Moazzam Begg Charged With Terror Offences

Ex-Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg has been charged with providing terrorist training and funding terrorism overseas, West Midlands Police have said.

The 45-year-old British citizen, from Hall Green, Birmingham, was one of four people arrested earlier this week on suspicion of terrorism offences linked to the Syria conflict.

He will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court today alongside a woman, Gerrie Tahari, 44, of Sparkbrook, Birmingham, who is charged with facilitating terrorism overseas.

Both were arrested on Tuesday with two other men held on suspicion of facilitating terrorism overseas.

The pair - a 36-year-old man from Shirley, Solihull, and a 20-year-old man from Sparkhill, Birmingham, who is the son of Tahari - remain in police custody.

Begg was released from Guantanamo Bay in January 2005

Begg was held by the US government at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba for nearly three years after being arrested in Pakistan in February 2002.

He was detained on suspicion of being a member of al Qaeda before being released without charge in January 2005.

He was allowed to return to the UK where he was arrested by police before being released without charge.

Begg is a director of Cage - which campaigns "against the War on Terror" - and has always maintained that he has never been involved in any kind of terrorist activity.

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British Runaway 'Feared Kidnapped In Spain'

A British man who fled to Spain is believed to have been kidnapped by men posing as police officers.

Francis Brennan left the UK ahead of a sentencing date last October for an assault he committed in the Thames Valley area in 2012.

He was last seen in Alicante on January 24. He was in a friend's car when it was stopped by several men who posed as police officers.

The 25-year-old's parents, Carl and Janet, have appealed for information about his disappearance.

"We got a call from one of his friends and his girlfriend back in January to say that Francis had been arrested on January 24 but we later learnt from the Spanish authorities that this was not the case and that he had been taken against his will," they said.

"This has come as an awful shock to us as Francis is our only son and we can still remember him as a fun-loving child who was football-mad in a football-mad family who loved nothing more than playing out with his friends."

They said they pleaded with their son not to leave the country, but he did not listen.

"He told us not to worry and that he would be home after Christmas," they said.

Mr Brennan went missing in Alicante

Mr Brennan's girlfriend, Sophie Staunton, went to Alicante in December to try to persuade him to return home.

"Francis met Sophie, his lovely girlfriend, in 2012 and he seemed to start to grow up and they seemed very settled and happy," Mr Brennan's parents said.

"Sophie went out to Javea in December to try and persuade him to come home but then last month he disappeared and none of us know where. This whole thing has devastated all of us."

Detective Superintendent Richie Carr, from Merseyside Police, said: "Francis's disappearance is completely out of character and because of this, as well as his associations and lifestyle, ourselves and the Spanish police are extremely concerned for his safety.

"We do however believe he has been taken against his will and we and his family are hopeful that someone in the criminal fraternity here in Merseyside has information that could help bring about the safe return of Francis."

:: Anybody with information should call Merseyside Police on 0151 777 8520 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Floods Fund: £2m To Support Tourism Firms

Tourism businesses affected by the recent flooding are to get a £2m boost from the Government.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller says the money will fund experts who will visit affected areas and offer practical advice to tourism firms such as how to access business support measures.

The advice sessions will be hosted by VisitEngland and run throughout March.

The fund comes on top of  the £10m set aside by Prime Minister David Cameron last month to help flood-hit businesses generally.

Ms Miller said: "We want to help all those tourism businesses that have been affected by the horrendous floods get back on their feet as quickly as possible.

"Experts will be put on the ground to help small businesses with practical advice and communications while a bespoke Easter marketing will bring people back to the areas hit."

Welcoming the funding, VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said: "Our message to customers is 'Business as usual'.

"Despite many areas having been affected by bad weather and some travel disruption, the tourism infrastructure is largely unaffected."

VisitBritain chief executive Sandie Dawe said: "International tourism is worth around £1.5bn to the economies of south west England and Wales.

"We are already getting out the message that it is a great time to travel to Britain and will be intensifying that activity over the coming months."

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:: Watch Sky News' special programme 'Battered Britain: From The Air' about the effect of the recent storms on the UK's landscape on Sunday, March 2, at 4pm.

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Gamblers To Set Cash Cap On Machines

New technology will allow gamblers to set limits on how much time and money they spend on gaming machines.

The technology is being installed on gaming machines in England and Wales as part of a code of conduct established by the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB).

