed last month that they will not insist on the death penalty following any prosecution.
A further challenge ended on Tuesday when a court allowed UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to hand over the evidence in preparation for a trial.
Ms Patel wrote on Twitter: “Pleased to say that the further evidence to support the prosecution of Kotey & El Sheikh has now finally been transferred to the US. I sincerely hope that justice for the victims and their families will now be served.”
A third member of the cell, Mohammed Emwazi - known as "Jihadi John" - was killed in a US air strike in 2015. He had appeared in several hostage videos in which aid workers and US journalists were killed.
The fourth, Aine Davis, was jailed in Turkey.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.9-litre%20twin-turbo%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E536hp%20(including%20138hp%20e-motor)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E750Nm%20(including%20400Nm%20e-motor)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C380%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The%20specs
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Palestine and Israel - live updates
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Honeymoonish
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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INFO
What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
The%20specs
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