Prince George Photos: First Official Pictures

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

The Duchess of Cambridge's father, Michael Middleton, has taken the first official photographs of William, Kate and their son Prince George.

The Royal couple with Prince George and the pet dogs

The two pictures from the new Cambridge family album were taken by the young prince's grandfather in the back garden of the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, Kensington Palace confirmed.

Taken in "early August", the first photograph is a simple parents and child shot.

The couple, back-lit by the sun, are standing in the gardens of the Berkshire home with Kate cradling her two-week-old son.

In the second, William and Kate can be seen sitting on a rug, also in the garden.

Kate continues to hold Prince George, but they are this time joined by their cocker spaniel, Lupo, and the Middletons' retriever, Tilly.

Sky News understands the two photos were selected from a larger collection taken while the Duke of Cambridge was on paternity leave.

For their official engagement and wedding photographs, the Royal couple opted for well-known celebrity photographers Mario Testino and Hugo Bernand.

Michael Middleton took the photographs

Asking Mr Middleton to take the photos is yet another example of the Duke and Duchess choosing to do things their way throughout their marriage.

The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George are thought to have joined Prince William in Anglesey in recent days.

The couple will next be seen together in public on September 12 for an awards dinner hosted by conservation charity Tusk Trust.

In his first interview since he became a father, William said his young son reminded him of himself or Prince Harry.

The Duke told CNN: "He's a little bit of a rascal, I'll put it that way.

"He either reminds me of my brother or me when I was younger, I'm not sure, but he's doing very well at the moment."

:: Do you have a favourite family photo? Are you proud of a particular snap, even though it wasn't taken by a professional photographer? Is there an image you love despite the fact it is a bit blurred and the lighting is dodgy?

Send it to us through our Your Photos page and we will publish a selection in a picture gallery.

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Cameron's Bad Back Stops His Deer Stalking

David Cameron has been treated for a "phenomenally bad back" after it stopped him from going deer stalking on holiday.

The Prime Minister insisted he had not given up on the sport because of opposition from animal rights campaigners, adding that these days he'd simply rather go for a walk.

Mr Cameron spoke about his health in an interview recorded several days ago, as he enjoyed a holiday with his family on the Scottish island of Jura, and said "it's all in good nick".

He, wife Samantha and their three children were staying on a 20,000 acre estate owned by Mrs Cameron's stepfather Lord Astor before moving on to Cornwall.

Friends have previously described the Tory leader - who has been deer stalking for 20 years - as a crack shot who can shoot two stags in one go.

David Cameron also spoke of his family's love of riding Pic: BBC Scotland

But in the interview he said: "I'd rather go for a walk.

"This year I've got a phenomenally bad back so I don't really think I'll be able to crawl. It's a lot of crawling through the heather, sometimes for a very, very long time.

"I have had a scan so I know what it is, it's a protruding disc. I could have got this injection last week but I just thought I'll wait and give it a little bit of time. So we'll just see if it eases up a bit.

"It's not a slipped disc. Sometimes people slip a disc and they have to be put in a stretcher and taken to hospital. It's not quite that. He said everything was in reasonable shape.

"When you get into your mid-40s stuff like this starts to happen. It's all in good nick, but this thing has happened, which is a bore."

Mr Cameron, 46, later revealed on Twitter that he had been forced to have a painkilling injection on the way to Cornwall, but downplayed the problem.

He wrote: "I've been treated for a bad back/protruding disc at Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre today. The staff say all will be back to normal very soon."

Traditional deer stalking in Scotland

Walking by the sea on the Hebridean island, Mr Cameron had told BBC Scotland that he still liked active holidays.

"I walk, I like fishing, I like going for a run. I even swim in this actually. I've caught some sea trout but we're not talking Moby Dick," he said.

He added that he had not waterskied for a few years and felt his days enjoying that sport were over.

"I think when you get to mid-40s it's time to hang up the water skis. Sometimes when you hit the water the impact knocks everything out of alignment a little bit," he said.

He also spoke of how happy his children are on the Scottish island.

