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Missing Student 'Left Man's Home In Early Hours'

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 14 April 2015 | 23.17

A man has told police a missing Glasgow student left his home in the early hours of Sunday.

Karen Buckley, 24, was seen on CCTV leaving the Sanctuary nightclub at around 1am in the city's West End with the man.

Officers tracked down the man, who told them Ms Buckley left his home in Dorchester Avenue at around 4am.

She has not been heard from since.

Detective Superintendent Jim Kerr told a news conference the man has given a full account of what happened and was not currently being regarded as a suspect but is "helping" with enquiries.

The detective said a handbag believed to be Ms Buckley's had been found in nearby Dawsholm Park shortly before he spoke to reporters.

Det Supt Kerr said her parents had told police it was typical for her not to use taxis and, as a result, it was possible she may have tried to walk home.

He appealed for anyone who had seen Ms Buckley - a Glasgow Caledonian University student from Cork in Ireland - to get in touch.

Her family have flown to Scotland from Ireland to help with the search.

Her mother, Marian, told the news conference: "We just want Karen home safely, we are desperate. She is our only daughter, we love her dearly.

"If anybody has any information please come forward, we would dearly appreciate it."

Ms Buckley's father, John, said: "If anybody is holding Karen, if anybody knows anything of her, please return her. Please let's have her back. We love her to bits."

Ms Buckley arrived at the club with friends at around 11.45pm on Saturday and at around 1am she told them she was going to the toilet.

But she failed to return and left her jacket at the club.

Det Supt Kerr emphasised that Ms Buckley was widely travelled and was "aware of how to take care of herself".

But her said it was "very out of character" for her not to return home.

Police also want to find out more about a grey car seen on the roads between Milngavie and Drymen, north of Glasgow, between 11am and 3pm on Monday.

A major search is under way in Glasgow, with police carrying out door-to-door inquiries and examining CCTV.

Ms Buckley is between 5ft and 5ft 2in with brown eyes and dark hair which had long black curly extensions in it.

She was last seen wearing a black jumpsuit, red high-heeled shoes and carrying a black handbag.

She speaks with an Irish accent.

Ms Buckley lives with three other students in a flat in Hill Street, Garnethill, Glasgow.


23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man Charged With Syrian Preacher's Murder

A man has been charged with the murder of Syrian-born preacher Abdul Hadi Arwani, who was shot dead in northwest London.

Leslie Cooper, 36, is to appear before Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court over the killing of Mr Arwani.

Mr Arwani - a critic of the Bashar al Assad regime -  was found shot dead in his Volkswagen Passat in Wembley on 7 April.

Rob Davis, from the CPS London Homicide Unit, said: "The Crown Prosecution Service has today authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Leslie Cooper, 36, with the murder of Abdul Hadi Arwani.

"Mr Arwani was shot dead in the Greenhill area of London on 7 April 2015.

"This decision was taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

"Mr Cooper will appear before Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court on 14 April 2015.

"Mr Cooper now stands charged with a criminal offence and has the right to a fair trial.

"It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings."

Mr Arwani, a father of six, was an imam at the An Noor mosque in Acton, west London, between 2005 and 2011.

He is thought to have fled Syria as a teenager in 1982 after surviving the Hama massacre.

Mr Arwani is believed to have attended protests against Assad outside the Syrian embassy in 2012.


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Nurse Denies Hospital Poisoning Murders

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

The nurse accused of murdering and poisoning patients at the hospital where he worked has told a jury he never harmed any patients.

Victorino Chua repeatedly denied contaminating saline products and falsifying medical records in a series of questions put to him by his barrister, Peter Griffiths QC.

Mr Griffiths asked him: "You are aware that the underlying and fundamental allegation laid against you by the prosecution ... is that you contaminated medical products with insulin.

"My first question is: Did you ever contaminate any medical products with insulin?"

The 49-year-old replied: "No sir."

Questions were put to him in relation to a total of 36 charges including three of murdering patients.

He responded in the same way to all of the questions.

The defendant told a jury at Manchester Crown Court that although he enjoyed working at Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport, he did not get on with some of the staff there.

Asked why that was the case he replied in broken English: "Because when I started they were already in a group.

"They knew each other and they are close. You will see them always together."

The court had already heard that, in a letter found at Mr Chua's home following his arrest in 2012, he described some nurses as "nasty bitches".

In the same note he also described himself as "an angel" who had turned into "an evil person" who had a devil inside him.

He said he had written the letter following a visit to an occupational health counsellor at work and that it was a way to "release the tension".

It is alleged the father-of-two poisoned patients by injecting insulin into saline bags and ampoules.

He is also accused of falsifying patients' medical notes.

He denies all charges against him.


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No Miliband, No SNP But Red Meat At Last

The Wiltshire sunshine shone on David Cameron as he arrived off the campaign bus at a Swindon technical college built under the Coalition.

Perhaps it reinvigorated the Prime Minister's longstanding political relationship with solar rays because this speech and this manifesto had more of the sunshine optimism and "Good Life" so lacking in the first weeks of the Tory campaign.

There was no mention of Ed Miliband in the speech at all. There was no mention even of the SNP in the speech.

Why would he, one might ask. Why did he in the first words of the campaign on Downing Street after meeting the Queen?

:: For Full General Election 2015 Coverage

What we clearly got today is more new red meat than at Labour's launch yesterday.

The Right to Buy extension to housing association tenants was first mentioned in 1979 in Mrs Thatcher's famous manifesto, but with the caveat "as far as possible".

That caveat was there because there can be no simple repeat of the signature Tory 1980s policy.

Housing associations are independent charities that need to raise funds on private markets.

The success of RIght to Buy in spreading mass participation owner occupancy was undermined by failing to replace lost housing stock. There were 1.5 million fewer council homes as a result.

:: David Cameron Profile

And the Conservatives recognised this today by promising to replace every sold home. Yet they made the same promise when Right to Buy was first re-launched in 2012 and less than half of the homes sold have been replaced.

The funding for this plan which, including new brownfield homes, will cost up to £18bn over the course of the next parliament - will see 15,000 expensive council homes sold and replaced with cheaper ones per year.

That is a punchy costing of a process that hasn't been tried on this scale before.

If it did raise this much would it make sense to concentrate the giveaway on a few hundred thousand lucky housing association tenants? Would they qualify for mortgages?

Until 1993 Right to Buy tenants got 100% mortgages from local authorities. There are all sorts of restrictions currently in place on mortgage lending.

:: Right to Buy - Your Questions Answered

Clearly this is an attempt to appeal to the skilled worker C2 voters won over by the Tories in the 1980s.

Latest polls show them falling for Mr Miliband. But perhaps times are different - the real housing pressure is not in the social sector but in the private rented sector.

Still, alongside new policy on keeping minimum wage jobs out of the tax system, and extra childcare for three and four year olds funded by the raid on the pensions of the high paid (which also funds the inheritance tax cut), the Tories have a notable suite of "retail offers" to press home on the doorstep.

It is an attempt to persuade slightly sceptical Britain that the long-term plan will work for them. That families who value security shouldn't take a risk. The calculation is that there are enough voters in this position to win the election.

:: Labour Manifesto At A Glance

:: Conservative Manifesto At A Glance

The polls suggest that is not at all certain. But above all Tory strategists think they have now trapped Labour - Mr Miliband's party cannot now offer any unfunded commitments or giveaways to improve the lives of voters.

The Conservative strategy of unfunded giveaways is not without risks. I asked the PM about the dangers of pledged £8bn additional funding for the NHS by 2020 without spelling out the how.

He said: "All our commitments are funded as part of our fiscal plan." He added that, unlike Labour, the Conservatives offered a "clear and balanced plan" and their track record meant they could be trusted to deliver.