The ABB says the code aims to "tackle problem gambling".

The technology will allow customers to set limits on gambling machines, and will also introduce mandatory alerts when a customer has spent £250 or played for 30 minutes.

Staff at gambling venues will also be informed when the limit is reached, while machines will alert the customer and force a 30-second break in play.

The new technology to implement the measures is currently being installed on 33,000 machines across England and Wales.

The ABB said the code, which comes into effect today, has the "full support" of the gambling industry.

ABB chief executive Dirk Vennix said: "The code will help give players more control and encourage responsible gambling.

"It forms part of the industry's ongoing, proactive efforts to be socially responsible, to tackle problem gambling and to ensure a duty of care towards every customer.

"We recognise growing concerns that some customers are spending too much money or too much time on gaming machines. We want to take steps to protect them because one problem gambler is one too many.

"That is why we have put together the code, which introduces revolutionary new harm minimisation measures, the likes of which have yet to be seen anywhere in the world."

Dirk Hansen, chief executive of gambling advice service GamCare, said: "I welcome the ABB's move towards offering greater protections for players, encouraging responsible play and for raising awareness amongst betting shop customers about the help that is available for problem gambling.

"These new measures will not only educate players to the risks associated with gambling but also empower individuals to get support when they need it."

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Dementia: Shop Staff Will Train To Spot Illness

More than 190,000 high street staff will be trained to spot the signs of dementia under a raft of new measures to help people with the condition.

Workers at Marks & Spencer, Argos, Homebase, Lloyds Bank and Lloyds Pharmacy will become "dementia friends" to provide better support for sufferers.

An estimated 800,000 people have already been diagnosed with dementia, but experts expect this figure to soar to 1.7 million by 2051.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the new package of care would make the UK a world leader in fighting the illness, which he described as "horrific and heartbreaking".

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt

"(This) is about government, clinicians, business, society and investors coming together to raise our game on every front - from speedy diagnosis to compassionate care, and from help on our high streets to the quest for a cure," he said.

NHS England is to invest £90m in an attempt to diagnose two-thirds of people with dementia by March next year, targeting areas where it can take up to 25 weeks to carry out a diagnosis.

According to the Alzheimer's Society, one in three people aged over 65 will develop the condition, and two-thirds of sufferers are women.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the charity, said: "(This) is a positive step forward to increasing diagnosis rates and ensuring that no matter where you live you will receive a timely assessment.

"Too often we hear about a lack of suitable services available to people with dementia and their carers.

"We welcome the focus on post-diagnosis support which will provide a vital lifeline to thousands who are currently left in the dark, with nowhere to turn for advice or support."

David Cameron has appointed a World Dementia Envoy following agreement between the G8 countries at a dementia summit in London in December.

The Prime Minister has called for international collaboration to urgently find a cure for the condition.

There are around 800,000 people in the UK who suffer from dementia

However, Labour warned the Government must tackle "poor care standards" in order to combat dementia.

Liz Kendall, the shadow minister for care and older people, said: "If his words are to have real meaning, Mr Cameron must do far more to help people struggling to cope with dementia right now.

"£2.7bn has been cut from council care budgets under this Government, hitting the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of people with dementia and their families."

She added: "The Prime Minister cannot credibly claim to show leadership on dementia unless he tackles poor care standards, like the increasing number of 15-minute home visits which are barely enough time to make a cup of tea, let alone help a frail elderly person with dementia get up, washed, dressed and fed."

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'Boiler Room Fraud' Smashed In Police Raids

Suspected fraudsters who led extravagant lifestyles like Leonardo DiCaprio's character in hit film Wolf of Wall Street by conning victims out of millions of pounds have been targeted in an international clampdown.

Police swooped in a series of raids stretching from London and Barcelona to the US and Serbia in a move to smash the so-called boiler room fraud, where investors are duped into buying worthless or non-existent shares.

A total of 110 alleged fraudsters were held in what was one of the biggest anti-fraud operations ever staged.

To date, 850 British victims, many of them pensioners and one of whom killed themselves after being defrauded, have been identified.

They lost a total of around £15m - ranging from between £2,000 and £500,000 per person - but police believe this figure is only "the tip of the iceberg" and suspect thousands more people may have been duped.

