Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 14 Maret 2015 | 14.59
The conflict in eastern Ukraine is not NATO's responsibility despite Russia's "violation of international law", the alliance's Secretary General has said.
Jens Stoltenberg also told Sky News the UK must maintain its military contributions to the organisation, which is set at 2% of GDP.
But, asked if NATO would do anything stop Vladimir Putin's forces in Ukraine, he said: "Our main responsibility is to defend and to protect all NATO allies and no NATO ally has been attacked.
"So deterrence is working because everyone sees that NATO is a very strong alliance and we are now implementing the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.
"Ukraine is not a member of NATO, so there is a difference between Ukraine and NATO members, because the security guarantee is for NATO allies.
1/18
Gallery: Ukraine: The Rubble Of Donetsk Airport
A Ukrainian army tank destroyed in fighting with the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic army lies outside a terminal at Donetsk airport
The once-gleaming Donetsk airport has been one of the most fiercely contested spots in east Ukraine
Egypt has unveiled its plan to build a new administrative and business capital that will house five million people and feature a theme park "four times bigger than Disneyland".
Housing minister Mustafa Kamel Madbuli said the new 70,000 acre city, east of Cairo, would take five to seven years to build at a cost of $45bn (£30bn).
Details on how it would be funded were not revealed.
"The idea to build the new city originated from our awareness that Cairo's current population (18 million) will double in the next 40 years," Mr Madbuli said at a conference showcasing the details.
The proposed city would have "large green spaces, an international airport, a theme park four times bigger than Disneyland in California, 90 square kilometres of solar farms, and an electric train" to link with Cairo, Mr Madbuli said.
Parliament, presidential palaces, government ministries and foreign embassies would move to the new metropolis.
The plan for the new city was first announced in the summer of last year, but further details were kept under wraps until now.
President Abdel Fattah al Sisi is hoping the plan will help kick-start Egypt's troubled economy.
Mr al Sisi, who has positioned himself as a bulwark against Islamic extremists, said investing in the Arab world's most populous country would help stabilise the entire region.
Egypt's stability "is a cornerstone in regional stability," he told the conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh.
Arab states including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia pledged $12bn in investment aid.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was at the gathering, said Washington stood beside Egypt as it seeks to recover from years of turmoil.
Mr Kerry, who earlier met Mr al Sisi and the leaders of Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, told businessmen that Washington was "eager and ready and willing" to help Egypt's economic development.
But a US diplomat travelling with him said there had been "no decision" on freeing up $650m in military aid frozen during the height of a crackdown on Mr al Sisi's Islamist opponents that left hundreds dead.
Powerful winds from Cyclone Pam have caused widespread destruction in the Vanuatu islands, killing at least eight people, aid officials have said.
Unconfirmed reports say dozens more people are feared dead.
The Category Fire storm struck the South Pacific archipelago with winds of up to 167mph, threatening more than 267,000 residents.
The storm blew roofs off houses, uprooted trees and downed power lines.
Officials in Port Vila say there is no power or running water in Vanuatu's capital.
Video:Cyclone Pam Hits South Pacific
There are reports of entire villages being destroyed in more remote areas, according to Chloe Morrison, a World Vision emergency communications officer.
"It's still really quite dangerous outside. Most people are still hunkering down," she said.
"The damage is quite extensive in Port Vila but there are so many more vulnerable islands.
"I can't even imagine what it's like in those vulnerable communities."
Australia is preparing to send a crisis response team to Vanuatu if needed, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.
"There are destructive winds, rain, flooding, landslides, sea surges and very rough seas and the storm is exceedingly destructive there," she said.
1/6
Gallery: Red Alert In Vanuatu Ahead Of Cyclone Pam
A satellite image of Cyclone Pam. Pic: Japan Meteorological Agency
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 13 Maret 2015 | 14.59
A senior member of the al Shabaab militant group who helped plan the Westgate Mall attack in Kenya has been killed by a US drone strike.
Adan Garar and two other people are believed to have died in the strike near the town of Bardhere in Somalia, US and Kenyan officials said.
Garar was also suspected of planning failed attacks on Kenya's coastline and in the Ugandan capital of Kampala, according to a Kenyan official.
Kenyan authorities said police foiled a planned attack in the coastal city of Mombasa in March 2014.
The attack on the Westgate Mall was the largest in Kenya since 1998
Al Shabaab militants had planned to carry out simultaneous attacks on the city's airport, a ferry crossing and a supermarket.
The attack was foiled when anti-terror police intercepted a car packed with explosives.
Video:How Gunmen Launched The Attack
Al Shabaab has vowed to carry out violent attacks in Kenya and Uganda in retaliation for the countries' contribution to the African Union force supporting Somalia's government.
Some 67 people, including six Britons, were killed in the Westgate Mall attack in September 2013.
The attack was the largest in Kenya since the 1998 bombings by al Qaeda of the US Embassy in Nairobi.
Islamic State has accepted a pledge of allegiance from the Nigerian terror group Boko Haram and called on Islamists to fight in Africa.
Abu Mohammad al Adnani, a spokesman for IS, announced in an audio message the group's leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, had accepted the loyalty of the Nigerian militants.
"Our caliph, God save him, has accepted the pledge of loyalty of our brothers of Boko Haram so we congratulate Muslims and our jihadi brothers in West Africa," he said.
It comes after an audio statement attributed to Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau was released on Saturday through the group's Twitter account.
The statement urged "Muslims everywhere to pledge allegiance to the Caliph".
Video:Boko Haram Pledges Allegiance To IS
The apparent alliance highlights increased coordination between the two terror movements across North Africa and the Middle East.
IS has declared a caliphate and captured large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
The group has also faced global condemnation for killing or kidnapping members of ethnic and religious minorities, as well as Western hostages.
In his audio message, al Adnani called on Muslims who could not join IS in Iraq and Syria to enter combat in Africa instead.
He added that Boko Haram's pledge had opened a "new door for you to migrate to the land of Islam and fight".
Video:Fighting Boko Haram
"We are calling you up for jihadis, go."