I'd have asked a follow up, but the Conservative media handlers were oddly reluctant for any journalists to hold the microphone!

Labour promises it has some high profile policies up its sleeve. But the Conservatives have made the most of the manifesto showcase.

Now if only we could debate the actual policy platforms of the leaders.

:: Click Here To Make Your Own Government With Our Shaker Maker


23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teaching Assistant Admits School Bomb Hoax

A teaching assistant has pleaded guilty to sending a bomb hoax to a school from a pupil's email account.

Zoe Gregory, 26, admitted to threatening to blow up Ormiston Victory Academy in Costessey, near Norwich, in February.

The married mother-of-two made the threat after gaining unauthorised access to an email account belonging to student Holly Littlefield.

Ms Littlefield, 16, and Vicky Francis, 15, were arrested and held in police custody for ten hours after the scare.

Norwich Magistrates' Court heard how fellow pupils called the students "terrorists" and dubbed Ms Littlefield "Holly Bin Laden".

But it later emerged that Gregory was responsible for the threat, which she made without the students' knowledge.

Prosecutor Lisa Britton said both girls had been left distressed by the ordeal.

Ms Britton told the court: "The most important aspect is the impact on the girls. They were arrested, knowing they had done nothing wrong.

"They spent more than 10 hours in custody and must have been very distressed."

In a statement read to the court, Ms Littlefield said: "I was crying and distressed at being held in a cell."

Chris Brown, mitigating, said Gregory acted out of "sheer desperation" after being "plagued by post-natal depression".

She sent the bomb hoax email to her own work account and then reported it to the school's principal, who contacted police.

Mr Brown said: "If she had known at the point of pressing send what her actions would have led to, then of course she wouldn't have done it.

"It was an extraordinary act and reckless stupidity born out of sheer desperation."


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PPI Scandal: Clydesdale Handed £20.7m Fine

A £20.7m fine has been slapped on Clydesdale Bank for failures in its handling of payment protection insurance (PPI) complaints and attempts to mislead the City regulator.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the penalty was the largest it had imposed for failings relating to PPI - a product mis-sold by the financial services industry that has cost it billions in redress and administration to date.

The watchdog said the fine partly reflected "inappropriate policies" introduced in mid-2011 by Clydesdale which meant its PPI complaint handlers were "not taking into account all relevant documents when deciding how to deal with complaints".

The statement continued: "In addition, between May 2012 and June 2013, Clydesdale provided false information to the Financial Ombudsman Service in response to requests for evidence of the records Clydesdale held on PPI policies sold to individual customers.

"A team within Clydesdale's PPI complaint handling operation altered certain system print outs (in a small number of cases) to make it look as if Clydesdale held no relevant documents and deleted all PPI information from a separate print out listing the products sold to the customer.

"These practices were not known to or authorised by Clydesdale's PPI leadership team or more senior management."

The regulator said that as a result of Clydesdale's conduct, of the 126,600 PPI complaints decided between May 2011 and July 2013, up to 42,200 may have been rejected unfairly and up to 50,900 upheld complaints may have resulted in inadequate redress.

The FCA confirmed the bank would be contacting customers affected as Clydesdale continued to review past cases.

Georgina Philippou, acting director of enforcement and market oversight at the FCA, said: "Clydesdale's failings were unacceptable and fell well below the standard the FCA expects.

"The fact that Clydesdale misled the Financial Ombudsman by providing false information about the information it held is particularly serious and this is reflected in the size of the fine."

Clydesdale qualified for a 30% reduction on the size of the fine because it settled the case early, the FCA said.

Acting chief executive of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, Debbie Crosbie, said: "In 2011 we introduced changes to our policies and procedures that were designed to help us respond to PPI complaints.

"A number of these changes were inappropriate and have disadvantaged some of our customers. We got this wrong and I am sorry for that.

"We deeply regret any instance which led to the Financial Ombudsman Service receiving incorrect or incomplete information from us.

"These practices were not authorised or condoned by the Banks. As soon as this issue was discovered, we took immediate steps to stop it; we made the regulator aware and rapidly introduced strict new monitoring procedures to prevent any recurrence."


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Greens Vow To Roll Back NHS Privatisation

The Green Party has pledged to end privatisation in the NHS and re-nationalise the railways in its manifesto.

The party also vowed to ban fracking, stop airport expansion and halt major road schemes, while promising cash for energy efficiency measures and flood defences.

:: Full Coverage Of General Election 2015

Party leader Natalie Bennett told activists at the heart of the manifesto was "a vision for a fair economy".

She said: "That fair economy demands the end to austerity.

"It demands we restore and enhance the essential public services to all, but particularly the most vulnerable.

"That fair economy is paid for by the rebalancing that we so desperately need, to see multinational companies and rich individuals paying their fair share in taxes as they are simply not paying now."

Ms Bennet added that a fair economy meant every worker should be paid a living wage.

"It is really not a radical statement to say that if you work full time you should earn enough money to live on," she said.

"And yet we are the only UK party who is saying the minimum wage should immediately be lifted to a living wage and should reach £10 an hour by 2020."

:: All You Need To Know About Party Manifestos

Ms Bennett also underlined the party's commitment to safeguarding the NHS, and pledged to remove all private operators from the service.

She said: "Behind that is an understanding of what privatisation has really meant for so many of our public services.

"It's meant the cutting of the pay and conditions of workers, it's meant the cutting of the quality of services and it has meant the shovelling of public money into private hands."

Caroline Lucas, the party's former leader and the only Green MP in the last parliament, also spoke at the manifesto launch and argued tackling climate change was not "some luxury that is only possible when there are good economic times".

She said the environment was not something that could be ditched during tough times "like that extra cappuccino on the way to work".

Green Party plans for a free nationwide retro-fit insulation programme would tackle both the "scandal of cold homes" while creating more than 100,000 jobs, she said.

Ms Lucas told the audience the money was there but it came down to political choice.

"It's nonsense to say we can waste billions on new roads or on HS2 but we can't afford to keep people warm in their own homes," she said.

For every £1 spent on energy efficiency measures, £1.27 was returned to the economy, and Ms Lucas insisted it was the only way of reducing energy bills while also helping the environment.

She also argued that the prospect of a hung parliament and a minority Labour government opened the way for the Greens to realise its manifesto goals.

She said: "That would give us a real opportunity to push Labour on the policies we know the public wants and which are at the heart of our manifesto - whether that's scrapping nuclear weapons or reversing the privatisation in our NHS, whether that's returning local schools to local control or bringing rail back into public ownership."

:: Click Here To Make Your Own Government With Our Shaker Maker


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Sue Perkins Receives Top Gear Death Threats

Television presenter Sue Perkins has quit Twitter after receiving death threats following speculation she could replace Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear.

The Great British Bake Off presenter revealed on Tuesday that someone had said "they'd like to see me burn to death".

Writing on Twitter, she denied she is to replace Clarkson and announced she was leaving the social media platform.

She wrote a series of tweets saying: "Guys, post the utterly fabricated story about me & Top Gear, my timeline has been full of blokes wishing me dead...

"This morning, someone suggested they'd like to see me burn to death.

"All of which goes to say that I am off Twitter for a bit. Love and peace x."

Perkins first alluded to the trolling four days ago when she wrote: "Just back from night shoot in Kolkata sewers to find my timeline busy with middle-aged man-trolls. General gist: Man do cars, woman do cake."

Fans took to Twitter to post messages of support and encouragement following her announcement.

Fearne Cotton wrote: "There are some awful and sad humans out there. How pathetic. ps you absolutely rock!"

