i'm stephen sackur. our top stories. united states raises the the stakes in the confrontation with the islamic state militants labeling them a group that must be destroyed. >>> america's top military chief says the jihadi threat can't be defeated without eliminating the strong holds. >> can they be defeated without addressing that part of their regime in syria? the answer is no. a massive aid convoy cross into ukraine without permission. the top official calls it a direct invasion, but says kiev will not respond with force. >>> our reporter explains why the famous apes find a life behind bars after too much social behavior. >>> also in the program, aaron is here with worrying times for poland's apple growers. >> it's crunch time. did you know that poland is the largest producer of this fruit? there's a problem. most apples went to russia. not anymore after the ban. with the harvest about to begin, we're going to talk about the time to decide what to do. >>> a very warm welcome to "gmt." it's midday in lo

i'm stephen sackur. our top stories.states raises the the stakes in the confrontation with the islamic state militants labeling them a group that must be destroyed. >>> america's top military chief says the jihadi threat can't be defeated without eliminating the strong holds. >> can they be defeated without addressing that part of their regime in syria? the answer is no. a massive aid