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Border Force Criticised By MPs Over Failings

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 10 Desember 2013 | 23.17

"Billionaire gangsters" could be sneaking into the country illegally on private boats and planes because Border Force officials are too busy checking airport passengers, MPs have warned.

Other illegal immigrants are coming in to the country on lorries that go unchecked while officers focus on every single passenger coming into Britain.

In a damning Public Accounts Committee report, the Border Force, in charge of securing Britain's air, sea and rail ports, is accused of failing to protect national security properly because of poor planning and outdated IT systems.

Committee chairwoman Margaret Hodge, said: "The Border Force prioritised passenger checks on arrival at the expense of other duties and weakened the security of our borders.

"The force neglected to examine freight for illicit goods, neglected to check lorries in Calais for concealed illegal entrants, and failed to check passengers coming into Britain on private planes or boats, potentially letting billionaire gangsters off the hook.

"The morale of staff is at rock bottom, threatening the prospect of achieving the increases in productivity and flexibility of workforce which the Border Force so sorely needs.

"Senior management must provide strong and stable leadership capable of providing a sense of purpose."

The report said the Border Force, which admitted it was failing to meet eight of its 19 performance targets, needed to set out plans for how it would meet all its obligations in the future.

A clear timescale should also be laid out for improvements to the IT systems assisting the work of officers, the MPs concluded.

Mrs Hodge added: "(Border Force) has a big task ahead of it, given the limited resources it has and the significant growth in demand from forecast increases in passenger numbers and air freight.

"The planning of the Border Force's workforce has been extremely poor.

"A cut in staff of 500 between 2010 and 2012 was immediately followed, when 100% passenger checks were introduced, by spending to increase the number of frontline staff from 7,600 to 8,000.

"Paying out redundancy and then rehiring staff is bad value for money and demonstrates poor planning."

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23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Burglar Caught On Camera In Pensioner's Home

Images have been released by police showing a burglar looming over a sleeping pensioner as he raided her home.

Sleeping pensioner burglar caught on CCTV The burglar came within inches of the pensioner

Hidden cameras captured Patrick Reid, 51, standing over Margaret Woodward as she napped in an armchair in front of the television at her home in Long Eaton, Derbyshire.

Mrs Woodward, 68, had her home burgled five times in a year, which she said had left her feeling terrified.

Sleeping pensioner burglar caught on CCTV Police installed cameras in the 68-year-old's home to catch the culprit

Reid, wearing a blue top with the hood up and a rucksack on his back, was caught on film during an incident in April after police installed cameras in Mrs Woodward's home to catch the culprit.

He is seen tiptoeing around the dozing pensioner, often at times just inches from her face, and seen lifting her handbag from the basket of her mobility scooter and rifling through the contents.

Sleeping pensioner burglar caught on CCTV Reid rifles through the handbag taken from the pensioner's mobility scooter

In the last raid Mrs Woodward was woken when Reid set off an alarm, and the plucky pensioner chased him away with her walking stick.

Mrs Woodward, who suffers from severe arthritis in both knees, said she wanted to break his kneecaps so he could not escape.

"It was very frightening to wake up knowing there was somebody in my house but I was determined not to let him get away.

"I thought I'd be able to get him but he ran into my bedroom, jumped on to the bed and went straight out of the window like a gymnast tackling a hobby horse," she told the Daily Mail.

Sleeping pensioner burglar caught on CCTV Walking stick in hand, Mrs Woodward chases the burglar from her property

She was awarded £1,500 for her bravery from the High Sheriff's fund, Derbyshire Police said.

Reid was later jailed for four years and eight months for two burglaries.

Detective Constable Gill Richardson, the investigating officer in the case, said: "The CCTV footage is chilling to watch and it's particularly shocking how brazen Reid is in it, being just inches away from Margaret.

"It's something that just gets more shocking the more times you see it.

Sleeping pensioner burglar caught on CCTV Reid was later jailed for four years and eight months for two burglaries

"We install these cameras in homes where someone has been a repeat victim of crime, or where we believe the homeowner is vulnerable.

"This case shows just how valuable they are and these cameras have helped bring to justice a prolific burglar, who caused such a massive amount of distress to his victim."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

University Boat Race Protester 'Can Stay in UK'

By Stephen Douglas, Sky News Reporter

An immigration judge has indicated that Boat Race protester Trenton Oldfield will be allowed to stay in the UK because of his "value" to the country.

The Australian told an immigration tribunal that if he is deported from the UK his British wife and five-month-old baby daughter will not move to Australia with him because it is a "racist country".

Mr Oldfield was appearing at an appeal hearing in London after his request for a spousal visa was refused by the government on the grounds his presence in Britain is not "conducive to the public good".