It is not known who will present Top Gear after the BBC decided not to renew his contract following his attack on a producer last month.


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PM Promises 'Good Life' For 'Working People'

David Cameron has claimed the Conservatives are the "party of the working people" as he made pledges on homeownership, £5,000 of free childcare and an income tax-free minimum wage.

Launching the Tory manifesto, Mr Cameron repeatedly made offers to voters who worked hard and wanted to get on the "good life".

The manifesto set out measures for families from cradle to grave - identifying measures to help people over six stages of their lives.

Mr Cameron opened his speech by saying: "At the heart of this manifesto is a simple proposition. We are the party of working people, offering you security at every stage of your life."

He promised 30 hours of childcare for three and four-year-olds - five hours more than promised in Labour's manifesto yesterday - to help working parents.

He said if the party is returned to power, it will give 1.3 million families the chance to buy their housing association home at least a 20% discount.

Speaking at a university technical college in Swindon, Mr Cameron laid out his vision for a "property-owning democracy" echoing the phrases used in Margaret Thatcher's 1983 manifesto.

And he said the Conservatives would introduce a tax-free minimum wage, linking the minimum wage to the income tax personal allowance so the lowest paid would never have to pay tax.

He urged voters not to "waste the last five years" and let "Labour drag us back" to the past, and asked to be allowed to "finish the job".

Mr Cameron promised: "This buccaneering, world-beating, can-do country - we can do it all over again."

:: Full Coverage Of General Election 2015

:: All You Need To Know About Party Manifestos

:: Sky's Anushka Asthana On Five Things We've Learned From The Tory Manifesto

Among other measures included in the manifesto, which has the phrase "strong leadership, a clear economic plan, a better more secure future" on the cover, are:

:: Raising the personal allowance for tax to £12,500

:: Increasing the starting salary for the 40p rate to £50,000

:: No increase in income tax, VAT, National Insurance

:: Raising the inheritance tax threshold for family homes to £1m

:: Seven-day access to GP service

:: An annual £8bn boost for NHS funding

:: Repeal the Hunting Act

:: Increase state pension by at least 2.5% with a triple lock

:: 200,000 starter homes built

:: Committed to four-boat Trident nuclear deterrent

Mr Cameron's repeated pledges on a "good life" available to people in the UK prompted a question on whether he saw himself as the impoverished Tom and Barbara characters from the BBC sitcom, played by Felicity Kendal and Richard Briers, or the rich Margot and Jerry characters played by Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington.

To fund Right to Buy, the Conservatives would force councils to sell their most expensive properties when vacant - estimated to raise £4.5bn a year - and replace the properties sold.

However, the Housing Federation claims the cost to the taxpayer would be £5.8bn and 40 years of failure on house-building means the UK still does not have the homes needed.

Since Baroness Thatcher introduced Right to Buy in 1980, 1.88 million council properties have been sold - only 345,000 new social housing properties have been built.

As well as extending Right to Buy at a discount to housing association tenants, the party has promised a £1bn fund for building 400,000 new properties on brownfield sites.

Mr Cameron's claim that the Conservatives are the party for workers comes after Labour said it wanted to be seen as the fiscally responsible option for government.

:: Right To Buy: Your Questions Answered

:: Labour's Manifesto At A Glance

:: Conservative Manifesto At A Glance

Conservative activists gathered for the manifesto launch were shown a video called The Note.

The video refers to the missive left for the coalition by the outgoing Labour treasury minister Liam Byrne after the 2010 election. It said: "There is no money."

But Labour has claimed the Conservatives have failed to explain properly how their measures will be funded.

The Tories say some £1.4bn a year of the funding will come from reducing the tax relief on pensions for those earning more than £150,000. Mr Cameron said their track record showed they could deliver on their pledges.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said the Conservatives were "trying to fund Right to Buy on a bounced cheque".

:: Click Here To Make Your Own Government With Our Shaker Maker

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said the Right to Buy policy was unaffordable and did not help millions of people trying to get on to the property ladder.


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RAF Sends Jets As Russia Planes Near UK Airpsace

RAF Typhoon jets have been scrambled after Russian military planes were identified flying close to UK airspace.

The Ministry of Defence revealed the news hours after it emerged warships from Russia's Northern Fleet entered the English Channel ahead of planned anti-aircraft and anti-submarine drills.

Interfax news agency reported the vessels were due to carry out the military exercises in the north Atlantic, but HMS Argyll was deployed to monitor the destroyer and Typhoons were sent from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland.

In a statement on the latest incident, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "RAF Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon fighter aircraft were launched today after Russian aircraft were identified flying close to UK airspace.

"The Russian planes are being escorted by the RAF in the UK area of interest."

It is understood the Russian planes intercepted were Bear H bombers.

After the Typhoons were scrambled, Voyagers from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire were sent to provide air to air refuelling support while communications and radar assistance was given from the National Air DefenceOperations Centre.

More follows...


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UK Bank Scandal Costs Hit £39bn - Report

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 07 April 2015 | 23.17

Britain's biggest banks have collectively racked up a £39bn bill as a result of financial scandals over just three years, a report has found.

A study by auditors KPMG covered financial results from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC and Standard Chartered from 2011 to 2014.

It found that more than 60% of their total profits were wiped out by customer remediation, conduct failings and fines over the period, with costs totaling £38.7bn.

Conduct costs last year stood at £9.9bn, just 8% down on 2013, with almost half of the cash relating to the continuing cost of Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) and interest rate hedging mis-selling.

However, the report showed the banks were "in a healthier shape and returning to profitability" in 2014.

Their combined pre-tax profits reached £20.6bn, up £7.9bn or 62%.

The boost in profits was against a backdrop of total income falling by 12% to £127.2bn, as banks focused on less riskier activities in the wake of the financial crisis.

It meant, the study said, that shareholders were still getting a low return on equity.

Head of financial services at KPMG, Bill Michael, said: "Banks are undergoing a once-in-a-lifetime change, as they face evolving regulation, technology and society's expectations. 

"At the same time, competition is increasing as new challenger banks and peer-to-peer platforms offer customers new ways to borrow and deposit and technology-led services such as PayPal and e-wallets change the way money is transferred and goods and services paid for.

"Domestically focused banking arms are focused on restructuring their business. Those with active investment banking arms face significant challenges around ring-fencing their retail and investment banking activities, which will become mandatory in 2019.

"The UK as a financial centre has largely been built on non-retail banking. If further regulation creates too many strictures on non-retail banking, the industry risks losing its global relevance."


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FIFA: Greg Dyke Returns £16K World Cup Watch

FA chairman Greg Dyke has returned a watch worth £16,000 he had been given as a gift during the World Cup, FIFA has announced.

Mr Dyke was given one of the limited edition Parmigiani watches by the Brazilian FA during a FIFA Congress meeting in Sao Paulo.

Sixty-five of the watches were handed out in goodie bags worth more than £1m collectively.

The FA boss initially refused to hand his back after the watches were recalled, having promised to donate it to the FA's official charity partner, Breast Cancer Care, so it could be sold at auction.

But with the prospect of being sanctioned if he did not return the timepiece, FIFA's ethics committee confirmed Mr Dyke had returned the watch and proceedings on the matter have now been closed.

A FIFA statement said: "Mr Greg Dyke has returned the CBF Parmigiani watch.

"As a consequence, the adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee has decided to close the proceedings in respect of a possible breach of the FIFA Code of Ethics."

Mr Dyke insisted he was not aware how much the gift was worth when he first received it and, once he was told, said he would allow it to be auctioned by Breast Cancer Care.

The charity is looking to raise £500,000 for their cause by next summer.

