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Hammond Hits Back Over £2bn MoD Underspend

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 12 Oktober 2013 | 16.12

By Vincent McAviney, Sky News Political Producer

The Defence Secretary has hit back at criticism of a £2bn underspend by the Government department he oversees, saying the money will be spent on future kit for soldiers.

Philip Hammond reacted angrily to claims he had been "overzealous" in pursuit of an austerity drive that will see thousands of soldiers lose their jobs.

They were made in a Daily Telegraph article which suggested the underspend at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was partly down to cuts in military personnel and equipment.

Mr Hammond said: "These retired 'senior military figures' (quoted by the newspaper) are presumably the same people who presided over an out of control defence budget that led to the previous Government sending troops into battle without the proper equipment needed to protect them.

Philip Hammond with a Rapier System ground-to-air missile launcher Mr Hammond is overseeing a major cost-cutting exercise at the MoD

"They clearly have no idea how the defence budget now works.

"Instead of having to delay and cancel programmes as in the past, we now budget prudently and then roll forward any underspend to future years, allowing us to place new equipment orders."

Mr Hammond's comments came as a Sky News investigation revealed Government departments have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on calls to directory inquiries numbers since the last election.

The MoD alone made 158,640 calls to 118 lines between May 1, 2010, and August 31, 2013 - the equivalent of 186 calls per day - at a cost of £271,000.

A spokesman said the number of calls made from fixed phone lines had fallen by more than three-quarters in the last four years.

However, the expenditure is equivalent to the annual salaries of 15 squaddies or nine junior officers, or around 270 sets of Osprey body armour.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) made 97,265 calls between May 2010 and August 2013 at a cost of £72,387.

This was despite the department barring staff from calling 118 numbers in March 2011 and Secretary of State Iain Duncan Smith pledging to cut costs to help fund police and the forces.

The Ministry of Defence headquarters in London The MoD says it has cut the number of directory inquiry calls it makes

Robert Oxley, campaign director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, added: "It's astonishing that so much taxpayers' money has been wasted needlessly dialling these services, especially in the internet age.

"Sadly, a blase attitude over who is picking up the phone bill is all too common in some corners of the civil service."

It is the second time in as many months the MoD's spending on phone calls has been brought into question, and comes at a time when the military is undergoing a massive cost-reduction programme which includes thousands of redundancies.

In August, the department revealed it had run up a £40,000 bill on calls to the speaking clock.

The MoD has said this was partly down to a "technical error" in one of its systems which meant the number was being dialled automatically.

British soldiers walk to a Royal Air Force (RAF) Chinook helicopter for transport in Lashkar Thousands of soldiers are losing their jobs as the MoD cuts costs

However, Sky News now understands that between May 1, 2010, and August 31, 2013, 99,887 calls were in fact made by departmental staff to the speaking clock at a cost of £39,845.

The faulty automated system placed an additional 28,663 calls to the number but the £12,355 cost of these calls is being repaid by the company which installed it.

A spokesman for the MoD said: "Calls to directory inquiries from the majority of the 260,000 MoD fixed phone lines are banned but some staff working in isolated locations, who do not have access to a military phone network or the internet, are able to call directory enquiries to obtain contact details."

A spokesman for the DWP added: "118 numbers are banned, except where they are used by jobseekers or their advisers when looking for work.

"The costs of these calls have been cut by more than two-thirds since 2010, as more of the 1.4 million claimants we support move online for their job searches."

Freedom of Information Act requests were submitted to all government departments, although some departments including the Home Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs refused to provide the information.

Several other departments said they had barred 118 calls, instructing staff to use internet search engines to obtain contact details.

Labour shadow minister Jon Ashworth told Sky News: "This is yet another example of the Government's failure to tackle waste.

"David Cameron and his ministers need to act now to stop allowing thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money being squandered on these costly calls."


16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brain Implant 'Could Stop Parkinson's Growth'

By Rhiannon Mills, Sky News Correspondent

A hi-tech brain implant could transform the lives of people living with Parkinson's disease.

Scientists in Bristol have developed a system of tubes and catheters that allows them to pump protein therapy deep into patients' brains.

It is hoped the technique will encourage cells damaged by the disease to grow again.

The protein, known as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), is injected once a month through a port just behind the ear and pushed through the tubes and catheters by an external pump.

Doctors at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, have trialled the system on six patients and are now looking for another 36 to continue the research.

Dr Kieran Breen, director of research and innovation at Parkinson's UK, said: "For years, the potential of GDNF as a treatment for Parkinson's has remained one of the great unanswered research questions.

Trial of implant gives hope to Parkinson's disease sufferers Protein passed through the implant could encourage the regrowth of cells

"This new study will take us one step closer to finally answering this question once and for all.

"We believe GDNF could have the potential to unlock a new approach for treating Parkinson's that may be able to slow down and ultimately stop the progression of the condition all together.

"Currently there are very few treatments available for people with Parkinson's and none capable of stopping the condition from advancing."

Parkinson's, which affects more than 127,000 people in the UK, develops when a lack of a chemical called dopamine causes nerve cells within the brain to die.

This in turn causes symptoms such as stiffness, slowness of movement and tremors.

Previous research studies have suggested GDNF has the potential to encourage these cells to grow again - in effect stopping the progression of Parkinson's.

Trial of implant gives hope to Parkinson's disease sufferers Scientists hope the technique will encourage cells regrowth

Tom Phipps, from Bristol, who was diagnosed with the condition eight years ago at the age of 50, was the first patient in the world to be fitted with the port system.

"I have a hope it will make a difference, if not by halting the progress of my condition then at least (allowing me to) lead a much more active life for a little bit longer," he said.

"If it doesn't affect me, it may affect, and positively affect, someone else at a later stage."

Professor Steven Gill, from Frenchay Hospital, told Sky News the equipment could be used to treat a variety of conditions.

"If this technology proves to be safe and reliable ... it has huge applications across neurological diseases, not only for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's but also brain tumours and other conditions," he said.

