Senior Lib Dem Quits Over New Fundraising Row

The Liberal Democrats have called in a standards watchdog following allegations that a donation "bought" access to Nick Clegg.

The party has referred the matter to the Electoral Commission after it allegedly accepted the gift from the 'stepfather' of a Daily Telegraph journalist posing as a businessman.

Party fundraiser Ibrahim Taguri was also recently accused of impropriety

It is claimed that Lib Dem peer Lord Strasburger was secretly filmed discussing how to keep the donation secret by sidestepping disclosure rules.

Nick Clegg has also reportedly been filmed by Channel 4's Dispatches programme meeting the undercover reporter.

Video: Sky News To Host 'Chancellors' Q&A

It comes as the party's former chief fundraiser Ibrahim Taguri stands accused of bypassing party funding laws and has stepped down as an election candidate while the claims are looked into.

A Lib Dem spokesman said: "It is common practice for senior party figures from all parties to meet with potential and current donors.

"Dispatches has raised important questions about one particular donation, which the party is taking seriously.

"The Party had no reason to believe that the donation was made by anyone other than the person who signed the cheque.

"When we were alerted to the claim that this donation may, without our knowledge, have been made on someone else's behalf, we referred this matter to the Electoral Commission, and requested their advice on whether the donation should be handed to the Commission or returned to the donor.

"We shall comply fully with their investigation and any recommendations they may make as a result.

"The party has also introduced an additional level of scrutiny to donations to the federal party, over and above legal requirements. This will apply with immediate effect."

Lord Strasburger has resigned the Lib Dem whip in the House of Lords while an investigation takes place and he has accused Channel 4 of "entrapment".

He said: "In the last few months I have been very active in the House of Lords fighting to protect the freedom of the press, but I never had in mind the sort of cynical and contrived entrapment-style journalism to which I have been personally subjected by Channel 4.

"I am a retired businessman, I am not a career politician... In a purely voluntary capacity, I have been helping the party with fundraising. I have gained no personal benefit in doing so.

"Whatever Channel 4 may say in their Dispatches programme, I do not think I have committed any offence. 

"Having said that, I believe that we should all be accountable for what we do, so I have invited the Electoral Commission to carry out an investigation into my actions."

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

14-Year-Old Charged With Kidnapping Boys

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two counts of kidnap.

The youngster, from south London, will appear in custody at Camberwell Youth Court later today.

Two teenage boys told officers they were threatened and forced off a route 133 bus in the Elephant and Castle area on 11 February.

They said they were led to a park in Newington Butts and made to fight each other and steal from a nearby shop.

The suspect then allegedly took them to the stairwell of a block of flats, and forced one of the boys to perform a sex act on the other.

On Thursday, police released CCTV of a suspect and praised the bravery of the boys in coming forward.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Girls 'Keen On Syria' Barred From Leaving UK

Five teenage girls who are said to have shown an interest in going to Syria have been barred by a High Court judge from travelling abroad.

The two 15-year-olds and three 16-year-olds were made wards of court by Mr Justice Hayden.

The judge's decision prevents them from leaving the jurisdiction of England and Wales.

He made the ruling at a hearing in London after Tower Hamlets local authority raised concerns.

Shamima Begum, Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana are said to be in Syria

The judge, who said the girls could not be identified, also made orders removing their passports and those of a number of adults involved in their care.

Mr Justice Hayden said he made the order involving the adults because of evidence that, in at least one other case, young girls had travelled on passports belonging to members of their family.

Video: New Footage of Schoolgirls

More importantly, there was evidence suggesting the family members in the case had not been full and frank with social services, and that the girls had been moving to a more radicalised position.

He said: "It seems to me that that must have been known to the parents and they deliberately did not share it with the authorities who were keen to protect these vulnerable young girls."

The judge, who made a similar order in relation to a 16-year-old boy earlier this week, admitted it was a "draconian" step, as was the removal of a passport.

He said: "But the risk contemplated here is as grave as it can be for it is common knowledge that so many have lost their lives in Syria and so many have gone knowing that would be likely."

The girls and adults concerned, who were not in court, can challenge the emergency ruling at a future date if they wish.

Three girls who attended Bethnal Green Academy in east London disappeared last month and are believed to have travelled to Syria to join Islamic State militants.

