Walthamstow: Teens Charged With Rape Of Girl

Two teenagers have been charged with the rape of a 12-year-old girl in east London.

The 17-year-olds, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were questioned over the attack in Walthamstow.

They are due to appear at Thames Magistrates' Court in Bow, east London, today.

Police said the young girl was approached by three men and dragged to a secluded garage area at the end of Hibbert Road at around 12.15am on July 27.

They said she was "pinned down" and "brutally" attacked by two of the men before managing to raise the alarm by calling a friend from her mobile phone.

Detective Inspector Simon Ellershaw, of the Metropolitan Police, described the assault as "a very nasty attack on a vulnerable girl".

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command on 020 8217 7408 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Lads Mags: Tesco To Restrict Sales To Over 18s

Supermarket giant Tesco says it will sell lads mags only to those aged 18 or over.

The chain also said it had struck a "modesty deal" regarding the front covers of magazines such as Zoo, Nuts and Front and that Bizarre will be supplied in a bag.

The supermarket is bringing in a raft of measures across its 3,000 stores in the UK in response to customer concerns about the racy images.

A Tesco spokesman said: "We have had in depth conversations with our customers about this issue and we're putting new measures in place based on what they have told us they want.

"We've listened carefully to the concerns raised by the campaign groups but our priority is to make sure we meet our customers' needs and expectations.

"To do that we have secured agreement from the publishers of Zoo, Nuts and Front that their magazine covers will be more modest from now on and the publishers of Bizarre will now supply the magazine in a bag.

"We are restricting the sale of these magazines to people over the age of 18 to reassure parents who do not want their children to be able to purchase these titles.

"And we will ensure these titles are always placed on the back tier of the magazine shelves so that the cover is obscured with only the title visible."

Feminist campaign group Lose The Lads' Mags has been part of a driving force in a campaign maintaining it is unacceptable to treat women like sex objects.

It has been targeting high street supermarkets and newsagents which stock the magazines, declaring that it is "a national scandal" they are putting them up for sale.

The group states: "Lads mags aren't just a bit of harmless fun. By portraying women as dehumanised sex objects they fuel attitudes that underpin discrimination and violence against women.

"Displaying lads' mags in everyday spaces like supermarkets sends the deeply harmful message that treating women like sex objects is normal and acceptable."

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Car Parking 'Cash Cow' Plan For Homeowners

Householders should be free to turn their driveway into a car park to boost their income and help provide cheaper parking spaces, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles says.

The Cabinet minister has promised to clamp down on a "back-door parking tax" that forces residents to seek planning permission to charge commuters to park on their property.

New government guidance will allow homeowners to rent out their drives for a single car without making a planning application.

It comes after some town halls demanded that households apply for "change of use" planning permission costing £385, with the threat of a £20,000 fine if they did not, Mr Pickles said.

Householders could earn more than £200 each month renting out their parking space, according to moneysavingexpert.com.

Mr Pickles said: "Councils should be welcoming common sense ways that help hard-working people park easier and cheaply and for families to make some spare cash.

"Councils shouldn't be interfering in an honest activity that causes no harm to others, unless there are serious concerns.

Eric Pickles wants new guidelines for renting out driveways

"Parking charges and fines are not a cash cow for town halls. This Government is standing up against the town hall parking bullies and over-zealous parking enforcement."

Several internet companies have been set up to help households rent out their spare or unused dedicated off-street parking space near town centres, train stations and sports grounds.

Mr Pickles said residents would be allowed to rent a single parking space without planning permission, provided there was no public nuisance to neighbours, or other substantive concerns.

Householders wishing to change their garden into a car park or for other commercial uses would still require planning permission, he added.

It emerged this week that some councils were racking up huge surpluses from their parking-charge activities, according to figures from the RAC Foundation.

In 2011/12, English councils had a total current account surplus of £565m from their on-street and off-street parking operations.

This is a £54m increase on the £511m surplus in 2010/11, said the foundation.

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Snowden Leak: GCHQ 'Paid £100m' By US

The US government has paid at least £100m to the UK spy agency GCHQ over the last three years, according to documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The payments were made to secure access to Britain's intelligence gathering programmes, according to the documents viewed by The Guardian newspaper.

The revelations have emerged after Snowden was granted a year's asylum in Russia following more than a month inside an airport terminal.

The fugitive left Moscow airport in a taxi, although his intended destination was not clear. The US said it was "extremely disappointed" by Russia's decision.

The payments to GCHQ are set out in the latest cache of leaked documents which make clear that the Americans expect a return on the investment.

"GCHQ must pull its weight and be seen to pull its weight," a GCHQ strategy briefing, reported in The Guardian, insisted.

Snowden's supporters say he has a right to freedom of speech

The funding highlights the close relationship between GCHQ and America's National Security Agency (NSA) and raises fears about Washington's hold over the British agency.