The group, which rejects all but its own limited interpretation of early Sunni Muslim theology as heresy, also issued a threat to Jews and Christians.
"If you want to save your blood and money and live in safety from our swords... you have two choices: either convert or pay jezyah," he said, referring to tax for non-Muslims under Islamic rule.
"(Otherwise) you will soon bite your fingers with remorse."
The night after two police officers were shot, Ferguson took a step back from the violence that has scarred its streets for nearly eight months.
Protesters gathered at the police department, as they have done every night since unarmed black teenager Michael Brown was shot by a white police officer.
But fears the attack might trigger yet another spasm of conflict between police and protesters proved unfounded.
Anger at Mr Brown's killing, and the perceived lack of justice, remains raw, but despite the evident tension, it was controlled.
Handling the aftermath of an attack on their own represented a huge challenge for the police here.
Video:On Tape: Moment Officers Were Shot
A week ago the city police were officially declared racist by a Department of Justice report, removing what little credibility remained among Ferguson's African-American community.
On Wednesday, the police chief resigned, leaving St Louis County officers to lead operations.
Officers spent the day conducting house-to-house searches and at least one raid, which led to the brief detention of three people, but no one has been charged, and no weapon recovered.
Video:Police Chief: Cop Shot Under Eye
Come nightfall they had to police the same streets where they came under fire, and some of the same protesters who provided inadvertent cover for the gunmen.
Their response was controlled and proportionate. That has not always been the case in a city that deployed military-grade hardware against its own citizens as recently as November.
When protesters briefly blocked the road, Lieutenant Jerry Lohr led half-a-dozen officers, all in shirt-sleeves, to formally warn that they could be arrested. Protesters dropped back, and so did the police.
Video:Police Rep Heckled In Ferguson
From a side door of the fire station, officers in riot gear looked on. Clearly they were ready for an escalation.
But with rain falling, and apparently little appetite for a long night on either side, the protest had broken up by midnight.
It was a restrained end to another difficult day for a city that finds its struggle for justice and equality played out on a international stage.
Video:Ferguson Shooting: Cops 'Targeted'
How long the uneasy peace will last remains to be seen.
1/12
Gallery: Violence On Streets Of Ferguson, Missouri
Fury has erupted into fighting on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, where two police officers have been shot during a demonstration
The city's police chief Thomas Jackson quit his post following a report that exposed racism in his department and a profit-driven court system
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 12 Maret 2015 | 14.59
By Sky News US Team
Two officers have been shot outside the police department in Ferguson, Missouri, according to reports.
It happened as police confronted protesters gathered outside the station after the resignation of police Chief Thomas Jackson on Wednesday.
Sky's US correspondent Greg Milam said one officer was hit in the shoulder and the other in the face.
Police arrest a protester
The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear. Both were taken to hospital.
One is thought to be a St Louis County officer and the other from a town near Ferguson.
Video:Ferguson Police Chief Stands Down
Witnesses said up to four shots were fired. A large number of officers, some in riot gear, later formed a guard around the police station.
Chief Jackson resigned following a scathing government report that exposed racial biases in his department and a profit-driven court system.
An earlier report cleared white police officer Darren Wilson of civil rights charges in the shooting of a black teenager Michael Brown last summer.
The St Louis suburb has been hit by unrest ever since.
Video:Ferguson Racism Report Explained
Mr Jackson is the sixth Ferguson city official to quit or be fired in the wake of the reports.
On Tuesday the city council voted unanimously to accept the resignation of City Manager John Shaw, who oversaw the police department.
That followed Municipal Court Judge Ronald Brockmeyer's decision to step down on Monday.
Mr Jackson, who had previously resisted calls from protesters and some of Missouri's top officials to resign, told the St Louis Post-Dispatch he felt it was time to move on.
Video:Attorney General On Ferguson Report
"I believe this is the appropriate thing to do at this time," he said. "This city needs to move forward without any distractions."
The 57-year-old embattled chief was widely criticised for his handling of the 9 August shooting of Mr Brown and subsequent protests.
In his resignation letter, obtained by the Post-Dispatch, Mr Jackson said: "It has been an honor and a privilege to serve this great city and to serve with all of you.
"I will continue to assist the city in any way I can in my capacity as private citizen."
Video:Ferguson: How The Protests Grew
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles denied rumours that he would also resign, the newpaper reported on Wednesday.
The city plans to launch a nationwide search for a new police chief, it said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Mr Brown's family have said they will file a civil wrongful death lawsuit against Ferguson and Darren Wilson, the former officer who shot dead the unarmed teenager.
Mr Wilson, who said he acted in self-defence, was cleared by a grand jury and the Justice Department of any wrongdoing.
As the investigation into Boris Nemtsov's murder continues, friends and former colleagues have warned of the dangerous climate of hatred and fear they say Russia's opposition now faces.
Pussy Riot singer Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who spent more than a year in a prison camp after her band's protest against Vladimir Putin, told Sky News she gets threats every day, and that Mr Nemtsov had recently urged her to hire a bodyguard.
Ms Tolokonnikova: 'They listen to this, and they want to kill us'
She blamed what she said was propaganda whipped up by Kremlin-controlled media, vilifying opposition leaders as 'national traitors' and 'fifth columnists' - a term used to denote agents provocateurs - citizens supposedly working against the Russian state.
"I think this aggressive mood is the first reason why Boris Nemtsov was murdered," she said.
Video:Public React To Nemstov Death
"I'm not an investigator, and I can't say by who, but my version is that it is a strict consequence of all these propaganda words."
"They create an image of the enemy and it is the Ukrainian people, or people who support Ukrainian people, who are against this war - so this is the 'fifth column', this is us, this is liberals."
"Every day they listen to this, and they want to kill us. I have to say that we don't only have a war in Ukraine, but we really have war here."
Ilya Yashin, co-leader of Mr Nemtsov's opposition party, said political responsibility for the murder must lie with the Russian president.
"It was Vladimir Putin who introduced the term 'national traitors'," he explained.