Press Association Sport reports that all of the watches will now be auctioned for a Brazilian charity and Mr Dyke will make a personal donation to Breast Cancer Care.


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What's Behind UK's Unseasonably Warm Weather?

The country basked in the highest temperatures of the year so far on Easter Sunday, with 20.7C (69.3°F) recorded in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire.

And while not everywhere has experienced the sunshine, many parts of the UK and Ireland have seen some unseasonably warm and mainly dry spells.

The generally settled conditions have been the result of high pressure over the British Isles - and with some help from further afield.

At the beginning of the week, high pressure centered to the west of the UK brought warm air from the Azores, although that was modified somewhat by going around the north of the UK.

Long clear spells have also allowed the strong sunshine to do its work, but we have still seen some chilly nights.

The Foehn effect, whereby air warms as it comes down over a mountain range, may have also played a part in the high temperatures seen in Aboyne on Easter Sunday.

But while many areas reaped the benefits of these processes, the high-pressure system spelled bad news for others.

The winds around this system circle around in a clockwise direction, so eastern parts of the UK have had easterly winds dragging in low cloud off the North Sea - causing it to be grey and cool across coastal regions.

Weak frontal systems have also occasionally passed over the north of Scotland, bringing overcast and at times damp conditions.

Through this week the high pressure will begin to drift eastwards, allowing for more direct southerly winds, bringing in warm air from the near continent.

On Friday, temperatures in southeast England could be close to 20C. However, at the same time it looks likelier to become wetter and breezier at times over western areas. 


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No Further Police Action Over Clarkson Attack

North Yorkshire Police say they will not take any further action against Jeremy Clarkson after he attacked a Top Gear producer last month.

Oisin Tymon, who was left with a split lip after the fight at a hotel, said last week that he did not wish to press charges against his former colleague.

He had to drive himself to hospital following the row in which he also received a torrent of verbal abuse.

Clarkson reported the 4 March incident to the BBC five days later and was suspended by the broadcaster on 10 March before it announced his contract would not be renewed.

The force spoke to people who witnessed what the BBC called a "fracas" and has now completed its "routine enquiries".

It said: "Now that all the interviews are complete, we have properly established that there is no need for further police action."

It emerged last week that Clarkson will appear on stage with his former Top Gear colleagues, Richard Hammond and James May, later this year to fulfil a series of gigs planned before he left the BBC.

The gigs will be stripped of all BBC branding and content, and billed as Clarkson, Hammond and May Live.

That means the shows, which will take in venues as far afield as Australia, Norway, South Africa and the UK, will not be able to use clips from the show or feature The Stig.

The move is likely to spark rumours the three men intend to team up to continue their careers together after Clarkson's exit from the corporation, but sources close to the tour say it is just a matter of fulfilling commitments to the fans.

The future of the show's other two presenters - Hammond and May - is unclear, with both men's Top Gear contracts having run out.


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Alleged Rapist Who Fled UK Caught In India

By Neville Lazarus, India Reporter

A man who allegedly fled Britain after two attacks on women has been caught while trying to buy a fake passport in India, police say.

Raminder Singh, 28, is accused of sexual assault, rape and attempted murder in July 2012 when he was in the UK.

One woman, aged 23, was found unconscious in Pilvig Park in Edinburgh in a pool of blood, with a broken jaw and cheekbone, and a missing tooth. The attacker had attempted to rape her.

A few days later a 27-year-old woman told police she had been subjected to a serious sexual attack and rape.

Police believe Singh was involved in both incidents and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

However, he managed to leave the country the next day and fly to India.

An extradition request was sent to the country from the UK, but Singh is thought to have changed his identity multiple times.

It is believed that in the meantime he worked at a call centre and even opened a restaurant.

A police source told Sky News that because some of his relatives worked in the Punjab police, there was not much interest in the case.

While on the run he is believed to have lived for some time with his relative Gurwinder Singh, a police inspector at Punjab Police Academy.

Local crime commissioner Ravindra Yadav told Sky News: "The Delhi Police was requested by the British High Commission to help nab the fugitive.

"The British police gave some inputs to us which we developed. We were roped in as they had confidence in us."

Singh was tracked for several months as a result.

An officer told Sky News that Singh was trapped when he was on his way to meet someone to buy a forged passport, and was held on Sunday night at the Singhu northern border of Delhi.

He has since appeared in court and the UK government will now move to have him extradited.


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Girl Punches Suspected Attacker In Face

A 12-year-old girl has fought off a suspected attacker by punching him in the face during an altercation in Greater Manchester.

Police say the girl struck the man as he grabbed her arm as she walked home from school in Sale.

The girl was walking along Moss Lane at around 4pm on 25 March and had just passed Edinburgh Close when the incident occurred.

She was able to run away from the attacker and was not harmed.

Police have now issued an e-fit image of the suspect in an attempt to trace him.

Detective Constable Dan Hayes said: "This young girl has been very brave and worked with our forensic imaging specialists to relive what she went through and produce an accurate image of what he looked like.

"I would ask people to look carefully at this image and if you do recognise this man, or see him hanging around the area, please call us.

"We do not know what this man's intentions were and that is why we are taking this incident very seriously and doing all we can to apprehend this man.

"There may well have been a lot of people in the area at the time of the incident who have potentially vital information and I would ask anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or who recognise this man, to come forward."

The man is described as white, aged in his late 50s, 5ft 8in tall, of large build, with short, greying hair, a long face and a pointy nose.

He was wearing silver-framed rectangular glasses with an orange or brown tint to the lenses.

He was also dressed in a black jacket, a white polo T-shirt, loose fitting blue jeans and black shoes.

Anybody with information is urged to call police on 0161 856 7530 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.


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Mosque Collapses In Birmingham Street

A mosque has collapsed in a Birmingham street, believed to be caused by building work on the property.

Crews were called to the mosque in Walford Road, Sparkbrook, around 11.30pm on Monday and arrived to find much of its roof had fallen in.

No one was thought to be inside the terrace property at the time and, despite its location on a residential street, nobody else was hurt.

Search dogs from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service and a police helicopter searched for anyone who might have been trapped in the rubble.

West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service said the "collapse was caused by ongoing structural works inside the premises".

A skip and safety fencing were pictured outside the property, indicating building work had been going on before the collapse.

A fire service spokesman said: "Structural engineers have been in attendance and contractors came out to make the building safe at about 3am.

"A K9 team has been through the property internally and externally and we're confident no persons were inside."

The collapse shut Walford Road while emergency services cleared the debris.

Access was also restricted to surrounding streets.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said the incident was not a police matter and the council had been notified.

A safety inspection of the building would be carried out, police said.


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Convict Harassed Woman From His Prison Cell

A convict who struck up a friendship with a young woman while in prison has received a five-year sentence for harassment.

Carlos Boente, 33, was a prisoner in Birmingham jail when he was given the number of the woman from a cellmate.

He began texting and phoning the teenager - she was 19 at the time - and initially asked her to change his Facebook password as a favour.

The young woman, who did not know about Boente, agreed and was subsequently bombarded with texts and phone calls in which he told her he had no friends or family and no-one visited him in prison.

The young woman felt sorry for him and kept in touch but soon his texts became sinisterly controlling.

He asked where she was and, if she did not respond, he left abusive and threatening messages.

The contact had started in November 2013 and, by the end of January 2014, the woman was left feeling exhausted, frightened and threatened.

After Boente phoned to apologise and then, during one of the calls, made threats against her young child and told her she was going to die, she called the police.

"Even when the victim was giving a statement to us about Boente's behaviour, we witnessed him constantly calling her, shouting down the phone and being abusive," said Detective Constable Vanessa Lewis who led the investigation.