In another document from 2010, GCHQ acknowledges that the US had "raised a number of issues with regards to meeting NSA's minimum expectations".

It said GCHQ "still remains short of the full NSA ask". Ministers have denied that GCHQ does the NSA's "dirty work".

Snowden, a former NSA contractor who is wanted by the US on espionage charges, has in the past warned about the relationship between the two agencies.

He said the organisations have been jointly responsible for developing techniques that allow the mass harvesting and analysis of internet traffic.

White House spokesman Jay Carney says the US is 'disappointed' by Russia

The Guardian also reports on indications that GCHQ is pouring money into efforts to gather personal information from mobile phones and apps.

According to one document, GCHQ wants to be able to "exploit any phone, anywhere, any time".

The details of the NSA payments are set out in GCHQ's annual "investment portfolios".

Payments include £17.2m for the agency's Mastering the Internet project, which gathers and stores vast amounts of "raw" information ready for analysis.

Asked about the payments, a Cabinet Office spokesman told The Guardian: "In a 60-year alliance it is entirely unsurprising that there are joint projects in which resources and expertise are pooled, but the benefits flow in both directions."

A senior security source in Whitehall added: "The fact is there is a close intelligence relationship between the UK and US and a number of other countries including Australia and Canada."

Snowden's asylum in Russia was met by anger from the US.

"We are extremely disappointed that the Russian government would take this step despite our very clear and lawful requests in public and private that Mr Snowden be expelled and returned to the United States," White House press secretary Jay Carney said.

Mr Carney said Moscow's decision undermined US-Russian law enforcement cooperation that had improved since two ethnic Chechens were blamed for the Boston Marathon bombings.

American officials will make contact with their Russian counterparts, Mr Carney said, but he refused to explain any diplomatic repercussions for Moscow.

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Coventry: Men Charged With Sex Abuse Of Girls

A group of men accused of exploiting teenage girls have been charged with offences including rape, sexual assault and trafficking.

Ten men were charged on August 1 following an investigation into allegations of abuse of five "vulnerable" girls aged between 16 and 18 in Coventry.

Gulfraz Banaris, 20 and his 25-year-old brother Ifaraz from Wood End and Izthkhab Banaris, 24, from Eld Road, Coventry, are charged with conspiracy to traffic girls across the city for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

Gulfraz and Izthkhab Banaris are also both accused of a rape.

All three appeared before Coventry magistrates on August 1 and were remanded to appear at Coventry Crown Court on November 7.

Isa Iqbal, 21, and his 20-year-old brother Ismail, both of no fixed address and cousins of the Banaris brothers, also face trafficking charges and have been remanded until November.

Ricardo Hinkson, 23, from Telfer Road in Radford, Amir Mahmood, 27, a sign writer from Blackwell Road, Foleshill and milkman Tasveer Hussain, 30, from Canal Road in Foleshill are due to appear at Coventry Magistrates Court charged with conspiracy to traffic within the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation. 

Mechanic Saleem Hussain, 30, from Beake Avenue, Coventry, and Khezer Hussain, 25, from Bordesley Green East, Stechford, are due before magistrates to face charges of sexual assault and rape.

West Midlands Police said the five alleged victims remain safeguarded and continue to be supported by specially trained officers from the force's Public Protection Unit (PPU) along with agencies including Coventry City Council Children's Services.

Coventry PPU Chief Inspector Sue Holder, said: "Protecting young people from harm is a priority for West Midlands Police and the force takes reports of sexual and physical abuse extremely seriously."

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Race Row Over Police Immigration Spot Checks

The Home Office has been accused of targeting non-whites and using "heavy-handed" tactics in a new immigration crackdown to tackle people working illegally in the UK.

Spot checks on people's immigration status are being carried out at London train and tube stations by UK Border Agency staff.

Witnesses claim the checks appear to be only targeting members of ethnic minority communities.

Sky reporter James Banks said: "It is not just those who have been stopped who think these tactics are out of order, with some witnesses arguing the checks were prompted by race, not intelligence."

Phil O'Shea, who witnessed one of the operations earlier this week in north London, told the Kilburn Times: "I thought the behaviour of the immigration officers was heavy-handed and frightening.

"They appeared to be stopping and questioning every non-white person, many of whom were clearly ordinary Kensal Green residents going to work.

"When I queried what was going on I was threatened with arrest for obstruction and was told to 'crack on'."

Another onlooker told Sky News: "I think that when we are targeted like this - whatever you look like - I think it is absolutely terrible, and I think you are basing that on prejudice."

Border Agency officers detain two people in Brentwood, north London

Immigration enforcement officers have also arrested 139 suspected immigration offenders in a series of intelligence-led raids at locations including London, Durham, Manchester, Wales and Somerset - and details of the raids posted online by the Home Office.

Updates on the campaign and heavily pixelated images of some of the arrests of suspects have been tweeted by the Home Office with the hashtag #immigrationoffenders - with the tweets linked to pages on the Government website providing more detailed information on the crackdown.

