Greenpeace Goal: Have Events Shifted Focus?

When Greenpeace activists attempted to board an offshore oil platform they wanted to highlight what they see as the potential ecological disaster of Arctic Ocean oil drilling, but it was the hardline stance of the Russian authorities that got them noticed.

As members of the so-called Arctic 30 were being released on bail from detention in St Petersburg, the environment movement said the protest has significantly raised the profile of group and the issues they campaign on.

As well as reporting a huge increase in membership inquiries and donations, Greenpeace says more than two million people have now signed a petition calling for the activists to be freed - its fastest-ever growing petition.

The organisation's UK executive director John Sauven admits that putting the protesters behind bars gave the cause far more impetus than the initial protest itself.

The protesters were arrested after Russian authorities seized their boat

"We didn't actually aim to get the Arctic 30 into the nick and I think all of them would have preferred their freedom rather than to spend two months in prison," he told Sky News.

"But there is no doubt about it raised people's awareness about what is happening the Arctic that threats from the oil industry that want to drill in the Arctic is such that people globally are much more aware and I think this is quite important."

But Nina Gold, the partner of Frank Hewetson - one of the protesters bailed by the Russian courts - told Sky News that the use of direct action has to be carefully considered.

Activist Frank Hewetson is one of the Britons who have been bailed

"I believe he is working for a good cause and is trying to do what he thinks is right and I do think that direct action protest can help but you have to consider the consequences quite carefully," she said.

"My campaign is to ensure that Frank and the other 29 people are released, and actually get home - that's the campaign I'm interested in at the moment."

Greenpeace hailed Thursday as a "historic", when the rights of the Arctic 30 had been upheld by an international court of law.

Activists Mr Hewetson, Iain Rogers, Alexandra Harris and Anthony Perrett, and journalist Kieron Bryan were the first of six Britons to be freed on bail. Three Russian nationals were freed on Monday.

The sixth Briton, Philip Ball, has been granted bail, but has yet to be freed.

Journalist Kieron Bryon enjoys daylight again as he is released on bail

Speaking after his release, Mr Bryan told Sky News it felt "very, very good" to be free.

"It's good to be outside and see the sky for the first time for a while," he said.

"To everyone who's supported me and the rest of the group: Keep fighting, we're not free yet, this is first step. It's a glimmer of justice, but it's not finished."

He said being imprisoned had been "tough" and that he was looking forward to "a long shower", "never doing another Sudoku puzzle again" and "an improved diet".

Mr Rogers told Sky News: "It's lovely (to be out). It's been pretty traumatic, but it's good for the campaign.

"I think Gazprom have given us the ideal opportunity and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for publicising our campaign to stop drilling in the Arctic so much."

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Grieve Warns Of 'Ethnic Corruption' In UK

Politicians need to "wake up" to the problem of corruption in ethnic minority communities, the Government's senior law officer has warned.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve said he was referring "mainly to the Pakistani community" in his comments.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, the Tory MP pointed out that it could also be found in the "white Anglo-Saxon" community but he said it was a growing problem "because we have minority communities in this country which come from backgrounds where corruption is endemic".

"It is something as politicians we have to wake up to," he added.

The MP for Beaconsfield said: "I can see many of them have come because of the opportunities that they get. But they also come from societies where they have been brought up to believe you can only get certain things through a favour culture.

"One of the things you have to make absolutely clear is that that is not the case and it's not acceptable."

Baroness Warsi said electoral fraud also affects the Asian community

Asked if he was referring to the Pakistani community in his remarks, Mr Grieve told the newspaper: "Yes, it's mainly the Pakistani community, not the Indian community. I wouldn't draw it down to one. I'd be wary of saying it's just a Pakistani problem."

Mr Grieve highlighted electoral fraud as an area of concern, echoing comments made in 2010 by senior Tory Baroness Warsi.

Lady Warsi told the New Statesman magazine there were "at least three seats where we lost, where we didn't gain the seat, based on electoral fraud" and said the problems were "predominantly within the Asian community".

Mr Grieve also said that the UK's infrastructure could be put under strain if significant numbers of Bulgarians and Romanians come to the UK when controls expire in January.

He acknowledged that "the volume of immigrants may pose serious infrastructure issues".

Later in a statement, Mr Grieve said: "I am very clear that integration between ethnic communities in the UK has worked well and has delivered great benefits for all of us.

Mr Grieve said he was 'disappointed' with the Telegraph's front page story

"This is a point I clearly made in my interview with the Telegraph, and I'm disappointed that this has not been reflected in their front page story.

"The point I was making is that, as a law officer, it's my duty to ensure the rule of law is upheld, and one of the issues that I feel requires close attention is any potential for a rise in corruption to undermine civil society.

"I believe this is an issue which needs to be addressed calmly and rationally.

"I am absolutely clear that this problem is not attributable to any one community, as I know very well from my many years promoting community cohesion."

Sky News political reporter Darren McCaffrey said Mr Grieve's comments are likely "to prove controversial".

"We have to remember he is an elected politician and he is also the Government's top lawyer, he is someone that we don't usually hear from a lot and this is why his intervention is unusual," he added.