"Despite knowing we were investigating him, Boente showed no signs of stopping his disturbing conduct," Det Con Lewis continued.

"On 24 March, shortly after we blocked his letters and landline contact from the prison, three men entered the home of the woman's aunt and uncle looking for a safe. 

"Boente's Facebook status two days later - boasting that he sent his "soldiers" to the property - indicated he was behind the burglary."

Boente was charged last June with two counts of threats to kill, one count of harassment, one count of conspiracy to burgle and three counts of possessing a mobile phone while in prison - he had denied all charges, apart from two counts of possessing a mobile phone.

On 1 April 2015, he was cleared of the threats to kill charges but found guilty of conspiracy to burgle, harassment and the remaining phone possession charge, and sentenced to a total of five years in prison.

Det Con Lewis said: "This is a highly unusual case which demonstrates Boente's ability to control, manipulate and harass young women.

"The woman concerned in this case and her family lived in fear for months.

"The stress caused by Boente's actions resulted in family members giving up their jobs and selling their homes, while the victim felt she had lost all control of her life.

"With this in mind, I would urge anyone who may be approached in the future by Boente, either online or over the phone, to call us immediately - do not feel sorry for him and do not wait one moment to contact us."    


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Yorkshire Teenagers In Syria, Police Fear

Two West Yorkshire teenagers are believed to have travelled to Syria, counter-terrorism police have confirmed.

The boys, both 17 and from Dewsbury, were last seen by their families on 31 March.

They are believed to have flown from Manchester airport to Dalaman in Turkey on the same day, police say.

West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Mark Milsom said: "We are extremely concerned for the safety of these two boys and would urge anyone with information to come forward and speak to us.

"Our priority is for their safe return; their families are gravely worried about them and want them home.

"Syria is an extremely dangerous place and the public will be aware of the dangers these boys may face.

"The choice of returning home from Syria is often taken away from those that come under the control of Islamic State, leaving their families in the UK devastated and with very few options to secure their safe return."

He urged anyone who is worried about someone they know travelling to Syria to get in touch with authorities.

"This is not about criminalising people. It is about preventing tragedies by offering support to communities, families, young and vulnerable people," he said.

Kirklees Council chief executive Adrian Lythgo said: "We are deeply concerned for these young people and will continue to work in close partnership with the Counter Terrorism Unit, West Yorkshire Police, our communities and schools to prevent and eradicate any threats and concerns."

UK security services believe around 600 Britons have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join militant groups, while around half are thought to have returned to the UK.

They include three teenage girls from East London, who are now thought to be in the Syrian city of Raqqa, an Islamic State stronghold.

Shamima Begum, Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana were last seen on CCTV at a bus station in Istanbul on 17 February.

Last week, nine Britons were arrested allegedly trying to cross into Syria from Turkey illegally.

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 101 or the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.


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Safety Deposit Boxes Raided In Jewellery Quarter

Scotland Yard has begun an investigation after safety deposit boxes in a central London vault were raided over the Easter weekend.

A statement from the Metropolitan Police said heavy cutting equipment had been used to get into a vault at the premises in Hatton Garden.

Officers from the Flying Squad are currently at Hatton Garden Safe Deposit as the investigation continues.

Up to 300 safety deposit boxes at the premises are thought to have been broken into. The suspects are believed to have used a lift shaft to gain access to the vault.

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "I'm told that there are 600 boxes on the premises, 300 of which have been raided.

"The suspects have had perhaps several days (over Easter weekend) in which to get in. One report I'm told suggested that they used a lift shaft at some stage to get into the centre, which must be pretty heavily protected.

"It's probably going to be some days before we get an idea of exactly how much has been stolen or what indeed has been stolen."

The area is known as London's jewellery quarter.

Safety deposit boxes at the premises are mainly used by jewellers in Hatton Garden to store jewellery and loose diamonds in packets.

Lewis Malka, a diamond jewellery expert who works on Hatton Garden, tweeted: "Quiet day in the office and then I found out one of my client's antique bracelets was stolen in the Hatton Garden robbery."

Mr Malka said the haul was likely to be worth "hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds".

He said: "Most of the people who have got safety deposits there are people in the trade.

"I know for a fact that some of my work colleagues have got boxes down there and we are talking about hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds in goods."

In July 1987, the Knightsbridge Safe Deposit Centre was hit by one of the largest robberies in history. Two armed robbers asked to rent a safe deposit box and produced hand guns after they were shown to the vault before making off with an estimated £60m hoard.

Valerio Viccei was arrested as he returned to England to ship his Ferrari Testarrosa to Latin America. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison.


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Missing Boy: What Is Adrenal Hyperplasia?

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 31 Maret 2015 | 23.17

Adrenal hyperplasia is a rare genetic condition that involves the adrenal glands, which lie just above the kidneys.

It results in a blockage in the assembly line that makes the stress hormone cortisol from its chemical precursors.

People with the condition have low levels of cortisol, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels. If they fall too low, it can result in a coma.

But in some cases, the blockage can also reduce the production of aldosterone, a hormone involved in the regulation of salt in the bloodstream.

If salt levels fall too low it can lead to dehydration, vomiting and death.

Regular treatment with steroid medicines can help to maintain normal hormone levels and although the condition is lifelong, the outlook is generally good.

But Malakhi is now likely to have missed two doses of his medication and there is increasing concern for his welfare.


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UK Economic Growth Almost Tops 2006 Figure

Revised official figures show that the UK economy grew last year at the fastest pace since 2006.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the economy expanded at 2.8% in 2014, approaching the figure of 3% seen eight years before.

The ONS boosted the figure after a standard revision to growth in the last quarter of 2014 was calculated.

It said Q4 growth was 0.6%, up from the previous estimate of 0.5%.

This took growth for the whole of 2014 to 2.8%, from the earlier published figure of 2.6%.

It said several factors were behind the greater pace increase, including a big boost to exports, along with increased household spending and services spending.

The ONS made the announcement at the same time as revealing the latest current account figures for income received and liabilities paid to the rest of the world.

It said the record current account deficit of £27.7bn in Q3 had been reduced to £25.3bn by the end of December.

New measures to calculate wellbeing of households were also released by the ONS.

It said real household disposable income increased by 1.9% last year, but overall it showed only a 0.2% increase from the figure at the end of Q2 in 2010.

It said household optimism over finances has continued to increase from a low point seen at the start of 2012.


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One Direction Fury At Zayn Malik Solo Demo

Zayn Malik may have left One Direction on good terms - but all that could be about to change.

Just days after announcing his departure from the band so he could be a "normal" 22-year-old, a demo recording of Malik performing on his own has been posted online by a renowned producer.

Louis Tomlinson, one of his former bandmates, went crazy, crazy, crazy when he heard the song.

In a tweet to the producer behind the leak, Naughty Boy, he wrote: "Wow @NaughtyBoyMusic you're so inconsiderate pal, seriously how f****** old are you? Grow up!"

Tomlinson accused the British DJ of trying to wind up One Direction fans, who are still nursing broken hearts after the five-piece band became four – prompting fears a split was imminent.

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  1. Gallery: One Direction Through The Years

    One Direction members Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan on a chat show at the end of 2014

Horan enjoys a tennis match at the Australian Open in January 2015

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Windy Weather Batters Britain As Easter Looms

Winds of up to 70mph battered parts of England and Wales overnight, causing widespread travel disruption and flooding in some regions.

In the northwest, firefighters spent three hours removing a 20ft tree which had fallen onto a house in Leigh - ruining a family's plans to go on holiday.

And at an Esso refinery in Hampshire, a crewman was rescued from a sinking tug by a heroic employee who jumped into the water to save him.