"It was Vladimir Putin who was inciting and provoking hatred towards Boris Nemtsov and people who are like him. In the end Putin's hatred has materialised in those bullets, which took Boris' life."
He showed Sky News the material Mr Nemtsov had been working on at the time of his death, including the handwritten notes he had been using to communicate because he believed his offices were bugged by the security services.
Video:'I Saw The Body Of My Close Friend'
He was gathering evidence he said would prove Russia's military involvement in Ukraine.
Yashin vowed to continue the work in Nemtsov's name and said he would not be intimidated into silence.
"Putin feels like he can do anything," he said. "He is sure that he can do absolutely anything without punishment. Putin must be stopped."
But voices like Ilya Yashin's are increasingly marginalised and denied access to the state-controlled TV channels, from which an estimated 90% of the population say they get their information.
Instead they feature 'patriots' like Yulia Berezikova - Russian mixed martial arts fighter, world champion kick-boxer, and one of the leaders of new pro-Kremlin movement 'Anti-Maidan'.
She says their movement is entirely independent of the government, and made up of ordinary citizens determined to stop those who would try to foment a Ukrainian-style colour revolution in Russia.
"The goal of the Anti-Maidan movement is to prevent colour revolutions," Berezikova explained.
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Gallery: Boris Nemtsov: Funeral Of Murdered Putin Opponent Held In Moscow
People stand in line at a memorial service before the funeral of leading Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov in Moscow
Several hundred Russians, many carrying red carnations, queued to pay their respects. Mr Nemtsov was shot dead by an unknown gunman last week as he walked with his girlfriend
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Video:'Jihadi Jake' In High School Video
A Melbourne teenager who went to Iraq to join Islamic State has reportedly been killed carrying out a suicide bombing.
An image from video apparently released by the group, which controls large areas of Iraq and Syria, showed a white four-wheel-drive with an inset image of a young man who looks like Jake Bilardi sitting behind the wheel.
Another image posted on Twitter showed the 18-year-old sat beneath an IS flag with a caption that suggested the Australian had been involved in a "martyrdom" operation.
Militants carried out 13 suicide car bombings on security personnel positions in Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar province on Wednesday.
Bilardi travelled to Iraq to join Islamic State in 2014
Two soldiers were killed and eight others wounded in the near-simultaneous attacks, Sabah Karhout, head of Anbar's provincial council, said.
In a statement posted online, IS said the suicide blast had been carried out by foreign fighters from Australia, Belgium, Syria and Uzbekistan.
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Gallery: Iraqi Forces Enter Tikrit
Members of Iraqi government forces drive on the outskirts of the city of Tikrit as they prepare to launch a military operation to take control of the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters
The Iraqi forces enter a northern neighbourhood of Tikrit, marking a new stage in the operation launched 10 days ago to wrest the city back from jihadists, army officers said
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Members of Iraqi paramilitary Popular Mobilisation units, which are dominated by Shi'ite militias, carry a box loaded with weapons on the outskirts of the northern city of Tikrit
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Some 30,000 Iraqi soldiers, police and the increasingly influential paramilitary Popular Mobilisation units, which are dominated by Shi'ite militias, have been involved in the operation
]]>
Iraqi fighters in north Tikrit. The city has been one of the jihadists' main hubs since they overran large parts of Iraq nine months ago. Continue through for more pictures
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Images of other fighters said to have been involved in the attacks also appeared on the internet.
The suicide attacks came as Iraqi soldiers and Shia militias moved into Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit, which has been held by the militants.
The city lies on the strategically important road between Baghdad and Mosul, Iraq's second largest city and also under IS control.
Australian authorities have been unable to confirm that Bilardi has died in Iraq.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the reports were "absolutely horrific".
"And it shows the lure, the lure of this death cult to impressionable youngsters and it's very, very important that we do everything we can to try to safeguard our young people against the lure of this shocking, alien and extreme ideology," he said.
Video:IS Militants Bulldoze Ancient City
The teenager, described as a shy but gifted maths student, converted to Islam after the death of his mother while he was at high school.
He travelled to the Middle East last year and after two months reportedly contacted his family to tell them he was training to become a suicide bomber. However, he later told them he had changed his mind and was travelling to Syria to fight there.
The images of Bilardi and the other suspected suicide bombers were released the day after video emerged that appeared to show a young boy shooting dead a man IS claimed was an Israeli spy.
The parents of the Israeli Arab victim told Sky News they believed he had been killed because he had tried to run away from the group.
French officials said the boy and the man with him were French citizens who could be related to Mohammed Merah, who killed seven people in attacks on a Jewish school and paratroopers in 2012.
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Australia's 'Jihadi Jake' In Suicide Attack
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Video:'Jihadi Jake' In High School Video
A Melbourne teenager who went to Iraq to join Islamic State has reportedly been killed carrying out a suicide bombing.
An image from video apparently released by the group, which controls large areas of Iraq and Syria, showed a white four-wheel-drive with an inset image of a young man who looks like Jake Bilardi sitting behind the wheel.
Another image posted on Twitter showed the 18-year-old sat beneath an IS flag with a caption that suggested the Australian had been involved in a "martyrdom" operation.
Militants carried out 13 suicide car bombings on security personnel positions in Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar province on Wednesday.
Bilardi travelled to Iraq to join Islamic State in 2014
Two soldiers were killed and eight others wounded in the near-simultaneous attacks, Sabah Karhout, head of Anbar's provincial council, said.
In a statement posted online, IS said the suicide blast had been carried out by foreign fighters from Australia, Belgium, Syria and Uzbekistan.
1/10
Gallery: Iraqi Forces Enter Tikrit
Members of Iraqi government forces drive on the outskirts of the city of Tikrit as they prepare to launch a military operation to take control of the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters
The Iraqi forces enter a northern neighbourhood of Tikrit, marking a new stage in the operation launched 10 days ago to wrest the city back from jihadists, army officers said
]]>
Members of Iraqi paramilitary Popular Mobilisation units, which are dominated by Shi'ite militias, carry a box loaded with weapons on the outskirts of the northern city of Tikrit
]]>
Some 30,000 Iraqi soldiers, police and the increasingly influential paramilitary Popular Mobilisation units, which are dominated by Shi'ite militias, have been involved in the operation
]]>
Iraqi fighters in north Tikrit. The city has been one of the jihadists' main hubs since they overran large parts of Iraq nine months ago. Continue through for more pictures
]]>
Images of other fighters said to have been involved in the attacks also appeared on the internet.