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Toddler Murder: Teenager Charged Over Death

A man will appear in court today charged with the murder of a two-year-old girl.

Dean Harris, 19, of Yaxley in Cambridgeshire, will appear before Peterborough Magistrates' Court.

The toddler, who has been named as Amina Agboola, died on Thursday after being taken to Peterborough City Hospital with serious injuries.

A 28-year-old woman, believed to be the girl's mother, was also arrested and has been released on police bail.

Harris is understood to be the mother's partner.

The couple were arrested after taking the girl to hospital themselves.

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Women Were 'Kept As Slaves For Over 30 Years'

Two people have been released on bail as part of an investigation into slavery and domestic servitude at a house in London sparked by a report on Sky News.

The inquiry was launched after one of three alleged victims told a charity she had been held against her will for more than 30 years in a house in Lambeth, south London.

She contacted the Freedom Charity after seeing its founder Aneeta Prem in a report last summer about forced marriages.

Scotland Yard said the charity, which advises and supports victims of forced marriages or honour-based violence, got in touch and helped with sensitive negotiations, which revealed the location of the house and led to the rescue of the three women.

Police said two people detained in connection with the investigation - a 67-year-old man and a 67-year-old woman - have been bailed until a date in January, pending further inquiries. 

Police believe the youngest of the alleged victims may have spent her entire life as a domestic slave.

Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland from the Metropolitan Police's human trafficking unit told a news conference at Scotland Yard that the force had "never seen anything of this magnitude".

Home Secretary Theresa May is "shocked by this appalling case," her department said in a statement.

Officers said the two suspects, who are not British, were arrested at 7.30am on Thursday and taken to a south London police station for questioning.

Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland said the victims were 'highly traumatised'

One of the three alleged victims is a 69-year-old Malaysian woman, the other a 57-year-old Irish woman and the third a 30-year-old Briton.

All three, described by police as "highly traumatised", were taken to a place of safety where they remain.

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said police do not believe the women were sexually assaulted, but they may have been physically and mentally abused.

Ms Prem told Sky News it was the Irish woman who phoned the Freedom Charity after watching her on television.

"I think all of them saw me on the news and made a decision because of the name of the charity and because they had seen me on TV - that gave them the courage to make that phone call," she said.

"I can't go in to too many details but they managed to get to a phone and make a call to us.

"We started to talk to them in depth when we could. It had to be pre-arranged when they were able to make calls to us and it had to be done very secretly because they felt they were in massive danger.

"It was planned that they would be able to walk out of the property. The police were on standby."

The three women were rescued from an address in Lambeth, south London

Police said the British and Irish women left the house and met police at an agreed location on October 25. They helped police find the address, where the third woman was rescued on the same day. 

DI Hyland said the suspects were not immediately arrested as officers had to "establish the facts" from "extremely traumatised" victims.

He said it appeared the three alleged victims had been given "limited freedom" during the three decades they claim to have been held as slaves.

He said he was unable to confirm any relationship between the suspects and the three women who were freed.

"I don't know any relationships between the women in respect of the suspects," he said.

"Clearly, because of the nationalities of the women that have been held victims, it's very unlikely they are related in any way."

He added: "We applaud the actions of Freedom Charity and are working in partnership to support these victims who appear to have been held for over 30 years."

A Home Office spokesman said: "The Home Secretary is shocked by this appalling case and while the police need to get to the bottom of exactly what happened here, she's made clear her determination to tackle the scourge of modern slavery."

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Greenpeace Activist Anthony Perrett Released

Anthony Perrett, one of the British Greenpeace activists arrested by Russian authorities during a protest, has been released from detention in St Petersburg.

He is the first of six Britons to be freed on bail - three Russian nationals were freed on Monday.

Thirty people, including the six Britons aboard the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, were detained after the protest in September.

They were protesting against drilling in the Arctic.

They were initially charged with piracy but are now accused of hooliganism, which carries a shorter maximum jail term of seven years.

Greenpeace on Thursday unveiled giant portraits of those arrested - the "Arctic 30" - outside the London offices of oil giant Shell.

The protest group said it was drawing attention to Shell and its Russian partner Gazprom's planned joint venture to drill for oil in the Arctic.

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: "Shell and Gazprom are not equipped to drill in the Arctic without causing catastrophic damage to the unique ecosystem.

"But what makes their Arctic plans so blindly stupid is that they're only able to drill there because of the huge loss of Arctic sea ice from climate change."

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Ex Co-op Bank Chairman Paul Flowers Arrested

Former Co-op bank chairman Paul Flowers has been arrested in connection with a drugs supply investigation, police have said.

West Yorkshire Police said officers detained the 63-year-old in the Merseyside area on Thursday night and he is being questioned at a police station in West Yorkshire.

Mr Flowers, a Methodist minister, was suspended by both the church and the Labour party following claims that he bought and used illegal drugs including crystal meth, crack cocaine and ketamine.

He has also been engulfed in allegations about gay sex, questions over his expenses claims at a drug charity and drink-driving.

