Robin Williams Phoned Connolly To Say Goodbye

Billy Connolly has revealed that his good friend Robin Williams phoned him for advice on Parkinson's disease just days before he committed suicide.

The Scottish comedian said the Mrs Doubtfire actor's death at his home near San Francisco last month had "still not sunk in".

Connolly, known as Big Yin, told the Daily Mirror that Williams had turned to him and in their final conversation thanked him for his advice on handling a lack of facial expression, a symptom of the degenerative disease.

"He was diagnosed after me and he was on the phone a lot asking me about it. But phoning me for advice is an absolute waste of f****** time because I don't have it.

"He phoned me a week later, just days before it happened, and he said, 'It's brilliant, it's working'.

Connolly at the premiere of his new film in London

"During the call he kept telling me he loved me. I said, 'I know'. But he kept repeating it, saying, 'Do you really know I love you?' I was thinking, what the f*** is he on about?

"After his death I thought, 'Oh my God, he was saying goodbye'."

Shortly after father-of-three Williams' death, his wife, Susan Schneider, revealed he had been struggling with the disease.

She said: "Robin's sobriety was intact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety, as well as early stages of Parkinson's disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly."

It has previously been reported Connolly could have been living with the condition for around a decade before it was diagnosed - on the same day he was told he had prostate cancer, from which he has been given the all-clear.

Speaking at the London premiere of his new film, What We Did On Our Holiday, Connolly said there would be "hell to pay" if David Cameron did not honour concessions made to Scotland over last week's independence referendum.

The Prime Minister pledged more powers for Holyrood, including areas such as tax and welfare.

The Big Yin said: "It's 50:50 - 50% of the country are delighted, 50% are disappointed. But Scotland will get used to the idea.

"If Mr Cameron keeps up his promises we should be okay. If he doesn't there'll be all hell to pay."

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Israeli Missile Shoots Down Syrian Fighter Jet

Israel says it has shot down a Syrian fighter jet over its airspace - the first such incident in more than 30 years.

The aircraft was hit by a Patriot missile while trying to "infiltrate" the Quneitra area of the Golan Heights, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said.

An Israeli defence source identified the jet as a Russian-built Sukhoi Su-24 fighter plane. Previously it was reported to have been a MiG-21 aircraft.

The aircraft was hit by a Patriot missile

It flew 800 metres into Israeli airspace and tried to return to Syria after the Patriot missile was fired, he said.

The crew managed to abandon the plane in time and landed in Syrian territory, he added.

The Golan area, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, has seen clashes between the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and Syrian President Bashar al Assad's forces in recent weeks.

Syrian state TV confirmed Israel had shot down one of its planes, and described it as an act of aggression.

A file picture of the type of jet that was shot down

It quoted a military source saying the attack came "in the framework of (Israel's) support for the terrorist (Islamic State) and the Nusra Front".

Israel's Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said the aircraft had crossed into Israel in a "threatening way" and vowed to retaliate to any similar incidents in the future.

"We will not allow (any) element, whether it is a terror group or a state, to threaten our security and breach our sovereignty," he said.

"We are committed first and foremost to ensure the security of the Israel's citizens and we will use all means at our disposal to do so."

It came hours after the US and five Arab countries began airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria for the first time.

The raids were carried out using fighter jets, bombers, drones, and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from US ships in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar were involved in the raids, a US official said, although their exact roles were unclear.

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Alice Gross Search: Forensic Tests On Knife

Forensic tests are being carried out on a knife found during the search for missing teenager Alice Gross.

The investigation into her disappearance is focusing on the River Brent and its banks near Ealing Hospital in west London, where the knife was found.

The search for 14-year-old Alice, who went missing after leaving her home in nearby Hanwell on August 28, is the biggest operation of its kind since the 7/7 bombings in 2005.

Arnis Zalkalns with police in Latvia. Pic: The Sun

Scotland Yard said: "The knife will be taken away for analysis but it is too early to say if it's connected."

Police have also released a new picture of prime suspect Arnis Zalkalns, taken with Latvian police after his wife was murdered in his home country.

The force has come under fire for taking four days to ask Latvian authorities for help in finding Zalkalns, who served seven years in prison for the killing of his wife, Rudite Zalkalns.

