Two former British soldiers who travelled to Syria to fight against Islamic State say they made plans to kill themselves if they were captured by the militants.

Al-Qaida has threatened to murder a British-born photographer held hostage by the extremist Islamic group, according to a terrorist monitoring organisation.

US president Barack Obama has said the beheading of Peter Kassig by the Islamic State group in Syria is “an act of pure evil”.

The parents of an American aid worker captured last year while delivering relief supplies to refugees in Syria said they are “heartbroken” by his death at the hands of Islamic State militants.

The video showing what the fifth beheading victim of the Islamic State militant known as Jihadi John was released just hours after reports emerged that he was injured in an allied air strike.

The new head of Britain’s electronic eavesdropping agency has accused internet firms of being “in denial” of the role their networks play in terrorism and demanded they open themselves up more to intelligence services.

The parents of a US aid worker threatened with beheading by the Islamic State group say they have broken their silence about their son’s year-long captivity because "the dynamics have changed" and they fear for his life.

The parents of a US aid worker held captive by the Islamic State group have revealed he told them in a letter he was afraid to die, but that he had converted to Islam voluntarily and was at peace with his beliefs.

A British man who had been held hostage by militants in Libya has been released, the British Foreign Office said.

The world should rename the extremist group who have murdered Western hostages Cowardly Murderers (CM) instead of the Islamic State (IS) name the jihadists prefer, the head of international police agency Interpol said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has voiced his support for air strikes carried out by the United States and Arab allies on Islamic State militants in Syria.

Welcome to your Monday morning briefing. Let us ensure you’re up to speed on what’s happening and are prepared for the day ahead.

The wife of British hostage Alan Henning has called on "the people of the Islamic State to see it in their hearts to release my husband", describing him as a "peaceful, selfless man".

The wife of British hostage Alan Henning has called on “the people of the Islamic State to see it in their hearts to release my husband”, describing him as a “peaceful, selfless man”.

Newly outraged by the beheading of yet another Western hostage, diplomats from around the world are in Paris pressing for a coherent global strategy to combat extremists from the Islamic State group.