Police outside Mr Flowers' house in Bradford

It also emerged he had resigned as a Labour councillor after adult material was discovered on his computer.

His arrest comes as the Co-op is seeking to recover £31,000 paid to him since he quit his £132,000-a-year post in June.

In a statement, it said: "When Paul Flowers relinquished his responsibilities in June, it was agreed, as per his contractual obligations, that his fees for the rest of his period of office would be paid.

"Following recent revelations, the board stopped all payments with immediate effect and no further payments will be made."

The Co-op is in trouble after a series of bad deals

Mr Flowers, who led the Co-op Bank for three years, has been accused of incompetence after the bank found a £1.5bn black hole in its finances.

This followed the purchase of Britannia Building Society in 2009 and abortive attempts to take on hundreds of Lloyds Bank branches.

The bank now faces a rescue which will see 50 branches close and investors including US hedge funds take control of 70% of the business.

Mr Flowers being quizzed by MPs about his time at the bank

Tory MP David Davis has said George Osborne and the Treasury had "serious questions to answer" about the oversight of the bank.

"There are really serious questions to answer about what they were all doing," David Davis told the Financial Times.

Issues over the bank's operations were raised by a rival at the time of the aborted takeover bid of Lloyds branches.

"These problems were apparent to a rival and would have been - with a bit of work - to anyone else," Mr Davis said.

Labour has come under fire over its dealings with the Co-op

Labour - which accuses Prime Minister David Cameron of seeking to "smear" the party over its relationship with the Co-op - seized on the comments in a bid to move the spotlight on to the Conservatives.

Leader Ed Miliband insists the party acted with the "utmost integrity" in its dealings with Mr Flowers and suspended him when the allegations about his private life emerged.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls, who received a £50,000 donation to his office from the Co-operative Group, said he had "nothing to hide".

He told Sky News political editor Adam Boulton that he had never had a phone call or a meeting with Mr Flowers and stressed that the donation came from the Co-op Group and not the Co-op Bank.

Mr Cameron has announced an inquiry into the bank's ailing finances and the decision to appoint Mr Flowers - with details expected to be announced within days.

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Britain's Cancer Survival Rates 'Unacceptable'

Around 10,000 lives a year could be saved if the UK matched cancer survival rates in the rest of Europe, a study has found.

Britain's cancer survival rates are lagging behind the rest of Europe and other major economies, with just Poland and Ireland faring worse in some strains of the disease.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report compares key health records from its 34 member countries as well as the so-called BRIC countries and other nations where possible.

It found that women with breast cancer were more likely to reach the five-year survival point in almost all countries other than Britain, with only the Czech Republic, Poland and Ireland trailing behind.

According to the research only the Czech Republic, Poland and Denmark had worse rates for surviving bowel cancer than Britain while cervical cancer rates were worse in only Ireland and Poland.

Cancer specialist Karol Sikora told The Daily Telegraph: "This is a really sad indictment of the priority we give to cancer - our place in the league tables is tragic.

"If we just met the average of the rest of the European league tables we could save 10,000 lives a year.

"In Britain there are lots of delays in the system; we need to speed up the whole process."

Macmillan Cancer Support chief executive Ciaran Devane told the newspaper: "It is simply unacceptable that cancer survival rates in the UK continue to lag behind those in the rest of Europe, and these latest figures are very disappointing.

"Clearly, more needs to be done to encourage better screening attendance and early diagnosis."

The UK also had higher rates of infant death than most other countries, the Health At A Glance 2013 study found.

It recorded 4.3 deaths out of every 1,000 births compared with the OECD average of 4.1.

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Daniel Radcliffe Warns Social Media Celebrities

By Richard Suchet, Arts and Entertainment Correspondent

Celebrities who tell fans what they are doing "moment to moment" on social media sites cannot expect to have a private life, according to Daniel Radcliffe.

In an exclusive interview with Sky News, the Harry Potter star said he tries to avoid the limelight.

"There's certain things you can do to make it a lot easier on yourself," the 24-year-old said. 

"If you don't, for instance, go to premieres that aren't for a film you're in, or don't just turn up at other events and stuff like that, then that's going to help to not fuel the interest.

"Also, I don't have Twitter and I don't have Facebook, and I think that makes things a lot easier because if you go on Twitter and tell everybody what you're doing moment to moment and then claim you want a private life, then no one is going to take that request seriously."

Radcliffe says he has a 'chip on his shoulder'

Speaking ahead of the launch of the second series of A Young Doctor's Notebook on Sky Arts 1 (Thursday, 9pm), he said that when he was younger he resented the attention that his success as a young actor had brought, but that he has no regrets.

"When I was 18 or 19 there was definitely a level of frustration around ... I did have to think where I went more than a lot of my friends and you do get a little frustrated around that age, but ultimately it's childish, petulant - oh I want that too.

"People always say to me 'Do you feel like you missed out on a childhood? Do you feel like you had your childhood taken away?' And I'm like 'No, ridiculous... kids who are abused have their childhoods taken away from them'."

However, he admitted he now has a "chip on his shoulder" that people might think he was fortunate to win the Harry Potter role and now feels he needs to prove himself again.