The knife was found in the River Brent, in west London

He went missing six days after Alice was last seen walking alongside the Grand Union Canal, not far from her home.

Zalkalns has not accessed his bank account or used his mobile phone since September 3, nor has he returned home to his partner and young child.

His passport was left at his house and police in Latvia have confirmed he has not entered the country by plane.

They said it is possible he could have got in undetected if he travelled by car or coach.

Zalkalns went missing days after Alice was last seen walking by a canal

Zalkalns was seen on CCTV footage cycling along a path by the Grand Union Canal 15 minutes after the last sighting of Alice.

Detectives believe he is likely to have seen Alice as they were both going north along the canal towpath.

A reward of up to £20,000 is being offered for anyone who has information that leads detectives to find Alice.

Zalkalns is white, 5ft 10ins and stocky, with dark brown hair that he normally wears tied in a pony tail.

Police have said that he "potentially poses a risk to the public" and have asked anyone who sees him not to approach him and to dial 999.

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Syria Airstrikes: PM In Talks Over UK Role

US And Arab Allies Attack IS Targets In Syria

Updated: 3:02pm UK, Tuesday 23 September 2014

The US and five Arab countries have been carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria for the first time.

Fighter jets, bombers and drones as well as 47 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from two US ships in the northern Persian Gulf and the Red Sea were deployed in the aerial raids.

At least 70 IS fighters are said to have been killed in dozens of attacks, which also targeted al Qaeda veterans.

The strikes form part of the expanded military campaign against IS insurgents that was authorised two weeks ago by President Barack Obama. He is due to meet foreign leaders at the UN General Assembly later.

US Central Command said Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar had either taken part in or supported the Syria raids although their exact roles were unclear.

The strikes did not involve the UK but Prime Minister David Cameron supported them and will discuss at the UN what contribution Britain can make, according to Downing Street.

Damascus said Washington informed Syria's UN envoy before launching the bombings against the Sunni insurgent group which have grabbed swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.

The US also carried out eight aerial raids on its own west of Aleppo against al Qaeda veterans - known as the Khorasan group - who were thought to be planning an "imminent attack" against US and Western interests.

The US military said it had destroyed or damaged multiple IS targets around the militant stronghold of Raqqa as well as Deir al Zor, Hasakah and the border town of Albu Kamal.

It said targets included IS fighters, training compounds, headquarters and command and control facilities, storage facilities, a finance centre, supply trucks and armed vehicles.

Residents in Raqqa said last week that IS was moving underground after Mr Obama signalled on September 11 that air attacks on its forces could be expanded from Iraq to Syria.

The group had evacuated buildings it was using as offices, redeployed its heavy weaponry, and moved fighters' families out of the city, the residents said.

The strikes follow a summit of world leaders in Paris where agreement was reached to form a broad coalition to counter the advance of IS in Syria and to provide military aid to Iraq to fight the extremist network.

Military leaders have said about two thirds of the estimated 31,000 IS militants are in Syria.

Photographs taken in Raqqa showed wreckage of what IS fighters said was a drone that had been shot down.

Pieces of the wreckage, including what appeared to be part of a propellor, were shown loaded into the back of a van.

International efforts to combat the group have taken on an added urgency after the beheading of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and British aid worker David Haines, and the threat to kill UK hostage Alan Henning.

Meanwhile, a second propaganda video of another British hostage John Cantlie has been released by IS.

Speaking to the camera and seemingly under duress, he addresses the coalition of states targeting the group, though it is not clear when the video was filmed.

"Everyone now is getting involved," he said. "Denmark and France have sent air power, Britain is arming the Kurds, Iran is sending troops and contractors are being sought in Iraq.

"Even Bashar al Assad, until earlier this year the most hated and villainised tyrant in the Arab world, is being approached for permission to go into Syria.

"It's all quite a circus. Not since Vietnam have we witnessed such a potential mess in the making."

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Murder-Suicide Probe After Slough Train Deaths

Police are investigating whether a woman and child who were killed by a train in Slough died in a murder-suicide.

Chief Inspector Jenny Gilmer has ruled out any involvement by a third party in the deaths, which occurred around 9.45am.

She said the deaths are still being treated as suspicious, adding that murder-suicide is "one of the lines of inquiry that our officers will be pursuing, but we must not speculate".

