Python Kills Security Guard At Bali Hotel

A security guard has been killed by a python outside a luxury hotel on the resort island of Bali.

Agung Bawa, assistant security manager at the Bali Hyatt hotel in the Sanur area of the Indonesian island said the man had spotted the snake crossing a road

The victim, 59-year-old Ambar Arianto Mulyo, succeeded in catching it and managed to grab hold of the snake's head and tail.

The snake struck near a luxury hotel in the Sanur area

But the python then wrapped itself around his neck, strangling him, before escaping into nearby bushes.

Friends who were with the man were too terrified to come to his aid, according to the head of the police criminal investigations unit Gusti Ngurah Yudistira.

He said: "The victim died on the spot as his neck was crushed and he could not breathe.

"We urge residents and tourists to stay on the alert."

The snake is still on the loose after a police search of the hotel and its grounds failed to track down the reptile.

Mr Mulyo was a security guard at a nearby restaurant. The Bali Hyatt hotel is currently closed for renovations until 2015.

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Spanish Newborn Baby Is Thrown From Window

A Spanish woman who secretly gave birth on Christmas Eve has been arrested for throwing her newborn out of a window.

Incredibly, the baby boy survived the fall but was found suffering from hypothermia. He was not breathing and his heart had stopped beating.

But medics managed to revive the baby who was then taken to hospital in a "serious condition", according to local police.

The 35-year-old mother was taken into custody on suspicion of attempting to kill the baby.

In a statement, police said they found the baby wrapped in a pair of jeans.

"The woman wrapped the baby in a pair of jeans and threw it out of the kitchen window into an interior courtyard," police said.

The woman lived with her parents in eastern Madrid and had kept the birth secret.

She delivered the baby in the early hours of the morning, cutting the umbilical cord herself, and throwing the baby out of the window.

However, shortly afterwards she suffered heavy bleeding and asked her parents to take her to hospital.

"Later, at about 8.30am, the grandmother of the newborn went into the kitchen and, looking out of the window, saw a baby in the patio," police said.

"She ran out to pick it up and alerted emergency services."

Two police officers wrapped the baby in blankets and tried to keep him alive until paramedics arrived to take over.

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Beirut Car Bomb Kills Political Adviser

An explosion in the Lebanese capital of Beirut has killed at least five people and wounded 50, according to the state news agency.

The suspected car bomb exploded in the city's business district, reportedly damaging 10 buildings, and setting cars ablaze.

A large plume of smoke billowed out of the area shortly after the blast.

Former Lebanese minister Mohammad Chatah, a prominent pro-Western politician, was reportedly among those killed in the explosion.

Civil Defence personnel extinguish car fires at the scene

Mr Chatah was an adviser to former Lebanese anti-Syria prime ministers Saad Hariri and Fuad Siniora.

The economist and former finance minister was killed along with his driver as they headed to Mr Hariri's mansion in the city centre, according to the National News Agency.

He was due to attend a meeting of the March 14 anti-Syria coalition which backs the Syrian opposition struggle to topple the Damascus regime.

Smoke rises from the site of the explosion

Sky's Middle East News Editor Tom Rayner said it was not clear why Mr Chatah was targeted, as he did not currently have a high profile role in Syrian coalition talks. 

"It suggests that this is symbolic - it's an attack on what he represents," he said, speaking from Jerusalem. 

Rayner said Mr Chatah's motorcade likely had a smaller security detail and was therefore seen as an "easy target".

Fire fighting and army personnel inspect the site of the explosion

Ambulances are currently at the scene and troops have been deployed.

No responsibility has yet been claimed for the bombing.

Lebanon has seen a wave of bombings over the last few months amid tensions over the Syrian civil war.

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Bitcoin Setback: New Central Bank Warning

India's biggest Bitcoin trading platform has suspended operations after the country's central bank warned of the risks of using virtual money.

Confirmation that BuySellBitCo.in had closed its platform came just over a week after the currency's value more than halved following a similar warning from China's central bank.

That move, on December 18, prompted China's biggest trading platform to ban Bitcoin deposits in yuan.

BuySellBitCo.in said on its website: "We are suspending buy and sell operations until we can outline a clearer framework with which to work," adding that the move was "to protect the interest of our customers".

Bitcoin, which can be stored either virtually or on a user's hard drive and offers a largely anonymous payment system, had begun gaining popularity in India.

The emergence of Bitcoin and other virtual currencies in India has come despite a traditional preference for assets backed by property and other tangible goods.

"There is no underlying or backing of any asset for virtual currencies and as such their value seems to be a matter of speculation," the central bank said in its December 24 advisory.

The "huge volatility in the value of virtual currencies has been noticed", it added.

The central bank stopped short of issuing a ban or any curbs on Bitcoin or other virtual currencies.

However, because the currencies were not authorised by any central bank or monetary authority there was no established recourse for customers in the case of problems, it said.

The People's Bank of China last week ordered financial institutions not to provide Bitcoin-related services and products and cautioned against its potential use in money-laundering.

At the last rate posted by BuySellBitCo.in, which was conducting about 12 million rupees worth of Bitcoin transactions monthly, one Bitcoin was selling for 48,039 rupees ($776), local media said.

The dollar worth of a Bitcoin rocketed to a $1,200 peak in early December but fell back sharply when China issued its guidance.

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Antarctica: Icebreaker Nearing Trapped Ship

A ship which became trapped in ice while on a scientific mission to Antarctica is about to be reached by a rescue vessel, scientists hope.

Those on board the Academic Shokalskiy have spotted the Chinese icebreaker The Snow Dragon on the horizon.

Some 74 people are on the ship, being used by the Australian Antarctic Expedition to try to follow in the footsteps of explorer Douglas Mawson.

They have been stuck in the same spot since Christmas Eve and are hoping the Chinese vessel will be able to cut through the ice and allow them passage to open waters.

British Professor Chris Turney, who is leading the expedition, said the team had managed to achieve some important research before getting into difficulty.

A number of tourists are also on the ship, which left New Zealand in late November and is now in Antarctica's Commonwealth Bay.

Professor Turney said the ship got into difficulty after satellite data showed their route onward would be safe.