Radcliffe stars with Mad Men actor John Hamm in A Young Doctor's Notebook

"It's as much to myself, as to anyone else. People always say 'oh he's got a chip on his shoulder' like it's a bad thing. I think it's a perfectly good thing if you let it motivate you.

"When you fall into a position when you're 11 years old, you do tend to think that, you know, everyone, you were lucky to get there. And I was lucky to get there. And I think there's a sense that you just fell into it and that you rode the wave and carried on.

"And that's not what I'm about. I don't know how many people think like that - there may be none, there may be millions, but it doesn't matter. It fires you up."

Radcliffe, who stars in the show with Mad Men actor Jon Hamm, also reveals that despite being worth an estimated £50m, his biggest indulgence is books.

"The only time I will spend a wad of cash in one go - and this is going to sound so nerdy - is in bookshops. I've gone out of bookshops with a pile of 15 to 20 books before. It's excessive.

"I have this thing in bookshops where if I see this thing that there's a good chance I may never ever see again or sounds interesting then I have to get it.

"So that's a way of bleeding your money. The only slightly lavish thing that I do sometimes is that I might take all my friends out for a night out. And that's, like, once a year. I'm refreshingly boring."

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British Greenpeace Activist In Court

A British Greenpeace activist detained after the Russian oil rig protest in the Arctic is appearing in court in St Petersburg.

It comes after Alex Harris from Devon, Anthony Perrett from Newport, South Wales and London journalist Kieron Bryan were granted bail on Wednesday.

They and two other Britons were among the 30 people detained by Russian security forces two months ago following the protest.

Twelve other members of the group have also been granted bail, with Brazilian Ana Paula Maciels, 31, the first to be released from custody.

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Cyclist Tweet Is My Biggest Regret - Driver

By Rachel Younger, East of England Correspondent

A driver who tweeted about knocking a cyclist off his bike has said sending the message is the "biggest regret" of her life.

Emma Way, who was convicted of failing to stop after a crash and failing to report an accident but cleared of driving without due care and attention, clipped cyclist Toby Hockley on a country road in Norfolk last May.

She was fined £337 and given seven penalty points on her licence when she appeared at Norfolk Magistrates' Court.

The case came to the public's attention when the 22-year-old posted a tweet which read: "Definitely knocked a cyclist off his bike earlier. I have right of way. He doesn't even pay road tax!"

She ended her message with the hashtag #bloodycyclists.

Way, who has since left Twitter, sent this message hours after the crash

Mr Hockley told the court he was riding with a friend through Rockland All Saints, near Thetford, and had slowed down to about 18mph for a bend when a car came around the the corner "on my side of the road".

He said he ended up in a hedge, bruised, scratched and stung by nettles, after the car's wing mirror clipped his right arm.

He told the court there had been "quite a loud crunch" but admitted he had not come off his bike.

Jason Sexton, who was riding with Mr Hockley, told the court he had been riding just in front of his friend and had shouted to warn him about the approaching car before pulling into a lay-by.

He told the court he had also shouted at the driver, adding that his friend had been "as far across (on the road) as he could be to avoid traffic".

The crash happened in the village of Rockland All Saints, Norfolk

Way, a former trainee accountant from Watton, Norfolk, admitted her wing mirror had clipped Mr Hockley's bike with a "donk" but claimed he had been on the wrong side of the road, leaving her with nowhere to go.

She said she felt the collision had been his fault, telling the court: "I saw he had slightly wobbled. I hadn't hurt him. He was fine. I just carried on."

Asked whether she had thought any damage or injury had been caused, she replied: "No. I would definitely have stopped."

Way, who lost her job over the tweet, said she had been annoyed by the cyclist and sent the message on the "spur of the moment".

Asked by the defence to rate the stupidity of the post on a scale of one to 10, she replied: "I'd score it at 11."

"It was ridiculous and stupid and I apologise to all cyclists," she added. "It is the biggest regret of my life so far."

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Poor Language Skills 'Hampering UK Economy'

By James Matthews, Sky News Correspondent

Britain's inability to speak "important" foreign languages could jeopardise future prosperity and global standing, according to a new report.

The British Council has said the UK has an alarming shortage of people who are able to speak what it regards as the 10 most important languages.

They are Spanish, Arabic, French, Mandarin Chinese, German, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Turkish and Japanese.

The Languages For The Future report identifies these languages as vital to the UK over the next 20 years on economic, geopolitical, cultural and educational grounds.

John Worne, director of strategy at the British Council, told Sky News: "The problem isn't that we're teaching the wrong languages, because the most widely taught languages like French, Spanish and German all feature in our top 10.

"But the UK needs more people to take up the opportunity to learn, and crucially, get using these languages - along with new ones like Arabic, Chinese and Japanese.

"If we don't act to tackle this shortfall, we'll lose out both economically and culturally.

"Schools have their job to do, but it's also a problem of complacency, confidence and culture - which policymakers, businesses, parents and everyone else in the UK can help to fix.

"Languages aren't just an academic issue - they are a practical route to opportunity for the UK in business, culture and all our lives."