The £2m project is funded by Parkinson's UK with support from The Cure Parkinson's Trust.

A foundation set up by actor Michael J Fox, who has the condition, also made a large donation.


16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Daily Mail Editor Attacks Miliband 'Hysteria'

The editor of the Daily Mail has said the row between Ed Miliband and the newspaper over an article it printed about the Labour leader's late father shows why politicians "must not be allowed anywhere near press regulation".

Paul Dacre's comments - his first since the Mail published a story about Ralph Miliband's Marxist views under the headline "the man who hated Britain" - came after MPs agreed a series of changes to a draft royal charter.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller urged newspapers to sign up to the scheme but an industry steering group said the charter remains "written by politicians, imposed by politicians and controlled by politicians".

Writing in his own newspaper and the Guardian, Mr Dacre said the "collective hysteria" over the Miliband article showed why statutory regulation should not be introduced.

Copies of the Daily Mail on a newspaper stand in The newspaper's editor says MPs must not 'sit in judgment on the press'

"Some have argued that last week's brouhaha shows the need for statutory press regulation," he said. "I would argue the opposite.

"The febrile heat, hatred, irrationality and prejudice provoked by last week's row reveals why politicians must not be allowed anywhere near press regulation.

"And while the Mail does not agree with the Guardian over the stolen secret security files it published, I suggest that we can agree that the fury and recrimination the story is provoking reveals again why those who rule us - and who should be held to account by newspapers - cannot be allowed to sit in judgment on the press."

The Daily Mail has refused to apologise for the article about Mr Miliband, which Mr Dacre said did not suggest he was "evil".

Ed Miliband talks about his family Ed Miliband said he was 'appalled' at the Mail's 'character assassination'

"Yes, the headline was controversial, but popular newspapers have a long tradition of using provocative headlines to grab readers' attention," he said.

"In isolation that headline may indeed seem over the top, but read in conjunction with the article we believed it was justifiable."

The planned royal charter would establish a new self-regulatory body that would rule on complaints and decide whether to impose penalties.

Changes to the scheme, which were agreed following talks between the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, include provision for a fee for use of a new arbitration service, intended to deter speculative claims, as well as a code of conduct for editors, to be approved by the independent regulator.

The proposals will now go forward to the Privy Council for final approval on October 30.


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Asylum Report Slams Border Official Decisions

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 11 Oktober 2013 | 16.12

Britain is at risk of harbouring war criminals and terrorists due to poor decisions made by border officials, a group of MPs has warned in a damning report on asylum.

The Home Affairs Select Committee said 30% of appeals against initial decisions were allowed in 2012, raising concerns about decisions to grant asylum to people "who later emerge to be involved with terrorist activity".

It was recently reported that al Qaeda leader Abu Anas al Libi, who was seized by US special forces almost a week ago in the Libyan capital Tripoli, was granted political asylum in Britain during the 1990s.

However, it is now understood al Libi was never granted asylum in the UK.

Committee chairman Keith Vaz said: "Those who apply for asylum should be checked against national and international law enforcement agency and security databases to ensure that we are not harbouring those who intend us harm.

"The Home Secretary has to assure us that any anomalies in the process, which have allowed decisions such as this to take place, are addressed immediately."

A backlog of 32,600 asylum cases that should have been resolved in 2011 are yet to be concluded, the report found.

The number of applicants still waiting for an initial decision after six months rose by 63% last year, with some waiting up to 16 years, the report added.

Keith Vaz Committee chair Keith Vaz MP says 'anomalies' need to be addressed

The MPs also raised concerns about the "appalling" housing conditions faced by asylum-seekers, as well as the pressure placed on gay applicants to prove their sexual orientation.

In 2012, there were 21,955 applications for asylum in the UK. As of September 19 this year, of those 21,955 cases, 18,423 have received an initial decision and 12,632 have been concluded.

It means that 3,523 people who applied for asylum in 2012 have yet to receive an initial decision.

Mr Vaz said: "The asylum system is overburdened and under severe pressure. The system needs to work, otherwise applicants are trapped in a cycle of helplessness and vulnerability."

Maurice Wren, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the findings reflected the "grave concerns" about the UK asylum system that the charity "has been highlighting for years".

"Failing to treat asylum seekers with dignity and, simultaneously, failing to deal effectively and fairly with their claims has created an expensive and counter-productive bureaucratic nightmare that all too often denies vulnerable people the protection from persecution and oppression they desperately need," he said.

But a Home Office spokesman insisted the UK "has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need it".

He said: "We are committed to concluding all cases as quickly as possible, but asylum cases are often complex and require full and thorough consideration.

"We have robust mechanisms in place to monitor standards of housing provided to asylum seekers."

:: Immigration is likely to be one of the key debates at the next General Election - and we'll be examining the issue on Sky News next week.

Immigration UK starts on Monday October 14, on Sky News TV, skynews.com, our mobile apps and Sky News for Ipad.


16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Driving Test Age Could Rise To 18

Young drivers could have to wait until they are 18 before they are allowed to take their driving test under proposals being considered by the Government.

The move is aimed at cutting the number of people killed and injured in accidents on Britain's roads.

Figures show more than a fifth of deaths in 2011 involved drivers aged 17 to 24, and around 10% of novice drivers are caught committing an offence within their probationary period.

The Government-commissioned report by the Transport Research Laboratory suggests learner drivers will still be granted provisional licences at the age of 17.

But they will have to complete a 12-month "learner stage" that would require drivers to clock up at least 100 hours of daytime and 20 hours of night-time supervised practice.

For the first year, newly qualified drivers would be hit by a curfew running between 10pm and 5am unless they were carrying a passenger aged over 30, as well as a ban on carrying anyone younger than that age if they were under it themselves.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "Young drivers drive around 5% of all the miles driven in Britain, but are involved in about 20% of the crashes where someone is killed or seriously injured.