Without hesitation, he swam to the capsized vessel and smashed a window to help the trapped crew member, who only had access to a small pocket of air inside.

All of the employees have been accounted for, according to the coastguard - although one person had to be treated for hypothermia following the incident.

Earlier, journeys on the West Coast Main Line between Warrington and the Lake District were delayed by up to an hour - while trees on the line caused considerable disruption between Exeter and Taunton, Salisbury and Romsey, and Aylesbury and London.

Several bridges on the motorways were closed as a precaution, including the Dartford Crossing on the M25, the Severn Bridge on the M48, and the Ouse Bridge on the M62.

There was also bad news for fans of the Thunderbirds, as an event to promote the new series on the River Thames was cancelled.

Although it will "gradually quieten down" as the Easter weekend approaches, the Met Office predicts the strongest winds are yet to be seen in northwest England.

And, even though it is the first day of April on Wednesday, wintry showers are expected over higher ground in Scotland, spreading into northern England and parts of north Wales.

Sky News weather producer Becky Yussuf said: "The unsettled, wet and windy weather will continue through until Good Friday.

"High pressure will build across the UK and Ireland over the Easter weekend, bringing largely dry and settled conditions.

"There is expected to be a lot of cloud around, and so brightness might be at a bit of a premium.

"Temperatures will be around average for the time of year, with highs of 14C (57F)."


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PM Says Britain Needs To Take Cuts 'Medicine'

By Niall Paterson, Sky News Correspondent

The Conservative leader has refused to say where welfare cuts will fall but insisted that British families still needed to take "the medicine" to help put the country back on track.

In a round of interviews setting out a pledge to create two million extra jobs over the course of the next parliament, David Cameron admitted there were more cuts to be made but would not say where they would fall.

The Conservatives have said they will find £12bn of welfare cuts over the next parliament if they are returned to power on 7 May but have indicated they will not tell voters of the details before the vote.

:: For full coverage of the General Election 2015 click here

Tackled on where the cuts would fall on Sky News Mr Cameron said: "The medicine is that we need to - for two more years - do what we have done for the last five, which is find £1 out of every £100 the Government spends and save it.

"So the choice at this election, if you simplify it, really is: do you want to find that £1 saving out of every £100, which families and businesses up and down the country have had to do or do you want to scrap that plan and put up taxes and borrow more."

Mr Cameron said that they had managed to find £20bn of welfare savings in the last five years.

Answering claims he would go down as the "biggest Scrooge prime minister", Mr Cameron said he didn't come into office to make cuts but when he came to power Britain had a budget deficit forecast to be bigger than that of Greece and he had to do the job.

He also dismissed criticism over using his outgoing address at Number 10, at which he officially announces the General Election, to attack his opponent Ed Miliband.

He was the first prime minister to use the platform to speak against the opposition leader but when asked if it was "not cricket", Mr Cameron told Sky's Eamonn Holmes: "In cricket there are two opposing teams".

And after reports of meetings between Tory MPs and UKIP members he denied he had been in "secret talks" over a coalition and intended to spend the next 37 days working for a majority.

He also said that his wife, Samantha, had not been behind his decision to announce he would only serve two terms as Prime Minister.

Mr Cameron believes the Tories can match the job creation of the past five years, during which the Coalition created an average of 1,000 new jobs every day. Although he got his figures mixed up during the interview on Sky News and claimed it had been 10,000 a day.

As the second day of campaigning gets under way, the Prime Minister said: "We are the jobs party - and over the next month, we will be fighting for every man and woman who wants to work and earn a wage."

The pledge comes exactly a year after Chancellor George Osborne set a goal of full employment for Britain.

Mr Cameron argues an additional two million jobs is a feasible target thanks to government assistance for business, competitive tax rates, a parliament-long campaign against red tape, plus investment in infrastructure.

He said Labour's plan to reverse corporation tax cuts - as a way of paying for a reduction in rates for small businesses - was a "crazy thing to do when the economy is growing".

The Prime Minister's first outing of the election campaign proper was to address a rally of supporters at a school in Chippenham - a marginal constituency they need to take if they are to stand any chance of winning a majority.

Speaking at the event, Mr Cameron admitted he is not the "perfect" Prime Minister - but insisted he has a record to be "proud" of.

It came figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that the UK economy grew faster than had been expected - 2.8% in 2014, which was 0.2% higher than earlier estimates.

Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats sought to distinguish themselves from the Conservatives, and other parties, by focusing on mental health with a pledge of extra funding.

He accused the Tories of trying to "pull the wool over people's eyes" on NHS funding by refusing to set out clearly for voters how it would pay for its pledges on the health service.

The Lib Dems were the first party to commit to meeting the extra £8bn the NHS chief Simon Stevens said was needed for the health service to survive by 2020.

Mr Clegg also criticised Mr Cameron's refusal to say where welfare cuts will fall and said: "The Conservatives are trying to treat people like fools. They say they are going to take £12 billion away from the poorest families in the country but they won't spell out how or where. They are promising everybody lashings of tax cuts but won't tell people how they are going to pay for it."

On the first day of Labour's campaign, Mr Miliband tried to win over business with the launch of the party's first "mini manifesto".

:: Watch the seven-way leaders' debate live and in full from 8pm on Thursday on Sky News, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132, Freesat channel 202, and on the Sky News website.


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Labour To Cut Rates For Small Businesses

Labour has pledged to reverse the Government's final cut in corporation tax to pay for a reduction in rates for small businesses.

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls has also promised smaller firms they will be the first to benefit from future tax cuts if Labour takes power in the General Election.

Mr Balls said that reversing the corporation tax cut would allow Labour to slash business rates on 1.5 million small business premises.

:: For full coverage of the General Election 2015 click here

Labour argues that 17 small firms would benefit from the cut for every large business helped by the reduction in corporation tax.

The party claims the coalition spent £7bn over the last parliament cutting the main rate of corporation tax to the benefit of larger firms, while revenues from business rates rose by £3bn.

Speaking as he visited a small business, Mr Balls said: "Unleashing the potential of smaller businesses to grow, create more good jobs and raise living standards is a vital part of Labour's better plan.

"This is part of our plan to deliver a simpler and fairer tax system for small businesses. This is the right priority when money is tight.

"And it will mean that the tax burden on small businesses will be lower with Labour than under the Tories."

The announcement comes a day after the launch of Ed Miliband's business manifesto was overshadowed by a row over Labour's use of business leaders' quotes in an advert for the party's stance on the EU.

Mr Miliband faced a backlash over the advertisement in the Financial Times, published as Mr Miliband warned voters that leaving the European Union was a "clear and present danger" to British business.

The Conservatives have argued that abandoning the cut in corporation tax would jeopardise economic security.

Treasury Minister David Gauke said: "This would be the first time corporation tax has risen in over 40 years and Labour's plans could cost 96,400 jobs - it would put people's economic security at risk.

"The Conservative Party is helping businesses small and large as part of our long-term economic plan - we don't divide them up for the sake of making a political point."

David Cameron said reversing the corporation tax cut was a "crazy thing to do when the economy is growing".

The Conservative leader today pledged a Conservative government will help business create two million new jobs over the course of the next parliament.

Nick Clegg was speaking earlier to promised an additional £3.5bn over the next parliament, with the aim of "revolutionising" adult and child mental health care.


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'Dangerous' Convicted Murderer Absconds

Police have made an urgent public appeal for help locating a convicted murderer who has breached his release licence.

53-year-old William Kerr, who was jailed for life for murder in 1998 before being released on licence on 23 January, is wanted for emergency recall to prison.

Detectives have described Kerr as "dangerous" and warned the public not to approach him.

