Voice Of Post

Snowstorm sweeps northeast, New York spared its brunt, Japan says it is trying to verify a video carrying a threat to kill Islamic State (IS) hostage Kenji Goto and a Jordanian pilot within 24 hours.

The video shows a photo of Mr Goto, who was seized in Syria in October.

In the footage a voice believed to be his says he and the pilot will be killed on Wednesday unless Jordan frees an Iraqi woman held on death row.

IS said on Sunday it had killed another Japanese man, Haruna Yukawa. It had told Japan to pay $200m (£130m) ransom.

In the latest footage, the speaker says Mr Goto has "only 24 hours left to live" and Jordanian hostage Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh "even less" unless Jordan releases Sajida al-Rishawi.

Al-Rishawi is an al-Qaeda militant who has been sentenced to death in Jordan for her involvement in a 2005 attack that killed 60 people.

"In this extremely tough situation, we are continuing as before to request the co-operation of the Jordanian government to work toward the immediate release of Mr Goto," Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said.

Kenji Goto, 47, is a well-known freelance journalist and documentary film-maker who went to Syria in October, reportedly to try to secure the release of fellow Japanese national Haruna Yukawa.

A video appeared on Sunday apparently showing Mr Goto holding a picture of what appeared to be the body of Mr Yukawa.