The wife of British ma, Alan Henning, who's being held hostage by Islamic State militants in Northern Iraq, has made a direct plea to his captors to release him, saying he's a "peaceful, selfless man".
Barbara Henning also says she's been trying to communicate with the extremist group, but they've not responded to her messages.
Mr Henning - a former taxi driver - was captured in Syria last December while delivering aid.
In a statement issued by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Alan Henning's wife Barbara says "Alan is a peaceful, selfless man who left his family and his job as a taxi driver in the UK to drive in a convoy all the way to Syria with his Muslim colleagues and friends to help those most in need. When he was taken he was driving an ambulance full of food and water to be handed out to anyone in need.
His purpose for being there was no more and no less. This was an act of sheer compassion.
I cannot see how it could assist any State's cause to allow the world to see a man like Alan dying.
I have been trying to communicate with the Islamic State and the people holding Alan. I have sent some really important messages but they have not been responded to. I pray that the people holding Alan respond to my messages and contact me before it is too late. When they hear this message I implore the people of the Islamic State to see it in their hearts to release my husband Alan Henning."
Around 60,000 Syrian Kurds have fled into Turkey in the past 24 hours, as Islamic State militants seized control of dozens of villages close to the border.
Turkey opened a stretch of the border on Friday after Kurdish civilians fled their homes, fearing an imminent attack on the border town of Kobani.
A Kurdish commander on the ground said Islamic State had advanced to within 15 kilometres of the town.
The United States has said it is prepared to carry out airstrikes in Syria to stop the advances of Islamic State.
Meanwhile, security has been heightened in Albania - as the Pope visits the country today.
It's after Iraq's ambassador to the Holy See said Islamic State extremists have threatened to assassinate the Pontiff.
But the Vatican has played down the warning, saying security measures for the trip are unchanged and Pope Francis will still mingle with the crowds as per usual - despite threats to his life.
