The killing of US aid worker Peter Kassig has sparked global horror, with President Barack Obama condemning his beheading by the Islamic State jihadist group as "an act of pure evil".
Kassig's family said it was "heartbroken" by the killing, claimed by IS in a gruesome video that also showed the simultaneous beheadings of at least 18 men described as Syrian military personnel.
It was the latest in a series of atrocities by IS, a Sunni Muslim extremist group that has seized control of large parts of Iraq and Syria.
Kassig, who took the name Abdul-Rahman after converting to Islam, was captured last year and was the fifth Western hostage beheaded by IS after two US reporters and two British aid workers.
"Abdul-Rahman was taken from us in an act of pure evil by a terrorist group that the world rightly associates with inhumanity," Obama said in a statement.
In the undated video released on Sunday, a man who appears to be the same British-accented jihadist who beheaded previous Western hostages stands above a severed head.
"This is Peter Edward Kassig, a US citizen," the black-clad masked executioner says, urging Obama to send more troops back to the region to confront IS.
"Here we are burying the first American crusader in Dabiq, eagerly waiting for the remainder of your armies to arrive," the militant says, referring to a northern Syrian town.
Washington is preparing to double its military personnel in Iraq to up to 3,100 as part of the international campaign it is leading against the jihadists.
European countries including Britain and France have joined the United States in carrying out air strikes against IS in Iraq, and the European Union said Monday that it was "fully committed" to tackling the threat posed by the jihadists.
Flags lowered in mourning
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and humanitarian aid commissioner Christos Stylianides said the killing of Kassig and the Syrian military personnel showed IS's "resolve to pursue its terror agenda in breach of all universally recognised values and rights".
"All perpetrators of human rights abuses must be held accountable. The EU will spare no effort towards this objective," they said in a statement.
Kassig, an Iraq war veteran, had risked his life to provide medical treatment and relief supplies to those suffering from Syria's civil war.
He founded a group through which he trained some 150 civilians to provide medical aid to people in Syria. His group also gave food, cooking supplies, clothing and medicine to the needy.
Kassig's parents said they were "incredibly proud" of his humanitarian work to help Syrians trapped in a bloody civil war.
"(He) lost his life as a result of his love for the Syrian people and his desire to ease their suffering," Ed and Paula Kassig said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Flags were to be lowered at government buildings in Kassig's home state of Indiana on Monday, Governor Mike Pence said in a statement, calling the killing "an unspeakable act of barbarism".
"Abdul-Rahman Kassig was one of us and he was the best of us. He was... admired by all as a loving son, a dedicated student, an Army Ranger, and a compassionate humanitarian who risked his life to render medical aid to refugees in Syria and Lebanon," Pence said.
During a trip to refugee camps outside the Lebanese capital Beirut in March 2012, Kassig said he found a "shortage of everything except suffering".
"Here, in this land, I have found my calling," Kassig wrote in an email to friends, family and teachers at the time.
"I do not know much, every day that I am here I have more questions and less answers, but what I do know is that I have a chance to do something here, to take a stand. To make a difference."
'They are animals'
US Secretary of State John Kerry said that American government officials had worked alongside Kassig's family to try to secure his release.
"During his time in captivity, his family, and the entire government... worked to avoid this tragic outcome," the top US diplomat said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "horrified" by the "cold-blooded murder," which French President Francois Hollande called a "crime against humanity".
Burhan Mousa Agha, a Syrian friend who worked with Kassig in Lebanon, described him as a funny, dedicated and brave man.
AFP
Mon Nov 17 2014
The parents of an American aid worker being held captive by Islamic State jihadists issued a video plea for their son's release on Saturday, urging his captors to show mercy. - AFP PHOTO /Kassig Family handout
Raffi Ahmad mengaku pernah minum air basuhan kaki ibu
"Benar, saya minum (air basuh kaki). Minggu hadapan semua pekerjaan yang hilang saya dapat balik." - Raffi Ahmad
Tiada lagi ulang tayang Piala FA
Semua video ulang tayang perlawanan Piala FA dari perlawanan pusingan pertama akan dibatalkan mulai musim depan.
Niaga SPOTLIGHT: Financial Inclusion via Innovative FinTech
12% of Malaysia ie; 7 million Malaysians, primarily from rural areas are unbanked - meaning they cannot access any financial services.
This is a dire need in Malaysia due to the country’s fast growth rate in mobile banking and e-money transactions, which quadrupled to RM800 billion in 2021.
Moreover, the existence of financial inclusion gaps among underserved communities such as women, gig workers, and lower-income earners requires significant attention.
Niaga Spotlight speaks with Nisa Ismail, CEO, Sedania As Salam Capital Sdn Bhd (SASC) about the latest in Financial Inclusion via FinTech to help close socioeconomic gaps, especially in rural areas.
#NiagaAWANI
#NiagaSPOTLIGHT
This is a dire need in Malaysia due to the country’s fast growth rate in mobile banking and e-money transactions, which quadrupled to RM800 billion in 2021.
Moreover, the existence of financial inclusion gaps among underserved communities such as women, gig workers, and lower-income earners requires significant attention.
Niaga Spotlight speaks with Nisa Ismail, CEO, Sedania As Salam Capital Sdn Bhd (SASC) about the latest in Financial Inclusion via FinTech to help close socioeconomic gaps, especially in rural areas.