Those who have no right to be in the UK face being thrown out.

The move is the latest attempt by the Government to crack down on those illegally in the country, following a controversial "go home or face arrest" advertising van campaign.

Immigration Minister Mark Harper said: "We are sending a clear message to employers who choose to use illegal labour - we will find you and you will pay a heavy penalty.

"We will not allow the growth of a shadow economy for illegal migrants."

Spot checks are a joint operation between UKBA and British Transport Police

But concerns have been raised about recent anti-immigration operations in London, and Barry Gardiner, the Labour MP for Brent North, has written to Home Secretary Theresa May demanding an investigation into the spot checks which he said violated "fundamental freedoms".

"We do not yet live in a society where the police or any other officers of the law are entitled to detain people without reasonable justification and demand their papers," Mr Gardiner wrote.

"The actions of your department would however appear to be hastening us in that direction."

Shadow immigration minister Chris Bryant said: "Intelligence-led operations to remove illegal immigrants are to be welcomed. Racial profiling is not."

Writing in The Independent, Dave Garratt, the chief executive of charity Refugee Action, warned that the operations could "incite racial tensions".

"Over the last few weeks we've seen some very visible signs of the Government's 'hostile environment' crusade. There have been vans out on the streets with threatening slogans and, reportedly, non-white people being visibly stopped and searched," he wrote.

The raids at various locations across the UK have been intelligence-led

"The Home Office is responsible for community cohesion. Yet we are increasingly seeing what appears to be hostility towards non-white immigration, which will do nothing but incite racial tensions and divisions within otherwise rich and diverse communities."

A Home Office spokesman defended the tactics: "We make no apology for enforcing our immigration laws and our officers carry out hundreds of operations like this every year around London.

"Where we find people who are in the UK illegally, we will remove them."

The department said it was looking into whether the stop checks outside London stations - a joint operation between British Transport Police and UKBA - were intelligence-led or random.

And it rejected claims that its tweets with the hashtag #immigrationoffenders may have prejudiced cases, because the suspects have not been identified.

It was unable to state how many of those arrested will face deportation, with some cases taking 72 hours to resolve and others much longer, it said.

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British Gas To Offer Free Power On Saturdays

British Gas owner Centrica is considering offering free power to customers on Saturdays to encourage energy use when overall demand is low.

As part of a shake-up in the way energy is used and paid for, free energy tariffs could be offered to those who have a 'smart meter' installed in their homes.

British Gas has fitted over a million of the devices, which detect how much power is used on each day, in UK properties so far.

The offer would apply to homes and not businesses and to electricity use, not gas.

The proposals mirror tariffs already available to US customers of Direct Energy, the sister company of British Gas in North America.

One million Centrica customers already have smart meters

A Centrica spokesman told Sky News: "In Texas, we had a product called 'free power Saturdays'. A fairly simple idea, free power on a Saturday.

"The thinking behind it is for customers to concentrate energy use when demand is low, to reduce demand in the week.

"We are looking to do that over here, we've been thinking about it for a while. A small trial is running at the moment."

He said the scheme would only work for homes that have a smart meter, which would allow Centrica to know when electricity is being used, including whether it is being used on a Saturday.

"This is in the very early stages. It could be in place by mid next year, hypothetically," he added.

The move comes amid political pressure to lower bills

The move is likely to be seen as a reaction to political pressure on the UK's 'Big Six' energy suppliers to cut bills and ensure customers are getting the best deals as Britons struggle to cope with the rising cost of living. 

Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica, told the Financial Times: "We need to get more smart meters in the UK, and if it (free power days) does come to the UK it will be at least six months."

The announcement came just hours after British Gas announced profits for its residential energy business in the six months to the end of June grew by 3.2% to £356m.

The company has insisted that it did not cash in on the bitterly cold start to the year, despite gas consumption rising by 13%. It defended the rise in profits, saying they were curtailed by "significantly higher environmental and commodity costs".

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Council Parking Tickets Raking In Millions

Some councils are making huge surpluses from parking operations, according to the RAC Foundation.

During 2011/12 the combined amount of cash left over after money was spent on parking services, filling potholes, funding park and ride schemes, street lights and road improvements was £412m.

This is a £54m increase in the surplus left over in 2010/11, said the foundation.

The authority with the biggest surplus, before spending on road infrastructure was taken into account, was Westminster Council with £41.6m in 2011/12.

Councils say the cash is for road improvements such as filling potholes

Second, with a surplus of £28.1m was Kensington and Chelsea with the north London council of Camden in third place with £25m.

Only Brighton and Hove and Cornwall councils broke into a top 10 dominated by London authorities.

The surplus figures come just days after a judge declared that Barnet Council in north London had acted illegally in setting parking charges to raise revenue.

RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "For many local authorities, parking charges are a nice little earner, especially in London.