Driving test age rise considered One of the proposals would see the driving age raised from 17 to 18

"We are committed to improving safety for young drivers and reducing their insurance costs - that is why we are publishing a Green Paper later in the year setting out our proposals.

"This will include a discussion about how people learn to drive."

Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "Our own research shows that putting certain restrictions on young drivers allows them to rapidly build up live-saving experience in the safest possible way.

"Putting a firm number on casualty reduction is hard because of the pick-and-mix approach to graduate licensing.

"But the evidence suggests that a full package of measures could reduce fatalities by anything up to 60%.

"We should all have an interest in preserving young drivers' lives rather than exposing them to undue risk at the stage of their driving careers where they are most vulnerable.

"This is about ensuring their long-term safety and mobility, not curtailing it."

AA president Edmund King said although many of the proposals in the report had "merit", he questioned some of the recommendations.

"Road safety on the national curriculum is something we have long campaigned for and I am pleased to see it being recommended here," he said.

"However, at the extreme end this report could be seen as just recommending taking novice drivers off the road by regulation and restriction rather than helping them develop the right attitudes and skills to provide them with the mobility they need.

"Rather than compensating the proposed significant new restrictions through earlier access to the roads under supervision the authors propose delaying and extending the driving development process to the point where even some 30-year-olds will be restricted in whom they can carry as passengers.

"This academic report has raised a number of options for debate and careful consideration.

"The question is how many of its recommendations will be acceptable to the Government and public at large."


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Council Tax Arrears See Thousands In Court

Hundreds of thousands of people could already have been taken to court for failing to pay council tax following benefit changes, Labour has claimed.

Figures obtained by the party found 112 English councils had issued more than 156,000 court summonses since April, according to reports.

Shadow communities secretary Hilary Benn said: "David Cameron boasts about keeping council tax down, but last April he deliberately imposed a council tax increase on people on the lowest incomes, including hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers.

"That's why hundreds of thousands are now facing court summonses. The Prime Minister needs to wake up to what's going on."

Labour made Freedom of Information requests to all 326 councils in England to ask how many people have been paying council tax for the first time or paying increased council tax since April, when the changes were introduced.

The party then asked how many of the people in this group have received courts summons. Just over a third of the councils, 112, reported that a total of 156,563 people in this group had been summonsed to court.

Labour calculates that 455,710 people would have been found to have received summonses had all 326 councils replied.

Robert Oxley, from the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "Council tax is a big burden on people's budgets these days.

"Everyone is struggling with rising prices, whether it's in their energy bills, their food bills or their council tax.

"The biggest thing that local residents can do at the moment is urge their councillors to adopt a council tax freeze, or a council tax cut, in the future."

But local government minister Brandon Lewis said Labour's survey was misleading and "contradicted" by official statistics.

He said: "This shoddy survey is contradicted by official statistics, which show arrears have fallen in the last year and the council tax collected has increased."


16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Sex ASBOs' Proposed For Paedophile Suspects

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 10 Oktober 2013 | 16.12

Sex offenders suspected of targeting children could be monitored even if they haven't been convicted.

Under tough new powers proposed by the Government, police officers would be able to apply to magistrates to have a Sexual Risk Order imposed even if a criminal prosecution is not yet possible.

The revamped order is aimed at limited the activities of people judged to be a risk but who have not yet been charged with an offence.

They could have their internet use limited, be stopped from being alone with a child under 16 or prevented from going abroad.

The order would remain in place for at least two years and breach is punishable by up to five years in prison.

The new powers have been included in the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill and build on an amendment tabled by Tory MP Nicola Blackwood.

Policing and Criminal Justice Minister Damian Green said: "The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders.

"Today, we are going even further by giving police and National Crime Agency officers the power to place greater restrictions on any person they judge to be a risk.

"Our proposals support the Childhood Lost campaign to tighten the law on sex offenders and make it easier for police to monitor them.

"This is part of ongoing work by the Home Office led national group to look at how the police and other agencies can better identify and deal with sexual offending, ensuring victims are at the heart of the criminal justice system."

The proposals also include a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order which can be applied to anyone convicted or cautioned for a sexual or violent offence, including those committed overseas.

The Order lasts a minimum of five years and has no maximum duration.

Both orders will have a lower risk requirement and their remit will be wider, meaning foreign travel restrictions can be applied.

The new measures replace orders that can currently be imposed on sex offenders who have been convicted, cautioned, warned or reprimanded for an offence or those who pose a risk.

Individuals will be able to appeal and the police or the person concerned are able to apply for the order to be varied, renewed or discharged.

Ms Blackwood hailed the announcement as a victory for anyone who wanted to see child-sex crimes "driven from our communities".

"For too long, victims have been failed by those with a duty to protect them but this change is going to mean police can intervene earlier to protect victims of child sexual exploitation."


16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Energy Bills: SSE To Raise Tariffs By 8.2%

SSE has become the first of the so-called 'big six' energy firms to confirm it is to raise its prices ahead of the winter months, sparking a bitter backlash among consumer groups and politicians.

The company said household gas and electricity tariffs would rise by an average 8.2% from November 15 affecting 4.4 million electricity and 2.9 million gas customers.

It is understood several of its competitors also plan to announce increases to bills later on Thursday.

SSE blamed its decision on rising costs outside its control which it said it had absorbed for months at its retail division.

It said the move would equate to a typical dual fuel customer paying £2 a week more but pledged not to increase bills again until August 2014 having last imposed a 9% increase in October 2012.

SSE SSE says its home energy business has run at a loss during 2013

There is a north/south divide to the increased charges with customers in the South East facing hikes as high as 9.7% while many in the North and southern Scotland face a 7% rise.

Will Morris, group managing director of SSE's retail business said: "We're sorry we have to do this. We've done as much as we could to keep prices down, but the reality is that buying wholesale energy in global markets, delivering it to customers' homes, and government-imposed levies collected through bills - endorsed by all the major parties - all cost more than they did last year.