The 37-year-old activist has lived in the UK for more than 10 years.

In April 2012 Mr Oldfield swam into the path of the Oxford and Cambridge rowing crews as they raced down the Thames during the Boat Race in a protest against elitism and inequality.

He subsequently served seven weeks of a six-month jail term.

"Australia is a particularly racist country," Mr Oldfield when explaining that if he was deported he would be separated from his wife Deepa Naik, 36, and their child.

Mr Oldfield said Ms Naik had never visited Australia and could not live there because some Indians in the community had suffered violent racist attacks.

The Oxford Boat Crew Paddle Away From Swimmer Trenton Oldfield The Oxford crew row away from Trenton Oldfield

The Australian said that when he swam in the Thames in 2012 he had recently returned to the UK after caring for Ms Naik's father as he was dying of cancer.

"I think I was vulnerable in terms of realising how short life can be," Mr Oldfield told the hearing before breaking down in tears.

His lawyer, Stephanie Harrison QC, said the boat protest was not of sufficient gravity or seriousness to justify his deportation.

"His presence is neither undesirable or contrary to the public good," she said, adding that separating him from his wife would be a "disproportionate" punishment.

Outside court around 50 of Mr Oldfield's supporters held banners saying 'stop criminalising protest'.

He also had support from staff and students at Oxford and Cambridge universities.

Judge Kevin Moore said he thought Mr Oldfield was of good character.

"It would be my intention to allow the appeal," he said to sighs of relief from Mr Oldfield and his supporters.

It is expected he will make his official ruling in 10 days time.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


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Abu Qatada Pleads Not Guilty In Jordan Trial

Radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges at his trial in Jordan.

"You know full well I am not guilty and that this accusation is false," Qatada, in prison overalls, told the judge of the state security court in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

After the brief hearing which was open to the media but in which cameras were banned, the judge adjourned the case until December 24.

Qatada was deported by Britain in July after a near decade-long legal battle.

He was then charged in Jordan with conspiracy to carry out terrorist acts. If convicted he could face a minimum of 15 years' hard labour.

Britain's expulsion of Abu Qatada came after Amman and London ratified a treaty guaranteeing that evidence obtained by torture would not be used in his retrial and that the proceedings would be transparent.

Abu Qatada and aircraft at Amman Airport The plane the cleric was on arriving at Amman airport in Jordan

The Palestinian-born preacher was condemned to death in his absence in 1999 for conspiracy to carry out terror attacks, including on the American school in Amman, but this was immediately commuted to life imprisonment with hard labour.

In 2000, he was also sentenced in absentia to 15 years for plotting to attack tourists in Jordan during millennium celebrations.

However, Jordanian law grants him the right to a retrial with him present in the dock.

Born Omar Mahmud Mohammed Othman in Bethlehem in the now Israeli-occupied West Bank, Qatada has Jordanian nationality because the town was part of Jordan at the time of his birth.

Videotapes of his sermons were allegedly found in the Hamburg flat of 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta.

Top Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon once described Qatada as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, although he denies ever having met the late al Qaeda chief.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obesity Epidemic Is 'Mass Child Neglect'

By David Crabtree, Sky News Correspondent

The lack of a national policy to ensure children become more active is a form of mass child neglect, according to a new study.

It claims that despite a wealth of evidence showing the benefits of regular exercise, leadership and strategy on the issue are "totally absent".

The report is from the British Journal of Sports Medicine, an influential research organisation which has drawn its findings from a number of experts from the worlds of sport and medicine, including Sam Allardyce, Richard Weiler, Gregory Whyte and Emmanuel Stamatakis.

They say regular exercise in childhood can help boost academic performance, curb anti-social behaviour and determine patterns of physical health and wealth in adulthood.

But only a third of boys and a quarter of girls in England meet the minimum recommended daily physical activity levels.

They warn that one in three youngsters leaving primary education is obese, most of whom will become obese adults.

The authors say: "Despite the well-accepted benefits of physical activity and the recognised importance of schools in delivering the crucial physical literacy and activity opportunities, the erosion of physical education in schools combined with ever-reducing play facilities has the opposite effect.

"Worse, the amount of school curriculum time children spend in physical education and activity is neither monitored nor known by any educational or regulatory authorities.

"And there is no statutory minimum requirement for schools to devote a specific amount of time to physical education."

Obesity killing more than previously thought Most obese children will become obese adults, the report warns

Despite the 2012 Olympic promises to protect school playing fields, these continue to be sold off, say the authors, and although £150m has been pledged for each of the next two years to improve the physical education of primary school children, this translates into just £9,500 per school.

