Terror Suspect Tasered During Police Raids

Four men have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences in a series of raids, during which one suspect was tasered.

The men - all aged 20 or 21 - were detained by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command at addresses across London as part of an investigation into Islamist terror activities.

The 21-year-old who was tasered during his arrest did not require medical treatment, Scotland Yard said. 

"SO15 officers were assisted in the execution of warrants at one of the addresses by officers from the Specialist Firearms Command (SCO19). No shots were fired," police said in a statement.

"A number of residential addresses and vehicles are being searched by specialist officers in west and central London as part of the investigation. The searches are ongoing.

"These arrests and searches are part of an ongoing investigation into Islamist-related terrorism."

All four suspects have been taken to police stations in central London and remain in custody.

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Compassion 'Can Save' Self-Harming Youngsters

By Rhiannon Mills, Sky News Correspondent

Treating young people who self-harm with more compassion, dignity and respect could help to save lives, according to a leading group of psychiatrists.

In its new report, Managing Self-Harm In Young People, the Royal College of Psychiatrists has called for teenagers to be treated more sensitively, whether by professionals or their families.

The document is an updated version of the College's 1998 report on self-harm, and is backed by YoungMinds, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Nursing.

It makes 14 recommendations, including a new section focusing on how important digital technology now is to all teenagers, saying it is critical that a young person's "digital life" and use of social media should be assessed as part of any clinical tests.

Dr Andrew Hill-Smith, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist and a member of the Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: "Suicide remains the second most common cause of death among young people.

Campaigner Nikki Mattocks needed psychiatric help after self-harming.

"Self-harm is an important signal of distress so it needs sensitive responses with careful handling.

"Our actions can make a difference for young people and turn lives around. Our actions can save lives."

Nikki Mattocks, a campaigner for the group YoungMinds, suffered a traumatic experience when she was 14 that meant she frequently self-harmed and has needed psychiatric care.

She told Sky News: "When I was trying to get help and being turned away from the places that are meant to help you that is really horrible, it takes a lot of courage to reach out and get help.

"A lot of healthcare professionals see it as a way of attention seeking rather than a genuine sign of distress.

"I think that needs to change because symptoms of mental illness should be treated with the same dignity and respect as symptoms of physical illness, so I think it's really good that this report has highlighted that there is an issue."

The report highlights that the UK has one of the highest rates of self-harm in Europe.

While a survey of young people aged 15-16 years estimated that more than 10% of girls and more than 3% of boys had self-harmed in the previous year.

John Carr, government adviser on online child safety, welcomed the report and the inclusion of advice on assessing internet use.

He said: "Young people's lives in the year 2014 to a large degree are lived out and through the online media, through social networking sites and so on.

"So it's very important that health professionals understand that."

:: If you are affected by the issues in this story you can seek support from Childline (if you are under 18) on 0800 1111 or the Samaritans on  08457 90 90 90. Information and support is also available at selfharm.co.uk

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Deputy PM's Wife: 'I Just Want What Men Have'

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

High-flying lawyer Miriam Gonzalez Durantez has told Sky News that she does not want to "have it all" - she simply wants "what men have".

In an exclusive interview, she also admitted that the "most important decision" of her life was who she chose to have children with - which happens to be the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.

"What I would take issue with is the have it all. I never understand what people mean when they say have it all. I personally have never wanted to have it all like a general aim. I just want to have what men have," she said.

"Lots of men have a successful professional life or what looks like success to them and they have put that together with a family.

"I think that it was Sheryl Sandberg (chief operating officer at Facebook) who said that the most important decision in your life is who you decide to have children with," she added.

Video: Full Interview: Deputy PM's Wife

She was making the comments at a career "speed-dating" event, run by the charity Inspiring the Future, in which schoolgirls were given the opportunity to meet a range of successful career women.

Ms Gonzalez Durantez spoke to dozens of girls as part of the session that she hosted at a college 10 miles from the Glasgow conference centre where her husband was leading his party's conference.

She denied that she had put her life on pause for her husband, but added: "I think having a family and life is all about compromises. There is always a certain equilibrium and in my case we found it."

More and more families shared the responsibilities in the home, she said."There are lots of men now fully involved with raising the children."

But she admitted that it wasn't that way for lots of families. "I think if you look across society and across different countries... women still get a very big proportion of the chores at home."

She spoke of women who "have done half a day" of work before they leave home, and then after their daily job return to the "other half".

Video: Clegg Backs 'Top-Down' Taxation

When asked if it was like that for her she said no, insisting that Mr Clegg still pulls his weight even when David Cameron is away and he is in charge of the country.