The station was cordoned off for nearly six hours as police gathered evidence from the scene, leading to major disruption for First Great Western passengers.

At least 15 services, many of them beginning at London Paddington station, were cancelled and other journeys were delayed.

Officers searched the railway tracks and studied CCTV footage at the station. They have also spoken to several witnesses, both on the train and on the platform.

Ms Gilmer described the incident as "very upsetting and distressing for the driver and anyone who witnessed it".

"Officers were called to Slough railway station shortly before 9.45am following reports that two people had been struck by a train," she said.

"Thames Valley Police and South Central Ambulance also attended the incident and a woman and child were pronounced dead at the scene.

"The incident is currently being treated as suspicious and our detectives have launched a full investigation.

"But they do not believe there was any third-party involvement at the station.

"This is obviously a very tragic incident and our thoughts are very much with those affected."

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Obama: 'This Is Not America's Fight Alone'

Al Qaeda Veterans Targeted In Syria Airstrikes

Updated: 3:05pm UK, Tuesday 23 September 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Hitherto obscure, they fell firmly into American gun sight in the first salvoes of the attack by coalition forces inside Syria.

They are the Khorasan Group - al Qaeda veterans allegedly planning attacks against the West.

Led by Musin al Fadhli, a 33-year-old Kuwaiti who was once so close to Osama bin Laden that he knew about the 9/11 attacks before they happened, the group subscribes to a ferociously anti-Western agenda.

Until a year or so ago, al Fadhli and his deputy Muhsin al Harbi were based in Iran.

They had been in and out of Iranian custody, occasionally subjected to house arrest - but were vital links to funding and recruitment of al Qaeda's operations, especially in Iraq.

They are, according to intelligence sources, now based in Syria. They have joined up with, or added themselves to, the al Nusra Front.

But while this al Qaeda franchise in Syria has focused on fighting the regime of Bashar al Assad and has been locked in combat with Islamic State, Khorasan have focused on anti-Western operations.

"They have been establishing close links to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula - in Yemen - where there are some supremely accomplished bomb makers," said one informed intelligence source.

The Pentagon said the airstrikes against Khorasan were because of active intelligence that their agents were plotting an attack in the West.

The UKand several other states have upped the threat level to "severe" in the last few weeks - which indicated there was intelligence that a terrorist attack was 'likely'.

The Khorasan Group, so-called because they draw their members from early Islamic regions that spread into parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan which was known as Khorasan, is an al Qaeda veteran organisation in comparison with the competing Islamist franchise, Islamic State.

It has been losing ground, fame and recruits to IS and arguably needs to show its strength through a 'spectacular' attack on the West to restore its standing in the face of IS's media campaign and stunning territorial gains.

Late last year, an intelligence agency assessment of what has become the Khorasan Group said that al Fadhli "co-ordinates between the al Qaeda leadership and Jabhat al Nusra, which has been among the more effective fighting forces against Assad".

It said: "Al Fadhli now plays a key role in advancing plans for attacks by al Qaeda from Syria, in accordance with Iran's interests."

That last phrase is significant. How could operations by an al Qaeda-related group, a Sunni movement, serve the interests of Iran, a Shia dominated theocracy?

The answer lies in the old cliche that in the Middle East especially, "my enemy's enemy is my friend".

But it also may indicate that Iranian co-operation in allowing or encouraging al Fadhli to move to Syria was a means to boost the Assad regime's case that it was a bulwark against global Islamic terror.

Damascus has argued since the start of the uprising against Mr Assad's rule that it has been fighting "terrorists".

Whatever the truth of the Iranian connection to the Khorasan Group, Pentagon targeting officers can be expected to pursue the old school al Qaeda operatives - they will want to snuff out attempts to revive the brand by spilling blood in the Homeland.

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PM: Queen 'Purred Down Line' Over Scots Vote

David Cameron has been overheard describing how the Queen "purred" when he told her Scotland had voted No to independence.

Microphones picked up the Prime Minister telling former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg how Her Majesty reacted during their phone conversation on Friday morning.

He said: "The definition of relief is being the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and ringing the Queen and saying 'It's alright, it's okay'. That was something.

"She purred down the line."

After a few seconds where the recording is not clear, Mr Cameron added: "But it should never have been that close.