"Not all authorities make big sums. Several run a current account deficit and indeed of those with surpluses, many will see the money vanish when capital expenditure is taken into account.

"But the bottom line is that hundreds of millions of pounds are being contributed annually to council coffers through parking charges."

Eric Pickles: 'this profit shows we need to rein-in unfair parking rules'

Peter Box, chairman of the Local Government Association's economy and transport board, said: "Parking revenue is spent on paying for parking services.

"Any money left over goes towards transport services like filling potholes, concessionary travel, park and rides, street lights and road improvement projects.

"As the RAC Foundation report makes clear, many councils have to subsidise parking services as the cost is not covered by charges.

"Parking charges and fines help councils keep traffic flowing and pedestrians and motorists safe. They also help keep the roads clear for emergency services and business deliveries, and ensure people can park near their homes or local shops."

Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said: "This profit shows why we need to review and rein in unfair town hall parking rules.

"Councils aren't listening, and local shops and hard-working families are suffering as a result. The law is clear that parking is not a tax or cash cow for town hall officers."

Councillor Daniel Astaire, Westminster City Council cabinet member for business, said: "Parking is about traffic management, tackling congestion and trying to implement positive benefits for businesses and high streets.

"If we stay in this Jurassic Age of pure rhetoric about cash cows and money making, innovation will be stifled and we cannot engage with motorists properly in order to find the best solutions that will benefit everyone."

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Drink-Drive Deaths: 25% Increase In 2012

A total of 290 people were killed in drink-drive accidents last year - a quarter up on the previous 12 months.

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Judges To Rule On Assisted Suicide Appeal

Leading judges are to rule on the latest round of a right-to-die legal battle started by locked-in syndrome sufferer Tony Nicklinson.

Mr Nicklinson, 58, died at home in Melksham, Wiltshire, a week after he lost a High Court bid to end his life with a doctor's help.

Mr Nicklinson after hearing he had lost a bid for help to end his life

The father-of-two, who was paralysed by a stroke in 2005, refused food and contracted pneumonia after he was "devastated" by the decision.

But his widow Jane vowed to continue the battle in the courts, which she said was "part of Tony's legacy".

Her challenge against the High Court's ruling was heard at the Court of Appeal in May alongside those brought by two severely disabled men.

She had argued that people too sick or disabled to end their "unbearable" lives without help are currently being condemned to "suffer in silence or make desperate attempts to kill themselves".

One of the other cases is that of paralysed road accident victim Paul Lamb, 57, who is immobile except for limited movement in his right hand and has been in significant pain since the tragedy in 1990.

The third case is that of another locked-in syndrome sufferer whose case was rejected at the High Court on the same day as Mr Nicklinson's.

The father of two was paralysed after suffering a stroke in 2005

The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons and is referred to as 'Martin', suffered a massive stroke in August 2008.

He is unable to speak and virtually unable to move, describing his life as "undignified, distressing and intolerable" - and wants to be allowed a "dignified suicide".

In Mr Lamb's case, he wants a doctor to help him die in a dignified way - preferably by a lethal injection - with his family around him in his own home.

Appellant Paul Lamb, who has been immobile and in pain since 1990

The former builder and father of two says he feels worn out and fed up of going through the motions of life rather than living it.

Giving their ruling last year, the three High Court judges unanimously agreed it would be wrong for the court to depart from the long-established legal position that "voluntary euthanasia is murder, however understandable the motives may be".

Appeal Court judges Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, Master of the Rolls Lord Dyson and Lord Justice Elias will reveal whether they have overturned the High Court ruling later.

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Twitter Admits Failing Rape Threat Women

Twitter has broken its silence over a growing row about abuse on the social media site, telling Sky News it has failed women who have faced rape threats.

Twitter's head of safety, Del Harvey, said: "I think that any time that someone feels we weren't responsive, or weren't reactive or we didn't care then, yes, we failed in that instance and we need to do better.

"And that's something that we have definitely had highlighted in terms of the need to educate people about what we've done and to get feedback on what we need to do better."

A series of rape and death threats were made against feminist campaigner, Caroline Criado-Perez, and the MP Stella Creasy, in recent days.

Twitter was criticised for not taking stronger and swifter action against the abusive messages. It insisted it took the issue seriously.

Ms Criado-Perez was sent sickening abuse nearly every minute for 48 hours

The allegations were reported to the police and an investigation was launched into the string of messages sent to Ms Criado-Perez after she headed a successful campaign for a female figure to appear on UK banknotes, and the Labour MP for Walthamstow.

A 25-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of harassment of the two women and earlier in the week police questioned and released on bail a 21-year-old man in connection with messages sent to Ms Criado-Perez.

Speaking to Sky News from San Francisco, Ms Harvey revealed that Twitter had spoken to police about abuse claims.

She also said "automated and manual systems" were already in place to prevent abuse and Twitter was now working on a further solution that will allow users to tap on a tweet and report it as abusive. Tweeters will then be asked to answer a series of questions about the abuse they have reported.