The Government was forced on the defensive when the energy minister Michael Fallon appeared to underestimate the percentage of a bill imposed on firms by Government - first giving Sky News a figure of 4% then suggesting it was just under 10%.

Randall Promo

Mr Morris explained: "85% of a typical energy bill is made up of costs outside our direct control and these costs have increased.

"So far this year we have made a loss from supplying energy as a result of the higher costs we have been facing and continue to face.

"We understand and regret that this will add to the pressures on household budgets, but there's a lot we can do to help.

"Rising unit prices do not have to mean rising bills and there remains huge potential for customers to save money by improving further their energy efficiency," he concluded.

Miliband Energy Tweets Labour leader Ed Miliband took to Twitter to condemn bill rises

The increases to household bills are announced at a politically sensitive time, given the debate prompted by Labour leader Ed Miliband's pledge to freeze tariffs for 20 months should his party win the next election.

After the announcement, he took to Twitter to declare that the rise demonstrated "the need to freeze bills."

His shadow energy and climate change secretary Caroline Flint added: "Hard-pressed consumers are now paying the price for David Cameron's failure to stand up to the energy companies.

"When times are tough energy companies should be helping their customers not hitting them with more price rises to boost their profits.

"That's why a Labour Government would freeze energy prices and reset Britain's energy market to stop people being ripped off."

SSE insists its home supply business is currently run at a loss and has called on politicians to help cut bills by transferring the environmental and social obligations imposed on energy firms to central government - claimig it would save consumers £110 annually in 2013 alone.

It accused policymakers over many years of failing "to highlight adequately the cost to consumers of the policies they have pursued."

Ed Davey Ed Davey has insisted that Government is helping cut bills

Ed Davey, energy and climate change secretary, added: "Half of an average energy bill is made up of the wholesale cost of energy.

This far outweighs the proportion of a bill that goes to help vulnerable households with their bills and to cut energy waste, and to encourage investment in the new low-carbon energy generation we need to keep the lights on.

"SSE's own figures show that wholesale price rises have contributed more than policy costs to this price increase, as a share of the bill.

"We've already taken action to help consumers this winter. Two million households will get as much as £200 off their bills under the Warm Home Discount.

230,000 homes will be warmer this year by getting energy efficiency measures installed under the element of the Energy Company Obligation.

"We're also changing energy bills by cutting the number of tariffs, making bills simpler and clearer, and getting people off poor-value dead tariffs and on to the best deal for them."

However the reaction from consumer groups was one of horror.

Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch, said: "This is a crippling blow for consumers, who are still reeling from last winter's price hike.

"Adding a further £111 to an already sky-high energy bill will leave consumers buckling under the pressure. This will be seen by many as the final nail in the coffin for affordable energy."

"Of course the danger now is that the other big six suppliers will follow suit. This raises the spectre of yet more households forced to cut back on their heating.

"Last winter almost seven in ten households (69%) went without heating at some point to keep their energy costs down, while over a third (35%) said that cutting back on energy usage was affecting their quality of life or health."

She concluded: "This is the grim reality we face as the cost of energy spirals ever higher."

:: A special edition of Jeff Randall Live will be largely devoted to energy pricing - at 7pm on Sky News.


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Taylor To Serve War Crimes Sentence In UK

Former Liberian president Charles Taylor will serve his 50-year war crimes sentence in a UK prison, the government has confirmed.

More follows...


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E-Border Review: Thousands Of Alerts Deleted

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 09 Oktober 2013 | 16.12

More than 649,000 alerts relating to potential drug and tobacco smuggling into the UK were deleted without being read, an inspection into border controls has found.

The Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, John Vine, discovered the alerts were erased from a government system when he was examining the multimillion-pound e-Borders programme.

The border check system was set up by the Home Office 10 years ago to collect Advanced Passenger Information (API), which is then checked against terror and criminal watch lists.

The e-Borders programme is viewed by the Government as the front line in the battle to stop criminals and terrorists from entering or leaving the UK.

But Mr Vine found that records relating to drug and tobacco smuggling were deleted over a 10-month period due to "poor data quality and the prioritisation of immigration over customs work".

He said: "These deletions had a significant impact on the ability of staff at the border to seize prohibited and restricted goods and deal with those responsible."

The deletions amounted to three quarters of all the customs work completed at National Border Targeting Centre (NBTC), the hi-tech hub where watch list checks on passengers entering and leaving Britain are carried out, his report said.

The inspector also found the e-Borders programme had not delivered planned increases in passenger data collection, with only 65% of all passenger movements into and out of the UK covered, due to complications surrounding European law.

Mr Vine said: "Despite being in development for over a decade, and costing over half a billion pounds, the e-Borders programme has yet to deliver many of the anticipated benefits originally set out in 2007.

"I was surprised that the use of e-Borders information to 'export the border' by preventing the arrival of a passenger because they had either been deported or excluded from the UK previously, was not happening.

Cocaine Drug smuggling alerts were deleted from the system, it was found

"The Home Office should now define clearly what the aims of the e-Borders programme are ahead of the new procurement exercise, and be transparent about what e-borders will deliver and by when."

Immigration Minister Mark Harper said Mr Vine's findings would be taken into account, but he said improvements had been made.

"Border Force - which the Government split from the UK Border Agency in 2011 - is making significant improvements in its performance," Mr Harper said.

"The 2011 Vine Report revealed that border security checks had been waived without ministerial authorisation consistently since 2007.

"Today, there is a clear operating mandate and all checks are carried out.

"A year ago, the Border Force had trouble with excessive queues at airports. Today, 99% of travellers are cleared within the service standards we've agreed.

"The security of the border is now at the heart of everything Border Force does.

"We have the best coverage of any country in Europe but we are working to improve our coverage further."

But shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said border control was in "chaos".

"The Home Secretary must urgently explain why hundreds of thousands of possible drug-smuggling records were deleted in 2012 without having ever been read," Ms Cooper said.

"She needs to stop drug-smuggling information being deleted and get the proper border controls in place, rather than relying on divisive gimmicks like ad vans instead.