The suicide attacks came as Iraqi soldiers and Shia militias moved into Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit, which has been held by the militants.
The city lies on the strategically important road between Baghdad and Mosul, Iraq's second largest city and also under IS control.
Australian authorities have been unable to confirm that Bilardi has died in Iraq.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the reports were "absolutely horrific".
"And it shows the lure, the lure of this death cult to impressionable youngsters and it's very, very important that we do everything we can to try to safeguard our young people against the lure of this shocking, alien and extreme ideology," he said.
Video:IS Militants Bulldoze Ancient City
The teenager, described as a shy but gifted maths student, converted to Islam after the death of his mother while he was at high school.
He travelled to the Middle East last year and after two months reportedly contacted his family to tell them he was training to become a suicide bomber. However, he later told them he had changed his mind and was travelling to Syria to fight there.
The images of Bilardi and the other suspected suicide bombers were released the day after video emerged that appeared to show a young boy shooting dead a man IS claimed was an Israeli spy.
The parents of the Israeli Arab victim told Sky News they believed he had been killed because he had tried to run away from the group.
French officials said the boy and the man with him were French citizens who could be related to Mohammed Merah, who killed seven people in attacks on a Jewish school and paratroopers in 2012.
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The parents of Muhammad Musallam say he was not an Israeli spy
A video posted online by Islamic State militants has shown a boy killing an Israeli Arab accused by the group of spying for Mossad.
Published by the group's Furqan media outlet, the footage shows Muhammad Musallam talking about being recruited and trained by the Israeli intelligence service.
He is then shown being escorted to a field and shot in the head by a boy, described by an older, French-speaking fighter as one of the "cubs of the caliphate".
The 13-minute video's authenticity, which also appeared on Twitter feeds used by Islamic State supporters, could not be verified.
The older fighter is heard in the footage stating the group's verdict on Mr Musallam.
1/15
Gallery: Fighting IS Militants In Iraq
A Shi'ite fighter launches a rocket during clashes with Islamic State militants on the outskirts of al Alam
Iraqi security forces and Shi'ite militia fighting IS took control of the centre of a town on the southern outskirts of Saddam Hussein's home city Tikrit
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A member of the Iraqi security forces prays in the town of Tal Ksaiba, near the town of al Alam
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Then the boy, wearing a military uniform and armed with a pistol, stands face to face with the victim and fires one bullet into his forehead.
Musallam falls forward to the ground, then the child shoots him three more times and chants "Allahu Akbar!" (God is Greatest).
In the video, Musallam repeated what he said last month in an interview published by the militants' English language magazine, Dabiq.
He said he had joined the group to report to the Israelis on weapons caches, bases and Palestinian recruits. Israel and his family denied he was an Israeli spy.
Video:IS Militants Bulldoze Ancient City
Speaking Arabic, Mr Musallam says: "I tell my father and my son: Repent to God. I say to the spies who spy on Islamic State: You will not be successful, they will expose you."
Mr Musallam's family have said he went missing while on a tourist trip to Turkey, while an Israeli security official said he went to Syria to fight for Islamic State in October last year.
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IS Video Shows Boy Killing Israeli 'Spy'
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The parents of Muhammad Musallam say he was not an Israeli spy
A video posted online by Islamic State militants has shown a boy killing an Israeli Arab accused by the group of spying for Mossad.
Published by the group's Furqan media outlet, the footage shows Muhammad Musallam talking about being recruited and trained by the Israeli intelligence service.
He is then shown being escorted to a field and shot in the head by a boy, described by an older, French-speaking fighter as one of the "cubs of the caliphate".
The 13-minute video's authenticity, which also appeared on Twitter feeds used by Islamic State supporters, could not be verified.
The older fighter is heard in the footage stating the group's verdict on Mr Musallam.
1/15
Gallery: Fighting IS Militants In Iraq
A Shi'ite fighter launches a rocket during clashes with Islamic State militants on the outskirts of al Alam
Iraqi security forces and Shi'ite militia fighting IS took control of the centre of a town on the southern outskirts of Saddam Hussein's home city Tikrit
]]>
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A member of the Iraqi security forces prays in the town of Tal Ksaiba, near the town of al Alam
]]>
Then the boy, wearing a military uniform and armed with a pistol, stands face to face with the victim and fires one bullet into his forehead.
Musallam falls forward to the ground, then the child shoots him three more times and chants "Allahu Akbar!" (God is Greatest).
In the video, Musallam repeated what he said last month in an interview published by the militants' English language magazine, Dabiq.
He said he had joined the group to report to the Israelis on weapons caches, bases and Palestinian recruits. Israel and his family denied he was an Israeli spy.
Video:IS Militants Bulldoze Ancient City
Speaking Arabic, Mr Musallam says: "I tell my father and my son: Repent to God. I say to the spies who spy on Islamic State: You will not be successful, they will expose you."
Mr Musallam's family have said he went missing while on a tourist trip to Turkey, while an Israeli security official said he went to Syria to fight for Islamic State in October last year.
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Sky News has spoken to a former member of Islamic State, who claims he witnessed the man known as Jihadi John murder Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.
The former translator said that the masked man in the video was indeed Mohammed Emwazi, the 26-year-old Londoner who has become the face of the world's most notorious terrorist organisation.
"Saleh" said Emwazi is employed as the chief killer of foreign hostages for Islamic State's media wing and that his murderous influence among the group is feared and respected.
Kenji Goto, 47, was killed by Islamic State earlier this year
Speaking from Turkey, where he fled to escape IS, Saleh explained in broken English how he was employed by the group to convince foreign hostages they were safe. He is the only person to admit seeing Emwazi kill.