A YouGov poll commissioned by the British Council showed that three quarters of British people cannot speak the "important" languages well enough to hold a conversation.

French is spoken by 15% of people, German by 6%, Spanish by 4% and Italian by 2%.

Arabic, Mandarin, Russian or Japanese are each only spoken by 1%, while less than 1% of people in the UK speak Portuguese or Turkish.

The report calls for children to be taught a broader range of languages and for the subjects to be given the same priority as maths and sciences.

It also states that businesses should invest in language training for staff and that everyone should learn at least the basics of those languages deemed so important to the country's future.

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Hull Named As UK City Of Culture 2017

Hull has been named as the UK City of Culture 2017, beating Leicester, Swansea Bay and Dundee to the title.

Famous abolitionist William Wilberforce is among Hull's famous sons

The city will hope to see an economic boost from the accolade, which is handed out every four years.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Maria Miller said: "This is brilliant news for Hull and everyone involved in the bid there.

"This year's UK City of Culture, Derry-Londonderry, demonstrates the huge benefits that the title brings. These include encouraging economic growth, inspiring social change and bringing communities together.

"It can produce a wonderful mix of inward investment, and civic pride, and I hope Hull's plans will make the most of all that being UK City of Culture can bring."

Ms Miller praised the three losing cities for the "time, effort and determination" they put into their bids.

"I hope they will still take forward many of the fantastic ideas and events they had planned so that their communities can enjoy these innovative cultural plans," she said.

Hull Marina is a popular attraction in the city

Referencing Hull band The Housemartins' first big hit, Happy Hour, former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who is from Hull, responded to the news on his Twitter page, writing: "It's Happy Hour again! #HullYes Well done."

TV producer Phil Redmond, who chaired the advisory panel that helped choose the winner, said all four shortlisted cities showed a "real understanding" of what the award was about.

Hull's Princes Quay shopping centre

"But ultimately it was the unanimous verdict of the panel that Hull put forward the most compelling case based on its theme as 'a city coming out of the shadows'," he said.

"This is at the heart of their project and reminds both its people and the wider world of both its cultural past and future potential.

The Guildhall in the centre of Hull

"We were particularly impressed with Hull's evidence of community and creative engagement, their links to the private sector and their focus on legacy, including a commitment to enhance funding beyond 2017 and I'd like to congratulate all involved."

Previous holders of the title have sought to improve the image of their city, holding various artistic and cultural events in an effort to increase visitor numbers and offer a boost to the local economy.

Prince Street in Hull

Hull's city council admits one of the aims of the bid is to "change the perceptions" of the city.

It is often derided - up until this year regularly featuring in the comic book Crap Towns - and last month an Economist article cited Hull as one of "Britain's Decaying Towns".

But the current city of culture, Londonderry, has seen visitor numbers double over the course of this year and had around £120m of capital investment pumped into the city since the title was won in 2009.

Its mayor, Councillor Martin Reilly, said: "I am confident that an amazing year awaits Hull as the winning city for 2017, I wish them every success and look forward to forming a working relationship with Hull to share our experiences and learning."

Leicester's mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said he was surprised and disappointed at the result.

"I can only guess that Hull desperately needed a shot in the arm while the judges decided we in Leicester are making our way successfully and didn't need it as much," he said.

Meanwhile, Welsh Secretary David Jones MP said: "As much as today's announcement will come as disappointing news to those who have supported Swansea Bay's bid, they should be rightly proud of all that they have achieved."

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Body In Well Had Been There For Two Years

Police believe the body of a man found in a well in Surrey had been there for about two years before it was discovered last week.

Detectives also say the man had been assaulted and tied up and the incident is being treated as murder.

The body was discovered by workmen at an address in Audley Drive, Warlingham, on Friday.

Seven men aged between 21 and 27 arrested on suspicion of murder have been bailed to a date in late December, pending further investigation.

A post-mortem on Sunday did not discover a cause of death, and further tests are being carried out.

But it did reveal that the body, confirmed as that of a white man, had injuries consistent with an assault before it was bound up and placed in the well, Scotland Yard said.

Specialist police officers recovered the body

Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons said officers were reviewing missing person reports to try to establish the man's identity.

"Given the complex nature of this investigation, it is likely that forensic work at the property will continue for a further month as we attempt to secure all available evidence," he said.

"While our work continues to establish the facts of how this male came to sustain his injuries and his body end up in the well, our focus is also on finding out his identity.

"This is someone's son and my team owe it to him and his family to find out the truth and bring those who committed this atrocious act to justice."

The investigation has so far seen the well where the body was found partly demolished and water taken away for forensic examination.

Anyone with information was urged to call police on 020 8721 4961 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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Last Guantanamo Briton Speaks From Cell

A British prisoner who has been held at Guantanamo Bay for 11 years without charge has spoken from his prison cell for the first time.

Shaker Aamer, who is accused of being a close associate of Osama bin Laden - a charge he denies - said he was being treated like an animal and begged to be left to die.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister David Cameron raised Aamer's case with President Barack Obama at a G8 summit and the British government has repeatedly stated that it wants him returned to the UK.