North Yorkshire Police were asked for help locating Kerr after the National Offender Management service said he had absconded from approved premises in Hull.

He is known to have links in Humberside, West Yorkshire and London, but his current whereabouts are not known.

Detective Inspector Eamonn Clarke said: "To assist our already extensive efforts to trace William Kerr, I am urging people to keep an eye out for the man in the photographs.

"We ask that you do not approach Kerr, as he is considered dangerous. You should contact the police straight away on 999 and officers will be dispatched to arrest him or investigate the sighting."

The police have also made a direct appeal to Kerr, saying: "William, you know you have breached your licence conditions, and by continuing to do so you are only making things worse. It is now time to do the right thing and hand yourself in to the police."

:: Anyone with information about William Kerr is urged to dial 999 to pass details to North Yorkshire Police, or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting North Yorkshire Police reference number 12150049525.


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Lord Ashcroft Retires From Parliament

Lord Ashcroft has retired from the House of Lords with immediate effect, to concentrate on his "other activities".

The 69-year-old hinted he would retain his title, writing on his Twitter page: "Retired Lords keep their title and can use the facilities of the House should they wish to."

"Earlier this year Baroness D'Souza, the Lord Speaker, said that any member of the House of Lords who can 'no longer contribute meaningfully' should retire," he said in a statement posted on his website.

"She added that since the House has close to 800 members, 'retirement at the right time should be seen as a condition of membership of the House of Lords - a duty as well as a right'.

"I agree with the Speaker, and have concluded that my other activities do not permit me to devote the time that membership of the Lords properly requires.

"Accordingly, I have today written to the Clerk of the Parliaments giving notice of my resignation from the House of Lords with immediate effect."

Lord Ashcroft, who remains a life peer, said he intended to continue his involvement through his polling organisation and his publishing interests.

A former Deputy Chairman and treasurer of the Conservative Party, Lord Ashcroft has a range of business interests and was estimated in 2009 to be worth around £1.1bn.

He hit the headlines in 2010 when, after 10 years of keeping his tax status private, he admitted he did not pay tax on his overseas earnings in the UK.


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Missing Boy Taken To Hospital After Being Found

A 10-year-old boy with a rare genetic condition, who went missing from his south London home this morning, has been found and taken to hospital.

Malakhi Chijiutomi-Ghosh, who requires medication three times a day, was discovered by an off-duty police officer in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.

Police had said they were "extremely concerned" for the welfare of the child because he had not had his medicine today.

Malakhi suffers from congenital adrenal hyperplasia and officers said there was a "real chance" he could have fallen into a coma had he not been found.

After he was discovered, the child was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Police launched a major appeal and search after Malakhi left his home in Thornton Heath, Croydon, at 6am without a mobile phone, cash or Oyster card.

The boy, who likes trains, was last seen at a bus stop in nearby Streatham Common around two hours later.

His disappearance was said to be "completely out of character" and his parents had been "distraught".

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) causes swelling of the adrenal glands and in its most severe form can be life-threatening.

CAH means the body is missing a chemical substance which stimulates the adrenal glands to release the cortisol hormone.

People with the condition are less able to cope with emotional and physical stress, the NHS said.

The condition makes the level of male hormones increase. Symptoms include heart rhythm abnormalities, dehydration and vomiting.

CAH affects between one in 10,000 and one in 18,000 children born each year.


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Borneo Man To Hang For British Students' Murder

By Mark Stone in Beijing and King Chai Woon in Kuala Lumpur

A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to death for the killing of two British medical students on the island of Borneo last August.

Fishmonger Zulkipli Abdullah faces death by hanging once his appeals has been exhausted.

Newcastle University students Neil Dalton and Aidan Brunger, both 22, were found lying in a road in Kuching, the capital of Malaysia's Sarawak state, on 6 August.

An inquest heard how they were stabbed to death following an incident at a bar or cafe in the early hours of the morning.

Prosecutor Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad said Zulkipli admitted to the court that he was involved in a fight with the two Britons, along with two of his friends, but claimed he punched one of them rather than stabbing either of them.

The two men with him on the night testified for the prosecution and said Zulkipli told them he wanted to "test his power" against bigger and taller foreigners.

After the killing, he sniffed the blood on his hands and told his friends that "the blood of white men smells nice," the prosecutor said.

But speaking to Sky News, Zulkipli's defence counsel Anthony Tai said he believes there are "material, fundamental contradictions" by one of the witnesses, who changed her story and testimony.

According to Mr Tai, the unnamed witness initially told the police that she saw three people getting out of a car to attack one foreigner, but during cross-examination, she said she was "mistaken" and claimed that only one person got out of the car and attacked two foreigners.

Mr Tai described the contradictions by the witness as "lies" and expressed surprise that the court still found her to be credible. He said the contradictions will be an important issue during the appeal process.

The fourth-year students were in the Malaysian part of the island on attachment to a hospital in Kuching and were due to finish their placements two days after they were killed.

In a joint statement, their parents said they were "pleased" with the verdict but added it would not bring their sons back.

"They were two exceptional young men with such promise - kind, funny and full of life," Phil and Jan Dalton and Paul Brunger and Sue Hidson said.

"Their deaths have left their families and many good friends utterly devastated.

"Our sons would soon have qualified as doctors. Their unprovoked and senseless murders as they were walking home after a night out with other medical students mean that Aidan and Neil will never have the chance to spend their lives caring for and helping others.

"They would have given so much to the world. We are so very proud of both of them and in what they achieved in their all too short lives.

"Although we are pleased that the man responsible for their murders has been held accountable, the guilty verdict does not bring our sons back."


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UK Must Rebuild Military Capability, MPs Warn

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 24 Maret 2015 | 23.17

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

The United Kingdom cannot ignore the defence challenges facing the country and "retreat into isolation", the House of Commons Defence Committee has warned.

The committee has published a report which attacks the planning, structures and assumptions that drove defence policy and spending decisions for the past five years.

The report says: "For the first time in 20 years, an advanced military state has challenged the borders of European nations, and the security challenges in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia have increased dramatically in scale and complexity.

"Russia has annexed Crimea, and Russian-backed separatists have taken much of Eastern Ukraine.

"DAESH (or ISIL) have seized the second largest city in Iraq, and now control areas of a territory larger than the United Kingdom.

It adds: "Over 10,000 civilians were casualties in Afghanistan last year. Serious instability persists in Darfur, Somalia, the Central African Republic, and Pakistan.

"Three million people have been displaced and two hundred thousand killed in Syria."

As a result of this instability, defence policy must be adjusted to cope, the committee said.

With an eye on Russia, the committee said: "The UK must rebuild its conventional capacities eroded since the Cold War.

"The requirements are many, including Maritime Surveillance, Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Radiological warfare training, developing a Ballistic Missile Defence capability, an enhanced Navy and Air Force, a comprehensive carrier strike capability, and full manoeuvre warfare capacity.

The committee, which is chaired by Rory Stewart, a Tory, said Russia "can deploy 150,000 troops at 72 hours' notice. NATO on current planning would take six months".

It added that the United States pays for 70% of NATO's budget and the UK was soon to fall below the required membership contribution threshold of 2% of GDP.

Britain's defence budget has steadily declined from around 4% of GDP 25 years ago.

Plans to go ahead with the construction of a second aircraft carrier should be shelved amid defence cuts while greater effort should be put into maritime surveillance, the report said.

Five years ago, during the writing of the last Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Government assumed that the days of fighting a sophisticated war against a nation like Russia were over.

Britain's armed forces were cut and are being trained for one quick reaction deployment and one longer-term operation.