He said: "When he killed Kenji Goto I live showed this [saw this] but not near, from a little [distance].
Video:Kuwaiti Ambassador On 'Jihadi John'
"After he was killed him, three or four person come and take over the body and put in a car. After that, John went on a different road.
"The big boss was there with them. Turkish man say 'put this camera there, change place there' but John [was] the big boss. All time, all time say to all 'fastly, fastly, fastly, we should finish'. So respect him. Only he talks orders – others do."
Saleh suggested Emwazi commanded such respect within the group because of his willingness to murder foreigners.
Video:Audio Recording Of Mohammed Emwazi
"Maybe because he use the knife," he said. "I cannot understand why he is so strong. One man can kill and all people will respect. A Syrian man anyone [in IS] can kill. But strangers [foreigners], only John."
Saleh claims foreign hostages captured and murdered by the group were subjected to numerous mock executions until the procedure became normal. It could explain why many hostages appeared calm in execution videos published online by the group.
He said: "He would say to me 'say to them, no problem, only video, we don't kill you, we want from your government [to] stop attacking Syria. We don't have any problem with you; you are only our visitors'.
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Gallery: Jihadi John's email exhanges with Cage and a reporter
This email Mohammed Emwazi sent to a Mail On Sunday reporter in 2010 revealed his first encounter and his fear of MI5
He later made contact with the campaign group Cage and told them about clashes with border control officers
Footage has emerged of a helicopter crash which killed ten people - including three French sports stars.
Amateur video shows two helicopters colliding and then plunging to the ground during filming for reality TV show Dropped in northern Argentina.
Camille Muffat, who won an Olympic gold medal in swimming at the London 2012 games, Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine, and champion sailor Florence Arthaud were in the two aircraft flying over mountains near Villa Castelli, in La Rioja province.
Camille Muffat, Alexis Vastine and Florence Arthaud
Photographs showed the burning wreckage in dry scrubland with people gathered nearby.
The other seven victims - five French TV production crew and two Argentine pilots - were not immediately named.
Video:Investigators Examine Crash Scene
A statement from La Rioja's government confirmed the identities of the three athletes.
Ms Arthaud, 57, was considered one of the best sailors in the world and had won the 1990 Route du Rhum.
Ms Muffat, 25, won gold in the 400-metre freestyle in 2012, along with two other medals.
Mr Vastine, 28, won a bronze medal at the Beijing games in 2008 in the light welterweight category.
In her last Facebook post, Ms Muffat had written: "Everything is going well for me. Leaving Ushuaia early this morning. See you soon."
Former Arsenal footballer Sylvain Wiltord reportedly missed the doomed flight because he was voted off the show the day before.
The 40-year-old tweeted: "I'm sad for my friends, I'm trembling, I'm horrified, I have no words, I don't want to say anything."
1/9
Gallery: Argentina Helicopter Collision Kills Olympians
French athletes Florence Arthaud (left), Camille Muffat (centre) and Alexis Vastine about to board the helicopter which crashed in Argentina, killing them and seven others
The wreckage of a helicopter crash in Villa Castelli, northern Argentina. The two aircraft apparently collided with 10 people on board. Crash images by Gabriel Gonzalez
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 10 Maret 2015 | 14.59
By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent
An Islamic State defector claims militants routinely subjected foreign hostages to mock executions and gave them Arabic names before they were killed.
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, "Saleh" said he was employed by a Turkish man in the the group to reassure hostages their lives were not in danger - yet he says he always knew they would be killed.
Saleh said the execution rehearsals took place so that when the moment of death finally came the hostages were not expecting to be killed and were relaxed to appeal for their release on camera.
He said: "He would say to me 'say to them, no problem, only video, we don't kill you, we want from your government [to] stop attacking Syria. We don't have any problem with you; you are only our visitors'.
"So they don't worry. Always I say to them 'don't worry, doesn't matter, nothing dangerous for you'. But at the end I was sure [they would die].
Video:IS Defector: I Saw Hostage Killed
"Maybe they [the captors] raise their voice, but without hitting. All the time he say to him 'it's a rehearsal, don't [be] afraid'.
"I will explain. He want, when he will kill you really… [it] don't enter his [hostage's] head. Exactly, of course, you [hostages] should say this message: 'I'm living in ISIS and will stay and continue'."
Saleh worked as a translator before he was employed by IS. He fled across the border to Turkey to escape the group and claims to have looked after a hostage with an English accent.
He said: "This man from England, or Netherlands, I don't know. He was speaking English so nice. Sometimes I don't understand what he say.
"He was with mask. All questions around gun, around job in Syria. 'Who send you to Syria? Who is your partner there? When you came into Syria? Where you stayed in Idlib? In Aleppo?' All thing [the time he] give answer. 'No, I'm press, I'm press'.
"So after that he said to me, the Turkish man, 'don't worry, don't worry'. After that he was so afraid."
Saleh claimed hostages were given Arabic names to convince them they were amongst friends in order to calm them down. He says Kenji Goto was given the name "Abu Saad".
"ISIS gave the hostages an idea; 'You should be Muslim and come with us'. When I went to the rehearsal he said to [Kenji] Goto 'Abu Saad'. Maybe I was thinking to myself 'maybe they try [find] this name so hard, 'Kenji Goto'.
"Maybe they could not say [Kenji Goto] so [they say] Abu Saad. But when I noticed Goto, when they said Abu Saad to Goto, direct [he] relax."
"Saleh" said Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, is employed as the chief killer of foreign hostages for Islamic State's media wing and that his murderous influence among the group is feared and respected.
Sky News has spoken to a former member of Islamic State, who claims he witnessed the man known as Jihadi John murder Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.
The former translator said that the masked man in the video was indeed Mohammed Emwazi, the 26-year-old Londoner who has become the face of the world's most notorious terrorist organisation.
"Saleh" said Emwazi is employed as the chief killer of foreign hostages for Islamic State's media wing and that his murderous influence among the group is feared and respected.