He told Sky News: "Unfortunately, although the satellite data showed the sea ice was open and the weather was quite good, conditions were changing when we got back to the ship.

The MV Academic Shokalskiy is trapped in Commonwealth Bay

"By the end of the day, the wind had picked up and the sea ice was moving around a lot and, in spite of the captain's best efforts, we realised we just couldn't get through.

"On Christmas Eve, he made the call, and issued the alert for help.

"At the moment, very excitingly, we've just seen the Chinese icebreaker Snow Dragon on the horizon.

"It's around nine nautical miles from the vessel. It's not quite here yet but at least we can see it, which is a huge improvement on our prospects."

Professor Turney said the scientists on board the Shokalskiy have been taking readings and measurements so they can be compared with those taken by Mawson and his team in 1913.

Although Mawson, who was knighted later for leading his expedition, never reached the South Pole, he carried out important research and explored previously unknown lands.

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Footballer Needs Face Surgery After Attack

An amateur footballer's face will have to be rebuilt after he was knocked unconscious and beaten during a night out.

Richie Robins is understood to have been set upon by up to half a dozen men as he apparently stepped in to protect a woman.

The 21-year-old, who is first team goalkeeper for non-league Wivenhoe Town FC and a former Colchester United youth team player, was knocked out and fell to the ground at the start of the attack.

Essex Police said the beating continued while the student was lying on the floor unconscious.

Detective Constable Seff Manesh appealed for witnesses to the attack, which happened outside a Subway shop in Queen Street, Colchester, at 3.30am on December 21, to come forward.

He said: "This young man had been out with his friends after returning home from university for the Christmas holiday.

"We are aware of a disturbance involving a large number of young men and are examining CCTV to establish what happened and who was involved.

"This student has sustained some very nasty-looking injuries which will affect him for the foreseeable future.

"We're looking to speak with those bystanders who saw what happened and what started the melee."

A spokesman for Wivenhoe FC, who play in the Eastern Counties League Premier Division, said Mr Robins suffered "severe" injuries including fractures to his eye socket and cheek bones.

He added: "Naturally, everyone at Wivenhoe Town FC sends Richie their best wishes for a speedy recovery and hope that the people responsible for attacking him are quickly brought to justice."

Mo Osman, chairman and manager at Wivenhoe Town, told the Colchester Gazette Mr Robins had gone to the aid of a woman who was being harassed. He said he had not been drinking as he had a match the next day.

After the incident, Mr Robins was taken to Colchester General Hospital by paramedics and was due to see a specialist surgeon this week.

Essex Police said there were about six attackers who were described as black and in their late teens and early 20s.

Officers have arrested a 19-year-old man from Colchester in connection with the incident. He has been released on police bail.

Witnesses have been asked to contact detectives at Colchester police station on 101.

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'Nirvana Day' Announced For Small US Town

A small town is dedicating an official day to Nirvana. Their link to the band? Kurt Cobain once lived there… briefly.

Hoquiam, which neighbours Kurt Cobain's actual hometown, has declared April 10, 2014, 'Nirvana Day' in celebration of the band's ascension into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

The city has a population of less than 10,000 people - and it is four miles down the road from Aberdeen, where Cobain spent much of his childhood and later teens.

The town of Hoquiam in America's Pacific Northwest

Mayor Jack Durney told local radio station KXRO that Nirvana were their "sons" and deserved to be honoured.

"They bring great honour, I think as I say, to our entire community. And I think that it's good Kurt Cobain lived in Hoquiam for a little while," he said.

"I think it's good to honour our sons and their great accomplishments."

Musicians are only eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after their first album.

Nirvana released their debut album Bleach in 1989.

And September saw the 20th anniversary of the band's final solo album In Utero.

Meanwhile, over in Aberdeen, the house Cobain lived in with his mother was put on the market recently. She was hoping to sell it to a super-fan who might turn it into a museum.

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Walsall Christmas Fire: Woman Is Arrested

Police have arrested a woman on suspicion of murder after a man was killed in a house fire on Christmas Day.

The man, 58, died in the blaze in South Street Gardens, Caldmore, Walsall, at around 5.30pm on Wednesday.

He is yet to be formally identified and a post-mortem examination will take place in due course.

Detective Inspector Gary Plant, who is leading the inquiry, said: "We are keen to speak to anyone with information which may help our investigation.

"The man's family are being informed and are being supported by specially trained officers at this difficult time."

The unnamed woman, who is 57 years old, was arrested shortly after the fire. She is being held in custody.

Officers have been patrolling the area surrounding South Street Gardens to offer reassurance to residents following the incident.

Police have launched a murder inquiry and urge anyone with information to contact detectives from the Force Criminal Investigation Department at Bloxwich by dialling 101 or to speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Weather: Ireland And UK Battered By Storms

Thousands of homes could still be without power for the weekend as workers struggle to restore electricity while the country continues to be battered by wind and rain.

Towns and villages across the UK and Ireland are trying to clean up after hurricane-force gales brought down trees and power lines and caused flooding in two storms over the Christmas period.

The Bognor Regis rail route was closed after this landslip at Ockley

The Met Office continues to urge caution with a slew of severe weather warnings today and the rain and windy conditions are expected to last up to the New Year.

Hundreds of flights and train journeys have been cancelled and diverted and more than 20,000 homes are without power in the UK.

Police are warning people to take "extreme caution" when driving in the ferocious conditions, which look set to calm after peaking overnight and into this morning.

Power companies have been condemned for failing to restore supplies quickly enough after the storms left 50,000 homes with no electricity on Christmas Day.

On a visit to one affected area in the southeast of England, Prime Minister David Cameron was confronted by an angry flood victim in Yalding, Kent, where homes were severely damaged earlier this week.

This landslip also blocked the line on the Brighton Main Line near Redhill

Resident Erica Olivares accused her local council of failing to help flood-affected homeowners.

She told Sky News: "We had no help, especially over Christmas Day. We were totally abandoned, no hot food, no hot drink, nothing, we were up to our waists in floodwater literally the whole of Christmas Day."