#NiagaAWANI
#NiagaSPOTLIGHT
Niaga AWANI: Pendidikan AI sekolah rendah: Pembangunan masa depan digital
Di sekolah rendah di Malaysia, pelajar akan diperkenalkan kepada asas AI dalam mata pelajaran baharu yang dipanggil Teknologi dan Digital bermula dari 2027. Apakah persiapan yang diperlukan setiap sekolah untuk memastikan pelahar lebih muda dibawa masuk ke dunia penggunaan AI yang bertanggungjawab?
#NiagaAWANI
#NiagaAWANI
Niaga AWANI: MOSTI sasarkan penubuhan 900 pemula niaga menjelang 2026
Kementerian Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi (MOSTI) menyasarkan untuk memudahkan penubuhan sehingga 900 pemula niaga kecerdasan buatan AI menjelang 2026 melalui program perintis AI Sandbox 2024.
#NiagaAWANI
#NiagaAWANI
Klopp terima kenyataan kurang ancaman punca Liverpool tewas
Mohamed Salah kurang menunjukkan prestasi terbaiknya sejak kembali dari kecederaan hamstring.
Niaga AWANI: Sinergi diperlukan bagi merealisasikan aspirasi mampan negara
Kenyataan itu juga mengatakan bahawa RHB telah mencapai kemajuan yang ketara ke arah operasi neutral karbon, mencapai pengurangan 43 peratus dalam pelepasan gas rumah hijau (GHG) operasi berbanding garis dasar 2016, merangkumi Skop 1, 2, dan 3 (Perjalanan Perniagaan melalui Jalan dan Udara.
#NiagaAWANI
#NiagaAWANI
AWANI Pagi: Raya Oh Raya: Alamak! Poket dah "kering" ni
Diskusi 8.30 pagi Jumaat bersama Dr Nur Lalua Rashidah Mohd Rahsiad, Pengurus, Perhubungan Korporat Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) mengenai pengurusan kewangan selepas berdepan perbelanjaan yang banyak dimulai sesi sekolah dibuka diikuti puasa dan hari raya. Ini termasuk bagaimana pengurusan yang baik boleh membantu membawa keluar keluar daripada pergelutan kewangan sementara menunggu gaji bulan seterusnya.
Niaga AWANI: RHB tingkatkan sasaran perkhidmatan kewangan kepada RM50 bilion menjelang 2026
Menjelang 2030, RHB menyasarkan untuk mencapai pengurangan 20 peratus dalam sektor ini. Menjelang 2050, matlamat RHB adalah untuk mencapai pengurangan sehingga 96 peratus dalam pelepasan yang dibiayai merentas lima sektor.
#NiagaAWANI
#NiagaAWANI
Niaga AWANI: Reformasi Ekonomi: Antara subsidi, mekanisme & kesejahteraan rakyat
Pengarah dan Penganalisis, Research Institute for Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore (ITS) Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Dr Md Shukri Shuib mengulas berkenaan usaha rasionalisasi subsidi petrol yang akan dilaksanakan kerajaan, serta impak kepada reformasi ekonomi ini.
#NiagaAWANI
#NiagaAWANI
Seorang warga Indonesia didakwa miliki item berunsur keganasan
Irwanzir yang bekerja sebagai buruh binaan di Balik Pulau didakwa melakukan kesalahan itu di belakang rumah yang beralamat di Hadapan Kanan, 352 Mukim C, Permatang Pasir Balik Pulau pada 6 Jan lalu.
Bukan Islam di Indonesia tidak lagi digelar 'kafir'
Cadangan mengharamkan menyebutkan warga Indonesia bukan Islam sebagai kafir tidak menghapus istilah itu dalam Al-Quran atau hadis, sebaliknya ia sikap teologis NU mengenai isu itu ketika ini.
Lapan pengunjung pasar raya jadi tebusan lelaki bersenjata
Seorang lelaki bersenjata telah menggunakanbeberapa pengunjung sebagai tebusan di sebuah pasar raya di Trebes, di barat daya Perancis.
Polis tangkap sembilan suspek terlibat aktiviti Daish
Dalam operasi di sekitar Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Sabah dan Kelantan itu, tiga warga asing dan enam rakyat Malaysia yang berusia antara 17 hingga 56 tahun ditahan.
Daish 'semakin agresif' - Cawangan Khas Bukit Aman
Cawangan Khas Bukit Aman beri amaran, kumpulan pengganas Daish 'semakin agresif' dalam menyebarkan ideologi mereka.
Militan Daish jual 'hamba seks' dalam talian
Menjual hamba seks atas talian oleh kumpulan militan Daishkini semakin mendapat perhatian warga dunia. Laman media sosial kini menjadi fokus mereka untuk menawarkan perkhidmatan ini.
PM sedih dengan insiden letupan di Istanbul
Datuk Seri Najib Razak melahirkan rasa dukacita dengan insiden pengeboman di Istanbul, Turki semalam yang telah meragut sekurang-kurangnya 10 nyawa.
Kes anggota komando miliki penerbitan berkaitan militan dipindah ke KL
Mohd Abu Haliff Shah Abu Bakar sebelum ini didakwa memiliki sehelai kemeja-T yang mempunyai kaitan dengan kumpulan militan Daish pada 12 Nov lepas.
Amaran Rusia mengenai kemungkinan militan Daish memasuki Thailand
Polis Thai berkata walaupun ia belum dapat dipastikan sama ada 10 rakyat Syria tersebut benar-benar memasuki Thailand, namun langkah keselamatan tetap akan dipertingkatkan.
Istilah baharu ini membuatkan militan IS mahu potong lidah anda
Istilah 'Daesh' daripada akronim frasa Arab dikatakan mempunyai maksud yang mempersenda dan merendah-rendahkan aspirasi kumpulan itu.