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."

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Archbishop Of Canterbury Snubs Animal Charity

The Archbishop of Canterbury has turned down an invitation to be a patron of the RSPCA.

A spokeswoman for Lambeth Palace said it was because The Most Rev Justin Welby has "reluctantly decided to restrict his patronage".

His predecessor, Dr Rowan Williams, was vice-patron of the animal charity, which was founded by an Anglican priest in 1824.

The spokeswoman said: "Since taking office in March this year, the Archbishop has received many kind invitations to patron a large variety of charities and good causes.

Dog rescued by the RSPCA

"Each invitation has been an honour, and in an ideal world he would like to accept them all.

"However, in light of the sheer volume of the requests the Archbishop receives ... he has reluctantly decided to restrict his patronage to a manageable number of organisations, based on where he feels his support could be most beneficial.

"Nevertheless, the Archbishop has enormous admiration for the RSPCA and hopes to see its work thrive long into the future."

Last year the RSPCA was heavily criticised after it spent £326,000 on legal action against a fox hunt.

Critics claimed the "staggering" expense of bringing the prosecution against the Heythrop Hunt in the Cotswolds was a waste of money donated by supporters.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

GPs Warn Patients Could Face Long Waits

The majority of GPs fear patients could face longer waiting times because they are struggling to cope with "spiralling workloads and dwindling resources".

A survey of 206 family doctors by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) found that four in five had "insufficient resources" to provide high quality patient care, while 47% admitted they had cut back on the range of services they provide.

More than four in five GPs are worried that it will become increasingly difficult to deliver continuity of care to at-risk elderly people.

The RCGP said general practice was at "breaking point" and called for an emergency package of investment like the £500m bailout given to A&E departments last week.

Clare Gerada, chairwoman of the RCGP, warned that if general practice "starts to crumble" there could be "disastrous" consequences for patients.

She told Sky News: "Around about 90% of all NHS activity is carried out in general practice for only 9% of the budget.

"GPs are what makes the NHS cost effective. A year of care by a GP is about the same as a hospital might get for one attendance in the emergency department.

"Yet what we're finding is that the investment is being put into hospitals but it's general practice that needs the help because if it folds then the rest of the NHS will be unsustainable.

"Last week the English Government announced an additional £500m for A&E departments. What we need is our fair share of funding so that GPs can do more for our patients in their communities."

Ben Dyson, director of commissioning policy and primary care at NHS England, said: "We fully recognise that demands and patterns of healthcare are changing, and that this is increasing pressure on parts of the NHS.

"That's why we have recently published a 'call to action' about the future of general practice to help stimulate new, innovative approaches to providing services and ensuring every patient gets the care they need.

"Our key aim is to enable GP practices both to provide more coordinated care for people with more complex needs and to provide more accessible and responsive service, in conjunction with partners in community and social care."

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hannah Smith: Funeral For Cyberbullying Teen

Full Statement From Ask.Fm Founders

Updated: 5:52pm UK, Thursday 08 August 2013

We would firstly like to again express our sincerest sympathies to the family of Hannah Smith, whose death was a true tragedy.

As we explained to the press earlier this week, as soon as we heard the news we approached the Leicestershire police and have been speaking to them throughout this week.

We are committed to supporting the Leicestershire police in their investigation to ensure that they are able to uncover the true circumstances surrounding Hannah's suicide.

We ask the press and public to respect that for legal and privacy reasons neither we - nor the police - are able to discuss the circumstances surrounding Hannah's case any further. We will therefore not be giving any interviews on this subject.

However, in view of the unprecedented press interest in the role of social media platforms such as Ask.fm, Facebook, Twitter and others, we would like to reassure all users and parents of users that we are committed to ensuring that our site is a safe environment.

We do not condone bullying of any kind, or any form of unacceptable use of our site.

We have implemented various measures over the past months to continue to improve our users' safety, and we have implemented improved reporting policies.

We have been working with experts at the UK's Safer Internet Centre, and thus the wider EU InSafe organisation, and are in constant discussions with them regarding our privacy and safety policies and the ways in which we may be able to enhance them.

This is an on-going activity, which Ask.fm is wholly committed to.

In view of this week's events, we wish to highlight a number of existing "safety" features available for users for Ask.fm:

1) The site has an 'in-question' reporting function, which has been in place since 2012, and is similar to the in-Tweet function announced by Twitter this week. This feature enables our users to report with just one click any question that they may find objectionable or offensive.

2) It is integral to the site that users should have control over what appears on their Ask.fm feed. We have never allowed questions to be published on the site before they've been answered.

Thus - if a user receives a question that they find objectionable or offensive, they don't need to respond and we encourage them to report the question to us.

3) We believe one of our site's advantages is that everything is open - rather than hidden in private inboxes. This means that anyone can report anything they see that may be of concern.