Shamima Begum, Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, took flights to Istanbul in February.

Video: British Teens Seen In Istanbul CCTV

The schoolgirls are thought to be staying at a house in the IS stronghold of al Raqqa, Sky sources have said.

Their disappearance led to criticism from Turkey's deputy prime minister, who said officials had not been given enough warning about them going missing.

Three young British men suspected of planning to join IS militants in Syria were arrested in Turkey earlier this week.

CCTV video of the teenagers was taken at an airport in Istanbul just before they were stopped allegedly heading to the Syria border.

The trio, two aged 17 and one aged 19, were arrested and flown back to the UK but have since been released on bail.

Security services estimate 600 Britons have gone to Syria or Iraq to join militant groups, including Mohammed Emwazi, also known as "Jihadi John", who has appeared in several IS beheading videos.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teenager Dies After Being Hit By Police Car

A 16-year-old boy has died after he was struck by a police car in Birmingham.

Harry Kirkham was hit by the patrol vehicle as he crossed Sutton New Road in Erdington after leaving a church with friends at around 9pm on Wednesday.

West Midlands Police said the officer driving the Peugeot patrol car was not believed to have been answering an emergency call at the time of the collision.

The officer driving the vehicle, who is based in Sutton Coldfield, provided first aid at the scene.

He is said to be "traumatised" and is being questioned by members of his force's professional standards department.

Chief Inspector Neil Hobson said in a statement: "No parent should have to lose a child, particularly in such tragic circumstances.

"This evening our thoughts are with Harry's family following their tragic loss.

"As Harry was hit by a police car, West Midlands Police has informed the Independent Police Complaints Commission, who continue to be updated."

CCTV footage which may have captured the moment Harry was struck is being reviewed.

:: Anyone in the area at the time of the collision who has not contacted police should call officers on 101.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

UKIP's Atkinson Suspended Over 'Serious' Claims

UKIP MEP and General Election candidate Janice Atkinson has been suspended "following allegations of a serious financial nature".

The Sun newspaper claims it filmed a member of Ms Atkinson's staff "apparently plotting to make a substantial bogus expenses claim" in relation to a UKIP party in Margate.

Ms Atkinson was due to stand in the Folkestone and Hythe seat - one of UKIP's top election targets.

The 52-year-old is one of 10 MEPs for southeast England and her Twitter biography says she is author of the party's welfare policies. 

UKIP leader Nigel Farage told KentOnline he was not pre-judging the case but it concerned "quite a serious allegation that a receipt that was submitted was not all it should have been".

"We treat these things very seriously so we have acted quickly - some may say harshly - so we will have to wait and see," Mr Farage said.

"It's as much about how you deal with it and we have shown we deal with this kind of thing very quickly."

A party spokesman said it was "incredibly disappointed" and that Ms Atkinson appeared to have exercised "extremely poor judgment".

Ms Atkinson caused controversy last year after being caught on camera referring to a Thai constituent as a "ting tong from somewhere".

The 52-year-old - elected to the European Parliament last year - said she was "incredibly sorry" and had not intended any malice.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Clarkson Tells Live Audience He's Been Sacked

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson appeared to be back on provocative form as he declared on stage that the BBC had sacked him.

Speaking at a fundraising event in London on Thursday night, Clarkson joked with the audience as he said: "I don't know when I did my last-ever lap of the Top Gear test track before the f***ing b******s sacked me."

Amid laughter and applause the presenter apparently repeated the claim which was caught on camera.

The BBC has not commented but said on Thursday afternoon that director general Tony Hall is to be given a dossier on the matter next week and will subsequently make a decision.

Earlier, a BBC executive suggested Clarkson's co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond had been offered the chance to finish this season's Top Gear shows but had refused to do so.

Video: Clarkson 'Off To The Job Centre'

They "didn't want to do it without Jeremy", the executive was reported as saying.

Clarkson was suspended from the show earlier this month after allegedly punching a producer over a row about the lack of a hot meal at a hotel following a day's filming.

Both Clarkson and producer Oisin Tymon have now given their evidence to an inquiry set up to investigate the matter.

Video: Clarkson Off For Lunch, Not Inquiry

The show makes millions of pounds for the BBC and, while some at the corporation are believed to want the presenter off Top Gear, he has a strong fan base, with almost a million people signing a petition for his reinstatement.