Mr Cameron said: "We need to learn the lessons, we are seeing these events take place more event.

"The Government is spending more on flood defences over the next four years than over the last four years.

"There's a lot of flood defences being built, something like 80,000 houses were protected this time but we've got to do more."

The Energy Networks Association (ENA) warned it could be some time until power is restored after last night's storm battered Ireland and the west of the UK, with a top recorded wind speed of 109mph in Aberdaron, West Wales, significantly hampering repair work.

David Cameron is confronted by Erica Olivares

ENA spokesman Tony Glover said: "The problem was that not only did we have a storm followed by torrential rain, but huge amounts of flooding afterwards.

"That impacted on our ability to get to the affected areas, and to get materials that we need.

"It meant that we were not able to get cherry pickers to replace and repair damaged infrastructure. We simply cannot put a cherry picker in the middle of a lake.

"We know that it is very tough and that it has been horrendous for people - I am not going to downplay it - but we are doing our best and working around the clock to help everyone who has been affected."

More than 20,000 people across the UK are without power including 3,000 homes in Kent, Surrey and Sussex which have not had electricity restored since Christmas Day, according to ENA.

A man removes items from his home after flooding in Tonbridge

In addition, according to ESB Networks, in Ireland, some 15,000 homes and businesses are without power with engineers dealing with hundreds of individual faults.

On the roads, the Highways Agency closed the Humber Bridge to high-sided vehicles due to the winds and a lorry was reported to have overturned near Immingham docks, north of Grimsby.

The worst of the winds hit Ireland, Wales, the North and western Scotland, while rain fell on already soaked ground in the South East bringing more flooding misery.

Southeastern trains restored services later in the day but said they could still be cancelled or delayed at short notice, while Virgin, East Coast and Southern trains also warned of travel disruption.

A man paddles his canoe past a flooded property in Yalding

There were no trains between London's Victoria station and Gatwick Airport following a landslip near Ockley in Surrey.

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Police and fire services across both the UK and Ireland have reported road closures because of uprooted trees.

A downed tree in Toys Hill, Kent

The Environment Agency (EA) is warning of more "significant disruption" across southern England.

But a spokesperson for the agency said overnight rainfall was less than expected, with around 10mm falling in the south east.

The spokesperson added: "The levels are still peaking for rivers with bigger catchment areas, such as the Stour through Canterbury and Ashford and the River Medway, which runs through Maidstone."

Around 1,200 properties have been flooded so far, according to the EA, with 39 flood warnings and 101 flood alerts in place.

The highest ever water levels were recorded downstream of the Leigh Barrier, a large storage reservoir which protects Tonbridge in Kent from flooding.

Met Eireann imposed red alert warnings in the south and eastern parts of Ireland, with Wexford, Galway, Mayo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Waterford experiencing the worst of the stormy weather.

Waves smash against a flood wall in County Donegal. Pic: Mitchell family

AA Roadwatch described driving conditions on Ireland's country roads as "treacherous" - and advised motorists to drive with extreme care.

An elderly couple were treated in hospital after an electricity pole fell on top of their Mayobridge home during the overnight storms, causing a fire which caused widespread damage.

The pair were in their home with their son when the pole hit the roof of the property.

Two other pensioners were also treated after the incident caused smoke and water damage to their home.

Network Rail advises that routes need to be checked and tracks will need to be cleared of any fallen trees and any damage will need repaired before train services can start.

Robin Gisby, managing director of network operations at Network Rail, said earlier: "Passengers have had a tough week of travelling and unfortunately that is likely to continue for at least another day.

"Thousands of railway workers have worked tirelessly over the holiday period to try and repair the significant damage caused by Monday's storm and will be called on again over the next 24 hours.

"As ever, safety comes first, as we ensure routes are safe for passenger services leading to a delayed start-up in some regions."

ESB Networks engineers attempt to repair downed power lines in Ireland

Sky News Weather Presenter Isobel Lang said: "If you're travelling today, there will be really squally, buffeting winds everywhere, trans-Pennine routes especially, it will be really bad today."

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Greenpeace Activists Arrive Home From Russia

Five Britons detained in Russia as part of the so-called "Arctic 30" have arrived home in the UK.

The five were arrested amid claims of hooliganism following a protest about oil drilling, and held in jail for two months.

They have since been granted amnesty under a new Russian law.

Greenpeace member Anthony Perrett, 32, of Newport, South Wales, arrived in London with fellow activists Alex Harris and Phil Ball, crew member Iain Rogers and freelance videographer Kieron Bryan.

They left St Petersburg earlier today and arrived in Paris this afternoon before travelling to London's St Pancras station on Eurostar to be met by their families.

Ms Harris said being imprisoned had been "terrifying" but that she took comfort from knowing she was one of 29 other people in the same situation.

And she told Sky News she would not give up on the Arctic: "I've gone through a lot for this campaign, I'm not going to stop now."

The activists were onboard the Arctic Sunrise

Mr Perrett told reporters: "It has been a strange few months, but it is over now and it is good to be back. We're
very relieved to be home, it's good to be back and speaking English, which has been sorely missed."

Asked whether it had been worth it, he said: "Well, look at the media that's here today. We're trying to spread the word to save the Arctic and I think we have done that job fairly well."

A sixth Briton, activist Frank Hewetson, has also been released and is travelling to another country.

The Arctic 30 - 28 activists and two freelance journalists - were arrested after Russian authorities boarded their ship, the Arctic Sunrise, during an anti-drilling demonstration in September.

The group were detained for protesting against an Arctic offshore oil rig owned by the Russian company Gazprom.

They were initially charged with piracy, but the charge was later changed to hooliganism.

They had their passports returned to them after being freed on bail by courts in St Petersburg, but initially did not have visas to leave Russia.

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Michelle Obama Helps Kids Track Santa By Phone

Michelle Obama has taken calls from children eagerly checking the progress of Santa's sleigh as he delivers presents around the world.

The First Lady volunteered for the traditional North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) Tracks Santa programme and wished callers a Merry Christmas.

"I see his sleigh with eight tiny reindeer and he is over Sudan - South Sudan. That's in Africa," she told a girl named Ella.