Shouting from his cell, Aamer told CBS's 60 Minutes show: "Tell the world the truth ... Please, we are tired. Either you leave us to die in peace - or either tell the world the truth. Open up the place. Let the world come and visit. Let the world hear what's happening.

"Please colonel, act with us like a human being, not like slaves."

He added: "You cannot walk even half a metre without being chained. Is that a human being? That's the treatment of an animal...

"It is very sad what is happening in this place."

Aamer has been cleared for transfer by both the Bush and Obama administrations, according to Reprieve, the legal charity and human rights group which is representing him.

Shaker Aamer says he is being "treated like an animal"

Despite having British residency and a British wife and four children living in Battersea, south London, US authorities have repeatedly threatened to send him back to Saudi Arabia, his birthplace, against his wishes.

Clive Stafford Smith, his lawyer and Reprieve's director, said: "CBS' show gives a very rare and very shocking glimpse inside Guantanamo Bay. Everyone in the prison - the guards and the men - is suffering horribly, day after day.

"Obama must fulfil his promise to close the prison and Shaker Aamer must come home to his family in the UK, which is what David Cameron has said he wants."

According to Reprieve, Aamer was detained in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2001 after he went to the country to carry out voluntary work for an Islamic charity.

It is alleged that he was tortured at the Bagram Air Force base while being questioned by US forces.

In February 2010 it emerged that the Metropolitan police was investigating allegations of MI5 complicity in his torture.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "Mr Aamer's case remains a high priority for the UK government and we continue to make clear to the US that we want him released and returned to the UK as a matter of urgency."

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Supermarkets Taken To Task Over Offers

By Poppy Trowbridge, Business And Economics Correspondent

Some of Britain's biggest supermarkets have been accused of running so-called special offers that often see customers "paying over the odds".

Consumer group Which? analysed more than 70,000 grocery prices and found examples of what they call misleading multibuys and dodgy discounts.

Richard Lloyd, executive director, told Sky News: "People are at best paying what they would have done, or often we have found paying over the odds, paying extra when they think they are getting a discount. That can't be fair.

"These special offers simply aren't special at all. That is why we need to see the rules change to force the supermarkets to play fair."

One example found by Which? was a Sainsbury's special offer for Carex Aloe Vera & Eucalyptus Moisturising Antibacterial Handwash, where the item was priced at £1.80 for seven days, then was on offer at "was £1.80, now 90p" for 84 days.

Ocado sold a 12-pack of Beck's beer as "was £12.19, now £9" for almost a month but had only sold the item at the higher price for three days.

Asda increased the regular price of Muller Light Greek Style Yoghurt from £1.50 to £2.18 before it went on a "two for £4" offer, costing shoppers £1 more.

Shoppers are being urged to look carefully at special offers

It also increased the price of Uncle Ben's Express Basmati Rice from £1 to £1.58 before offering for "two for £3" and then returning the rice to £1 when the offer ended.

With inflation having outpaced average wage growth for about five years, rising food prices are one of the top worries for consumers.

Which? wants the Government to make the rules for special offers simpler, clearer and stricter.

The consumer group says if these changes are not made swiftly, it will consider using its formal legal powers to ensure the practice is tackled.

In the meantime shoppers should look carefully at the special offers, Mr Lloyd added.

"Make sure that you are not getting misled into buying something that you think is a good deal when that is just not the case," he said.

The British Retail Consortium, which represents the supermarket industry, said in a statement: "Across the tens of thousands of promotions available every day, regrettably, occasional errors do slip through.

"Retailers work very quickly to rectify these mistakes whenever they are found."

Both Asda and Sainsbury's also issued statements apologising for what they called pricing errors.

Sainsbury's said: "We are absolutely committed to fair and transparent promotions and carry out regular audits and thorough training on this."

Asda's statement said: "We take pricing seriously, and we've recently employed a new team within the business that looks at all aspects of our pricing process and pricing practices in store and online.

"Sometimes mistakes can happen, but we would never deliberately mislead our customers ... "

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Body-In-Well: Male Victim Had Been Assaulted

A man whose body was found in a well in the front garden of a house in Surrey had been assaulted, police have said.

The Metropolitan Police said an initial post-mortem did not prove conclusive in providing a cause of death, and further tests would be carried out.

However, the examination did reveal injuries consistent with an assault, a spokesman added.

The body was discovered by two workmen doing clearing work in the garden of the large house in Audley Drive in Warlingham on Friday.

It was found 7ft below ground in several feet of water and was recovered by specialist police officers.

Seven men aged between 21 and 27 who were arrested on suspicion of murder have been bailed to a date in late December, pending further investigation.

The post-mortem, which was carried out at East Surrey Hospital mortuary, confirmed the body is male.

Specialist police officers recovered the body

The police spokesman said efforts were continuing to try to establish the victim's identity.

Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons said: "This is an unusual case and I would appeal for anybody who has concerns about a missing person, or who believes they may know something about this individual or incident, to call my officers.

"The post-mortem examination has revealed this person, who we now know is a white male, suffered injuries before being placed into the well. We are treating the incident as a murder."