"They can spend all day long looking for crabs, digging up shells, making sandcastles, damming streams. It is just the biggest best playground they could possibly have."

The Prime Minister said he often looked at a picture of the family on horseback in the sea as a reminder of their holidays.

He joked that he was not riding "bare-chested - no Vladimir" in a reference to the Russian leader.

"I think Putin would like it up here. He'd go for a bit of that fishing, maybe a bit of stalking," he added.

Mr Cameron insisted that he was "effectively in charge" of the country despite being on holiday somewhere so remote.

"I check my Blackberry, I contact the office, but I can do that and then say right it's holiday time, it's children time," he said.

The Camerons are now on their fourth holiday of the year, having earlier also visited Ibiza and Portugal.

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David Miranda: Police Defend Heathrow Hold

The detention of the partner of the journalist who reported the Edward Snowden spying revelations was "legally and procedurally sound", according to Scotland Yard.

David Miranda was questioned for nine hours after being held at a London airport under anti-terror laws - the legal limit before a suspect must be charged or released.

Mr Miranda, the partner of The Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, was changing planes en route from Germany to his home in Brazil and called it a "total abuse of power".

Mr Greenwald - the reporter who interviewed American whistleblower Edward Snowden - called Mr Miranda's detention a "profound attack on press freedoms and the newsgathering process".

Russia has given Edward Snowden temporary political asylum

"To detain my partner for a full nine hours while denying him a lawyer, and then seize large amounts of his possessions, is clearly intended to send a message of intimidation to those of us who have been reporting on the NSA (National Security Agency) and GCHQ," he said.

However, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "The examination of a 28-year-old man under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 at Heathrow airport on Sunday … was subject to a detailed decision-making process.

"The procedure was reviewed throughout to ensure the examination was both necessary and proportionate.

"Our assessment is that the use of the power in this case was legally and procedurally sound."

It added: "Contrary to some reports the man was offered legal representation while under examination and a solicitor attended. No complaint has been received by the Metropolitan Police Service at this time."

Laura Poitras was nominated for an Oscar

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the UK gave the United States advance notice that London police intended to detain Mr Miranda but added the US did not request the detention and was not involved in the decision.

But Mr Miranda claimed UK officials did the bidding for the US in trying to force him to reveal passwords for his electronic devices.

Mr Miranda said: "They were threatening me all the time and saying I would be put in jail if I didn't co-operate.

"They treated me like I was a criminal or someone about to attack the UK … It was exhausting and frustrating, but I knew I wasn't doing anything wrong."

Meanwhile Mr Greenwald's editor, Alan Rusbridger, published an article revealing two agents from GCHQ visited the newspaper's London head office and watched as hard drives loaded with Snowden data were destroyed.

Labour's Yvette Cooper called for an urgent investigation

Mr Rusbridger said the action was agreed to after intense pressure from the heart of Government, amid the possibility of prior restraint being used to thwart further revelations in The Guardian. He said in future the paper would publish details from abroad.

In Germany, Mr Miranda had visited US filmmaker Laura Poitras who has been working on the Snowden NSA files with Mr Greenwald and The Guardian.

Labour called for an urgent investigation into the use of the powers to question Mr Miranda after he said agents took his "computer, video game, mobile phone, my memory card. Everything".

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: "Any suggestion that terror powers are being misused must be investigated and clarified urgently - the public support for these powers must not be endangered by a perception of misuse."

Bob Satchwell, executive director of the Society of Editors, said it was difficult to avoid the conclusion that the move was an attempt to intimidate a journalist.

He said: "Journalism may be embarrassing and annoying for governments but it is not terrorism."

Downing Street said the case was an "operational matter for the police".

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Peru: Drugs Case Lawyer To Meet Police

A lawyer for one of two women accused of smuggling £1.5m of cocaine is expected to discuss her case with police later.

Human rights lawyer Peter Madden will go to a police holding centre in Peruvian capital Lima, where Michaella McCollum and co-accused Melissa Reid are being detained.

In a statement released through his Belfast-based firm, Mr Madden said he would not be commenting on the case until after the meeting.