"The Government has allocated £28.4m for competitive school games, but this approach doesn't suit all children, and there is some evidence to suggest that it benefits those who least need it - the wealthiest and most privileged."

They highlight the fact that Team GB came third in the medals table at the 2012 Olympics, but that the UK also took gold and silver in the European obesity league tables last year.

"The minimal funding, lack of interest and absence of a child physical activity strategy strongly support the notion that the state is failing to act to prevent harm against children and failing to meet children's basic physical needs likely to result in the serious impairment of their health and development.

"This is quite literally indistinguishable from the government's own definition of child neglect," they conclude.

They call for current and future governments and educational bodies to act to create a comprehensive child-centred national physical activity policy to give children from all backgrounds and sporting abilities every opportunity to be active on a daily basis.

In response to the BJSM report, a Government spokesman said: "This Government is taking decisive action to harness the Olympic spirit and make sure every child has the opportunity to be fit and healthy.

"We have extended our ring-fenced funding for primary schools to spend on sport to 2015/16 - with a total of £540m now going directly to head teachers to improve PE and sport in their schools."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


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Stansted Delays As Landing System Damaged

Air passengers have faced another day of travel misery with flights unable to land at Stansted airport for several hours due to technical problems with a landing system.

An early-morning incoming flight damaged the Instrument Landing System (ILS) as it touched down.

The ILS, which uses beacons and radio signals to guide aircraft, was in use at a time of poor visibility due to fog.

Ryanair reported that some of its services had been diverted to Birmingham and East Midlands airports.

A Stansted spokesman said flights were landing again towards late morning, after a period of around three hours when no touchdowns were possible.

"As a result, flights will be subject to delay and cancellations so passengers are advised to check their flight status on their airline's website," the spokesman said.

He added: "Earlier this morning an arriving Gulfstream G550 was involved in an incident that has resulted in some damage to our ILS. The aircraft landed safely.

"As a result of this incident and low visibility, there have been restrictions on arriving flights. However, the fog has now lifted and arriving flights are now being accepted.

"Departing flights are unaffected at this time but there could be delays and cancellations later in the day as a result of the earlier disruption to inbound aircraft."

The incident follows the serious disruption to flights at Stansted and other UK airports last Saturday due to technical problems at the Hampshire headquarters of air traffic control company Nats.

Stansted said that Nats, which is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the ILS equipment, had engineers on site at Stansted and they were "currently working to resolve the issue and return the airfield to normal operations as quickly as possible".


23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

M5 Pile-Up: Fireworks Man Cleared Over Crash

A fireworks organiser in charge of a display on the night of a motorway pile-up in which seven people died has spoken of his relief after being cleared of breaching health and safety laws.

Geoffrey Counsell, 51, said he believed the decision to prosecute him was "motivated by a desire to find someone to blame for this terrible accident, simply for the sake of doing so".

Speaking outside Bristol Crown Court, Mr Counsell expressed his sympathy to all those affected by the "terrible crash" on the M5 on November 4, 2011.

"I have been through an appalling experience over the last two years, yet I recognise that my misfortune is as nothing compared with that of those bereaved and injured as a result of that accident," he said.

A judge directed the jury to find Mr Counsell not guilty of a single charge of failing to ensure the safety of others contrary to the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Wreckage on the M5 in Somerset Seven people died and 51 were injured when 34 cars collided on the M5

The charge alleged that Mr Counsell, of Ashill in Somerset, failed to ensure he operated the firework display so as to ensure, as far as was reasonably practicable, that others who might be affected were not exposed to risks to their health and safety.

Mr Counsell was originally charged with seven counts of manslaughter, but they were dropped earlier this year and instead he faced the health and safety charge.

Seven people died in a massive motorway pile-up involving more than 30 cars when they were engulfed in a thick fog on a section of the M5 near Taunton.

Mr Justice Simon ruled that Mr Counsell had "no case to answer" following an application from the defendant's barrister made at the halfway point in the trial.

The judge said the prosecution's case was based on "hindsight" and there was not sufficient evidence to show that Mr Counsell ought to have foreseen that smoke from the display, could have drifted and mixed with fog to create thick smog.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lost Dog Shows For Christmas - Nine Years On

A woman is celebrating the return of her treasured family pet - more than nine years after the dog went missing.

Staffordshire bull terrier Niamh disappeared through a gap in the fence at Milissa Mae's home near Worcester in May 2004.

Despite a frantic search for the-then three-year-old pet, Niamh remained undiscovered and her owners had reluctantly resigned themselves to the fact that she was lost forever.

Then, last week, Mrs Mae received a phone call from an animal sanctuary in Salisbury, saying Niamh had been brought in after being spotted wandering the streets of the cathedral city, some 80 miles from her original home.