Ms Creasy called for Twitter to take stronger action against online abuse

The 'report abuse' button, already available on its latest iPhone app, will be extended to other platforms.

Her comments came as Ms Criado-Perez, who has criticised the microblogging site's security policies, described how the online attack left her feeling "under siege" and terrified in her own home.

Ms Criado-Perez, 29, also said Twitter needs to "get a grip" on security, as it emerged bosses were likely to face a grilling from MPs.

She said the social network was ill-equipped to handle episodes of sustained abuse and needed to work more closely with police.

Ms Criado-Perez met Twitter directors on Monday night along with Ms Creasy, who received a similar torrent of abusive messages after she offered support to the freelance journalist.

"This will have been a wake-up call for Twitter," Ms Criado-Perez said.

"It will hopefully have led them to realise that they are not equipped to deal with this kind of thing properly."

The campaigner said the police also needed to "step up".

Twitter bosses look set to face questions from MPs when the Culture, Media and Sport Committee examines issues surrounding child protection in the autumn.

Committee chair John Whittingdale said: "I would have thought it very possible that the committee might want, in the course of our inquiry, to talk to Twitter."

He added: "It isn't that the law needs to be changed; the question is how you identify people and how you prevent them (from abusing others online).

"That is the big question and it is one we would wish to explore with internet companies to determine whether they are doing as much as they can or whether they should do more. I think that's a very live issue."

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Walthamstow Rape: Police Hunt Three Men

Police are looking for three men after a 12-year-old girl was "brutally" raped in London.

The girl was lured to a garage area in Walthamstow, east London, where she was pinned down and raped by two of the men, who are thought to be aged between 17 and 19.

The suspects left the area after the girl managed to call a friend who came to the scene and took her away.

Scotland Yard said the girl met the three men between 12.15am and 12.30am on Saturday, July 27.

Detective Inspector Simon Ellershaw, who is leading the investigation, said: "This was a very nasty attack on a vulnerable girl just 12 years old by a group of older males who engaged her in conversation before leading her to a secluded area.

"She was pinned down and two of the males then brutally raped her."

The first of the three men was described as dark-skinned and of mixed race, with a diamond stud in his left ear and a London accent. He told the girl his name was Mo and that he was 17.

He had large brown eyes, short hair, was very skinny and wore a black puffa-style jacket with a hood, black chinos, black trainers and a grey/black T-shirt.

The second was described as black and very tall with big lips. His hair was partly shaven and he wore black trousers with a red and blue shirt.

The third, who did not rape the girl, was black and had a moustache. He wore a blue hooded top and a red and blue cap, and told her his name was Miles.

The attack happened in an area at the end of Hibbert Road, near Theydon Street.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0208 217 7408 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Cybercrime: Britain 'Losing The War' Say MPs

The threat of a cyberassault on Britain is considered so serious it is marked as a higher threat than a nuclear attack, according to an influential group of MPs.

Despite being the preferred target of online criminals in 25 countries, the UK is still "complacent" towards cybercrime as victims are "hidden in cyberspace", the Home Affairs Select Committee said.

The group of MPs said funding and resources for tackling online crime, which includes identity theft, industrial espionage, credit card fraud and child exploitation, has not been sufficiently allocated.

Cybercriminals in 25 countries are said to be targeting the UK

Tougher sentences for online criminals and improved training for police officers are recommended by the committee to deal with the growing threat.

Committee chair Keith Vaz said: "We are not winning the war on online criminal activity. We are being too complacent about these e-wars because the victims are hidden in cyberspace.

"The threat of a cyberattack to the UK is so serious it is marked as a higher threat than a nuclear attack.

Christopher Whitehead, the hacker at the heart of an attack on Paypal

"You can steal more on the Internet than you can by robbing a bank.

"If we don't have a 21st century response to this 21st century crime, we will be letting those involved in these gangs off the hook."

Online crime - committed by lone hackers, activist groups and nation states sponsoring industrial espionage - has been estimated by online security firm Norton to globally cost around £250bn ($388bn) in financial losses.

The committee heard that the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau had discovered about 25 countries predominantly targeting the UK and said it was "deeply concerned" that EU partner countries are not doing enough to prevent the attacks.

The committee added it was "surprised" hackers from the group Anonymous, who cost Paypal more than £3.5m, were not given stiffer sentences.

Christopher Weatherhead, a 22-year-old university student who was described as a key operator in the group, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in the attack. 

Hidden in cyberspace: The UK is too complacent towards e-crime, say MPs

Commissioner Adrian Leppard, of City of London Police, the most senior policeman in the country on online fraud, warned the committee that a quarter of the 800 specialist internet crime officers could be axed as spending is cut.

The committee was also alarmed that the Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre is having its budget cut by 10% over four years and its chief executive Peter Davies is leaving.