Kenji Goto, 47, was killed by Islamic State earlier this year
Speaking from Turkey, where he fled to escape IS, Saleh explained in broken English how he was employed by the group to convince foreign hostages they were safe. He is the only person to admit seeing Emwazi kill.
He said: "When he killed Kenji Goto I live showed this [saw this] but not near, from a little [distance].
Video:Kuwaiti Ambassador On 'Jihadi John'
"After he was killed him, three or four person come and take over the body and put in a car. After that, John went on a different road.
"The big boss was there with them. Turkish man say 'put this camera there, change place there' but John [was] the big boss. All time, all time say to all 'fastly, fastly, fastly, we should finish'. So respect him. Only he talks orders – others do."
Saleh suggested Emwazi commanded such respect within the group because of his willingness to murder foreigners.
Video:Audio Recording Of Mohammed Emwazi
"Maybe because he use the knife," he said. "I cannot understand why he is so strong. One man can kill and all people will respect. A Syrian man anyone [in IS] can kill. But strangers [foreigners], only John."
Saleh claims foreign hostages captured and murdered by the group were subjected to numerous mock executions until the procedure became normal. It could explain why many hostages appeared calm in execution videos published online by the group.
He said: "He would say to me 'say to them, no problem, only video, we don't kill you, we want from your government [to] stop attacking Syria. We don't have any problem with you; you are only our visitors'.
1/6
Gallery: Jihadi John's email exhanges with Cage and a reporter
This email Mohammed Emwazi sent to a Mail On Sunday reporter in 2010 revealed his first encounter and his fear of MI5
He later made contact with the campaign group Cage and told them about clashes with border control officers
Two French Olympians were among 10 people killed after two helicopters collided in mid-air during filming for a reality TV show in northern Argentina.
Camille Muffat, who won an Olympic gold medal in swimming at the London 2012 games, Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine, and champion sailor Florence Arthaud were filming for the series Dropped.
They were in two helicopters flying over mountains near Villa Castelli, in La Rioja province, when the accident took place.
Photographs showed the burning wreckage of the aircraft in dry scrubland with people gathered nearby.
The crash is said to have occurred in good weather. Pic: Maximiliano Dopazo
Police said eight French nationals and their two Argentine pilots were killed. A statement from La Rioja's government confirmed the identities of the three athletes.
Ms Arthaud, 57, was considered one of the best sailors in the world and had won the 1990 Route du Rhum.
Ms Muffat, 25, won gold in the 400-metre freestyle in 2012, along with two other medals.
Mr Vastine, 28, won a bronze medal at the Beijing games in 2008 in the light welterweight category.
Cesar Angulo, secretary of security for the province, told TN television: "An explosion occurred and it's believed that they must have collided.
"Aeronautical experts will have to determine that."
The statement from La Rioja's provincial government added: "The helicopter from La Rioja was a Eurocopter with a capacity to hold six people.
"It appears to have brushed against the other helicopter from Santiago del Estero shortly after take-off."
French President Francois Hollande said: "The brutal demise of our compatriots is an immense sadness."
Former Arsenal footballer Sylvain Wiltord, who is reportedly one of the show's contestants but was not in either helicopter, tweeted: "I'm sad for my friends, I'm trembling, I'm horrified, I have no words, I don't want to say anything."
The reality show Dropped involves sports stars being dropped into inhospitable environments.
The provincial government said a cast and crew of around 80 people were in the area to film the series.
Shooting began in February in Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina, before moving north to La Rioja.
Police and firefighters were still working to recover bodies from the wreckage of both helicopters.
An official at the scene said: "It's been four hours since the collision and (the wreckage) is still on fire. There's smoke rising from the helicopters."
TV footage showed the wreckage of the helicopters in dry scrubland on the edge of the Andes.
Written By Unknown on Senin, 09 Maret 2015 | 14.59
Cycling officials turned a blind eye to doping so Lance Armstrong could cheat his way to becoming the sport's much needed superstar, according to a scathing report.
Although the Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) report found no evidence to sustain allegations Armstrong paid the International Cycling Union (UCI) to cover up a positive doping test, it revealed it acted favourably towards "cycling's pop star".
The cyclist was among 174 witnesses in the sport interviewed for the study
The UCI is criticised in the study for its lethargic attitude towards Armstrong and other riders in an era "infested" with the use of the blood-boosting hormone EPO.
"UCI saw Lance Armstrong as the perfect choice to lead the sport's renaissance," the report said, adding: "The fact that he was American opened up a new continent for the sport."
Video:2012 - Armstrong Banned For Life
The investigation concluded: "Going after the cheaters was perceived as a witch-hunt that would be detrimental to the image of cycling."
In 2012 Armstrong's use of performance enhancing drugs was exposed by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and he admitted he used blood transfusions during all seven of his Tour de France wins.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the 41-year-old said it was "not possible" to win the gruelling race so many times without doping. He subsequently had his Tour wins taken away and was banned from the sport for life by the USADA.
Although the year-long probe by the CIRC turned up no major revelations it suggested doping is still rife in top-level road cycling.
"One respected cycling professional felt that even today, 90 per cent of the peloton was doping," the report said.
Video:Oct 2013: Armstrong Movie Screened
The UCI hopes publishing the findings will help turn the page on the doping era, prove it is serious about stamping out cheating, and instil confidence in the sport.
"I am grateful to CIRC for seeking the truth and allowing me to assist in that search," Armstrong said, adding he was "deeply sorry for many things I have done".
The cyclist was among 174 witnesses from across the sport interviewed by the panel chaired by Dick Marty, a Swiss politician who formerly investigated the CIA's use of secret interrogation prisons in Europe.
"No rider came forward to voluntarily admit an anti-doping rule violation," the report said.
Though Armstrong wants to reduce his lifetime ban imposed by the USADA the report did not include such a recommendation.
Two men have been charged with the murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.
Zaur Dadayev and Anzor Gubashev, both of Chechen origin, are accused of shooting Mr Nemtsov, 55, near the Kremlin in Moscow on 27 February.
A judge said Dadayev has admitted involvement in the killing and will be held in custody until 28 April.