"And right now, he's delivering some gifts. He's going down, swooping down to some little kids who are in South Sudan, OK? That's where he is right now. It's really, really very cool, don't you think?"

Mrs Obama took the calls in the President's home state of Hawaii, where the family are spending their Christmas holiday.

The Norad programme started when department store Sears Roebuck & Co advertised its Santa hotline in a magazine in 1955.

"Hey Kiddies, call me direct on my telephone," said the ad, below which was printed the wrong phone number.

Rather than getting through to the shop, children dialled America's Continental Air Defence Command, which later became Norad.

Instead of telling callers they had the wrong number, Colonel Harry Shoup told staff to check their radar screens and provide children with an update on Santa's location.

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Queen's Message: Monarch Reflects On 2013

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

The Queen has reflected on key events of the past 12 months in her traditional Christmas broadcast, including the birth of her great-grandson Prince George and the 60th anniversary of her coronation.

In her message, recorded earlier this month at Buckingham Palace, the 87-year-old monarch said: "We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection.

"With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock."

The head of the Commonwealth also used the theme of "reflection" to look ahead to the Commonwealth Games being staged in Glasgow next year.

The newest addition to the Royal Family was something the Queen was keen to focus on, saying the arrival of a baby "gives everyone the chance to contemplate the future with renewed happiness and hope".

During the broadcast, behind-the-scenes footage was shown for the first time of the photoshoot at Clarence House in October, shortly after the Christening of Prince George at the Chapel Royal.

The Monarch will reflect on the birth of her great-grandson, Prince George

One photograph taken was that of the Queen with the next three generations of monarchs including Princes Charles, William and George.

As the Queen spoke to the British people, and those of the Commonwealth, the historic photograph took pride of place next to her at the Palace alongside a framed image of her father George VI and mother, the Queen Mother.

The Christmas address is written by the Queen and is one of the rare occasions when she does not turn to the Government for advice but is able to voice her own views.

It was this year recorded in Buckingham Palace's Blue Drawing Room which featured a large Christmas tree decorated with coloured baubles.

During her message, the Queen was seated wearing a single crepe-wool primrose dress designed by Angela Kelly, which she wore to William and Kate's wedding in April 2011.

On her left shoulder was a diamond, ruby and sapphire brooch, a present from her parents to celebrate the birth of Charles in 1948, which she wore at George's Christening.

Earlier on Christmas Day the monarch was joined by her family at church in Sandringham - with the exception of Prince George.

The Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Andrew led the walking party from the main house to St Mary Magdalene's church on the Norfolk estate.

But The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge decided the 45-minute service would be unsuitable for their five-month-old.

Prince Harry joined the 11am stroll sporting a beard grown during his trek to the South Pole.

The Queen, who is normally accompanied by the Countess of Wessex, was this year instead joined by a heavily pregnant Zara Philips.

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Christmas Benefit Payments: Thousands Miss Out

Tens of thousands of people have not received benefit payments in time for Christmas.

The money for jobseekers, low earners and pensioners had been due to arrive in their accounts on Tuesday, but will now not arrive until Friday.

Up to 32,000 people are believed to be affected. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) blamed an administration error.

Those affected include new claimants, those owed arrears and people awarded Social Fund budgeting loans for essentials such as clothes, rent and furniture.

The DWP said that if individuals had contacted them by 5pm last night the payment would have been rushed through within three hours.

A spokesman said: "The vast majority of regular benefit payments have been made on time this Christmas.

"However due to an administrative issue, a number of one-off or more irregular payments will now be paid on December 27 rather than December 24.

"We have procedures in place to ensure that anyone who has been affected by this and who contacted us would have had their benefits paid, usually within three hours.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

A total of 32,200 people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Social Fund and certain categories of pension could have been hit by the delay, the spokesman said.

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Stafford: Motorist Arrested After Road Death

A 22-year-old motorist has been arrested after the body of an elderly man was found in the road in the early hours of Christmas Day.

The discovery was made at the junction of Shakespeare Road and Wordsworth Avenue on Stafford's Highfields estate at around 12.50am.

Specially-trained police officers were sent out to support the family of the elderly man, who has not been named.

The 22-year-old is being held on suspicion of being unfit to drive through either drink or drugs in connection with the death.

He is now being questioned as investigations are carried out at the scene.

The victim was found dead on Stafford's Highfields estate

Police want anyone who spotted a white van in the area, or saw or heard anything suspicious, to contact them.

A spokesman said: "The family of the elderly local man who died as a result of this tragic incident ... are being supported and kept informed about the progress of the investigation.

"We would ask that no names of the man who died are posted on to social media until the formal identification has been released so that the family affected can ensure all relatives and loved ones are informed first.

"We want to thank everyone affected by the road closures for their understanding and support at this difficult time."

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Iraq: Christmas Bombers Target Christians

At least 22 people have been killed in Christmas Day bomb attacks targeting Christians in Iraq.

A car bomb went off near a church during Christmas Mass in Baghdad's southern Dora district, killing at least 15 people and wounding more than 30, a police officer said.

Earlier, a bomb ripped through an outdoor market in the nearby Christian section of Athorien, killing seven people and wounding 16, the officer added.

Both attacks took place in Baghdad's Dora district

A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. 

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but Iraq's dwindling Christian community, which is estimated at 400,000 to 600,000 people, has often been targeted by al Qaeda and other insurgents.

The latest bombings came amid a massive military operation in Iraq's western desert as authorities try to hunt down insurgents who have stepped up attacks across Iraq, sending violence to levels not seen since 2008.

Christians attending mass in Baghdad's St Joseph Chaldean church

Along with Christians, other targets for extremists include civilians in restaurants, cafes or crowded public areas, as well as Shi'ites and members of the Iraqi security forces, who are targeted in an attempt to undermine confidence in the Shi'ite-led government and stir up sectarian tensions.

The Christmas Day attacks brought the total number of people killed so far this month in Iraq to 426.

According to UN estimates, more than 8,000 people have been killed since the start of the year.

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Severe Weather: Families Forced From Homes

Almost 50,000 people are without power on Christmas Day and dozens have been evacuated from their flooded homes following severe weather.