Last week, David Cameron threatened to impose tough new laws on internet firms if they fail to blacklist key search terms for illegal images by October as part of a wider crackdown on online pornography.

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Barclays Half-Year Profit Down 17% To £3.59bn

Barclays has reported a 17% drop in half-year adjusted profit of £3.59bn, as it announced a £5.8bn capital-raising rights issue.

It said adjusted income decreased 3% to £15bn, in the six months to June 30.

Barclays said a payment protection insurance (PPI) mis-selling provision of £1.3bn had been made and £650m had been put aside for provisions in relation to interest rate swaps.

The total mis-selling bill for the bank, which had been criticised previously for its aggressive corporate culture, now stands at £5.5bn.

The lender, which was hit last year by the Libor rate-rigging crisis, said it would seek a capital boost in order to meet capital requirements laid down by the Bank of England (BoE).

Past problems continue to haunt Barclays and its cash-call comes after the BoE last month told it to increase its leverage ratio - a measure of equity to assets - to reduce its risk.

Barclays was criticised for its ethics under former CEO Bob Diamond (c)

The rights issue will be for one new ordinary share for every four existing ordinary shares held and priced the issue at 185p per new ordinary share.

Barclays said: "This represents a discount of approximately 40.1% to the closing price on the London Stock Exchange of 309.05p per ordinary share on 29 July 2013 ... and a discount of approximately 34.9% to the theoretical ex-rights price based on the closing price."

The bank said its fundraising was a "bold but balanced plan" which would see it meet regulator demands by June next year.

It stressed it would not impact on its aims to boost lending to households and businesses.

However, shares fell around 5% in early trading as the rights issue was far higher than expected and as Barclays admitted its plans will put back some of the financial targets under its overhaul, dubbed Project Transform.

The bank will also issue £2bn of bonds that are turned into shares or wiped out if the bank gets into trouble.

Chief executive Antony Jenkins said the capital-raising plan enabled the bank to keep growth in its planned level of lending.

"I am certain the decisive and prompt action we are taking will leave Barclays stronger," Mr Jenkins said.

:: The bank said an estimated £42bn of Funding for Lending (FLS) capital was made to UK households and businesses in the six-month period.

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Hospital Patient Ratings Largely Positive

The first results of a new NHS test have revealed most patients are satifised with their standard of care.

Despite months of criticism about hospitals and A&E departments, only 36 out of more than 4,000 NHS wards had an overall negative figure in June.

This is a fall of 30 from April, when the so-called Friends and Family Test was first introduced.

A&E services scored between 100 to minus 13 and scores for inpatients ranked from 100 to 43.

But there will be disappointment at the response rate, which was just 13.1% across England.

Patients are asked one simply question - whether they are likely to recommend the ward or A&E department they were treated in to friends and family.

They chose from six responses ranging from extremely likely to extremely unlikely and were asked to give reasons for their score.

More than 400,000 people completed the survey and results relate to around 4,500 NHS wards and 144 A&E services.

NHS England's national director for patients and information Tim Kelsey said the initiative was a "major step forward".

"Direct patient and citizen feedback is vital to improving the services the NHS provides. Trusts can concentrate their focus on improvement with this information," he said.

"From this first publication, we can see a significant and real variation in the quality of customer service across the NHS.

"There are home truths here and everyone will expect those Trusts who have large numbers of their patients choosing not to recommend their services to respond as quickly as possible."

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Arrest Made After Twitter Rape Threats

A 21-year-old man has been arrested after a barrage of sexual abuse was posted on Twitter aimed at the woman who campaigned for a female figure to appear on British banknotes.

Caroline Criado-Perez received hostile posts, including threats to rape and kill her, nearly every minute in the 48 hours after she attended the Bank of England's unveiling of the new £10 note, with Jane Austen's image on, on Wednesday.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "A 21-year-old man has today been arrested in the Manchester area on suspicion of harassment offences.

"The arrest is in connection with an allegation of malicious communications received by officers in Camden on Thursday, July 25."

The abuse started after Ms Criado-Perez fronted the £10 note campaign

On Sunday,  Ms Criado-Perez said she had been informed that an arrest had been made.

On her Twitter page she wrote: "Just heard from police that an arrest has been made. That's all I have at present."

She earlier called on the social networking site and police to take action over the abuse.

Twitter is under increasing pressure to take a tougher stance

She told Sky News: "It was really really disturbing to find that something as small as asking for one woman on a banknote could result in such a barrage of threats of sexual violence.

"It's just not acceptable and more than that it's actually a crime and Twitter needs to take it seriously and the police need to take it seriously."

Her comments come as an online petition in support of her, calling on Twitter to introduce a button to allow speedy reporting of abuse, has attracted more than 25,000 signatures.

She has also received support from MPs and celebrities.

Ms Criado-Perez added: "This is something that happens specifically to women and it's to make them shut up because there is a certain type of man who doesn't like women speaking and they don't like women speaking back to them.