Dadayev was a deputy commander for a battalion attached to the Chechen interior ministry, while Gubashev worked for a private security company in Moscow, RIA Novosti news agency said.
Three suspects hide their faces as they appear in court in Moscow
Three other suspects also appeared with them in Moscow's Basmanny court on Sunday.
Court officials said the three men - Gubashev's younger brother Shagid Gubashev, and two others named only as Bakhayev and Eskerkhanov - have not been charged, and their case will be handled by a separate judge.
Video:Does Dashcam Show Nemtsov Scene?
Mr Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister and long-time critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was shot four times in the back as he walked with his girlfriend along a bridge in the heart of the capital.
No information has emerged as to the possible motive of the suspects.
Mr Nemtsov's allies believe his assassination was ordered by the Russian government to silence dissenters.
The allegation has been strenuously denied by the Kremlin.
Video:Thousands Mourn Boris Nemtsov
The killing sent shockwaves through the country's opposition and sparked international condemnation.
Investigators have suggested the killers wanted to destabilise Russia, which is facing its worst stand-off with the West since the Cold War.
They are investigating several motives, including possible connections to Islamic extremism and Mr Nemtsov's personal life.
The chief witness to the killing was Mr Nemtsov's Ukrainian girlfriend, Anna Duritskaya, who has now left Russia.
1/6
Gallery: Boris Nemtsov: Funeral Of Murdered Putin Opponent Held In Moscow
People stand in line at a memorial service before the funeral of leading Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov in Moscow
Several hundred Russians, many carrying red carnations, queued to pay their respects. Mr Nemtsov was shot dead by an unknown gunman last week as he walked with his girlfriend
The world's first all-electric transatlantic flight has taken off from Abu Dhabi on a round-the-globe trip.
Solar Impulse 2 is expected to spend the next five months navigating the world in the hands of Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg in a demonstration of technology they believe could revolutionise the future of air travel.
Technicians at the control centre for Solar Impulse 2 in Monaco
The 12-leg journey will see the plane heading to Oman, then over India, into China, then across the pacific and the US before crossing the Atlantic into Europe before finally landing back in Abu Dhabi.
The first leg of the journey will see the craft fly for 400km (249 miles).
The 2.3 tonne plane has a top speed of 87mph, some 527mph slower than Boeing's commercial 747.
It can carry just one passenger compared with Boeing's capacity to carry 524, but whereas the 747 pumps out 101KG of Co2 emissions every thousand kilometres, the Solar Impulse 2 emits precisely zero.
That will excite climate campaigners.
The plane's wingspan is 72 metres - some 3.5m wider than the 747 – but this allows it to sport 17,000 solar panels which produces enough electricity to power the flight and to charge the 633Kg lithium batteries which account for a quarter of its total weight.
Despite its large size, the pilot's cabin is smaller than that of a car. The flight requires intense concentration throughout the five to six day maximum flight time.
Long sleeps are out of the question with both men having to take 20 minute power naps every two to four hours and both are restricted to their multifunctional flight chairs which act as a seat, a bed and a lavatory.
The Swiss pilots say their aim is to create awareness about replacing "old polluting technologies with clean and efficient technologies".
It's slow, it's uncomfortable and for commercial purposes, it's entirely impractical but the Solar Impulse 2's pilots will hope that its green credentials and cutting edge technology will prompt the aviation industry to pay attention to its potential for the future.
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 08 Maret 2015 | 14.59
Nigerian militant group Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to Islamic State in an audio statement, according to SITE.
The monitoring group said part of the message, which has been translated from Arabic, read: "We announce our allegiance to the Caliph of the Muslims Ibrahim ibn Awad ibn Ibrahim al Husseini al Qurashi and will hear and obey in times of difficulty and prosperity.
"We call upon Muslims everywhere to pledge allegiance to the Caliph."
The pledge of allegiance has been attributed to Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, and was released through the group's Twitter account.
Ibrahim ibn Awad ibn Ibrahim al Husseini al Qurashi - better known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi - is the leader of Islamic State.
Video:Fighting Boko Haram
He has already accepted pledges of allegiance from other jihadist groups in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan and north Africa.
Boko Haram has staged a military campaign to establish its own Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria over the last six years.
Shekau was not pictured, but did identify himself in the recording.
The group has begun releasing videos in recent months which resemble those made by IS in Iraq and Syria where hostages, including British aid workers Alan Henning and David Haines, were murdered.
This month, it released footage purporting to show two men being beheaded.
Nigerian government spokesman Mike Omeri said: "(The audio) is confirming what we always thought. It's sad, it's bad.
Video:On Front Line Of Boko Haram Battle
"It's why we are appealing to the international community... hopefully the world will wake up to the disaster unfolding here."
Rita Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group, said: "Boko Haram is now being elevated from a local jihadi group to an important arm of the Islamic State.
"With Boko Haram's wide network in North Africa, the Islamic State's projection of creating an Islamic Caliphate is gaining headway.
"Furthermore, Islamic State's infrastructure, resources and military capabilities will enable Boko Haram to expand its operations and control even faster in North Africa."
On Saturday, four bomb blasts killed at least 50 people in the city of Maiduguri in some of the worst attacks since Boko Haram militants tried to capture the town in two major assaults earlier this year.
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Video:Selma 'Decided America's Destiny'
Barack Obama has said that America's racial history "still casts its long shadow" upon the nation despite 50 years of progress.
Speaking on the anniversary of the 'Bloody Sunday' march in Selma, Alabama, the President praised civil rights activists who struggled for equal voting rights.
"We just need to open our eyes, and ears, and hearts, to know that this nation's racial history still casts its long shadow upon us," Mr Obama said.
"We know the march is not yet over, the race is not yet won, and that reaching that blessed destination where we are judged by the content of our character requires admitting as much."
Thousands gathered in the riverside town of Selma for commemorations to mark the civil rights protests of 7 March, 1965.
