Britons Who Fought IS Freed From Iraqi Jail

Two Britons and an Irishman jailed in northern Iraq after joining the fight against Islamic State have been freed.

Joe Akerman, a former soldier from Halifax, and Jac Holmes, an IT worker from Dorset, were incarcerated along with ex-Royal Irish Regiment soldier Joshua Molloy, from Co Laois, after crossing from Syria.

It is understood they had been with the Kurdish People's Protection Units, a force of up to 50,000 fighters trying to fend off IS.

But after leaving the frontline to come home they were jailed by the Kurdish Regional Government, who reputedly demanded £10,400 in fines to be paid.

The trio were released after 10 days following diplomatic efforts from the UK and Ireland.

Mr Molloy's father said it felt like Christmas when he heard the news.

"We are all delighted here," said Declan Molloy. "We are jumping with joy to know that he is out.

"You know that Christmas morning feeling, it's a bit like that, when you find your most sought-after present under the tree, the dream present. That's how we feel."

Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan welcomed the news of Mr Molloy's release with a Tweet wishing him a safe journey home.

It is understood the three spent months fighting IS.

Mr Holmes, who had no military experience before travelling to Syria, was shot in one arm in a gun battle with IS forces last May.

His mother Angie described the three as "heroes".

"Jack's family and friends are grateful for all the help and support they've received during this difficult time," she said.

"(We) would like to thank everyone including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Kurdish Regional Government for their assistance in securing his release."

A Foreign and Commonwealth spokeswoman said: "We are helping two British men make arrangements to leave Kurdistan after they were released from custody."

It is understood Mr Molloy is in a hotel in Kurdistan and is considering spending time in Europe with fellow foreign fighters before he returns to Ireland.

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Obama To Send 250 Extra US Troops To Syria

Barack Obama is planning to send up to 250 extra American troops to Syria to fight Islamic State, bringing the total US deployment on the ground to 300.

The plan was announced by US officials ahead of a meeting in Germany today attended by Mr Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister David Cameron.

French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will also join the talks in Hanover, which will consider the war in Syria and other foreign policy issues.

The additional deployment aims to accelerate recent gains against IS and reflects renewed confidence in the ability of US-backed forces inside Syria and Iraq to claw back territory from the militants.

Mr Obama has resisted sending US troops into Syria, where a five-year civil war has killed more than 250,000 people.

Last year he sent 50 US special operations forces into Syria in what was described as a "counterterrorism" mission.

Commenting on the further deployment, one US official said: "He (Mr Obama) intends to put in more ... forces to the tune of 250 in Syria."

A second official added: "The president has authorised a series of steps to increase support for our partners in the region, including Iraqi security forces as well as local Syrian forces who are taking the fight to ISIL."

The deployment is expected to be officially announced during remarks by the US President at the Hanover Messe fairgrounds later today.

Speaking at a news conference with Ms Merkel on Sunday, Mr Obama said he was "deeply concerned" by a recent surge in violence in Syria.

Airstrikes and shelling pounded the city of Aleppo for the third straight day on Sunday, killing two young siblings and at least 24 others.

The northern city has been bitterly contested between insurgents and government forces since 2012.

At least 10 people were killed by rebel shelling on government-held areas in the city, according to activists and Syria's state news agency SANA.

Mr Obama said it is difficult to see how a so-called safe zone would work in Syria without a large military presence.

"The issue surrounding a safe zone in Syrian territory is not a matter of an ideological objection on my part," he said.

"It's not a matter of me not wishing I could help and protect a whole bunch of people. It’s a very practical about how do you do it?"

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BHS Nears Collapse Putting 11,000 Jobs At Risk

Retailer BHS is understood to be calling in adminstrators, threatening up to 11,000 jobs across the UK.

A statement is expected to be made later about the company's future.

Sky's City Editor Mark Kleinman said: "BHS has been struggling for many years. It was sold by the high street billionaire Sir Philip Green for £1 last year to a group of little-known financiers through a group called Retail Acquisitions.

"A few weeks back it looked like they had secured a urgent lifeline by getting approval from landlords and other creditors to reduce its rent bill at its more than 160 stores.   

"But a separate £60m loan that the company required has failed to materialise."

Sports Direct has been in talks to buy some of the stores, but there are reports it does not want to take on the company's pensions deficit.

David Gill, national officer of shopworkers' union USDAW, said he was "very concerned" about the situation at the retailer.

"We are seeking urgent clarification from the company and urging them to change their attitude to trade unions and begin a dialogue with us at this difficult and worrying time for staff.

"We also urge the company to comply with the law, consult staff and USDAW as the union for BHS workers on the future of the business. I am writing to members working in BHS to reassure them that we will provide the support, advice and representation they require."

BHS could be the biggest retailer to collapse since Woolworths disappeared in 2008 and that is likely to raise questions about the company's financial stewardship and the role of its directors.

Although one of the UK's most recognised high street brands, BHS has struggled against value fashion rivals and online shopping.

It performs on average 1,000,000 transactions a week across 164 stores and 74 franchise stores across 18 countries - but has struggled to be profitable.

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Carlyle Backs Diamond's Barclays Africa Bid

One of the world's most powerful buyout firms is backing a daring attempt by Bob Diamond, the former Barclays chief executive, to swoop on the lender's African operations.