"I wasn't going to give them what they wanted so I decided to start being very very public about the abuse I was receiving even though it was really unpleasant and obviously it's invited more abuse to a certain extent, but it's also invited so much support which has been absolutely incredible."

A spokesperson for Twitter said: "The ability to report individual tweets for abuse is currently available on Twitter for iPhone and we plan to bring this functionality to other platforms, including Android and the web.

"We don't comment on individual accounts. However, we have rules which people agree to abide by when they sign up to Twitter.

"We will suspend accounts that, once reported to us, are found to be in breach of our rules.

"We encourage users to report an account for violation of the Twitter rules by using one of our report forms: https://support.twitter.com/forms."

Jane Austen will appear on the front of £10 notes from 2017

The Metropolitan Police is conducting inquiries into the matter after receiving an allegation of abuse.

Labour's shadow home secretary and shadow minister for women Yvette Cooper has written to the head of Twitter in the UK urging stronger action over the matter, saying she is "deeply concerned by the handling of serious and violent threats of abuse and rape".

The letter says: " ... Despite the scale and seriousness of these threats, the official response from Twitter continues to be extremely weak - simply directing Caroline away from Twitter towards the police, and, belatedly, directing users to abuse reporting forms on Twitter.

" ... I urge you to go further and ensure that Twitter carries out a full review of all its policies on abusive behaviour, threats and crimes, including more help for Twitter users who experience abuse, a clear complaints process and clear action from Twitter to tackle this kind of persecution."

Comedians Chris Addison and Dara O'Briain are among the celebrities to back Ms Criado-Perez with messages on Twitter.

Addison wrote: "In case you missed it, here's the link to petition to add a 'Report Abuse' button to Twitter … Least we can do, right?"

And O'Briain posted: "If the ladies leave Twitter because of all the dumb, rapey 14-year-old boys, then I'm outta here people. Like most grown-up men too, I'd say"

MPs including Stella Creasy and Diane Abbott also voiced their support via the microblogging site.

Ms Criado-Perez, a freelance journalist who co-founded The Women's Room, an online database of female experts, organised a campaign which included a petition signed by more than 35,500 people after the Bank of England decided to replace Elizabeth Fry with Winston Churchill on new £5 notes.

The move would have meant there were no women apart from the Queen on sterling banknotes.

Her campaign was a success, with an announcement by the Bank last week that Pride And Prejudice author Austen will replace Charles Darwin on the new £10 note when it is introduced 2017.

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Usain Bolt And Mo Farah Could Race Each Other

One is the world's fastest man, the other is one of Britain's most successful athletes, and they could be going head-to-head in a race for charity.

Speaking to Sky, UK athletics star Mo Farah challenged Jamaican Usain Bolt to run over a distance of between 600 metres and 800 metres.

Farah, 30, is more used to competing over 5,000m and 10,000m, while Bolt specialises in the 100m and 200m.

They won their respective events at last year's Olympics and struck up a special connection during the London Games.

So the charity race, if it happens, would be over an intermediate distance, raising money for their own foundations.

Farah, who is also in form in middle distance running as he recently broke the British 1,500m record, said: "He's got his charity foundation, I've got the Mo Farah Foundation.

"It would be great to do a distance where people vote in - proper athletics fans - on what distance they think is most suitable."

He then told Bolt: "Are you up for that? Come on, you've got to do it."

Bolt, 26, replied he would be prepared to take on the challenge, saying: "That sounds fun.

"It's going to be hard but it's charity so it's all about fun and enjoyment.

"I'm up for anything, for anything's possible."

Bolt, also the world record holder at 100m and 200m, said running 1,500m would be out of the question.

"It's way too far," he said. "Six hundred (metres) for sure I can try because I've done 600m in training."

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Manchester Stabbing: Girl Fights For Life

A 13-year-old-girl is fighting for her life after a stabbing attack in which a man believed to be her father died.

The man who is understood to have launched the knife attack in Moston, northeast Manchester, died of knife wounds a short time later after driving a car into the side of a nearby pub.

Police found the seriously injured girl after 10pm on Sunday at a house where the body of a 41-year-old man, who had been stabbed, was also discovered.

Forensics officers at the scene in Moston

Her wounds are believed to have been inflicted with a knife.

Less than three hours later, officers were called to Watfield Walk in Harpurhey, a two-mile drive away, after reports that a man had threatened a car owner with a knife and stole a vehicle.

The vehicle was then seen by police near Rochdale Road. The 34-year-old driver drove the car into the side of the Alliance Inn pub when officers approached.

The suspected knifeman crashed into the Alliance Inn in Harpurhey

He was taken to hospital suffering from a stab wound and injuries consistent with a crash but died a short time later.

No one else was injured.

Forensics officers are at the scene of the attack in Moston, where an area around Delta Walk has been sealed off.