Many of those affected by the storms that battered the UK in the run-up to Christmas will not have power restored to their homes until Boxing Day, the Energy Networks Association has warned.

Around 90 people were asked to leave their homes on the River Stour near Bournemouth following warnings from the Environment Agency, Dorset police said.

Travel chaos at Gatwick Airport - pic: @walshymk

Officers had been monitoring the levels of the River Stour closely and people living in the threatened areas were warned of the possibility of flooding and evacuation.

Police described the rescue effort as a "multi-agency operation" and advised people who have concerns about flooding to contact the Environment Agency.

Emergency services evacuated people from the Iford Bridge Home Park in Bournemouth and the Beaulieu Garden Park Home in Christchurch, Dorset, after water levels rose dangerously.

The coastguard rescued 76 people from a caravan park flooded by the River Medway at Yalding in Kent on Tuesday night.

Rescuers helped residents at the Little Venice Caravan and Marina Park leave by boat and four-wheel-drive vehicle.

The water was chest deep at one point, and a helicopter was brought in as a precaution while the last 21 people were led to safety.

The Environment Agency's map shows flood warnings across England and Wales

The Environment Agency said 150 properties had been flooded in England, mainly in Surrey and Kent, with numbers expected to rise.

Firefighters in both counties broke a five-hour nationwide strike on Tuesday to help deal with the effects of the storms.

In Surrey, residents were evacuated from their homes in Dorking, Leatherhead and Guildford, while more evacuations occurred in Tonbridge, Kent.

Some 40 properties were evacuated in Godalming because of concerns over the height of the River Wey, Surrey Police said.

Passengers' luggage at Gatwick Airport

In the Mole Valley, evacuations took place in Leatherhead and Dorking after the River Mole burst its banks in several areas.

Police said the Flanchford Bridge over the River Mole near Reigate had collapsed, but no one was injured.

In Dorset, fire crews had to rescue 25 people trapped in their cars by flood water.

At a Wetherspoon's pub in Tonbridge, 100 people booked in for Christmas dinner had to make alternative arrangements after it was flooded.

By 1pm on Christmas Day, the Environment Agency had reduced the number of severe flood warnings - meaning lives are in danger - from three to two.

Tonbridge in Kent has been hit by severe flooding - pic: Toby MacKenzie

But 102 flood warnings - meaning "immediate action" is required - and 200 "be prepared" flood alerts were still in place.

Many travellers are still trying to get home for Christmas after treacherous conditions on the roads and major delays on the rail network and at airports hampered their travel plans .

Five people have died in the last three days because of the stormy weather.

There was chaos at Gatwick Airport in West Sussex on Christmas Eve after a power cut at the North Terminal led to cancellations and delays, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. The airport said normal service was resuming today.

Police officers stepped in to calm passengers as they demanded information about their flights.

A police officer calms crowds at Gatwick - pic: Joe Pattinson

Hundreds of pieces of luggage were strewn across the airport as no bags were able to be checked in.

Airline easyJet said it would be operating a limited number of Christmas Day flights from the airport to replace 83 cancelled on Tuesday because of the power cut.

These include flights to Faro, Basle, Malaga, Alicante and Amman, while passengers from a cancelled flight from Gibraltar to Gatwick will be travelling on one from Malaga.

EasyJet said it would be unable to schedule any further flights today because of limited capacity at airports and crew availability.

Fire crews rescued motorists - pic: Dorset Fire and Rescue Service

A spokesman said: "Due to the high amount of cancellations that were unavoidable on the 24th, we are currently working on a plan to repatriate all passengers back to their destinations as soon as possible.

"But please be advised this may take a couple of days whilst the programme resumes to normal operation from Thursday."

Although Wednesday has seen calmer weather, more storms are expected on Friday.

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Archbishop Highlights Plight Of Britain's Poor

The Archbishop of Canterbury has highlighted the "injustices" facing Britain's poor and victims of conflicts around the world in his first Christmas Day sermon.

The Most Rev Justin Welby called on Christians to challenge the causes of poverty in front of the congregation at Canterbury Cathedral.

The Archbishop, who became the leader of 77 million Anglican worshippers in March, condemned the treatment of Christian communities in the Middle East who are being "attacked and massacred" and the ongoing suffering in South Sudan.

He spoke of the bomb attacks in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, in which 22 people were killed in bomb blasts targeted at a Christmas Day service and a Christian area of a market. 

"Today, singing of Bethlehem, we see injustices in Palestine and Israel, where land is taken or rockets are fired, and the innocent suffer," he said.

"We see injustice in the ever more seriously threatened Christian communities of the Middle East.

"They are attacked and massacred, driven into exile from a region in which their presence has always been essential.

The Archbishop will highlight the growing violence in South Sudan

"We see terrible news in South Sudan, where political ambitions have led towards ethnic conflict.

"On Saturday I was speaking to a bishop under siege, in a compound full of the dying.

"We see injustices at home.

"Even in a recovering economy, Christians, the servants of a vulnerable and poor saviour, need to act to serve and love the poor; they need also to challenge the causes of poverty."

He continued: "The action of the churches in the last five years is extraordinary, reaching out in ways not seen since 1945.

"Yet no society can be content where misery and want exist, unless through our love collectively we also challenge the greed and selfishness behind it."

The Archbishop admitted "it will always be an untidy church because we are in a vulnerable, untidy, broken world".

"The Christian meaning of Christmas is unconditional love received, love overflowing into a frequently love-lost world," he said.

Earlier, he posted a Christmas video message on the photo-sharing website Instagram.

In the message, he said: "Christmas means that, through Jesus, God shows unconditionally that he loves us. I pray that he gives you a very blessed Christmas."

Pope Francis, also giving his first Christmas address in his role as head of his church, chose likewise to concentrate on conflicts around the world and called for a united effort to end them.

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Pope Asks Non-Catholics To Unite For Peace

The Pope has called on atheists to unite with believers of all religions and work for "a homemade peace" that can spread across the world.

Speaking to about 70,000 people from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis also made another appeal for the environment to be saved from "human greed and rapacity".