1/6
Gallery: Selma: Thousands Remember Civil Rights Landmark
Thousands have been gathering in Selma, Alabama, to mark the 50th anniversary of a landmark event in the civil rights movement
President Barack Obama will make a speech in the town of roughly 20,000, where in 1965 police attacked marchers demonstrating for voting rights
]]>
'Bloody Sunday' is seen as building momentum for congressional approval of the Voting Rights Act later that year
]]>
On that day 50 years ago the marchers tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the way to Montgomery, and the Obama family will take part in a ceremonial walk across it
]]>
On the way to Selma, President Obama signed a resolution to grant the Congressional Gold Medal to the 'foot soldiers' who participated in the 1965 march
]]>
The event 50 years ago became the first of three marches which saw activists attempt to walk to Montgomery to demand an end to discrimination against black voters.
The marchers were attacked with tear gas and clubs by state troopers.
Violent scenes broadcast on national television shocked the nation and emboldened leaders in Washington to pass the Voting Rights Act five months later.
Mr Obama described the activists as "warriors of justice" who strove to usher in an era of equality in America.
Video:50 Years On From Selma
"So much of our turbulent history - the stain of slavery and anguish of civil war, the yoke of segregation and tyranny of Jim Crow, the death of four little girls in Birmingham, and the dream of a Baptist preacher - met on this bridge," he said.
"It was not a clash of armies, but a clash of wills - a contest to determine the meaning of America."
Mr Obama spoke after Georgia Representative John Lewis, a leader of the Selma march who was severely beaten by police in 1965.
"There's still work left to be done," Mr Lewis told the crowd.
Video:Brown Family To Launch Civil Case
"Get out there and push and pull until we redeem the soul of America."
Selma has been propelled into the global spotlight with the release of a Hollywood film bearing the city's name and the controversy over its shortage of Oscar nominations.
The anniversary comes with America digesting the report from the Department of Justice detailing racial bias in Ferguson, a city which saw violent protests over the killing of an unarmed black man by a white police officer last summer.
Speaking ahead of the event in Selma, Mr Obama labelled what happened in Ferguson as "oppressive and abusive".
Video:Ferguson Racism Report Explained
"What we saw was that the Ferguson Police Department, in conjunction with the municipality, saw traffic stops, arrests, tickets as a revenue generator, as opposed to serving the community, and that it systematically was biased against African-Americans in that city who were stopped, harassed, mistreated, abused, called names, fined," he said.
Mr Obama added that Ferguson must now make a decision about how to move forward.
"Are they going to enter into some sort of agreement with the Justice Department to fix what is clearly a broken and racially biased system?" Mr Obama said.
"Or, if they don't, then the Justice Department has the capacity to sue the city for violations of the rights of the people of Ferguson."
Video:Selma Still Stirs Strong Emotions
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Obama: US Racial History 'Casts Long Shadow'
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:Selma 'Decided America's Destiny'
Barack Obama has said that America's racial history "still casts its long shadow" upon the nation despite 50 years of progress.
Speaking on the anniversary of the 'Bloody Sunday' march in Selma, Alabama, the President praised civil rights activists who struggled for equal voting rights.
"We just need to open our eyes, and ears, and hearts, to know that this nation's racial history still casts its long shadow upon us," Mr Obama said.
"We know the march is not yet over, the race is not yet won, and that reaching that blessed destination where we are judged by the content of our character requires admitting as much."
Thousands gathered in the riverside town of Selma for commemorations to mark the civil rights protests of 7 March, 1965.
1/6
Gallery: Selma: Thousands Remember Civil Rights Landmark
Thousands have been gathering in Selma, Alabama, to mark the 50th anniversary of a landmark event in the civil rights movement
President Barack Obama will make a speech in the town of roughly 20,000, where in 1965 police attacked marchers demonstrating for voting rights
]]>
'Bloody Sunday' is seen as building momentum for congressional approval of the Voting Rights Act later that year
]]>
On that day 50 years ago the marchers tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the way to Montgomery, and the Obama family will take part in a ceremonial walk across it
]]>
On the way to Selma, President Obama signed a resolution to grant the Congressional Gold Medal to the 'foot soldiers' who participated in the 1965 march
]]>
The event 50 years ago became the first of three marches which saw activists attempt to walk to Montgomery to demand an end to discrimination against black voters.
The marchers were attacked with tear gas and clubs by state troopers.
Violent scenes broadcast on national television shocked the nation and emboldened leaders in Washington to pass the Voting Rights Act five months later.
Mr Obama described the activists as "warriors of justice" who strove to usher in an era of equality in America.
Video:50 Years On From Selma
"So much of our turbulent history - the stain of slavery and anguish of civil war, the yoke of segregation and tyranny of Jim Crow, the death of four little girls in Birmingham, and the dream of a Baptist preacher - met on this bridge," he said.
"It was not a clash of armies, but a clash of wills - a contest to determine the meaning of America."
Mr Obama spoke after Georgia Representative John Lewis, a leader of the Selma march who was severely beaten by police in 1965.
"There's still work left to be done," Mr Lewis told the crowd.
Video:Brown Family To Launch Civil Case
"Get out there and push and pull until we redeem the soul of America."
Selma has been propelled into the global spotlight with the release of a Hollywood film bearing the city's name and the controversy over its shortage of Oscar nominations.
The anniversary comes with America digesting the report from the Department of Justice detailing racial bias in Ferguson, a city which saw violent protests over the killing of an unarmed black man by a white police officer last summer.
Speaking ahead of the event in Selma, Mr Obama labelled what happened in Ferguson as "oppressive and abusive".
Video:Ferguson Racism Report Explained
"What we saw was that the Ferguson Police Department, in conjunction with the municipality, saw traffic stops, arrests, tickets as a revenue generator, as opposed to serving the community, and that it systematically was biased against African-Americans in that city who were stopped, harassed, mistreated, abused, called names, fined," he said.
Mr Obama added that Ferguson must now make a decision about how to move forward.
"Are they going to enter into some sort of agreement with the Justice Department to fix what is clearly a broken and racially biased system?" Mr Obama said.
"Or, if they don't, then the Justice Department has the capacity to sue the city for violations of the rights of the people of Ferguson."