If parents see something on their teenager's Ask.fm page that they are concerned about, they too can click the in-question reporting button and alert our moderators.

4) Anonymity can be switched off in a user's privacy settings - our users have always been able to elect not to receive anonymous questions, and equally our users can also elect never to ask an anonymous question.

5) Although it is possible to post anonymously to the site, we would like to reassure parents that in almost all cases it is possible for Ask.fm to identify users - through IP technology, everything on the internet is traceable.

And in extreme circumstances such as those we've experienced this week we work through existing legal frameworks to ensure this information is accessible to the appropriate legal authorities.

6) While many sites use automated machines to monitor content, we have a team of human moderators that works around the clock - 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days per year.

They manually check every photograph or video that is posted to our site - ensuring that anything of a sexual, pornographic or violent nature is removed.

Our moderators also read and deal appropriately with every concern or report that is raised by a user; we remove content if we feel it infringes our Terms of Service.

7) We have a direct working relationship between Ask.fm and the EU's InSafe organisation. This means that if a concern is ever raised through the EU InSafe channels, they have a designated contact liaison at Ask.fm.

8) We comply with the United State's Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (1998) and we are working with a renowned expert to ensure that our moderation policies continue to lead the way in this area.

As we stated above, we are constantly working to improve our site, including its safety features. We are currently working on a series of updates with more safety features and information.

In view of some of the recent press reporting, what is important to note is that the vast majority of our users are using the site appropriately and are just having fun.

However, we would like to reiterate that it's really important that anyone who sees anything they do not like or feel uncomfortable with uses the appropriate reporting mechanisms to bring these issues to our team's attention as soon as possible.

Our site has grown rapidly over the past year and one of our greatest challenges (like any fast growing business) has been ensuring that our internal resources and capabilities are able to expand at a proportional and appropriate rate.

We strive to ensure we have the best people and this includes our moderators and customer services staff, where we have invested heavily to reflect this growth. We will continue to do this.

We hope that this corrects some of the recent media reports and offers reassurance to our users and their parents that our site has safety features which are in-line with, if not better than, other social networking sites.

The vast majority of our users are very happy teenagers, who use Ask.fm to converse with their peers around the world about the things that interest them. Bullying is an age-old problem that we in no way condone - and while its evolution online is disturbing, it certainly is not unique to our site.

We will continue to work with the appropriate organisations to safeguard against bullying on Ask.fm - and we would welcome the opportunity to align with the rest of industry and society in fighting it on a higher level.

We are proud of the phenomenal popularity of the social network we have created and strive every day to make it better and safer.

Mark and Ilja Terebin

16.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Peru Drugs: Melissa Reid Reunited With Father

The father of a British woman being held on suspicion of drug-smuggling in Peru has had an emotional reunion with his daughter.

William Reid told Melissa Reid, who turns 20 today, to "be strong" and vowed to bring her home after flying to the capital Lima.

Ms Reid, from Kirkintilloch in East Dunbartonshire, and Michaella McCollum Connolly, 20, from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, are suspected of trying to leave the country with £1.5m worth of cocaine in their luggage.

They were detained while trying to board a flight from the Peruvian capital to Spain last week.

The pair both deny the accusations, and say they are victims of a violent gang who coerced them into carrying the drugs.

Lawyer Peter Madden, who is representing Ms McCollum Connolly, is expected to arrive in Peru later on Friday.

As he left Belfast for Lima he said she would deny any allegations if charged, but warned that legal proceedings could be lengthy.

He said: "She is saying she has done nothing wrong, that she is innocent and that as far as any offences are concerned, if she is charged she will be denying it."

According to the Daily Mail, during their meeting at the Dirando police station,  Ms Reid told her father: "They made me do it."

She told him that while she worked on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza she was introduced to a British man who eventually forced her into meeting a gang of Colombian gangsters, who put a gun to her head.

She told her father the gang forced her to fly to Peru, saying: "I wanted to tell the air hostesses or anyone in the airports, but the men said they would know if we had spoken to anyone, that they were watching all the time.

"It was a choice between doing what I was told and getting it over and done with and hopefully getting back to Spain or trying to escape and being killed."

Ms Reid said she fears evidence in Peru has been contaminated by police because they did not wear gloves as they handled the food bags in which the drugs are said to have been stored, according the newspaper.

When she was told to return to her cell, her father told her: "We will do everything we can to get you out of here. We will work something out."

Police are waiting for a translator before officially questioning the two women, which is expected to happen in the next few days.

They may be held pre-charge for up to 30 days and could then spend up to three years in prison before a trial.

16.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tailgating And Lane Hogging Fines In Force

By Frazer Maude, Sky News Reporter

Tailgaters and middle-lane hoggers could be hit with on-the-spot fines of £100 and three points on their driving licence from today.

The idea is to make it easier for the police to tackle problem drivers without being tied up with the bureaucracy of taking offenders to court.