The attack happened a two-mile drive from where the stolen car was crashed

Detective Superintendent Simon Barraclough, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "We are in the very early stages of our inquiries and are piecing together the circumstances that led to two men losing their lives and a 13-year-old girl fighting for her life in hospital.

"Obviously the community will be shocked as to what has happened but we can say we do not believe anyone else was involved and are not looking for anyone else in relation to this incident."

Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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Gloucester Stabbing: Three People Arrested

Three people have been arrested after a man was stabbed to death close to where a carnival procession passed just hours earlier.

Officers were called to Park End Road in Gloucester shortly before 8pm last night following reports that a man had been stabbed.

The road borders Gloucester Park, where the town had held its annual family carnival and fete celebrations, including a procession.

A spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said two men and a woman have since been arrested on suspicion of murder.

A cordon remains in place at the scene.

Detective Inspector Jon Thompson said: "I would like to reassure people living in the area or visiting Gloucester that this type of incident is extremely rare.

"The investigation is ongoing and three people are currently in custody.

"However, we would still like to speak to anyone who was in or around Gloucester Park at the time and who might have seen what happened.

"Please can they contact Gloucestershire Police on 101 or speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."

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Immigration Figures 'Little Better Than A Guess'

Official figures showing how many immigrants are coming to the UK are "little better than a guess", according to a report by MPs.

The report by the Public Administration Select Committee says the number of migrants coming to the country is not properly measured, and warns the statistics are "not fit for purpose".

Analysis on how many non-UK residents are entering and leaving the country is primarily based on "random interviews" of travellers at ports and airports that were introduced to examine tourism trends, the report says.

Just 5,000 migrants a year are identified through the International Passenger Survey and many "may be reticent to give full and frank answers," it warned.

Although the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which uses the research to draw up its migration estimates, has "done its best" to produce informative statistics, the survey "is not fit for the purposes to which it is put" and ministers must find new ways to gather information, MPs said.

In the year to June 2012, immigration was estimated at 515,000 while emigration was estimated at 352,000.

The Coalition aims to reduce net migration - the difference between the two figures - from the hundreds of thousands down to the tens of thousands by 2015.

The Coalition is aiming to significantly reduce net migration by 2015

But MPs warned the Government is at risk of ending up with an "inappropriate" immigration policy if it bases its target level of net migration on uncertain statistics "which could be out by tens of thousands".

ONS migration estimates contain no information on the immigration status of migrants, while statistics produced by the Home Office do not indicate the number of visa holders with valid leave to remain in the UK or the number who overstay their leave to remain, the report said.

Statistics produced by both organisations are "blunt instruments" for measuring, managing, and understanding migration, it added.

The committee said migration figures could be considerably improved if the Home Office and ONS properly recorded and linked the data they already gather.

MPs called for the e-Borders system to be used for measuring immigration, emigration and net migration as quickly as possible.

Committee chairman Bernard Jenkin said: "Most people would be utterly astonished to learn that there is no attempt to count people as they enter or leave the UK.

"They are amazed when they are told that government merely estimates that there are 500,000 immigrants coming into the UK each year.

"This is based on random interviews of around 800,000 people stopped and interviewed at ports and airports each year.

"Only around 5,000 of those are actual migrants, many of whom may be reticent to give full and frank answers, to say the least."

The International Passenger Survey also fails to garner the type of information needed to work out the social and economic consequences of migration, such as demand for the National Health Service or schools.

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Theresa May 'Shocked' By Diabetes Diagnosis

Theresa May has spoken of her shock after being diagnosed with a chronic illness, but insists it will not affect her political career.

The Home Secretary was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes two months ago and must now inject herself with insulin at least twice a day for the rest of her life, the Mail On Sunday revealed.

Commentators had seized on Mrs May's dramatic weight loss over the past 18 months as proof that she was undergoing a style makeover in preparation for a future leadership bid.

But the Conservative Cabinet minister told the newspaper that dropping two stones was partly down to the illness.

"The diabetes doesn't affect how I do the job or what I do. It's just part of life ... so it's a case of head down and getting on with it," Mrs May told the Mail On Sunday.

"It was a real shock and, yes, it took me a while to come to terms with it."

There are around 300,000 people in the UK with Type 1 diabetes

Speaking about the timing of the announcement, Sky's chief political correspondent Jon Craig said: "I suspect she wanted to get the Abu Qatada deportation out of the way and wanted nothing to distract from that."

There are around 300,000 people in the UK with Type 1 diabetes. Despite decades of research, no vaccine has been found to prevent the disease.

Pressed on whether the illness would prevent her from one day succeeding David Cameron, she told the newspaper: "There is no leadership bid.

"We have a first-class Prime Minister and long may he continue."

Doctors told Mrs May she had the condition, which means her body does not produce insulin, in November but initially they thought she had Type 2 diabetes.

"It doesn't and will not affect my ability to do my work. I'm a little more careful about what I eat and there's obviously the injections, but this is something millions of people have," she said.

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