"It is an outrage that drug smugglers have been able to get away with it because basic information was never acted on."

:: Immigration will be one of the key issues of the next general election - and from Monday 14 October Sky News is hosting a week of special coverage examining its effects on the UK.


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'Go Home' Govt Van Poster Was 'Misleading'

A campaign by the Home Office urging illegal immigrants to "go home" has been banned for using misleading arrest statistics.

However the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) cleared it over complaints that it was offensive and irresponsible.

The campaign involved two vans driving through six London boroughs between July 22 and July 28 with a poster saying: "In the UK illegally? Go home or face arrest."

It drew 224 complaints to the ASA, including some from groups representing migrants in the UK, legal academics and the Labour peer Lord Lipsey.

The poster featured a close-up image of someone holding a pair of handcuffs and wearing a uniform with a "Home Office" badge.

It also pictured a box containing green text in the style of an official stamp stating "106 arrests last week in your area".

Small print at the bottom of the poster said the arrest figures were from the period June 30 to July 6 and covered Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, Barnet, Brent, Ealing and Hounslow.

Several complainants challenged whether the claim "106 arrests last week in your area" was misleading and could be substantiated, while others said the small print was not legible on a moving vehicle.

The ASA said those who saw the poster would understand the claim "106 arrests last week in your area" to mean that during the previous week 106 people in the area in which they saw the poster had been arrested under suspicion of being in the UK illegally.

Van displaying Liberty poster against Home Office immigration campaign Liberty sent out their own van in response to the posters

It said: "Because the data on which the claim was based related to a significant part of London north of the Thames rather than to the specific areas in which the poster was displayed, and because the data did not relate to the week prior to the campaign, we concluded the claim was misleading and had not been substantiated.

"We told the Home Office to ensure that in future they held adequate substantiation for their advertising claims and that qualifications were presented clearly.

"The ad must not appear again in its current form."

However it was decided the message was "in no way racist" despite the phrase "go home" being reminiscent of slogans used in the past to attack immigrants to the UK.

"We recognised that the poster, and the phrase "go home" in particular, were likely to be distasteful to some in the context of an ad addressed to illegal immigrants, irrespective of the overall message conveyed, and we recognised that wording less likely to produce that response, such as "return home" could have been used.

"However, we concluded that the poster was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence or distress."

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We are pleased the ASA have concluded that our pilot was neither offensive nor irresponsible.

"In respect of the ASA's other findings, we can confirm that the poster will not be used again in its current format."


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Passenger Lands Plane After Pilot Falls Ill

A passenger has made an emergency landing at Humberside Airport after the plane's pilot became ill.

During the flight yesterday evening, the pilot made a distress call when he became so sick he was unable to continuing flying the light aircraft.

Humberside Police have confirmed the pilot died later that night.

Two flight instructors were called in to talk to the passenger from the ground while he took control of the plane, an airport spokesman said.

The man had very limited flying experience and had never landed an aircraft before.

Humberside The plane took off from Sandtoft Airfield

Despite this, he managed to successfully land at the North Lincolnshire airport just after 7.30pm.

Roy Murray, one of the instructors who helped coach the passenger down, said fading light caused added danger to the situation.

"I was concerned because the visibility was getting dark and as the guy hadn't flown an aeroplane before he wasn't sure of his switches in the aircraft, and everything was dark for him as well."

The man took three passes over the runway before landing on the fourth approach.

Mr Murray says the man – who he knows only as John – kept his composure and was able to land the plane safely.

"He was very calm and he followed all our instructions and he did a beautiful landing."

Police have not yet released the name or age of the pilot who died, and do not yet know his cause of death. His family has been informed of his death.

The light aircraft took off from Sandtoft Airfield, near Doncaster, for training with one passenger.

The man and pilot were the only two people on board the aircraft.

Humberside Airport praised the response of emergency services in a tweet: "We are pleased to say that the incident that started a few hours ago has been successfully dealt with. Great response from emergency svs!" the airport said.

Flights coming into the airport were delayed while the plane was moved from the runway.


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HS2 Should Be Put On Hold, MPs' Committee Says

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 08 Oktober 2013 | 16.12

The HS2 rail project has "serious shortcomings" and should be put on hold, according to a powerful Commons committee.

MPs suggested the controversial scheme should not proceed until the Government produces fresh analysis on whether it offers value for money.

The Treasury Select Committee said a "more convincing" economic case was needed for the project, which is now estimated to cost £42.6bn - 17% higher than previous predictions.

The Government has insisted its costings are "robust" and that the link will be vital to addressing the "urgent capacity needs" on train services.

But a recent study suggested the eventual cost could climb to £80bn and it has been branded a "grand folly" and "foolish" by critics.

HS2 high-speed route London to Birmingham The first phase of HS2 from London to Birmingham

Treasury Select Committee chairman Andrew Tyrie said: "There appear to be serious shortcomings in the current cost-benefit analysis for HS2. The economic case must be looked at again.

"The Bill should not proceed until this work has been done and the project has been formally reassessed by the Government ...

"A more convincing economic case for the project is needed. We need reassurance that it can deliver the benefits intended and that these benefits are greater than those of other transport schemes - whether in the department's project pipeline or not - which may be foregone."

The concerns were raised as part of the committee's inquiry into the 2013 spending round that set departmental settlements for the 2015/16 financial year.

It also questioned plans for a cap on annually managed expenditure, predicting it could have a "significant impact" on benefits paid to the most needy.

And it raised fresh concerns about the Help to Buy mortgage scheme, the latest phase of which started this week, warning any mistakes could "distort" the housing market.

The risk of ring-fencing NHS, schools and international aid budgets was also flagged, amid fears it could hit resources for other areas and lead to less discipline on spending.

HS2 project Labour says HS2 has been "totally mismanaged"

Newly-appointed shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh claimed the HS2 project had been "totally mismanaged".