Policing the new laws will require officers to make a subjective judgement on whether a particular manoeuvre is illegal or not, according to solicitor Neil Davies, who specialises in motoring offences.

He said: "One of the ways in which a court would assess that question is has the person driving departed from the Highway Code - how well is that person driving?

"Now in issuing the fixed penalty notices of course one would hope that police officers do exercise a degree of discretion, a degree of common sense and that they only issue these notices in appropriate circumstances."

Few motorists would admit to flaunting the Highway Code themselves but for most tailgating and lane hogging are pet hates, so the new laws have been welcomed.

Officers will make a subjective judgement on driving standards

Under the new legislation, fines for other offences, from using hand-held mobile phones or not wearing a seatbelt, to driving without insurance, have also been increased - from £60 to £100 and from £200 to £300 respectively.

Although fines have gone up, penalty points will remain unchanged, as will fixed penalty notices for parking, waiting and obstruction offences.

The Department of Transport said: "The changes will give the police the power to issue fixed penalty notices for careless driving and allow them greater flexibility when dealing with less serious careless driving offences - such as tailgating or middle-lane hogging - as well as freeing them from resource intensive court processes.

"The police will also be able to offer educational training as an alternative to licence endorsement, and drivers will still be able to appeal any decision in court."

Most motoring groups support the changes, although some road safety campaigners think the punishments should be more severe.

One concern is who will police the new laws, with only half as many traffic officers on Britain's roads as there were in the 1990s.

But senior officers insist they will be enforced and that more serious cases will still be taken to court where the offenders may face higher penalties.

16.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tributes For Sky Cameraman Killed In Cairo

The Chief Executive of BSkyB has paid tribute to Sky News cameraman Mick Deane, who was shot dead while covering unrest on the streets of Egypt.

Jeremy Darroch expressed his "deepest sympathy" to the 61-year-old's family, adding that the cameraman's death is a reminder of "the bravery and commitment that journalists often show each and every day."

"Like everyone at Sky I was extremely saddened to hear that our colleague Mick Deane had been killed covering the unrest in Cairo," Mr Darroch said.

"Our deepest sympathy and thoughts go to Mick's family in obviously what is a very, very difficult time. We'll be doing whatever we can to help them and Mick's colleagues in the Sky News team.

"Sky News and other news organisations throughout the world play a vital role in bringing information and insight to us all, and in showing the truth in events that occur throughout the world.

"But the tragic events and Mick's death I think also remind us that this is often dangerous work, and of the bravery and commitment that journalists show often each and every day in their search for the truth."

Mick Dean has been described as an inspiring mentor

The married father of two was part of a Sky News team covering the ongoing violence in Cairo. The rest of the news team was unhurt.

Mr Deane had worked for Sky for 15 years, based in Washington and then Jerusalem.

The Head of Sky News, John Ryley, described Mr Deane as the very best of cameramen, a brilliant journalist and an inspiring mentor to many.

"Mick Deane was a really lovely, lovely guy. He was great fun to work with; he was an astonishingly good cameraman who took some brilliant pictures.

"But he also had a first class editorial brain. He had brilliant ideas. He was also good fun after the job was done. He was laid back, and I'm really going to miss him, like lots of people here."

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall called Mr Deane "a friend, brave as a lion but what a heart... what a human being".

He added: "Micky was humorous in a dry way, he was wise and when you're on the road with small teams, people like that are diamonds to be with.

"Our hearts go out to his family. He died doing what he'd done so brilliantly for decades."

 Prime Minister David Cameron said: "I want to say how sorry I am about the death of Mick Deane.

"It is an incredibly brave and important job he was doing. It is essential that cameramen are in places like Egypt because otherwise none of us would know what is happening.

"But obviously our thoughts should be with his family and friends at this very, very difficult time for them."

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pair Charged With Attempted Rape Of Baby

A man and a woman have been charged with attempted rape of a baby girl after a child was admitted to a hospital in Colchester.

Essex Police were contacted by social services after the baby was admitted to Colchester General Hospital on August 10.

The 31-year-old man and 23-year-old woman have also been charged with neglect and assault after the 10-week-old baby girl was found to have suffered serious injuries.

The pair also each face three counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, relating to serious head injuries and injuries of a sexual nature.

They have been remanded in custody and will appear at Colchester Magistrates' Court later.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

A-Level Results: Another Fall In Top Grades

The proportion of A-levels awarded at least an A grade has fallen for the second year in a row, official figures have revealed.

A total of 26.3% of entries scored an A or A* this year, down from 26.6% in 2012 when the pass rate at both grades fell for the first time in more than 20 years.

The 0.3% drop is believed to be the second biggest fall in the history of the exam.

The number of A* grades achieved also dipped, with 7.6% of pupils reaching the top grade compared to 7.9% last year.