Technically the British Army fails the definition of an army, which would normally be three-corps strong, as opposed to the one that can be mustered today.

There are fewer people in the British armed forces than the US Marine Corps.

But Defence Secretary Michael Fallon described suggestions that Britain needs to rebuild its defence capabilities as "nonsense".

"Under this government we have gone from the £38bn black hole in the defence budget that we inherited to a properly funded £34bn annual budget," he said.

"That means we have been able to commit to spending over £160bn on equipment over the next decade to keep Britain safe."


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NHS Paid £3,258 For One Doctor's A&E Shift

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

An NHS hospital paid more than £3,200 for a locum doctor to cover a single 24-hour A&E shift over the Christmas and New Year crisis, a Sky News investigation has found.

So short staffed were some trusts between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day that more than half the shifts in their emergency departments were worked by locum medics, often at huge expense.

Figures obtained by Sky News show that four hospitals paid more than £2,000 for A&E consultants to work a shift, with the highest bill being the £3,258 paid by United Lincolnshire NHS Trust for a doctor to work for 24 hours.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust paid the equivalent of more than £230 an hour for one doctor.

Three hospitals paid more than £1,700 for nurses on single shifts.

At Royal Berkshire, one agency was paid £1,875 for a nurse to work 12 hours on New Year's Day, the equivalent of £156.25 an hour.

Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust paid £156 an hour for a nurse and North Bristol NHS Trust paid £144.

At Airedale NHS Foundation Trust almost three quarters - 71% - of the shifts over that period were covered by a locum doctor.

Some 58% of shifts were filled by locums at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and 52% at Royal Bolton Hospital.

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust had to find agency nurses for 43% of shifts, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust used them for 32% of shifts and Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust for 25%.

The figures were obtained by a Freedom of Information request.

Some 75 out of the 140 trusts replied to questions about how their emergency departments were staffed between 24 December 2014 and 1 January.

In February this year, MPs on the Public Accounts Committee claimed senior A&E doctors were profiting from staff shortages by working for locum agencies.

Experts said that competition between hospitals to fill shifts during what was the busiest Christmas period on record meant that the prices being charged by locum agencies soared.

Dr Clifford Mann, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: "Market forces really are quite extreme currently, with the lack of permanent people to employ.

"It means hospitals are desperate to try to find people to fill these slots and are having to pay super premium rates for that to happen.

"It can be very demoralising to be working alongside somebody with much less experience, much more junior, who is earning a multiple income compared to you in terms of the pounds paid per hour."

Mick Corti, of the London Procurement Partnership which negotiates on behalf of the capital's hospitals to drive costs down, said that agencies were sometimes collecting fees of up to £100 an hour before paying the doctors and nurses themselves.

"There is almost competition on what you are able to pay and by paying more you think you can increase the supply of the agency nurse or doctor, but you are not - you are pinching that nurse or doctor from wherever else they might have worked and then they have a problem.

"You get an inflationary spiral where one trust is competing against another, and that is what the NHS needs to move away from and try to hold firm. Pay appropriate rates and stick to it."

:: Top Five Doctor Payments:

United Lincolnshire NHS Trust -- £3,257

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust -- £2,142

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust -- £2,099

Croydon Health Services -- £2,000

University Hospital South Manchester -- £1,625

:: Top Five Nurse Payments:

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust -- £1,875

Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust -- £1,798

North Bristol NHS Trust -- £1,728

West Middlesex University Hospital -- £1,462

University Hospitals of Leicester -- £1,416


23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

IRA Suspect Letters 'Shouldn't Have Been Sent'

IRA Suspect Letters 'Shouldn't Have Been Sent'

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent

The sending of "comfort letters" to alleged fugitives as part of the Northern Ireland peace process was "questionably unlawful", according to a Commons committee.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee concluded that the scheme "should never have been established and developed as it was and distorted the process of justice".

Members felt the Government's own inquiry should have been wider in remit and conducted in public, and so they set up their own investigation in parallel.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was summoned to appear, told them the peace process would "probably have collapsed" without the "on-the-runs" scheme.

But the Committee found: "It is questionable whether the scheme was lawful or not but its existence distorted the legal process."

Members called on the Government to "take all necessary steps, including legislation if necessary, to ensure the letters sent to 'on-the-runs' have no legal effect".

Laurence Robertson MP, chair of the committee, said: "Our priority is to serve the victims and their relatives, whom we believe to have been let down by HM Government by the way in which this scheme has operated.

"If any scheme had been put in place at all, which is questionable, it should have been properly introduced and correctly administered. It also should have been open and transparent. 

"This scheme was none of those things.

1/9

  1. Gallery: IRA Suspect Amnesties: Key Players

    Following the Good Friday Agreement and the release of 400 loyalist and republican paramilitary prisoners, the question about what to do with on-the-run IRA suspects, wanted for crimes before April 10, 1998, continued to needle the Tony Blair Government

In 2006, Mr Blair wrote to Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams telling him the Government was working on a solution for dealing with the suspects in question

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In 2007, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), under Chief Constable Hugh Orde, launched Operation Rapid, under which they reviewed the cases of terror suspects identified by Sinn Fein and recommended amnesty letters be sent out by the Northern Ireland Office

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It was under this process that 1982 Hyde Park bombing suspect John Downey was sent a letter in 2007. The letter should never have been sent because of a Metropolitan Police warrant for his arrest. The PSNI soon realised the mistake but no action was taken

]]>

Peter Hain, Northern Ireland Secretary until 2007, told the Old Bailey that an "administrative scheme" that had been a temporary measure for dealing with on-the-run suspects had become a formal measure

]]>
IRA Suspect Letters 'Shouldn't Have Been Sent'

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent

The sending of "comfort letters" to alleged fugitives as part of the Northern Ireland peace process was "questionably unlawful", according to a Commons committee.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee concluded that the scheme "should never have been established and developed as it was and distorted the process of justice".

Members felt the Government's own inquiry should have been wider in remit and conducted in public, and so they set up their own investigation in parallel.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was summoned to appear, told them the peace process would "probably have collapsed" without the "on-the-runs" scheme.

But the Committee found: "It is questionable whether the scheme was lawful or not but its existence distorted the legal process."

Members called on the Government to "take all necessary steps, including legislation if necessary, to ensure the letters sent to 'on-the-runs' have no legal effect".

Laurence Robertson MP, chair of the committee, said: "Our priority is to serve the victims and their relatives, whom we believe to have been let down by HM Government by the way in which this scheme has operated.

"If any scheme had been put in place at all, which is questionable, it should have been properly introduced and correctly administered. It also should have been open and transparent. 

"This scheme was none of those things.

1/9

  1. Gallery: IRA Suspect Amnesties: Key Players

    Following the Good Friday Agreement and the release of 400 loyalist and republican paramilitary prisoners, the question about what to do with on-the-run IRA suspects, wanted for crimes before April 10, 1998, continued to needle the Tony Blair Government

In 2006, Mr Blair wrote to Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams telling him the Government was working on a solution for dealing with the suspects in question

]]>

In 2007, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), under Chief Constable Hugh Orde, launched Operation Rapid, under which they reviewed the cases of terror suspects identified by Sinn Fein and recommended amnesty letters be sent out by the Northern Ireland Office

]]>

It was under this process that 1982 Hyde Park bombing suspect John Downey was sent a letter in 2007. The letter should never have been sent because of a Metropolitan Police warrant for his arrest. The PSNI soon realised the mistake but no action was taken

]]>

Peter Hain, Northern Ireland Secretary until 2007, told the Old Bailey that an "administrative scheme" that had been a temporary measure for dealing with on-the-run suspects had become a formal measure

]]>

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More
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