She said: "David Cameron and George Osborne have made clear they will go full steam ahead with this project whatever the cost. Labour will not take this irresponsible approach.

"There will be no blank cheque for this project or for any project, because we need to ensure it is the best way to spend £50bn for the future of our country."

But a Government spokesman said: "HS2 is absolutely vital for this country if we are to meet the urgent capacity needs we face. The project is on course, under control and will be delivered within the agreed budget.

"We are confident that our analysis is robust and conforms with government spending guidance.

"The case for HS2 will be further improved when we publish shortly the updated strategic case - including cost benefit analysis - which will show high value for money for the project."


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Press Regulation: Newspapers Expect Bad News

A decision on the newspaper industry's proposals for press regulation is expected soon amid reports its own charter has been rejected.

The sub-committee of the Privy Council looking at the plans is meeting again today ahead of the Council's own summit on Wednesday.

Danny Alexander, who co-chairs the sub-committee, insisted a final decision had not yet been made but sources suggested it was close.

The newspaper industry is braced for bad news amid claims politicians have concluded its plans are "flawed".

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury told Sky News that the committee, which met on Monday, was still "completing its deliberations".

Danny Alexander at the Lib Dem conference Danny Alexander: No final decision

"There are a few i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed. There are also, as it is a committee of the Privy Council, very careful processes that we have to go through," he said.

"I am not going to comment on where we are with that. I don't think that would be appropriate or fair on the various participants involved.

"The Privy Council meets tomorrow and we will have to have our recommendations in good time for that meeting but right now we are still finalising the decision."

A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport also said the panel was continuing to consider the industry's proposals.

"There is no deadline or timetable for those considerations. They will continue until they reach a decision," the spokesman said.

BBC's Newsnight reported on Monday that the sub-committee of four Tories and two Lib Dems had rejected the newspaper industry's charter.

Members of the committee have apparently decided the plan did not address the issues raised by Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry into press ethics.

However, in a separate report, The Guardian said coalition ministers were working to stop Wednesday's Privy Council meeting turning into a final rejection of the industry plan.

It reported they were seeking a compromise around the industry proposals and the original royal charter backed by the three main political parties.

The industry put forward its owns plans after arguing that the royal charter agreed by politicians, and backed by campaign group Hacked Off, was too restrictive.

Tory sources say the party is "digging its heels in" to delay the final decision until the end of this month.

A member of the press holds one copy of the Leveson report into press ethics after its publication in central London on November 29, The Leveson inquiry reported last November

There are apparently concerns that the row between Ed Miliband and the Daily Mail has created a febrile atmosphere and could make it look like the press is being punished.

The party also believes the press plan has raised some issues that should be worked into the cross-party proposals, the sources said.

Hacked Off welcomed the reports about the rejection but added that it was "alarmed" by the prospect of further delay before the Prime Minister formally approves the charter.

The Sun's associate editor Trevor Kavanagh said a rejection would not be a shock because there had been "fairly clear clues" it might happen.

"I think it has to be seen as a great victory for the forces of oppression of a free press - Hacked Off in particular - and the politicians who went along for the ride," he said.

Media commentator Steve Hewlett suggested newspapers could launch legal action if their proposals are sidelined.

"People I have spoken to are furious and are now considering whether there might be a legal challenge to this decision by the Privy Council," he said.

Chris Blackhurst, group content editor of The Independent and its sister titles, warned that either charter would "cost all newspapers a lot more money".

"It's well known that the newspaper industry is in trouble," he said. "Unfortunately, what's happened is that all the positions are completely polarised.

"That's also true of Hacked Off, it's true of the politicians, it's true of the press, and we are all in our trenches and we are all chucking grenades at each other and we are not really very far apart."


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Pensioner Arrested Over Islington Murder

A 77-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 43-year-old man was found dead at a house in north London.

Officers were called to an address in Kendal House, Collier Street, Islington, by paramedics at around 10pm on Monday.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, the Metropolitan Police said.

A 77-year-old suspect was taken to a north London police station.

Officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

Next of kin have been informed and a post mortem examination will take place, police added.


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Murder Witness Sues Met Police Over Reward

Written By Unknown on Senin, 07 Oktober 2013 | 16.12

By Jason Farrell, Sky News Correspondent

A key witness in a high-profile murder case has told Sky News that he is suing the Metropolitan Police for not paying out on a reward offer.

The man who gave evidence in the trial over the shooting of unarmed police officer PC Patrick Dunne also said he lives in fear, after his identity was mistakenly released.

Speaking in a secret location the witness who we will call "John" (not his real name) told Sky News: "The police had told me that my name would never be released and that police were working in a unit of eight and not even other people in the police would know what they were doing.

"And going into the court case, my name was then given out. I then spoke to the police and said 'what the hell, my name's been given out'. And I was told 'oh we're sorry that shouldn't have happened'."

The killer, Gary Nelson, was convicted in 2006 for the shootings in 1993 of PC Dunne and a security guard William Danso. Nelson was described at the time as the most dangerous man in London.

John responded with information following a BBC Crimewatch appeal in 2001 which had offered a £100,000 reward, but he claims he only received £20,000.

He said: "We got told a year later that there's no money left in the pot. That was the answer. No letter, nothing and now I've taken legal action because of this."

Victim PC Patrick DunneVictim: Security guard William Danso Murder victims: PC Patrick Dunne (L) and William Danso

A Met spokesman confirmed that the force had "received a claim" earlier this year and had no further comment at this stage.

John's claim comes as police launch a new national witness protection service. It will create a national specialist Protected Persons Service to replace schemes run by local forces.

It is hoped it will encourage more witnesses to come forward. Last year, just over one in four of collapsed prosecutions were as a result of witness or victim reticence to give evidence.

In 2009/10, 18% of witnesses who attended court to give evidence reported that they or their family felt intimidated at some point and 40% reported concerns about coming into contact with the defendant and their supporters.