However, the overall pass rate at A*-E rose slightly by 0.1% with some 98.1% of exams given at least an E compared to 98% last year.

More than 300,000 school leavers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are receiving their results today.

A record number of applicants - 385,910 - have already been accepted onto university courses despite rising interest in apprenticeships.

The national results picture shows boys outperformed girls at the very top and widened the gap, with 8% achieving an A* compared to 7.4% of girls.

Girls are still slightly ahead on A* and A grades combined but their results fell half a percentage point this year to lessen the difference.

There was also a major contrast between the subjects picked by each gender.

For example, girls accounted for seven in 10 entries in English but in physics, four in every five pupils were boys.

Officials said the gender gap had been present for some time but had "extenuated" this year.

The fall in the overall number of top grades came as rising numbers opted to study science and maths at A-level.

It appears to bear out the suggestion that more youngsters choosing to take traditional subjects to help their chances of a university offer could fuel a slight fall.

Biology, chemistry and physics accounted for 17.8% of all entries, up from 17% last year and 15% in 2009, according to the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).

One in eight (12%) were for maths and further maths, up from 11.5% in 2012 and 9.8% five years ago.

A-level economics also appears to be enjoying a surge in popularity, with entries up 50% since 2007 and at 26,139 in 2013.

However, young people are still turning their backs on modern languages with both French and German entries down again this year.

JCQ director Michael Turner said: "The continued rise in subjects such as the sciences, mathematics and the extended project, will be welcomed.

"However, that so few students take a language A-level is disappointing and, lthough Spanish continues to show growth, the overall trend remains downwards."

Admissions service Ucas said 31,600 more applicants had been accepted by UK universities and colleges than last year, a rise of 9%.

Around 345,300 were accepted by their first choice. Another 98,740 are waiting for their results or decisions and 145,730 are eligible for clearing.

Ucas chief executive Mary Curnock Cook said: "Demand for higher education has recovered after a dip last year and universities are keen to accept qualified applicants."

The rise is despite a three-fold increase in tuition fees at many universities and concern about whether degrees adequately prepare students for the workplace.

It comes after the first drop in students accepting undergraduate places since 2008 was recorded in 2012/13, according to the Higher Education Funding Council. 

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teen Stabbing Death: Arrest Over London Killing

A 16-year-old boy has died and another is in hospital with facial injuries after a knife attack in east London.

The two teenagers were attacked by a group of men wearing bandanas and hoods in Spey Street, Poplar, east London, at around 9.50pm on Monday.

Ajmol was described as a "splendid young man"

Ajmol Alom was pronounced dead at hospital, while the other 16-year-old is still being treated for his injuries, which are not life-threatening.

A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Tuesday morning and has been questioned.

Ajmol's headteacher at Langdon Park School, Chris Dunne, described Ajmol as a "splendid young man" who had a bright academic future ahead of him.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Chalmers said Ajmol, who was of Bengali origin, was with Bengali friends when he was attacked.

Speaking at the scene, he said: "Initial indications are that Ajmol was with four friends. They were peaceful, they were conducting conversations at the location, Spey Street, which is behind me.

"They were then confronted by five to six other males who were wearing bandanas and were hooded.

Ajmol had a bright future, says his headteacher

"There appears to have been an unprovoked attack when the victim received his facial injuries and then Ajmol was stabbed."

Mr Chalmers said police were keeping an open mind as to whether the attack was gang related, adding that "initial indications are that Ajmol was not linked to any gangs".

Mr Dunne said the youngster was due to receive "good" GSCE results next Thursday.

He said: "Hardworking, industrious, but also a very caring and thoughtful young man. He was very able in all areas, but that didn't mean he didn't work incredibly hard."

Mr Dunne added that Ajmol was planning to take A-levels before going on to a "very good university" where he had spoken of studying medicine.

A second 16-year-old was hurt in the stabbing in Poplar

He said the teenager had recently taken part in a conflict resolution project with other young people from Northern Ireland, in which he was "hugely active".

A man, who claimed to be a relative, said the teenager was predicted to get an A* in his maths GCSE but "was hanging around with the wrong crowd".

"He was really quiet, he was into sports. He was really into boxing and got a medal for it," he said.

Ajmol's family has been told about his death and a post-mortem examination will be held, Scotland Yard said.

A forensic team searches an area on Spey Street

Former mayor of Tower Hamlets Doros Ullah said he visited the murder scene after hearing what had happened.

He said: "The chap that got killed was a very good boy. He used to pray five times a day.

"He was not someone who had been involved in any trouble in the past."

Mr Ullah said he had been told the teenager was the victim of mistaken identity.

He said: "There was an incident in the past involving the boys from this area and another area and we believe that it is a repercussion of that, that the boys from the other area decided to come back and take revenge so it's a territorial gang problem."

16.13 | 0 komentar | Read More