Celebrating his first Christmas as leader of the 1.2 billion-member Catholic Church, he centred his first "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and world) message on the theme of peace.

Pope Francis holds a statue of Jesus at Christmas Eve mass at the Vatican

"Peace is a daily commitment. It is a homemade peace," he said.

"I invite even non-believers to desire peace. (Join us) with your desire, a desire that widens the heart. Let us all unite, either with prayer or with desire, but everyone, for peace."

His words came on the same day that bombers targeted Christians in Iraq, with two bomb blasts killing 22 people in the capital, Baghdad.

Pope Francis called for "social harmony in South Sudan, where current tensions have already caused numerous victims and are threatening peaceful coexistence in that young state".

Thousands gathered at Manger Square near the Church of the Nativity

Thousands are believed to have died in violence divided along ethnic lines between the Nuer and Dinka tribes in the country, which seceded from Sudan in 2011 after decades of war.

A similar message calling for an end to conflicts was delivered by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was also delivering his first Christmas Day address as head of his church.

The Pope also called for dialogue to end the conflicts in Syria, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq, and prayed for a "favourable outcome" to the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.

Pilgrims came from all over the world to experience Christmas at the Vatican.

"(He) is bringing a new era into the Church, a Church that is focusing much more on the poor and that is more austere, more lively," said Dolores Di Benedetto, who came from the Pope's homeland, Argentina, to attend Christmas Eve Mass.

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Antarctic Ice Traps Cruise Ship Tourists

A Russian cruise ship with 74 people on board has got stuck in the ice near Antarctica.

The ship, MV Akademik Shokalskiy, is stranded some 1,500 nautical miles south of Tasmania and 100 nautical miles east of the French base Dumont D'Urville.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is co-ordinating the search and rescue, was alerted to the ship's situation by Falmouth Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Cornwall which received a distress signal early on Christmas Day morning.

The ship is 1,500 nautical miles from Hobart. Map: AMSA

The Australian authorities have issued a broadcast to icebreaking vessels in the area and three ships are now on their way.

However, the closest vessels are at least two days' sailing time away.

Those on board the ship, which left New Zealand late last month, include explorers, scientists and tourists, as well as crew.

The voyage was planned as part of an expedition to mark the centenary of explorer Douglas Mawson's trip and to get the chance to see Mawson's Huts which have been inaccessible for some time because of an iceberg.

Mawson's Hut in Commonwealth Bay

It is not known how the ship became stuck but the AMSA says the vessel is not in any immediate danger.

Those on board had just returned from a 60km trek across pack ice, one organiser of the voyage told Australia's 9news.

Passengers seem to be taking the adventure in their stride, with Australasian Antarctic expedition leader Chris Turney tweeting: "We're in the ice like the explorers of old! All are well and spirits are high. Happy Christmas from the AA."

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Egypt Names Muslim Brotherhood A Terror Group

Egypt's military-backed government has declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group, criminalising all of its activities.

The interim government also banned any financing of the Muslim Brotherhood and membership to it.

The announcement is a dramatic escalation of the fight between the government and the group, from which the ousted president hails.

The Brotherhood has waged near-daily protests since the military coup that toppled President Mohamed Morsi on July 3.

A man surveys the damage caused by Tuesday's bomb attack

Hossam Eissa, the Minister of Higher Education, read out the Cabinet statement after a long meeting.

He said: "The Cabinet has declared the Muslim Brotherhood group and its organisation as a terrorist organisation."

He said that the decision was in response to Tuesday's bombing of police headquarters in a Nile Delta city which killed 16 people and wounded more than 100.

"Egypt was horrified from north to south by the hideous crime committed by the Muslim Brotherhood group," Mr Eissa said.

"This was in context of dangerous escalation to violence against Egypt and Egyptians (and) a clear declaration by the Muslim Brotherhood group that it still knows nothing but violence.

Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi was ousted in July

"It's not possible for Egypt the state, nor Egypt the people, to submit to the Muslim Brotherhood terrorism," he added.

Mr Eissa offered no evidence in his speech linking the Brotherhood to Tuesday's attack.

The Brotherhood, founded in 1928, denounced violence in the late 1970s.

Ibrahim Elsayed, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's political group, the Freedom and Justice Party, said the government announcement will have no impact on the work or the beliefs of the group.

"This decision is as if it never happened. It has no value for us and is only worth the paper it is written on," he said.

"It won't impact us from near and far. Ideas won't be impacted by false accusations. We uphold this call only for the sake of God."

Ahmed el-Borai, the Minister of Social Solidarity, told reporters in a news conference that the decision means "all activities of the Muslim Brotherhood group are banned including the demonstrations."

The declaration gives the armed forces and the police the right to enter universities and prevent protests, as "protection to the students," Mr el-Borai said.

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Murdered Sheffield Man's Family In Appeal

The family of a man who was found "violently" murdered in a field have made an emotional appeal for witnesses to come forward.

Simon Holdsworth, from the Hackenthorpe area of Sheffield, was found with severe head injuries on Tuesday morning.

Officers are trying to work out his movements on the night of Monday, December 16, when he was last seen.

The 36-year-old finished work at around 10.55pm and it is believed he then caught the 120 bus.

He would usually arrive at the stop near his home 10 minutes later but he never made it back. He was found off Birley Spa Lane at about 6.30am on Tuesday.

Mr Holdsworth's mother Christine and fiancee Carleen at a news conference

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, his mother Christine said: "What has happened to Simon has devastated our lives. We are all such a close family and this has left a huge hole in all of us."

His fiancee, Carleen McKeown, said: "I don't know who's hurt him, but if anybody knows anything, please just help us."

Detective Superintendent Phil Etheridge, who is leading the inquiry, said: "This was a horrendous attack on a much-loved and popular man.

"If you have any information, however apparently insignificant, I would urge you to contact South Yorkshire Police."

Mr Holdsworth was around 5ft 9ins tall and of a slim to medium build. He had short dark hair and wore glasses.

He was last seen wearing paint-spattered grey jogging bottoms, white Adidas trainers and a dark blue one-piece body warmer, with lighter blue sleeves and a hood.