Mr Lyons said on Sunday that judging by the size of the body it was likely to be an adult.

He told reporters at the scene: "It's not been there for an extended period of time; it will be a matter of weeks at the most."

He was not prepared to discuss who lived in the house or a suggestion that the body had been wrapped in carpet. He could not confirm whether the body was intact.

Asked about claims by locals that there had been quite a bit of trouble in the past couple of years with the people who lived in the house, and that police had been called many times, he said: "The residents have expressed concern, there is intelligence to support that notion, yes."

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 020 8721 4961 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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Labour Pledge To Tackle Rising Childcare Costs

The average cost of a nursery place has risen by 30% under the coalition Government - nearly five times faster than average wages, Labour claims.

Party leader Ed Miliband is expected to continue his "cost of living" crusade by pledging more help with childcare if Labour wins power.

He will draw attention to the "childcare crunch" at a speech later by pointing out the average cost of weekly nursery place for a child aged two or over for 25 hours a week has gone up to £107 in 2013, from £82 in 2010.

During the same time period average weekly earnings have risen only 6%, from £449 to £477, meaning parents working part-time on average wages would now have to work four days a week to pay for full-time weekly childcare, according to Labour.

Mr Miliband will claim the coalition Government has done "nothing to help" families, and has added stress and strain to family life.

He will point out that there are 35,000 fewer childcare places and 576 fewer Sure Start centres since the last general election as he sets out his party's plans to "stand up for families".

Mr Miliband launched Labour's childcare policies at September's party conference, including an extension of free childcare for three and four-year-olds to 25 hours a week for working parents, paid for by a levy on banks.

Ed Miliband says childcare is adding to the stress of family life

Labour would also guarantee parents wraparound childcare - access to breakfast clubs or homework clubs - from 8am to 6pm in primary schools.

On a visit to a nursery today, Mr Miliband will say: "Millions of parents are facing a childcare crunch. The cost of a nursery place is now the highest in history.

"Rising prices have been matched only by falling numbers of places ... an average of three Sure Start centres is being lost every single week.

"This childcare crunch is affecting families with kids at school too. Parents are facing a daily obstacle course as they seek to balance work and family life.

"Under the last government 99% of schools provided access to breakfast clubs and after-school clubs. But more than a third of local authorities have reported this has been scaled back in their area under David Cameron.

"The Tories say they care about families, but they have done nothing to help for three years while all the time adding to the stress and strain of family life.

"If it's bad for families, it's bad for Britain too. Parents who want to work should be able to do so.

"One Nation Labour would stand up for families and make work pay."

The soaring cost of living has rocketed up the political agenda since Mr Miliband's pledge to freeze energy prices if his party wins the 2015 general election.

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Google Agrees To Block Child Abuse Images

Internet searches for child abuse images will be blocked for the first time by Microsoft and Google after months of mounting pressure.

The groundbreaking move will soon prevent illegal images and videos from appearing in more than 100,000 search terms associated with abuse.

Google says it has also developed technology that will allow illegal videos to be "tagged" so all duplicate copies can be removed across the internet.

The changes will apply across the world in more than 150 languages.

Microsoft, which operates and powers Bing and Yahoo, will reportedly confirm at a Downing Street summit on online pornography today that it is introducing similar reforms.

Google chairman Eric Schmidt, writing in the Daily Mail ahead of the No 10 talks, said: "We've listened.

"We've fine-tuned Google Search to prevent links to child sexual abuse material from appearing in our results."

Illegal images showing child sex abuse will not appear in search results

The Prime Minister welcomed the move as a "really significant step forward", but threatened to bring forward new legislation if search engine companies failed to deliver on their promises.

Calls for internet companies to take action against searching for illegal content grew following the trials of child killers Mark Bridger and Stuart Hazel earlier this year.

Bridger, who murdered five-year-old April Jones, and Hazel, who killed 12-year-old Tia Sharp, both used the internet to search for child abuse images before the killings.

Senior figures from Google, Microsoft and BT were summoned to Parliament for a meeting with Culture Secretary Maria Miller in June where they were told they had to do more to combat the issue.

David Cameron told the Daily Mail: "We learnt from cases like the murder of Tia Sharp and April Jones that people will often start accessing extreme material via a simple search in one of the mainstream search engines."

The crackdown comes as Mr Cameron is set to reveal at the summit that Britain's National Crime Agency is to join America's FBI to tackle online child abuse.

The UK's National Crime Agency is to join forces with America's FBI

The transatlantic taskforce is being established by the US assistant attorney general and the British to target criminals who use the internet to hide from the law.

It will be specifically tasked with tracking down offenders who use the "dark web" - secret and encrypted networks that are increasingly being exploited by paedophiles and other criminals.

The NCA estimates the number of UK daily users of secret or encrypted networks will have risen to 20,000 by the end of the year.

While some will be using them for legitimate purposes, UK law enforcement and intelligence agencies believe paedophiles involved in distributing child abuse material are using them to hide their identities.

At the same time a group of industry experts is being set up to look at new technical solutions for removing child abuse material from the the internet.