A newspaper headline before the vote

"It wasn't in the end, but there was a time in the middle of the campaign when it felt…"

The next part of the conversation is inaudible before the Prime Minister, who is in New York for the UN general assembly, closed: "I've said I want to find these polling companies and I want to sue them for my stomach ulcers because of what they put me through.

"It was very nervous moments."

The conversation took place as Mr Cameron was being accompanied around the Bloomberg offices in front of TV cameras.

The Queen remained publicly impartial during the referendum campaign, but the Prime Minister's comments suggest she was relieved that Scots voted 55% to 45% in favour of retaining the Union.

Sky News Royal Correspondent Paul Harrison said Buckingham Palace would neither confirm nor deny whether the Queen purrs when she is happy.

He added: "Some will say this is incredibly indiscreet, and that conversations he has with the Queen shouldn't be passed on no matter who you are.

"The fact is, David Cameron has told Michael Bloomberg that when he delivered the news, she was very happy - she purred down the line."

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Miliband Sets Six Goals For Britain's Future

Ed Miliband set out six national goals for the decade as he attempted to show voters he has what it takes to be Prime Minister.

In his last party conference speech before the general election, the Labour leader said the country must look to build a new future "together" because it could not afford "another five years of David Cameron".

The Labour leader put saving the NHS at the heart of his 10-year plan, saying a mansion tax on properties over £2m and taxes on the tobacco firms would be used to pay for it.

Mr Miliband said he wanted to

He said the country needed to change because it "does not work" and talked about breaking up the big banks, halving the number of Britons on low pay and tackling the cost of living.

In a speech which was overshadowed halfway through by Barack Obama's press conference on airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, he said: "You know this country does not work.

"My answer is we can build a better future for you and your family and this speech is about Labour's plan to do it - Labour's plan for Britain's future."

Mr Miliband was overshadowed by Barack Obama's speech on airstrikes

Speaking without notes, Mr Miliband outlined his six national goals: 

:: To reward people for hard work - raising the national wage to half the number of people on low pay

:: To tackle the cost of living crisis and make sure wages increased with economic growth, breaking up banks and taking power from Whitehall

:: Britain to create a million jobs in green industries - helping to tackle global climate change

:: Making sure as many school leavers go on to apprenticeships as go to university - companies who employ foreign workers will be expected to offer apprenticeships too, and those who want Government contracts will need to provide apprenticeships

:: Making the dream of home-ownership a reality by building more homes and making sure 400,000 first-time buyers a year get on property ladder

:: Save the NHS - provide a "truly 21st century health service" using the proceeds of a mansion tax on homes above £2m and a tax on tobacco firms

Ed Miliband kisses his wife Justine at the end of his speech

Sky's Political Editor Faisal Islam said Labour appeared to have decided on an election campaign agenda that said: "The Government can help solve your problems."

Mr Miliband opened his speech by urging Mr Cameron to seek a United Nations Security Council resolution to "counter the threat" of Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.

He said the threats they had made against the British hostage Alan Henning, who is from Manchester where the conference was being held, meant action had to be taken.

Mr Miliband delivered his speech without notes

The Labour leader said Britain should not turn its back on the world, outlining a foreign policy which would see a Labour Government committed to finding a two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians.

Mr Miliband also stressed the country should not walk away from the European Union, and thanked former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling for helping to deliver a no vote in the Scottish referendum.

Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps said Mr Miliband "failed to offer any serious plan to grow the economy".

"Labour simply don't have a long-term economic plan to secure a better future for Britain. Our country, our children and our grandchildren would be worse off under Ed Miliband's weak leadership."

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Dave Lee Travis Found Guilty Of Indecent Assault

Dave Lee Travis: The Fall Of A Familiar Face

Updated: 4:23pm UK, Tuesday 23 September 2014

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent

Dave Lee Travis fought accusations that he was a sex pest for two years, and was acquitted of most of the charges against him at an earlier trial.

But a second jury has now decided that he is guilty of indecent assault.

At the height of his career, Travis was one of the most familiar faces in Britain. He presented Top of the Pops and the Radio 1 Breakfast Show.

His real name is David Griffin, but his nickname was the "Hairy Cornflake". During his original trial he described himself as "a big hairy cuddly bear" who liked to hug friends and colleagues.