Lawyer Simon McKay, an expert in witness protection, said: "I think the key thing in handling all of these cases is that once one recognises that someone falls within the category of someone who needs to be protected is to be as honest and transparent with that individual as you can be.

Killer Gary Nelson Killer Gary Nelson was convicted over the shootings

"Confidence is key here, expectations are key here and the failings of the police forces that have handled these sorts of cases in the past have always let the people down in relation to those two areas."

Victims' minister Helen Grant told Sky News witness protection needed improving.

She said: "It was patchy and inconsistent across the country, and this new system will have national quality standards.

"There will be much, much better co-ordination of service, more consistency, more accountability, and very importantly too, it will create more confidence in the criminal justice system to encourage witnesses, victims, informants, other vulnerable people to come forward."

John decided he could not go through with the commitment of witness protection, as it would mean cutting ties with some family members.

This is a dilemma many struggle with. The alternative is to live in fear of repercussions. Police have improved security at his home, but John said he will be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life.

Despite helping to convict a dangerous killer, John said he "regrets" giving evidence.

He told Sky News: "I'm not getting a driving licence, I will not give my name to the DVLA. I don't hold a bank account. The council don't know who lives in the property.

"It's not just me, my wife as well, if she's been left in the house and she hears something outside, she worries straight away.

"You would normally think 'oh maybe that's a fox, maybe that's a dog'. We don't. We think that's somebody, maybe, coming to get us."


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Cigarette Pack Warnings 'Have Little Impact'

A charity is calling on the Government to introduce standardised cigarette packs in the UK after a new survey suggested they are more likely to put teenagers off smoking than current front-of-pack health warnings.

Teenagers from Australia  - where plain packs were introduced almost a year ago - are more likely to be deterred from taking up the habit by cigarette packaging than British youngsters, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

In December last year, Australia became the first country in the world to introduce such a measure. Cigarette packs and other tobacco products are all sold in packets with a standardised brown colour, with only the brand name and graphic warnings visible.

Plans to mimic the measure in England were put on hold in July when the Government announced the proposal would be postponed until ministers had a chance to assess its impact Down Under.

New BHF research found that only a third (36%) of UK teenagers are deterred from smoking by current cigarette packs compared to almost half (48%) of their Australian counterparts.

The survey, of 2,000 people aged 13 to 18 from the UK and 500 from Australia, found that three-quarters of British teenagers would support such a measure.

The proposed new cigarette packet Australian cigarette packs are without logos and brand names

The charity found that one in 10 UK teens made the incorrect assumption that certain cigarette brands are healthier than others, compared to just one in 20 Australian youngsters.

BHF chief executive Simon Gillespie said: "The message from our young people is loud and clear: current health warnings aren't up to the job and the UK Government must step up to the mark and introduce standardised packs.

"Smoking kills 100,000 people in the UK every year and we simply can't wait any longer for legislation.

"Australia has led the way on standardised packs, the Scottish Government has committed, and now the rest of the UK must act to protect future generations from a deadly habit."

The charity also called on politicians to rally behind new legislation which could see standardised packs introduced in the UK and other laws which could see larger graphic health warnings placed on cigarette packs across the European Union.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "The UK Government supports the proposed Europe-wide controls that would introduce a ban on flavoured cigarettes and strict rules on front-of-pack health warnings.

"We take very seriously the potential for standardised packaging to reduce smoking rates, but in light of the differing views, we have decided to wait until the emerging impact of the decision in Australia can be measured, and then we will make a decision in England."


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British FBI-Style Crime Agency Starts Its Work

The head of 'Britain's FBI' has warned crime bosses there will be "no one beyond the reach" of the new crime-fighting agency.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) starts its work today, armed with an annual budget of nearly half a billion pounds to tackle serious and organised crime involving some 37,000 criminals.

More than 4,000 NCA officers will tackle crime under four commands - organised crime, economic crime, border policing and child exploitation and online protection - alongside a National Cyber Crime Unit.

Asked if the new law enforcement arm would be able to bring the fight to the "higher echelons" of organised crime, NCA director general Keith Bristow said: "To be clear, there will be no one beyond the reach of law enforcement or beyond the reach of the NCA.

"Those people involved in the most horrible activities can expect the most comprehensive and robust response."

The launch of the NCA spells the end of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), which is to be absorbed into the new organisation.

Proposals for the new agency were first unveiled by Home Secretary Theresa May in July 2010 as part of a broader shake-up of the policing landscape.

At the time she said the US-style agency would have a sweeping new power to step in to directly task and co-ordinate police forces in a bid to tackle organised crime and secure the UK's borders.

Theresa May Theresa May unveiled proposals for the NCA in July 2010

Mrs May claimed that too many of the 6,000 organised crime gangs in the UK were escaping justice and a tough new approach was needed.

The NCA has an annual budget of £463m for resources and £31m for capital, Mr Bristow confirmed.

It will run the country's first national intelligence hub, place investigators at UK ports to tackle border crime such as human trafficking and will track down child-sex abusers online.

It will also place around 120 officers overseas in 40 different countries.

Mr Bristow, a former chief constable of Warwickshire Police, said unlike Soca, the NCA would not operate as a covert organisation and wants to be recognised by the public.

Some of its officers will wear jackets and caps emblazoned with NCA when on operations.

Mr Bristow said: "We're going to be visible. We want the public to know who we are, what we do, what we're delivering, to understand the serious and organised crime threat that affects every neighbourhood and every citizen throughout the UK."

He added: "Frankly, we want the criminals to know who we are, because we want them to fear our attention."

The NCA will also be recruiting "special" officers - volunteers like special constables in police forces.

NCA specials with expert backgrounds such as in cyber or the financial sector are set to join the agency.

Mrs May said: "I want to make Britain a hostile environment for serious and organised criminals, with the new National Crime Agency leading that fight."


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Key Morecambe Bay Witness Reveals New Life

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 06 Oktober 2013 | 16.12

By Jason Farrell, Sky Correspondent

A key witness in the 2004 Morecambe Bay tragedy has told Sky News how he has rebuilt his life on the witness protection programme.