Sky News has learnt that The Carlyle Group, which owns household name companies in the UK such as Addison Lee, is working with one of Mr Diamond's investment vehicles on a bid for Barclays Africa Group Limited (BAGL).

The news will underline the former Barclays chief's efforts to win control of the operations he helped to build during his long career with the bank.

His plans remain, however, at a relatively early stage, and no firm proposal has yet been made to the board of Barclays, according to insiders.

Mr Diamond's proposal is being hatched through Atlas Merchant Capital, which was established in 2013 "to participate in compelling market opportunities in the financial services sector".

That move came a year after Mr Diamond left Barclays shortly after it had been fined nearly £300m by regulators in the UK and US for its role in the global Libor rate-rigging scandal.

Jes Staley, Barclays' new chief executive, said in March that the bank would seek to reduce its 62.3% stake in BAGL, which has majority stakes in banks in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia - making it one of the continent's largest banking groups.

It also has representative offices in Namibia and Nigeria, as well as insurance operations in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia.

Mr Staley's decision to offload most of its shareholding has angered some investors, who say privately that it should instead be focusing on getting out of investment banking, where it has struggled for years to generate acceptable returns.

Barclays will hold its annual meeting in London this week, where it will avoid the traditional protests from institutional investors over the size of its bonus pot but is nevertheless likely to be scrutinised over key strategic decisions including the proposed African sale.

The bank has already warned in recent weeks that - along with Wall Street rivals which have reported dire first-quarter results - a slowdown in trading and advisory income in its investment bank is hurting it.

It has also infuriated investors by slashing its dividend for the next two years despite indications from John McFarlane, Barclays' chairman, that it would seek to grow the payout.

Mr Staley has defended his decision to reduce its African stake to a minority position, saying that it would allow the bank "to deconsolidate (BAGL) from an accounting and regulatory perspective, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals if and as required".

Mr Diamond's determination to gain control of BAGL, which has a market value in Johannesburg equivalent to nearly £6bn, has seen him turn to one of the world's most formidable investors for support.

Carlyle, which reports its own quarterly results to Wall Street this week, manages more than $180bn (£125bn) in assets, although it has a relatively limited presence in Africa.

Through Atlas Mara, another vehicle created by Mr Diamond, the former Barclays chief has established a presence in seven African countries, including Botswana, Nigeria and Rwanda.

It is unclear how a proposal from Atlas Merchant Capital and Carlyle would be structured.

Other investors are also said to be in discussions with Mr Diamond's veh

icle.

A spokesman for Mr Diamond and Carlyle both declined to comment on Sunday.

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Boris Hits Back After Obama's Brexit Warning

Anti-EU campaigner Boris Johnson has hit back at the Remain side following US President Barack Obama's Brexit warning.

The London mayor, one of the most high-profile figures in the Vote Leave camp, said the rival group "think they have bombed us into submission".

But Mr Johnson suggested they "think it's game over", were "crowing too soon" and could be "ignoring the resilience and thoughtfulness of many middle-of-the-road" voters.

His remarks in his Daily Telegraph column come after the president said Britain may have to wait a decade for a free trade deal with the US if it votes to quit the EU on 23 June.

Mr Johnson claimed a previously undecided senior public servant had been so outraged at Mr Obama's earlier "back of the queue" remark that he had decided to vote to leave.

The potential next Tory leader also launched a fresh attack on the EU, saying the "euro crisis is far from over, and that the EU remains a gigantic engine of job destruction".

And he claimed Prime Minister David Cameron achieved "two thirds of diddly squat" in his negotiations on EU reform in the lead up to the referendum.

UKIP leader and Leave campaigner Nigel Farage has accused Mr Obama of "parroting the Downing Street line" on why the UK should remain in the EU.

Another Out campaigner Michael Gove has warned Britain will be subject to a migration "free-for-all" if it stays in the EU, with millions more people from countries including Turkey and Albania set to join an expanded union in the future.

The Justice Secretary also told the Times that the NHS will face "unquantifiable strain" if Britain remains an EU member.

Mr Johnson has been widely criticised for suggesting that Mr Obama's Kenyan heritage might have given him negative feelings towards Britain.

But Labour former frontbencher Chuka Umunna told Sky's Murnaghan show: "What Boris Johnson said was disgraceful.

"For any Londoner, for our Mayor of London to raise the issue of the President of the United States' ethnicity and then very publicly have to be slapped down by that President for doing so... it's an embarrassment.

"This man is simply not fit to hold the office that he clearly aspires to, which is the Prime Minister of our country."

The London Mayor's comments prompted African for Britain to withdraw its support for the Brexit campaign saying Mr Johnson's comments were deplorable and alarming.

Mr Johnson, whose article contained a reference to Mr Obama allegedly removing a bust of Winston Churchill from the White House, wrote in Friday's The Sun: "Some said it was a symbol of the part-Kenyan president's ancestral dislike of the British empire - of which Churchill had been such a fervent defender."

But speaking at the Foreign Office alongside the Prime Minister, Mr Obama made clear his admiration for the wartime leader.

"Right outside the door of the Treaty Room, so that I see it every day - including on weekends when I'm going into that office to watch a basketball game - the primary image I see is a bust of Winston Churchill. I love the guy," he said.

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