She said: "We tend to share it very naturally and we make the point of one of us being at home most evenings and I think on the whole we manage." She said there was no "given formula" for the perfect family.

She said that she gave her own three sons the same advice as the girls that they should always make the effort in education. But she has felt from meeting many girls through this charity that they lack some self confidence, which boys tend to have.

"We have made a lot of progress but there is still a little bit more progress to make," she said. Having successful women give over an hour of their time to inspire girls could make a big difference. She praised the Every day Sexism campaign, arguing that talking about discrimination was the way to tackle it."

She concluded: "I do think it is important to celebrate female achievement and aiming high that is part of the message that we want to give to the girls that aiming high is good. It is as good for girls as it is for boys."

:: Watch the rest of the interview on skynews.com and on the Sky News iPad app from 6am, and on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 132.

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HSBC Directors Quit In Protest At Jail Threat

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Two directors of HSBC's UK arm are poised to quit in protest at new Bank of England rules that pave the way for lengthy jail sentences to be imposed on senior managers of failed lenders.

Sky News can exclusively reveal that Alan Thomson, a member of the audit and risk committees of HSBC Bank plc, has tendered his resignation and will leave the board at the end of October.

John Trueman, the deputy chairman of the legal entity that manages the UK high street and commercial bank, is also understood to be on the verge of resigning, despite having only taken on that role in December last year.

Sources close to the situation said that the likely departures of both men were a direct consequence of Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) proposals to strengthen accountability for senior bankers.

A public filing about Mr Thomson's exit will be made by the end of the month, with a separate one about Mr Trueman following if his resignation becomes official.

The likely exits of the two HSBC directors over the proposed regulatory reforms has caused deep disquiet both there and among senior executives elsewhere in the sector, according to insiders.

They are the first bankers to have decided to relinquish their roles because of the impending regime.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," said a lawyer close to another major UK bank.

Under proposals on which the PRA is consulting until the end of this month, bank directors and other top executives could face a new criminal liability if they were deemed to have taken reckless decisions which led to the collapse of their employer.

They would also be subject to disciplinary action from the City regulator for up to six years, twice the current time-limit, and be obliged to certify that all customer-facing staff and material risk-takers are competent to perform their duties.

Crucially, the new measures would be framed on a 'guilty until proven innocent' basis, according to lawyers, making it more difficult for bank bosses to clear their names if their organisation failed.

The PRA is also introducing new rules next year forcing bankers to defer bonuses for seven years from the point of award, creating the toughest pay framework of any global financial centre.

George Osborne, the Chancellor, pushed for the more stringent regime in the aftermath of the banking crisis and the conclusions last year of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, set up following the Libor rate-rigging scandal.

The resignations of the HSBC directors are, however, expected to throw the reforms into a sharper light at a time when bank boards are struggling to identify suitably qualified directors.

The PRA document published in June made it clear that the FCA would be responsible for oversight of banks' non-executive directors under a significant management functions regime.

On Monday, the PRA set out further details of its plans to ring-fence high street lenders from the same groups' investment banking arms by 2019.

This structural overhaul will entail banks recruiting separate boards for the different entities within their businesses, further increasing the need for individuals willing to serve as directors.

Mr Thomson and Mr Trueman, along with boardroom colleagues, are understood to have been briefed on the implications of the new rulebook by HSBC compliance staff in the weeks after the PRA and FCA outlined their regulatory framework at the end of July.

That explanation of the Senior Managers Regime is said to have prompted them to reconsider their roles as directors.

Mr Trueman is an experienced banker, having been a director of HSBC Bank plc since 2004 and previously the deputy chairman of SG Warburg.

Mr Thomson has a portfolio of jobs: since stepping down as finance director of Smiths Group, the FTSE 100 engineering business, he has become chairman of Hays, the recruitment agency, as well as Bodycote and Polypipe, two industrial groups.

HSBC's UK arm is the country's fourth-biggest lender, reporting a pre-tax profit of £3.3bn last year, and also manages some of its international assets in overseas markets.

HSBC and the PRA declined to comment on Tuesday.

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#Wakeupcall Is Latest Selfie Charity Craze

It is just weeks since the puddles from the Ice Bucket Challenge dried up but yet another charity selfie campaign is sweeping across social media.

The Wakeupcall hashtag is being used on Twitter and Facebook to raise money for Syria through Unicef.

The charity is asking people to post photos of themselves looking bleary-eyed just after they have woken up.

The trend has similarities with the #nomakeupselfie which thousands of women took part in earlier this year, raising millions for Cancer Research UK.

A number of celebrities have already jumped on the bandwagon for #wakeupcall, donating their £5 and nominating three friends.