Meanwhile, Clarkson's co-hosts May and Hammond have been tweeting about what they have been doing on their enforced days off.

May on Thursday revealed his empathy with the unemployed as he wrote: "Seriously, if you really are unemployed, good luck to you. It's not funny in reality."

Video: Is Clarkson Finished With The BBC?

Richard Hammond tweeted a picture of his dog and said: "Not trying to be cryptic, just enjoying a gorgeous morning. Off."

Video: Family: We Saw Clarkson's Abuse

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Claudia Lawrence Mystery Has Dark Undercurrents

The question of what happened to York University cook Claudia Lawrence is simultaneously a family tragedy, a thorn in the side of North Yorkshire Police, and one of the country's most intriguing unsolved crimes.

Claudia, 35 and apparently single, is assumed to have been murdered after failing to turn up to work in March 2009, leaving no obvious clues about what had happened to her.

In the six years she has been missing there have been just two arrests and no charges.

It is little wonder that people are asking if the police have run out of ideas.

So is the recent renewed police activity around her former home, and the claim that more arrests could be imminent, just an attempt to silence the critics, or are the police on to something?

And why are there so many undercurrents to the mystery, with some people still unwilling to talk to journalists, and others issuing warnings or threats?

To find the answers you have to look at the history of the investigation and at the police team trying to move it forward.

There were undoubtedly mistakes made in the spring of 2009. For months after Claudia vanished the entire publicity effort of Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway's investigation showed her with the wrong colour hair, while detectives allowed the misleading narrative that Claudia was an unassuming young woman to run away with them and never really recovered from the belated attempt to correct it.

The truth - that her relationships involved what Mr Galloway eventually described as "complexity and mystery" - was not made public until three months after she disappeared, many weeks after they had built up what one described to me as a "rogues' gallery" of some of the men she had been involved with.

With a continued insistence from Claudia's family and friends, from whom it seems she hid much of her private life, that the police were wrong, and with many locals knowing differently all along, it set the tone for mistrust and conflict.

To be fair the police did not know what they were walking into: Claudia apparently lived a significant part of her life in secret and her parents had endured such a bitter divorce that to this day they have never made a joint appeal over their daughter's disappearance.

Meanwhile, journalists were finding the story hard to tell. For a privately-educated daughter of a country solicitor Claudia had some unusual acquaintances and this remains the only missing person case where I've been warned off or threatened - not once, but twice.

Journalists and the police alike have found it hard to break the silence surrounding some of her relationships.

Fast forward five years and following the retirement of Ray Galloway a new police team has relaunched the investigation.

Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, the senior investigating officer, has described the investigation as engrossing and quickly said he had "spotted things" to work on. 

Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Mason, the force's head of crime, knows the Police and Crime Commissioner wants a result.

Neither give the impression of police officers who would spin lines for publicity or conduct stunts to make themselves look busy.

So far they've arrested two men, with one released without charge and the other still on bail on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

They have re-examined Claudia's house, carried out a much-publicised fingertip search outside and re-interviewed key individuals and in doing so they have created a buzz which might yet solve the crime.

Det Supt Malyn is now talking about new leads, continuing obstruction, cover-ups and lies by some people and the possibility of more arrests soon.

But he's a realist too: "Ultimately we may not be able to prove what happened to Claudia, or be able to find her," he admitted this week.

There is a feeling among Claudia's family and the reporters who have covered this case from the start that if North Yorkshire Police fail to solve this crime it will not be for the want of trying.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Claudia: CCTV Screening Near Her Home

By Gerard Tubb, North of England Correspondent

The six-year investigation into what happened to missing York cook Claudia Lawrence has taken a new direction with police hinting they could be close to making more arrests.

In a carefully choreographed event close to her home in the Heworth area of the city, detectives invited locals to the screening of previously unreleased CCTV pictures and issued a warning that those with information should speak up.

North Yorkshire Police initially thought Claudia, 35, had no boyfriend when she went missing in March 2009, but discovered she apparently hid relationships from her family and friends.

Those turning up to view the CCTV footage were filmed by police

Despite a massive police operation, no evidence of Claudia has ever been found and no-one was arrested until the investigation was re-launched with a new team of detectives in 2013.

Senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn has said he believes some people are lying to him.