A suspect's lavish home in Marbella, Spain. Pic: City of London Police

The operation, which was two years in the making, saw 40 officers from City of London Police join 300 of their Spanish counterparts from the Policia Nacional to target a number of organised crime gangs.

It aimed to take out criminal kingpins, as well as scores of conmen who work for them, including lawyers, money launderers and financiers.

The alleged fraudsters spent their ill-gotten gains on sports cars, designer watches, drugs and prostitutes.

One of the suspects was believed to be paying £40,000 per month to rent an apartment.

An Aston Martin and Ferrari were among the cars seized by police, along with various watches and £500,000 in cash.

One suspect wrapped watches around his slippers

The raids took place earlier this week but can only now be revealed after a reporting ban was lifted by a Spanish judge.

Speaking near the site of one of the searches in Barcelona on Tuesday, City of London Police Commander Steve Head said: "You see real victims in real communities whose lives have been devastated. Savings that they thought they could rely on in their old age have gone in a heartbeat."

He added: "These people have no conscience in terms of what they do to people's lives. This is not at all a victimless crime. We've seen lives that have been utterly devastated.

"We have dismantled an international network of fraudsters. Make no mistake, this will make a difference to the ability of fraudsters to operate at this level.

"This network has been dismantled, hopefully we have sent a message to those who think that it's an easy crime that it doesn't matter where you are, we will come after you."

Expensive cars including a Ferrari and an Aston Martin were confiscated

In total, the international team executed 35 warrants on offices from where the fraud is said to have been run, as well as the alleged criminals' luxury homes.

The operation closed down 14 boiler rooms in Spain, two in the UK and one in Serbia.

As well as the fraud, the gangs were also allegedly involved in drug dealing, money laundering and gun crime.

Most of the suspects targeted are British and a main group is expected to be extradited back to the UK to face trial.

Commissioner Jose Luis Andre Vega from the Spanish national police, said: "This sort of crime knows no frontiers or boundaries. It's important to investigate this sort of organised crime on an international level."

Of the 110 arrests, there were 84 in Spain, 20 in the UK, two in the United States and four in Serbia, with most of the suspects arrested on suspicion of money laundering and fraud offences.

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RBS Reaches Deal To Award £550m Bonus Pot

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is to pay approximately £550m in staff bonuses for 2013 after securing the agreement of the Treasury agency that is its biggest shareholder.

Sky News has learnt that the taxpayer-backed bank will disclose the sum - which is higher than previous reports had suggested - alongside its annual results on Thursday.

The bonus pot for 2013 is certain to reignite a row over pay at RBS because it will also announce a loss for the year estimated at £8bn, the biggest since its bail-out by the Government in 2008.

UK Financial Investments (UKFI), the body which manages taxpayers' stake in the bank, is understood to have signed off on the payments in recent days.

The sum of around £550m will represent a fall on the 2012 bonus pot of £679m of just under 20%, which Chancellor George Osborne is expected to cite as evidence that RBS is exhibiting restraint on bonus payments.

Last year's figure was further reduced by £72m to £607m because of the clawback of previous years' deferred bonuses, undertaken as a consequence of RBS's £390m fine for its role in the Libor-rigging scandal.

RBS is expected to have reduced the 2013 bonus pool by at least £25m under a commitment it gave 12 months ago to reduce bonuses in subsequent years.

It is unclear whether RBS will also announce a plan on Thursday to seek shareholder approval at its annual general meeting in May to allow it to pay bonuses worth double the value of senior employees' basic salaries.

Other UK banks are planning to do so, but RBS found itself at the centre of another political row last month when Labour leader Ed Miliband urged David Cameron to use the Government's stake to block any such request.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Cameron told Sky News: "With our particular responsibility for RBS, I can tell you that I don't only want to see the level of pay and bonuses come down overall, I want to see it come down per-person, per-capita as well."

The Prime Minister said last month that new European rules on bankers' pay, which the Government is challenging, could exacerbate the riskiness of banks.

He said: "This European directive... in some ways might make things worse, because you could see rates of pay go up.

"You can claw back a bonus, the taxpayer can get the money back. You can't claw back [basic] pay."

Thursday's bonus announcement will come as Ross McEwan, RBS's new chief executive, unveils a plan that will mean the bank's 120,000-strong workforce shrinking to barely two-thirds of that number following the sale and closure of several business units.

RBS and UKFI declined to comment.