Nigella Lawson nominated Lena Dunham from the comfort of her bed

Thor star Tom Hiddleston and Stephen Fry posted photos to their Twitter followers, with Fry writing: "I warn you - look away."

Television actress Keeley Hawes was quick to follow up with her picture after being nominated by Hiddleston.

He also named Emma Watson and Josie Rourke, the artistic director of London's Donmar Warehouse Theatre.

Other people to have taken part already include Jemima Khan, Nigella Lawson, Hugh Grant and Claudia Winkleman.

George W Bush was drenched for the Ice Bucket Challenge

Unicef UK ambassador Khan gave more information about the campaign on her Twitter feed: "Post a video of your #wakeupcall or a photo of yourself first thing.

"Then nominate three friends to show us their #wakeupcall and help wake people up to the crisis for Syrian children."

The money donated goes to the Syria Emergency Fund.

The Ice Bucket Challenge, which involved participants filming themselves pouring a bucket of ice cold water over their heads, raised over £7m for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Cruise, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and George W Bush were among the dozens of stars to support the campaign.

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Malcolm Glazer Death Threats Probed By FBI

The FBI looked into death threats made against Malcolm Glazer, the late owner of Manchester United, around the time he was buying the club.

Glazer and his family were subjected to a number of threats from fans who were fiercely opposed to the owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' takeover bid in 2005.

He had already owned the Bucs for a decade when he bought the English football club for around $1.4bn (£872m) - raising the money through heavy borrowing.

On 12 May 2005, the day Glazer became the majority shareholder, a man with a British accent rang the Buccaneers headquarters, asking a lot of questions about the Bucs and ending the call by saying he wished Glazer were dead, according to an FBI report.

A poster at a protest before a Champions League match in 2005

Several hours later, another man called, saying he was a member of the Manchester United Action Group and warned that the Glazer family would be in danger unless the takeover bid was abandoned.

According the the FBI, another call came the following day, with the man saying he was the same person who had called before and asking, "Do you remember me?"

The caller said he knew people who "were ready to take action against Glazer" and against another person whose name is redacted.

"I am giving you another warning," he added, before setting a deadline for Glazer to end his interest in the club.

An effigy of Glazer burns outside Old Trafford in 2005

The FBI issued subpoenas as part of the investigation but the records show that the case was closed without prosecution because the authorities could not conclusively identify the caller.

Fans opposed to the Glazers were furious at the sale, fearing he would sell off the stadium, raise prices and saddle the club with debt.

Some fans set fire to an effigy of Glazer's likeness during protests at Old Trafford. Others wore black and waved black flags, while calling for a boycott of the club's sponsors.

Within a year of the Manchester United purchase, Glazer had had two strokes and his children took over the running of the 20-time English champions.

The self-made billionaire died in May at the age of 85.                

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Dog Set On Fire: Man Jailed For 'Vile' Attack

A man has been jailed for setting fire to a family's pet dog in a savage attack that left the three-year-old border collie so badly burned her ribs and other joints were visible.

Cody had to be put down two weeks after the attack in August 2012.

Andrew Richard Stewart, from Aghalee in County Antrim, was given a 20-month sentence at Belfast Crown Court after admitting the crime.

He will serve 10 months in custody with the remaining 10 on licence.

The 23-year-old has also been banned from keeping animals for 30 years.

Belfast Recorder Judge David McFarland said: "This was a particularly appalling act on Stewart's part. Cody was a much-loved pet.

"Stewart savagely attacked her (Cody) in the most evil and vile fashion.

"It is beyond comprehension that any human being could act in such a manner towards a defenceless creature, which was posing no threat to him."

His friend Jamie Downey, 23, from Craigavon, County Armagh, was also jailed after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.

"He did nothing to alleviate the suffering of Cody knowing that she had been injured in a most grievous fashion, and then through some misguided loyalty to Stewart agreed with him to concoct what were false stories to divert police attention away from both defendants," the judge said.

Judge McFarland said he had taken into account the distress caused to the dog's owners, Natalie and Martin Agnew and their two young sons, one of whom was only six at the time.

"The parents and two young boys had a much loved pet, which was so cruelly taken from them," he said.

Stewart changed his plea to guilty minutes before Mrs Agnew and her son Jake were due to give evidence on the second day of the trial last month.

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DJ Accused Of Raping Girl With Jimmy Savile

By Frazer Maude, Sky Reporter, Manchester Crown Court

A former DJ brought a young girl to Jimmy Savile to be raped - then raped her himself straight afterwards, a court has been told.

Ray Teret is accused of over 30 historical sexual offences against victims as young as 12, dating from 1962 to 1996.

As his trial got under way, jurors were told that Savile's name will crop up and that one of the charges involves the late broadcaster.