Ms McCollum from Dungannon, County Tyrone, and Ms Reid, from Glasgow, are being held on drug trafficking allegations.

The pair, both 20, were arrested last week while trying to board a flight from Lima to Madrid. Police said they found around 11kg of cocaine hidden inside food packages in their luggage.

Ms Reid's father, William, has flown to Lima to see her

Both women deny the allegations and claim they were forced to carry the bags by armed men.

It has been reported that Peruvian police are expected to hand their investigation to the state prosecutor's office so that formal charges can be made against the two women.

The findings will form the basis of a pre-trial hearing that will determine what the pair are to be charged with.

Both women had travelled separately to the party island of Ibiza in search of work this summer.

Peter Madden, Ms McCollum's lawyer, is also in Peru

On Sunday it was reported that a third girl may have been due to take part in the alleged smuggling plot but that she changed her mind at the last minute and left Ibiza for the UK.

The girl said in an anonymous interview with the Sunday People she is in hiding and fears for her life

Meanwhile, a senior Spanish police officer said he did not believe Ms McCollum and Ms Reid had been acting under duress.

First sergeant Alberto Arian Barilla, the head of the Ibiza police unit responsible for countering organised crime, said if the girls were being forced they would have alerted the airport's passport control.

Further questions about the women's version of events were raised after photographs emerged which allegedly showed them posing on a balcony and on a beach with glasses of beer days before their arrests.

The cocaine was hidden in food packets

The pair say they were told to take photos of themselves at tourist spots to make it look like they were friends travelling together, the Daily Mail said.

Ms Reid's father, William Reid, who flew to Peru to be with his daughter, agreed the photos were ambiguous, but told the newspaper: "I want to know who took that picture of them on their balcony. Was it taken by a third person or by a minder, and who was drinking the beer?

"That wasn't Melissa's beer in the photo because I have never in my entire life seen her drink beer. She drinks a lot of water and, if she is drinking, it would be vodka."

He added: "I believe the trip to the beach was part of a set-up that they asked them to smile to build up a portrayal of them as happy holidaymakers.

"Melissa said they said they had been told by the men that they weren't smiling enough in the pictures and they told them to look happier."

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Families Struggling With £150k Child-Rearing Costs

The cost of raising a child has risen by 4% in the last year to almost £150,000, a study has found.

The research published by Child Poverty Action Group and co-funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation reveals that British parents face a growing struggle to provide a decent standard of living for their families.

The study found it now costs a minimum of £148,000 to bring up a child to the age of 18 and meet their minimum needs, including childcare and housing, which is around £160 a week.

The minimum necessary cost for raising a child rose by 4% in 2013, but in comparison average earnings rose by just 1.5%, the minimum wage increased by 1.8%, and child benefit did not go up at all.

The study also found the value of both child benefit and child tax credit relative to the costs of raising a child has decreased in the last year.

Many low-income families have also seen cuts in housing support with the introduction of changes such as the spare-room subsidy, dubbed the "bedroom tax" by Labour.

At the same time, working families have had to contend with rapidly increasing childcare costs, which have risen by 5.9% in the last year.

Alison Garnham, chief executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said: "This research paints a stark picture of families being squeezed by rising prices and stagnant wages, yet receiving ever-diminishing support from the Government over the course of the last year.

"Every parent knows it's getting harder to pay for the essentials their children need, and they don't feel like politicians see them as a priority.

"Child benefit and child tax credit have been cut at the very time families need them most. Families are getting worse off and parents know it.

"If every child in Britain can grow up healthy, well-educated and an active participant in their community, we all benefit from a more prosperous economy.

"This was well understood by the post-war generation who prioritised universal benefits for all children despite being much deeper in debt than we are today.

"As we move towards a 'living standards election', now would be a good time to renew our national commitment to all our children."

Katie Schmuecker, policy and research manager at Joseph Rowntree Foundation, added: "The next election is likely to be the first since the 1930s where living standards are lower than the last poll.