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Nursing Staff Cuts Linked To Higher Death Rates

Hospitals are experiencing higher patient death rates as a direct result of nursing cutbacks, according to a study of hospitals in England and eight other countries.

Data from 300 European hospitals shows that every extra patient added to a nurse's workload increases the risk of death within a month of surgery by 7%.

The level of training the nurse had undergone also had an impact, the study said, with university degrees going a long way towards making up for reduced staffing levels.

A 10% increase in the proportion of nurses holding a bachelor degree was associated with 7% lower surgical death rates, the findings published in The Lancet journal revealed.

Since September last year, every newly-qualified nurse in the UK has had to possess a university degree.

Figures for 30 English hospitals showed that on average every one of their nurses looked after around nine patients, which is one more than professional bodies would like.

Spain appeared to have the most overworked staff, with an average 12.7 patients per nurse. But in Spain every nurse had a bachelor degree, compared with only 28% in England at the time the data was collected in 2009-10.

In some other countries the patient-to-nurse ratio was significantly smaller. Norway had a ratio of 5.2 to one, the Irish Republic 6.9, the Netherlands seven and Finland and Sweden 7.6.

Lead researcher Professor Linda Aiken said: "Our findings emphasise the risk to patients that could emerge in response to nurse staffing cuts under recent austerity measures, and suggest that an increased emphasis on bachelor's education for nurses could reduce hospital deaths."

The study analysed information on more than 420,000 patients admitted to hospitals in Belgium, England, Finland, the Irish Republic, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Researchers compared nurse workload and education and patient outcomes, taking into account the age and sex of patients, types of surgical procedure, chronic conditions, and the kind of technology available in a hospital.

The overall percentage of surgical patients who died within 30 days of admission was low, ranging between 1% and 1.5% per country. In England, the average rate was 1.4%.

Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said: "It is worrying to see that researchers found the mean ratio of patients to nurses in England is above eight, as we know that this can compromise patient safety.

"The RCN has also expressed concern at the skills mix in UK hospitals as trusts get rid of more senior nurses to save money, meaning there is far less experience on many wards, and the full extent of this will be revealed in our upcoming Frontline First report."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the Government would not introduce a legal minimum because staff requirements were a "different number for different wards".

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Flood Spending Claim Contradicted By Watchdog

PM Pledges Help On Visit To 'Biblical' Floods

Updated: 2:24am UK, Saturday 08 February 2014

David Cameron has told residents of flood-hit Somerset that mistakes were made in the past which have contributed to the crisis.

Speaking following widespread criticism of the Government's response to the crisis, the Prime Minister said it was "wrong" to stop dredging in the Levels in the 1990s, adding: "We need to get dredging again."

His first visit to the region since the floods began late last year came after that of Environment Agency chairman Lord Smith, who insisted he was very proud of the body's work.

"Clearly people here faced a tough time and continue to face a tough time and that's why we've got to do everything we can to help," Mr Cameron said as he visited a flooded farm in Fordgate.

"Everything that can be done, will be done and I'll make sure that happens. There are always lessons to learn and I'll make sure they are learned.

"I've said that when the water-levels are down and it's safe to dredge, to make sure that these rivers and these ditches can carry a better capacity of water."

Mr Cameron wore wellington boots as he walked round Tony Davy's farm and met fire service workers pumping from the property.

He described the scene at the frarm, where the water was knee-high, as "biblical".

The Prime Minister then visited evacuated residents at a private meeting in nearby Bridgwater.

Royal Marines were earlier drafted in to help people in Moorlands to safety after flood defences broke on Thursday night.

Lord Smith attempted to brush of criticism of the handling of the flooding, telling reporters: "I have no intention of resigning. I'm very proud of the work of the Environment Agency and its staff in the face of the most extreme weather."

"Local people have made very clear the distress they've experienced and the difficulties they've been facing."

He also said an extra £130m pledged by the Government would make a significant difference and that dredging would begin as soon as flood waters recede.

But local Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger called the Environment Agency boss a "coward" and said he had not been given any details of the visit.

"I will tell him what I bloody well think of him - he should go, he should walk," he said.

"I'm livid. This little git has never even been on the telephone to me. When I find out where he is, I will give it to him."

Meanwhile, England's southern coastline looks likely to suffer more flooding as forecasters warn of large waves and strong winds.

Devon and Dorset coasts have already suffered major damage after being pummelled by the week's storms.

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