Tim Evans, prosecuting, told Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that Teret - who worked at pirate station Radio Caroline and Piccadilly Radio - had a "deal of celebrity" in the 1960s and '70s, especially in the Manchester area.

Teret is on trial along with two other men - William Harper and Alan Ledger.

Mr Evans said: "The Crown's case in a nutshell is that he used the celebrity that he had to abuse young girls in various ways and that the other two defendants - Mr Ledger and Mr Harper - friends and associates of Teret - also became involved on occasions."

He said Teret's victims were abused after having "the spotlight of fame" shone upon them.

The 72-year-old from Altrincham knew Savile from when the pair were working together in Manchester.

One of Teret's alleged victims told police she was 15 when he took her to a flat in the city in the early 1960s.

William Harper is also on trial over the attempted rape of a girl

She told officers she "couldn't believe it" when she saw Jimmy Savile there and "couldn't wait to tell her friends she had met him."

The court heard that she was given a glass of Lucozade and sat next to Savile, but that seconds later he was raping her.

When Savile finished, she claims Teret pushed her back down on the bed and raped her himself.

Jurors heard that Teret told the girl she should "thank us" for what they had done, before giving her some money to catch a bus home.

The alleged victim told police she threw the money away when she left the flat, vomited and went home.

"All the way home I felt it was my fault," she said in her statement.

"I've kept it in for 51 years and always felt it was my fault."

Urging jurors not to allow the involvement of Savile to influence them, Mr Evans told them: "Nobody can have failed to come across all the publicity about Savile's conduct, whether at the BBC, prisons, hospitals or elsewhere with young girls and boys and other vulnerable victims. "

"This is the trial of these three men. In no sense are these men to be treated as guilty or contaminated because of the spectre of Savile."

Alan Ledger, 62, faces charges of indecent assault, indecency with a child and serious sexual assault. William Harper, 65 and himself a former DJ, is charged with the attempted rape of a girl under the age of 16.

The three men deny all the charges against them. The trial is due to last eight weeks.

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Morrissey Reveals He Is Having Cancer Treatment

Singer Morrissey, who has been forced to cancel a number of performances due to recent ill health, has revealed that he has been receiving treatment for cancer.

The former Smiths frontman told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo: "They have scraped cancerous tissues from me four times already, but who cares.

"If I die, then I die. And if not, then I don't."

The musician released his comeback album World Peace Is None Of Your Business earlier this year and is due to play a huge show at London's O2 Arena on 29 November.

In the interview the 55-year-old said he was feeling good but added: "I am aware that in recent photos I look unwell, but that is what illness does. I'm not going to worry about that, I'll rest when I'm dead."

Morrissey has not mentioned suffering from cancer before but a bleeding ulcer was reported in early 2013 along with double pneumonia in March 2013 and food poisoning in July 2013.

The singer also used the interview to slam his former record company, Harvest Records, from which he parted ways earlier this year.

"There was no kind of promotion, they always kept me hidden, and even so we have sold quite well.

"He (the boss) does not like for artists to think. It was stupid, but his ego seems to be more important than the proper functioning of his business."

In a recent show in Lisbon as part of a European tour, Morrissey's band wore T-shirts which said "F*** Harvest".

A representative for Morrissey has not responded to a request for a comment from Sky News.

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PM Urges Moazzam Begg To Pass On IS Details

David Cameron has urged ex-Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg to pass on intelligence about IS militants behind hostage kidnaps.

Mr Begg has previously claimed he offered to help the Government secure the release of British aid worker Alan Henning, but says he was prevented from issuing a direct appeal.

He also claimed he knew those who held the 47-year-old, who was murdered by IS militants last week, and and helped to secure the release of hostages from extremists in Syria in the past.

Aid worker Alan Henning was murdered by Islamic State militants last week

The Prime Minister told BBC's North West Tonight: "We are very happy to work with anybody.

"My understanding is that Moazzam Begg did make some appeals, sadly, as we know, those appeals fell on deaf ears.

Video: Moazzam Begg Walks Free From Prison

"These people in Syria are absolutely brutal and really will stoop to any depths and do the most dreadful and ghastly things, and that is what's happened."

He defended the Government's handling of the hostage situation and added that if Mr Begg had information to provide about the identity of IS militants, "he should provide it".

Last week, Mr Begg walked free from Belmarsh prison after a string of terror charges against him linked to the civil war in Syria were dropped.

Mr Henning's brother Reg has also urged Mr Begg to help save the lives of other IS hostages, including British photojournalist John Cantlie and US aid worker Peter Kassig, who was threatened at the end of the video showing Alan Henning's murder.

More follows...

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