The dog, who was identified through her microchip, was reunited with her owner at the Bath Cats and Dogs Home and even staff at the shelter shed a tear when the dog appeared to recognise Mrs Mae.

Mrs Mae described the find as a "Christmas miracle".

"I know in my heart someone must have taken her," she said. "She is such a friendly thing, she would walk right up to anyone.

"She's gone a little deaf and a little grey but otherwise she's just the same."

She went on: "She was very thin but apart from that she's in surprisingly good condition, especially considering she's a 12-year-old dog.

"Someone has obviously been looking after her in the intervening years.

"I don't know how long she'd been wandering but she must have been in someone's care for at least some of those nine years."

Niamh is now back at home with the Mae family, and is getting on well with their other dog Ferdy, seven, and her granddaughter.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sikh Gang Jailed Over Attack On Lt Gen Brar

Three Sikh men and a woman have received lengthy jail sentences after being convicted of slashing an elderly Indian military veteran in the neck in central London.

Lieutenant General Kuldeep Singh Brar, 78, who was involved in an operation against Sikh militants in Amritsar in 1984 that left around 1,000 people dead, was attacked by a gang of four during a visit to London.

He was walking with his wife on Old Quebec Street near Marble Arch when he was ambushed on September 30 last year.

Mandeep Singh Sandhu, 35, of Great Barr, Birmingham, and Dilbag Singh, 37, of no fixed abode, have been sentenced to 14 years in prison while Harjit Kaur, 39, of Hayes, Middlesex, was jailed for 11 years, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said.

They were all found guilty of wounding with intent following a trial at Southwark Crown Court in July.

A third man - Barjinder Singh Sangha, 34, of Wolverhampton, had previously pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years today.

Singh Sangha had also been charged with the common assault of Meena Brar, Lt Gen's Brar's wife, but the offence was ordered to lie on file.

The victim's role in the Indian Army, overseeing "a number of military operations ... made him a target for Sikh extremist groups", the court heard.

The attack on the retired general was described as "highly premeditated".

Following a reconnaissance of the area where he was staying, Sangha grabbed the general's wife and held her by the throat against a wall while the others attacked Lt Gen Brar before Sangha also joined in.

The gang then fled on foot towards Oxford Street, leaving the elderly man lying on the ground with a 12-inch cut which ran across his jaw and neck and sliced through muscle. He was also treated in hospital for a three-inch cut to the jaw.

The subsequent investigation was carried out by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command (SO15).

Lt Gen Brar had been in the Indian Army for 40 years rising to the rank of Lt Gen and is well-known for his role in Operation Blue Star, which involved attacking the Golden Temple which is sacred to Sikhs.

He has survived several assassination attempts and still receives death threats, the court heard, but none of the defendants were accused of any other attacks.

Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the chief of the Indian Army General Arun Vaidya were among those assassinated in the aftermath of the operation.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


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Gay Weddings To Take Place From March 2014

The first gay weddings in England and Wales can take place from March 29, equalities minister Maria Miller has announced.

Couples wishing to marry had thought they would have to wait until the summer after the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act was passed in July.

However, those wishing to be the first to be married will now be able to give notice of their intention on March 13 to marry on March 29.

Announcing the date, Ms Miller said: "Marriage is one of our most important institutions, and from March 29, 2014, it will be open to everyone, irrespective of whether they fall in love with someone of the same sex or opposite sex.

"This is just another step in the evolution of marriage and I know that many couples up and down the country will be hugely excited that they can now plan for their big day and demonstrate their love and commitment to each other by getting married."

Unlike civil partnerships, same-sex marriages would give the same legal recognition as marriage across a range of areas including pensions, inheritance, child maintenance and immigration rights.

While the change will not be enforced upon religious organisations, they will be able to opt in. 

However, there is a provision in the law which bans the Church of England and the Church of Wales from holding gay marriages.

Ms Miller said she was "working hard" to ensure that couples wishing to convert civil partnerships into marriages would be able to do so before the end of next year.

Those wishing to take part in same-sex weddings in some British consulates and Armed Forces bases overseas or in military chapels will have to wait until June.

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay rights campaign group Stonewall, said he was "delighted" at the announcement, which he said was "particularly resonant" as it came on United Nations Human Rights Day.

He said: "This historic step will mean that, for the first time, every gay person in England and Wales will finally enjoy exactly the same rights as their heterosexual friends and family."

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "This is the news many couples have been waiting for. After a long and important battle this is a wonderful step forward for equality.

"Love is the same, gay or straight, so it's only right that the civil institution should be the same.

"March will be a real moment for celebration as same-sex couples finally get the chance to express their love through marriage."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More
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