Travis admitted being tactile, but the women who testified against him claimed he went way beyond that, accusing him of groping them or worse.

When the DJ was arrested and questioned about allegations of indecent assault, the publicity prompted other women to come forward with stories of their encounters with him.

By the time he went on trial in February, he was facing 13 charges of indecent assault and one of sexual assault.

After a month-long trial, he was acquitted of all but two offences, which the jury could not reach a verdict on.

Much to Travis's anger, the Crown Prosecution Service decided on a retrial and added a new accusation from another complainant.  This time, he was convicted of a single count of indecent assault.

As the legal process dragged on, the DJ became more frustrated - and in July, he made a statement outside court, which at the time could not be broadcast for legal reasons.

He said: "In my estimation, the CPS has overcompensated for its failings with Savile and in doing so has taken away the human rights and the dignity of individuals by having the police arrest people first, then go out looking for the evidence."

Five months before he was first arrested, the Sunday Times published a story by Camilla Long which highlighted his behaviour.

She had visited his home to interview him because he was about to meet the Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The article's headline read: "Dave Lee Travis: Look out, Suu Kyi - he's a bit touchy".

Ms Long wrote: "I spent 90 minutes with the former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis and I don't think there is a part of my body that he didn't grope.

"He fondled my foot, inched his hands up my thighs, tried to make me sit on his lap and kissed me. He copped a feel of my hips when I foolishly asked for a tour of his studio, stroked my chin and my back and gave me a full body hug as I left."

Ms Long was asked by the police whether she wanted to press charges and give evidence at his trial, but declined.

She told Sky News: "He didn't worry about getting consent too much, he just did it."

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Stand Up Be Counted: Voting Age To Be Lowered?

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Ed Miliband is set to reaffirm his commitment to lowering the voting age to 16 if he becomes the next prime minister.

The Labour leader will use his big party conference speech later to talk about giving younger people a voice at general elections - something he has been a leading advocate of for several years.

He called for it when he was a member of Gordon Brown's Cabinet, then when he stood for the leadership in 2010 - and now it will be Labour Party policy at the next General Election.

That means that if Labour wins next May, 16 and 17-year-olds will almost certainly be able to vote in the General Election of 2020.

The party leadership hopes the policy will be attractive to voters in the 18-24 age group, who up to now have been less likely to vote than older voters.

After 16 and 17-year-olds voted in large numbers in last week's Scottish referendum, supporters claim the case for lowering the voting age from 18 has been strengthened.

In his party conference speech last year, Mr Miliband said politicians should listen to the "voices of young people demanding a job, the voices of young people who demand that we shoulder and don't shirk our responsibilities to the environment".

And he said: "Let's give a voice to these young people in our party. And let's give a voice to these young people in our democracy, let's give the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds and make them part of our democracy."

It is a policy that is also backed by the Liberal Democrats, but bitterly opposed by the Conservatives, who claim it would "politicise the classroom" by giving votes to youngsters who are still at school.

After the Scottish referendum, Mr Miliband's close ally Sadiq Khan said: "Despite warnings from the sceptics, 16 and 17-year-olds did come out and vote and engage in the big issues over the future of Scotland.

"This is all the more reason why the voting age should be lowered for all elections. It's an idea whose time has come."

The policy is also strongly backed by Labour's big paymaster, the Unite union, which has led to Tory claims that Mr Miliband is bowing to the policy demands of the union's firebrand general secretary, Len McCluskey.

The Conservatives will also be alarmed by the findings of polling by their former paymaster, Lord Ashcroft, after the Scottish referendum.

An exit poll of just over 2,000 Scottish voters suggested that the 16 and 17-year-olds voting for the first time in the Scottish referendum were overwhelmingly in favour of independence.

The sample suggested that 71% of the age group voted Yes, while in contrast only 27% of over-65s voted in favour of independence.

Lowering the voting age to 16 would add an estimated 1.5 million voters to the electorate. Since there is no consensus between the two big parties, whether it happens depends on who wins the next General Election.

Sky News' Stand Up Be Counted (SUBC) campaign is a chance for young people to put across their opinions and try to engage more with politics ahead of next year's General Election.

Click here to visit the Stand Up Be Counted website.

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