It comes as police launch a new national protection scheme, the UK Protected Persons Service, for people who are in danger from criminals.

Li Hua had to change his identity after giving evidence against his gangmaster boss who was accused of manslaughter over the drowning of 21 Chinese cockle pickers in the rising tides of Morecambe Bay.

In a secret location, Li Hua told Sky News: "I was very nervous and very frightened about giving evidence, but I thought about how the police rescued us. Then I thought that in the background the police had been reassuring us, they had been protecting us all this time."

Li Hua also wanted justice for the men whose lives had been callously wasted by his boss Lin Liang Ren.

"I thought, someone is leading us to pick cockles, that someone should let us know more about the tide times. Obviously he didn't. He's so irresponsible. He couldn't care less even about people of his own nationality. I totally detest him."

Li Hua says it was sheer luck that he managed to swim to a sandbank and was rescued by helicopter.

Morecambe Bay tragedy 2 Li Hua said it was sheer luck that he managed to swim to a sandbank

"I was frightened to death. All I thought was about my family in China and I had spent so much money to get here, what would happen now?

"I was desperate and feeling hopeless. I thought that's it, I'm going to die tonight ... Then I saw the light from the helicopter."

Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren was convicted of 21 counts of manslaughter, facilitating illegal immigration and perverting the course of justice.

Having paid a Snakehead gang the equivalent of £14,000 to come to England, Li Hua feared repercussions and was put on the witness protection programme with his wife and children.

Nine years after the tragedy he now has a new life and runs his own business.

He said: "Life is a bit complicated because since we were under the protection we settled down. There were certain things we could say to friends and some things we just don't speak of. It became automatic.

Morecambe Bay tragedy 5 Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren was sentenced to 14 years in jail

"But most of the time what occupied my mind was to go on living, because the British Government and the police give us this life. So, I think I was more concentrating on work hard, pay tax, make safe and don't make trouble."

The police are launching the UK Protected Persons Service next week, which will be run by a national team of specialists, as opposed to local forces.

Police say lessons have been learned from the murder of Joan and John Stirland in August 2004, which was in retaliation for a shooting by Mrs Stirland's son.

The couple were not put on the protection scheme and information wasn't properly shared between forces when they moved home.

Detective Chief Constable Andy Cooke, heading up the new national-coordinated programme, told Sky News: "This is the first time this is going to be done through one approach. Previously, unfortunately, there's been a bit of a postcode lottery as to how you were treated and the training of those people looking after you.

"In some parts of the country there was a highly specialised approach to protecting witnesses and in other parts it wasn't so great. This gives us the ability and manpower to provide the protection to people who need it at the most difficult time of their lives."

Witness protection is a tough life and some refuse to do it.

It is estimated a quarter of prosecutions collapse due to reluctant witnesses, but for Li Hua, who thought he would die in the waters of Morecambe Bay, the family he thought of in that moment is now with him in his new life.

Victims' Minister Helen Grant said: "People who put their lives at risk to bring dangerous criminals to justice are the unsung heroes of society, they deserve our thanks and protection.

"That's why the UK Protected Persons Service is so important; it will give brave individuals the expert support they deserve no matter where they are in the country."


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McCanns 'Greatly Encouraged' By New Leads

Kate and Gerry McCann have said they are "greatly encouraged" by the expanding UK police investigation into the case of their missing daughter Madeleine.

The couple released a statement indicating they believe new information made available to the police and a "detailed" Crimewatch reconstruction of events around the time the three-year-old went missing may finally turn up vital information.

"We are greatly encouraged by new information coming to light with pieces of the jigsaw now fitting together," they said.

"We are really hopeful that the forthcoming appeal on Crimewatch (Monday, October 14) will bring further new evidence which will take us a step closer to finding Madeleine and to bringing those responsible for her abduction to justice."

Earlier this week, police said they were combing phone records of thousands of tourists and residents who were at the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz at the time of Madeleine's disappearance in May 2007.

Metropolitan Police detectives, who have interviewed 442 people as part of their review-turned-investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, hope to track down as many people present in the resort on or around May 3, 2007 as possible.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, the senior investigating officer, said: "We now believe we have the most complete picture to date of the events surrounding her disappearance.

Madeleine McCann Madeleine on the day before she went missing in May 2007

"We are now making targeted and new appeals for help from the public. I truly believe there are people out there who hold the key to Madeleine's disappearance, and that so far they may be completely unaware of that fact."

The Met revealed that since launching its own investigation, 41 people of interest have been identified, including 15 UK nationals, up from 38 people of interest, including 12 UK nationals, established in July.

Detectives have issued 31 international letters of request to mostly European countries in relation to some of the persons of interest as well as accessing phone records.

The Portuguese investigation is officially closed, but authorities there are backing the Met's inquiry and officers from both countries will work together in pursuing new leads.

The Metropolitan Police now has a team of six Portuguese detectives based in Faro, who are carrying out enquiries on its behalf.

The McCanns are currently suing former police chief Goncalo Amaral for libel over claims in his book The Truth Of The Lie.


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Lake District: Man Falls 650ft To His Death

A man has been killed after falling 656ft (200m) down a mountain in the Lake District.

The 24-year-old was walking with a companion on Helvellyn - the third highest peak in the country.

He fell from Striding Edge into Nethermost Cove, according to Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team (MRT).

His hiking partner found him unconscious, and as there was no mobile phone signal, he continued his descent into Grisedale.

A local farmer there gave him a lift to Patterdale so he could raise the alarm.

An RAF Sea King helicopter, the Great North Air Ambulance, search and rescue dogs and mountain rescue teams from Patterdale and Penrith joined forces to search for the hiker.

The operation on Friday lasted for more than four hours and the man was found to have suffered fatal injuries.

Patterdale MRT leader Mike Blakey said: "This is a tragic incident involving the loss of a young life.

"Our thoughts are with the young man's walking companion, friends and family at this difficult time."


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