"All parties must go to the country with policies and a commitment to help the prospects of low-income families.

"The risk and costs otherwise are enormous. Child poverty costs the Treasury £29bn a year - a price we can scarcely afford to pay, particularly in the current economic context."

The coalition insists it has to slash the welfare bill to reduce the burden on the taxpayer and to rebalance the system so that it pays to work.

A Government spokesman said: "We know times are tough, and we are securing a recovery for everyone who wants to work hard.

"That is why we are taking action to help families with the cost of living by cutting income tax for 25 million people, which will save a typical taxpayer over £700, taking 2.7 million out of income tax altogether and freezing council tax for five years, saving a typical household £600."

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Gibraltar: HMS Westminster Arrives At Rock

HMS Westminster has arrived in Gibraltar a day after Spanish fishermen were involved in a stand-off with UK military and police boats.

The Royal Navy warship sailed in as tensions between Spain and the British territory were described as their worst for 40 years.

The type 23 frigate, which left Portsmouth naval base six days ago, is due to spend three days on the Rock, before joining several other vessels taking part in a pre-planned international training exercise called Cougar 13 in the Mediterranean and Gulf.

Its visit was described by the Ministry of Defence as "long-planned".

But Sky's David Bowden, in Gibraltar, said given the growing diplomatic spat, the warship's presence will be seen as a "strong symbol" of Britain's desire to defend its territory.

Spanish fishing boats were intercepted as they entered UK waters

Yesterday, a flotilla of more than 30 fishing boats was "corralled" by Royal Navy vessels after protesting near the spot where Gibraltar's government placed 70 concrete blocks in disputed waters next to the Rock.

Gibraltar says it has created the concrete artificial reef there to protect local fish stocks from trawling, but Madrid says it restricts their right to fish.

The Spanish government has accused Gibraltar of laying the blocks "without the necessary authorisation" in "waters that are not theirs".

It responded by introducing additional checks at the fenced border, and suggesting a 50 euro (£43.30) fee could be imposed on every vehicle entering or leaving Gibraltar.

Yesterday's protest prompted calls for renewed efforts from the European Union to solve the dispute.

Gibraltar border checks have led to long queues that take hours to clear

Julie Girling, a Conservative MEP for Gibraltar, called the flotilla a "provocative attempt to stir things up yet again" by a government in Madrid facing allegations of corruption.

Afterwards, Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar's chief minister, thanked the British authorities for their help.

Mr Picardo, who has reportedly received death threats and been targeted by Spanish internet trolls, wrote on Twitter: "Big thank you also to Royal Navy, Gib Defence Police, HM Customs and Port Authority for their deployment too.

"Cool, professional and calm!"

He said "hell will freeze over" before Gibraltar removes the concrete reef and accused Spain of behaving like North Korea.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says he will take all legal measures to defend his country's interests.

HMS Illustrious is also due to take part in the Cougar 13 wargames

On Friday, Prime Minister David Cameron raised the dispute with European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso.

He said the checks - which have seen huge delays at the border in recent weeks - were "politically motivated and disproportionate" and therefore contrary to the EU right of free movement.

The row has set relations between Spain and the territory back 40 years, according to Edward Macquisten, chief executive of the Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce.

He said it was also having an impact on Gibraltar's high season tourist trade, which usually sees hordes of British visitors from Spanish resorts.

Spain ceded sovereignty of Gibraltar to Britain in 1713, but has persistently sought to regain the tiny enclave.

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Prince Harry 'Irritated' By Landmine Failings

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

Prince Harry is "irritated" by the reluctance of some countries to assist financially with clearing landmines in countries like Angola, one of his charities has revealed.

The Prince is following in the footsteps of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, by taking up the cause of clearing landmines from African countries scarred by years of conflict.

HALO Trust chief executive Guy Willoughby told Sky News that Harry has been frustrated by the lack of progress on the issue in some areas.

He said: "The Prince has got quite a bee in his bonnet about it, and that's good.

"He is irritated that the countries which supplied these landmines are not actually putting in any funds to clear them, 25 years on."