Video: People 'Lying' To Claudia Police

"If I reach the point where we believe people continue to obstruct this investigation or assist or cover up for the person or persons responsible, they will be arrested," he said in a statement.

A man who was arrested last year on suspicion of murdering Claudia has since been released without charge while another man remains on police bail on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

The CCTV footage, displayed on a large screen for six hours, shows someone walking along the lane that leads to the back of Claudia Lawrence's home a short while before her last known contact with anyone.

Video: May 2014: York House Searched

The same person returns with what appears to be a bag over their shoulder and pauses to let someone else pass by before continuing.

Detectives hope someone can identify the two people and were filming those who turned up to view the video.

Claudia's father Peter Lawrence held a news conference on the sixth anniversary of the day she was last seen and gave his support to the police operation.

Video: March 2014: Father Makes Appeal

"It just really hurts so much and it galls me that someone out there knows what has happened to Claudia and has not said anything," he said.

"All we can hope is that we find out what happened to Claudia. If she was murdered as the police believe then I want to be able to bury her."

Det Supt Malyn said further arrests could follow "in the coming weeks and months".

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Countdown To Eclipse: Eerie Darkness To Cover UK

The solar eclipse is just a day away as millions of people wait to witness an astronomical spectacle that will not be seen again in the UK for another 10 years.

Around the UK the amount of the Sun covered by the Moon will increase the further north you are.

Coverage will range from 84% in London to 89% in Manchester, 93% in Edinburgh, and 97% in Lerwick in the Shetland Isles.

Times will also vary with the eclipse beginning in the capital at 8.24am, reaching its maximum extent at 9.31am and ending at 10.41am.

For anyone watching in Edinburgh it will start at 8.30am and peak at 9.35am.

Video: Solar Eclipse: Will You See It?

Only people in the Faroe Islands and the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard in the North Atlantic will witness a total eclipse.

The last solar eclipse of such significance was on 11 August 1999, and was "total" - with 100% of the Sun covered - when seen from Cornwall.

Another "deep" partial eclipse visible in the UK will not occur until 12 August 2026 and the next total eclipse not until September 2090.

Video: Solar Eclipse: Myths And Magic

Robin Scagell, vice-president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), said: "We won't experience totality in the UK but it will still be a memorable event.

"You'd think everything would go virtually black, but it doesn't, it's about equal to a fair bit of high cloud in front of the Sun.

"But it has this eerie quality, especially on a clear day. You think, hang on, it's getting darker, but there are no clouds."

1/11

1. Gallery: Best Images Of The 2013 Solar Eclipse

   The moon moves in, as seen from the northern Iraqi city of Arbil

Members of the Rendile tribe gathered to watch the full eclipse in Sibiloi National Park in Kenya

]]>

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hillsborough Chief: My Failure 'Caused' Deaths

The police officer in charge at Hillsborough has agreed that his failure to close a tunnel "was the direct cause of the deaths of 96 people".

David Duckenfield made the admission during his sixth day of questioning at the inquests into the 1989 tragedy.

Asked if his failure to close a tunnel through which Liverpool fans flowed into packed pens was "the direct cause of the deaths of 96 persons in the Hillsborough tragedy", he replied: "Yes, sir."

Paul Greaney QC, representing the Police Federation, put it to the 70-year-old: "Do you agree that never mind a competent match commander, it might only take a child of average intelligence to realise what the consequences of your actions might be?"

Mr Duckenfield replied: "I did not think of it on the day, sir, because of the pressure I was under."

As many as 2,000 supporters entered Gate C, many of whom headed straight for the tunnel in question.

Mr Duckenfield argued he had "no idea" supporters would head through the tunnel.

The retired chief superintendent of South Yorkshire Police admitted there was a "state of shock" in the control room and that he "froze", but denied claims he "bottled it" as the disaster unfolded in the Leppings Lane end.

The inquests have heard how Mr Duckenfield told the 1989 Taylor Inquiry that he made the right decisions on the day - but he now accepts he made some "grave" errors.

Mr Duckenfield has previously said he suffered post-traumatic stress - but here he declined to go into "personal circumstances".

He conceded he may have been "confused" when he gave evidence at the original inquiry into the disaster, which occurred at the start of an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on 15 April, 1989.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More