Joanna Shields, the chief executive of Tech City UK, said it would be looking to spot the "threats of future" to protect the most vulnerable in society.

"It's vital that governments and industry work together to eradicate child abuse content from the internet, and that we mobilise the best and brightest in the technology industry to come up with innovative solutions to tackling this problem," she said.

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Age Of Consent 'Should Be Dropped To 15'

The age of consent should be lowered to 15, a leading public health expert has said.

Professor John Ashton, president of the Faculty of Public Health, has called for a national debate, saying that society sends "confused" signals about when sex is permitted.

His intervention comes against a backdrop of official figures which suggest that up to a third of teenagers have sex before the present age of consent of 16.

Prof Ashton told the Sunday Times that lowering the age by a year could "draw a line in the sand" against sex at 14 or younger.

It would also make it easier for 15-year-olds who are in sexual relationships to obtain contraception or sexual health advice from the NHS.

He said: "Because we are so confused about this and we have kept the age of consent at 16, the 15-year-olds don't have clear routes to getting some support.

Lowering the age would make it easier for 15-year-olds to get contraception

"My own view is there is an argument for reducing it to 15 but you cannot do it without the public supporting the idea and we need to get a sense of public opinion about this.

"I would not personally argue for 14 but I think we should seriously be looking at 15 so that we can draw a line in the sand and really, as a society, actively discourage sexual involvement under 15.

"By doing that, you would be able legitimately to organise services to meet the need."

The Faculty of Public Health, part of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, gives advice to ministers and civil servants although it is independent of government.

David Tucker, head of policy at the NSPCC, said he would be happy to have a debate on the issue but said he would want to see the evidence for Prof Ashton's claims.

He said: "Has there really been a significant change in the amount of young people having sex over the past 20 or 30 years?

"If it has changed, then is reducing the age of consent the most sensible way to deal with it?"

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Father Stabbed After Confronting Burglars

A 47-year-old man woken by burglars forcing their way into his Luton home was stabbed several times when he went to investigate.

Three men are thought to have got into the man's home in Wellfield Avenue in the early hours of Saturday morning as his family slept.

Bedfordshire Police said the man suffered multiple stab wounds when he confronted the burglars. The suspects then fled on foot.

The victim, said to be in a serious but stable condition, was taken to Luton and Dunstable Hospital after the alarm was raised by his wife and daughter.

Detective Constable Mo Hussain said: "This was an appalling attack on a family man within his own home and I would urge anyone with information to come forward and speak with us.

"While the victim has suffered some very nasty injuries, he is in a stable condition and has responded very well to treatment."

Police said the burglars were believed to be three black males aged around 20.

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Antibiotics Warning: Resistance 'Growing'

By Enda Brady, Sky News Reporter

The world faces "unimaginable setbacks" unless it tackles the growing threat of resistance to antibiotics, according to an international group of experts.

The latest research by the 26-strong group predicts major problems unless governments work together immediately.

Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria evolve mechanisms to withstand the drugs which are used to fight infection.

"The causes of antibiotic resistance are complex and include human behaviour at many levels of society," said lead author Professor Otto Cars, of Uppsala University in Sweden.

"The consequences affect everybody in the world. Within just a few years, we might be faced with unimaginable setbacks - medically, socially, and economically - unless real and unprecedented global co-ordinated actions to transform the way antibiotics are regulated and developed are taken immediately."

In September, the UK Government announced plans for a five-year strategy to tackle the problem, setting aside £4.5m.

In the UK, research is focusing on how plant chemicals keep insects at bay

Recent decades have seen vast increases in the use of antibiotics across medicine and agriculture, but the scientists argue that without adequate regulatory controls and better patient awareness, the huge global surge in antibiotic resistance will continue.

They say the problem is compounded by a desperate shortage of new drugs to treat multi-drug resistant bacterial infections.

Prof Cars added: "Antibiotic resistance is a complex ecological problem which doesn't just affect people, but is also intimately connected with agriculture and the environment.

"We need to move on from 'blaming and shaming' among the many stakeholders who have all contributed to the problem, towards concrete political action and commitment to address this threat. Consumers and providers of antibiotics alike need to be empowered to tackle antibiotic resistance, as well as ensuring that those in need benefit from affordable, effective antibiotics."

One of the British scientists who helped compile the report said that alarm bells have been ringing - and ignored - for many years.

Prof Laura Piddick says more funding is needed to develop new treatments

"For a long time there has been a sense of crying wolf over this," said Professor Laura Piddock, from the University of Birmingham.

"Science has been telling us about this problem for years. We need more academic research and funding. New treatments have been hampered by a lack of funding. It has always been viewed that this is something that the pharmaceutical industry should do."

At the John Innes Centre in Norwich scientists are going back to nature for the answers, studying how plants like eucalyptus trees producing chemicals to keep insects at bay.

"Plants have a distinct disadvantage in that they can't move out of the way of predators," Tony Maxwell, the centre's head of biological chemistry, told Sky News.

"And they have no end of predators, large and small animals, insects and bacteria. They have to produce a whole array of chemicals to defend themselves. What we are trying to work out is how we can use those chemicals for our own usage in antibiotics."

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