Harry travelled to Angola last week to see mine clearance projects run by The HALO Trust. The 28-year old is Patron of the Trust's 25th Anniversary Appeal. 

Harry visited the most heavily mined town in Africa during his trip

During the visit, the Prince met de-mining teams and toured minefields in the Angolan town of Cuito Cuanavale, the most heavily mined town in Africa.

"People love having Prince Harry here because he's so engaged and because he's technically minded. He just gets it, from what the de-miners are trying to do, to the latest technology", added Mr Willoughby.

Diana, Princess of Wales, made a controversial visit to Angola in support of The HALO Trust in the months before she died in 1997.

She called for an international ban on landmines and was accused of being a "loose cannon", meddling in politics.

Asked whether the Prince will court similar criticism should he take on the countries who he believes are falling short of their obligations, Mr Willoughby said: "I don't know. Whether by nailing his colours to the mast he court the same criticism as his mother did, I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Harry's mother Diana, Princess of Wales, visited Angola in 1997

In photos from his Angola trip, Harry is seen talking with members of a de-mining team, surrounding a Russian TM-57 anti-tank mine.

In another, he is seen standing next to a South African Olifant tank destroyed in the battle for Cuito Cuanavale in 1988.

Since 1988 The HALO Trust has found and destroyed  more than 1.4 million landmines and more than 11 million items of large calibre ordnance, including 195,000 cluster bombs,

Mr Willoughby said: "The commitment shown by Prince Harry plays an invaluable role in helping us to raise awareness of HALO's work and mission. 

"Wars may be over but many people are still unable to resume their normal lives, facing the threat of death or injury by landmines every day."

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Drug Mule Lindsay Sandiford's Bali Jail Ordeal

By Jonathan Samuels, Sky News Correspondent

British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford is on death row in Bali, Indonesia, and Sky News is the first UK broadcaster to have been given rare access behind the walls of the notorious prison since her sentencing for drug trafficking.

Kerobokan jail is nicknamed Hotel K by its inmates but it could not be more different from the luxurious resorts just down the road on the holiday island.

Behind its decrepit walls, violence, corruption, drugs and filthy conditions are commonplace.

Sandiford, 57, was sentenced in January to death by firing squad for smuggling more than £1.5m worth of cocaine into Bali.

In a recent photograph, obtained by Sky News, she is seen looking dishevelled in her stifling hot cell.

With a cigarette in her mouth she crouches over what appears to be an article of clothing that she is sewing.

Kerobokan jail, nicknamed Hotel K by its inmates

In the background another inmate sleeps on the floor. This overcrowded jail, built for 350 inmates, now houses more than 1,000.

Sandiford did not want to speak to us on camera, but fellow inmate and drug mule Renae Lawrence, who the Brit has befriended, gave a glimpse into how she is managing.

"I think people should already know how she is coping. She doesn't deserve what she got," Lawrence said.

Asked if Sandiford was finding it tough, she replied: "I think anybody would."

Prosecutors recommended Sandiford be given a 15-year prison term but judges disagreed and sentenced her to execution.

Australian Myuran Sukumaran, who was born in west London, is also on death row for smuggling drugs.

An inmate shows off a weapon which is said to be commonplace in the prison

Intelligent, softly spoken and full of remorse, he knows his execution could come at any moment.

"You can be strong for a short time, almost invisible, but after a long time stuff just wears you down," he said.

"After eight-and-a -half years it does weigh heavy, especially on our families."

Once a death row prisoner has lost appeals through Indonesia's high court and supreme court, only the president can grant clemency.

If that fails, eventually and without warning, the inmate will be removed from his/her cell in the middle of the night and taken to a remote wooded area, beach or neighbouring island. There he/she will be executed by firing squad.

The last decision a prisoner will make is whether to stand or kneel to be shot.

Australian Paul Conibeer served time for not paying a hotel bill

Former inmate Australian Paul Conibeer, 44, was recently released from the jail after serving a sentence for not paying a hotel bill.