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Tuscany Hit By Mafia Toxic Waste Dumping

The Mafia has expanded its multi-billion pound toxic waste disposal racket to middle-class holiday hotspot Tuscany, a top prosecutor has warned.

Franco Roberti said that after flooding their Naples backyard with poisonous materials, the Camorra syndicate is now polluting one of the country's most famous tourist regions, as well as moving beyond Italy to eastern Europe.

The discovery of poisoned farmlands around Naples prompted street protests

Mr Roberti, Italy's national anti-Mafia prosecutor, said investigators have uncovered Camorra toxic waste-dumping in the Prato area just 10 miles (17km) north of Florence, the capital of Tuscany.

He said Italy is also investigating a trail of waste being shipped to countries in eastern Europe, although he would not reveal which ones because the probe is ongoing.

Franco Roberti warned the toxic waste trade has spread to Tuscany

Until recently, the toxic waste - mostly from industries in northern Italy - had been dumped in Naples and the surrounding area.

Investigators recently discovered that farmlands around Naples are contaminated with dangerous levels of arsenic, lead and other harmful materials.

The revelations prompted tens of thousands of people to march through the city's streets last month.

Mr Roberti said the southern territory where the Camorra holds sway "is a little saturated", pushing the mob into new areas.

Increasingly close ties between the Naples-based gangsters and Chinese organised crime make the Prato area a logical choice for new dumping grounds.

The Camorra has a long-running and profitable relationship with Chinese mobsters, who use the Prato area as a base for the manufacturing and illicit sale of fake designer clothing.

Mr Roberti said the Camorra has no need to shop around for customers among the factories, processing plants and hospitals of northern Italy.

Rows over the waste business have led to rubbish piling up in Naples

After two decades in the racket, the Camorra are the go-to people for anyone who wants toxic waste to disappear for a fraction of the cost of what it takes to do it legally.

Past probes have found that the Camorra and their Chinese contacts have schemed together in the lucrative waste racket.

A 2005 operation code-named Marco Polo, carried out by Carabinieri paramilitary police, resulted in the confiscation in Naples' port of 20 containers loaded with toxic waste and hospital refuse ready for shipping to China and Hong Kong.

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Nigella Lawson 'Disappointed' After PAs Cleared

Nigella Case 'Lifted Lid On Lavish Lifestyle'

Updated: 3:42pm UK, Friday 20 December 2013

By Ian Woods, Sky News Correspondent

When they called in the police to arrest the sisters who used to clean their home, Charles Saatchi and Nigella Lawson could never have imagined that so much of their dirty laundry would be aired in public.

To members of the public with only a passing interest in the case, it must have appeared that it was the now divorced couple who were on trial rather than their former employees.

The Grillo sisters may have been in the dock, but their trial lifted the lid on their employers' lifestyle and the disintegration of their marriage.

The court heard details of lavish spending by both the accused and the family they worked for. It was never clear exactly how much Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo were accused of spending. Estimates of around £300,000 to £700,000 were mentioned, but such was the lack of oversight of spending of household spending that nobody could be sure what was spent on behalf of family members and how much the sisters had spent on themselves.

The Grillos never disputed spending the money, though they argued that some items attributed to them were actually for members of the household. They insisted everything was authorised and known about by either Ms Lawson or Mr Saatchi.

That included numerous personal holidays to New York, Prague, Venice, Berlin and Paris. The sisters maintained they were given permission to buy themselves gifts as a reward for their hard work.

Eighteen months ago, when the levels of expenditure first came to light, Ms Lawson appeared to have all the ingredients for domestic bliss. She was the TV cook known to millions of viewers; her husband was the man who made millions of pounds from advertising and art collecting.

But a year later they were famous for something quite different - an incident in a Mayfair restaurant captured by a photographer which led to Mr Saatchi accepting a police caution, and led to Ms Lawson seeking a divorce. There were two photographs in particular which were discussed during the trial. One pictured Mr Saatchi with his hands around his wife's throat, the other showed him pinching her nose.

That incident led to Ms Lawson and her assistants dubbed Team Cupcake to move out of Mr Saatchi's home in Chelsea. It also led the Grillo sisters to bring new information to the police. They said Ms Lawson was a regular drug user, information the defence would use to try to undermine her credibility as a witness.

Ms Lawson found herself in the role of the accused. When Mr Saatchi heard about the allegations, he sent her an angry email entitled Higella.

"I can only laugh at your sorry depravity," it said. "Of course now the Grillos will get off on the basis that you … were so off your head on drugs that you allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked and yes I believe every word the Grillos have said, who after all only stole money.

"I'm sure it was all great fun and now everything is perfect - bravo, you have become a celebrity hostess on a global TV game show. And you got the pass you desired, free to heartily enjoy all the drugs you want, forever. Classy."

During his evidence to the jury, Mr Saatchi said he was "bereft" that a private email had been made public. It entered the public domain because Ms Lawson considered it threatening and forwarded it to her lawyers. They in turn informed the Crown Prosecution Service, and it became part of the evidence in the trial. The Judge Robin Johnson took the unusual step of permitting it to be aired in the media even before a jury in the trial had been sworn in.

In court, he backtracked a little. He had believed the drug allegations but he had no proof. "Over this whole period she was writing books very successfully. I have never, never seen any evidence of Nigella taking drugs," he said.

When Ms Lawson came to court to give evidence she admitted having used cocaine and cannabis but denied she was addicted.

"If I was taking drugs to the extent you say I wouldn't be able to stand up here today," she said. "Regular cocaine users do not look like this. They are scrawny and unhealthy. If you think I would sabotage my health and leave my children orphans, you are wrong."

She said she first used cocaine while married to her terminally ill husband John Diamond in 2001, and once while depressed in 2010. She admitted more regular use of cannabis, including the fact that she smoked joints in front of her teenage children.

But she hit back at her ex-husband, accusing him of intimate terrorism. And she said she did not have a drug problem, telling the court: "I have a life problem."

"I was having a very very difficult time," she said. "I felt subjected to intimate terrorism by Mr Saatchi. I felt totally shamed isolated and in fear. A friend offered it to me and I took it. It completely spooked me."