Providing an insight into the bizarre world of Kerobokan prison, he said: "Murderers, rapists, and paedophiles, it's just too crazy."

He added: "You can't have women and men in a prison together. You can't have drugs and alcohol and hookers and all this crazy stuff going on. It's not supposed to happen that way."

Sandiford has lodged a further appeal against her death sentence. She awaits the outcome while sweating it out in Hotel K.

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HS2 Rail Project Cost To 'Double To £80bn'

The cost of the new High Speed 2 rail network will be £80bn, double the current estimate, according to a new report.

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) says the plan "defies economic logic" and is calling for the project to be cancelled.

The Department for Transport's official estimate currently stands at £43bn  - a rise from its original figure of £33bn.

The think tank argues that the £80bn price tag could deliver £320bn of value if spent on road and other rail and transport projects.

Work on the first leg between London and Birmingham is due to begin in 2017.

The report's author Dr Richard Welling told the Sunday Telegraph: "It's time the Government abandoned its plans to proceed with HS2.

"The evidence is now overwhelming that this will be unbelievably costly to the taxpayer while delivering incredibly poor value for money."

Map of the HS2 route

A spokesman for the DfT said: "HS2 is absolutely vital for this country, providing a huge economic boost which will generate a return on investment that will continue paying back for generations to come.

"Without it the key rail routes connecting London, the Midlands and the North will be overwhelmed. HS2 will provide the capacity needed in a way that will generate hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of pounds worth of economic benefits.

"The Government is committed to managing the cost within the budget we have set for the project and to securing maximum value for money for the taxpayer, while also ensuring that preparations are properly made for the most significant infrastructure investment the UK has seen in modern times."

The IEA's 58-page report on the cost will be published on Monday.

Meanwhile campaigners are claiming that more than half a million people across Middle England will have their lives affected by the construction of the project.

The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) is warning that life in towns and villages up to 25 miles from the rail route will be disrupted by the movement of construction vehicles while the line is being built.

The organisation is publishing its analysis of the impact of the project, in the form of a series of maps, based on information it has obtained from HS2.

According to advance details released to The Mail on Sunday, towns along a 40-mile wide corridor - such as Thame in Oxfordshire, Princes Risborough and Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, and Leamington Spa in Warwickshire - will be affected by the millions of extra lorry journeys.

When it is built, some of the country's most tranquil areas will be blighted by train noise of up to 95 decibels near the track - the equivalent of a Tube train - from up to 16 trains an hour travelling at 225mph, the paper said.

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Mortgages 'Most Affordable For 14 Years'

By Nick Martin, News Correspondent

Mortgages are more affordable now than at any time in the past 14 years, according to the latest figures.

Monthly payments now account for 27% of a new borrower's income in the second quarter of 2013, well below the average for the past 30 years.

Lower house prices and reduced mortgage interest rates have been the main drivers behind the significant improvement in affordability, according to the Halifax.

Halifax mortgage director Craig McKinlay said: "Substantial mortgage rate reductions and lower house prices have led to a significant improvement in mortgage affordability since the peak of the housing market six years' ago.

"The Funding for Lending Scheme has helped lenders to cut mortgage rates causing a further modest improvement in affordability over the past year despite the modest rise in house prices nationally."

It is good news for first-time buyers.

James Almond from Bramhall near Stockport has just got on to the properly ladder.

The 38-year-old bar manager said he felt the right deals were available to take the plunge.

He said: "I used a mortgage broker to look at the best deals and in the end it was quite affordable.

"Many of my friends aren't so lucky and are still living with their parents because the deposits required are so large."

But there remains a clear north-south divide when it comes to mortgage affordability, according to the Halifax.

Mortgage payments are at their lowest in Northern Ireland where they are just 17% of incomes compared to 36% in Greater London.

Independent mortgage consultant Richard Ignatowicz said the market can change quickly.

 "We can't just say mortgages are now more affordable than ever. It doesn't mean much in isolation.

"Borrowers need to be cautious about changes on the horizon. Will they still be able to afford a mortgage when the rate reverts to 5%? Tthat's the real question."

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