She was furious that as a witness in the case she had no right to introduce evidence about her own reputation which had taken such a hammering.

Everyone, it seemed, had a opinion on the central characters, including the Prime Minister. His pro-Nigella comments in an interview held up proceedings and drew criticism from the judge.

We can now report that Judge Robin Johnson was asked to throw out the case because the defence argued the comments meant their clients could not get a fair trial. The judge allowed it to continue but rebuked public figures for commenting on trials which were still in progress.

There was other drama behind the scenes which could not be reported while the trial was in progress. Elisabetta Grillo, or Lisa as she was usually called, collapsed while the jury were deliberating over their verdict.

Her barrister Anthony Metzer told reporters she was not breathing. She has a history of claustrophobia and panic attacks. Paramedics were called and neither she nor her sister were able to be in court when the jury were being sent home for the night.

And there were frequent terse spats between Mr Metzer and the judge, particularly over the drugs issue. Their relationship appeared to be so strained that the judge warned the jury not to take it into account when reaching their verdicts.

If Mr Saatchi had his way this would never have come to trial. He initially thought the sisters had simply been naughty. He did not want to fire them, but he did want them to pay a penance by working on a reduced salary. It was Ms Lawson who was unforgiving and insisted on calling the police.

But having heard evidence of years of household spending which went largely unchecked, the jury acquitted the sisters of fraud. It is Ms Lawson and Mr Saatchi who have paid a high price, and not just for designer clothes and luxuries. Their reputations have been scrutinised and criticised in the court of public opinion.

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Adebolajo's Brother Refuses To Condemn Murder

Woolwich Murder: Killers' Timeline

Updated: 2:01pm UK, Thursday 19 December 2013

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

1984: Michael Olumide Akinbiyi Adebolajo is born on December 10 at King's College Hospital in Lambeth, south London. His Nigerian-born father, Anthony, a student at the time, went on to become an NHS nurse. His mother, Tina, a housewife and the niece of a university law professor in Benin, west Africa, also dedicated herself to public duty by becoming a social worker. The family lived in Eastern Avenue, Romford, and attended the local church.

1991: Michael Oluwatobi Adebowale is born on May 6, also to Nigerian parents, who split up soon after his birth. His mother Juliet Obasuyi is a probation officer and his father a member of staff at the Nigerian High Commission. Adebowale is known as "Tobi" to family and friends.

1996-2001: Adebolajo attends Marshalls Park School in Romford where he plays football, is seen as a bright student and goes on to complete his GCSEs. He then joins Havering Sixth Form College to study A-levels, including one in psychology.

2002: Adebowale, aged 11, starts at Kidbrooke School in Greenwich. He plays football too, but isn't particularly skilled. Friends say he was easily influenced and "used to follow the crowd".

2002/2003: Adebolajo converts to Islam in his first year at Greenwich University, where he is studying for a BSc in Building Surveying and takes part in first Muslim protests.

2004: He marries Rikki Thomas, who also converts to Islam.

Spring to winter 2004: Jamie Oliver and his team film episodes of Jamie's School Dinners at Kidbrooke School with dinner lady Nora Sands while Adebowale is a pupil.

2004/2005: Adebolajo switches his university course to BA Politics. His academic progress is unsatisfactory and he is not allowed to complete his course.

November 2006: Adebolajo is arrested outside the Old Bailey during a Muslim protest. He is convicted of assaulting two police officers and is sentenced to 51 days in prison.

September 2007: Brought up a Christian, a 16-year-old Adebowale converts to Islam after leaving school and joins a further education college.

January 5, 2008: Adebowale, a low-level runner who couriers drugs for the gang known as the Woolwich Boys, witnesses the murder of friend Faridon Alizada and is a witness in the subsequent court case.

December 2008: He gives evidence in the murder trial and killer Lee James is sentenced to serve a minimum of 25 years and 17 days after being found guilty of stabbing 18-year-old Faridon to death.

2009: Adebolajo speaks at a demonstration against the English Defence League and Stop Islamisation of Europe organised by Unite Against Fascism at Harrow Central Mosque. He is recorded as saying: "Don't be scared of them, do not be scared of the police or the cameras. You are here only to please Allah. You're not here for any other reason. If you are here just for a fight, please leave our ranks. We only want those who are sincere to Allah. Purify your intention."

2010: He is arrested in Kenya with five others and released to British authorities in the African country and deported. It is believed be planned to train with al Shabaab, a militant group linked to al Qaeda, according to Boniface Mwaniki, head of Kenya's anti-terrorism unit. The British Foreign Office confirm "a British national was arrested in Kenya in 2010" and given consular assistance. No charges are filed against Adebolajo, who returns to southeast London. From now on he is either unemployed or working as a fitness instructor.

August 2011: Racial tensions rise in southeast London during and after the summer riots. The Engish Defence League organises patrols of Eltham, a traditional BNP stronghold. A militant wing of the EDL organises fights with Muslims.

July/August 2012: Shopkeepers report the preachers who regularly set up outside their shops are abusing British soldiers who are stationed in Greenwich working at the London Olympics. Local police are aware of the abuse.

Early April 2013: Members of the Greenwich preaching group are detained by police after further complaints from shopkeepers. Adebowale is among them.

May 22, 2013: Adebolajo and Adebowale murder Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, southeast London. They are detained at the scene.

November 29, 2013: The two men go on trial at the Old Bailey.

December 19, 2013: After listening to nearly three weeks of harrowing evidence, jurors took just 90 minutes to find the pair guilty of murdering Fusilier Rigby. They were found not guilty of attempting to murder police officers.

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London Bus Crash Leaves 32 Passengers Injured

A bus has crashed into a tree in south London, injuring 32 passengers, seven seriously, say police.

The accident happened around 10.50am on Kennington Road near the Imperial War Museum, while the number 59 bus was en route to King's Cross.

Emergency services said several passengers had to be freed from the wreckage.

A 19-year-old woman and a man were the last to be rescued and are among those most badly hurt. 

Kennington Road has been closed and several bus routes redirected

Clive Robinson, from London Fire Brigade, said workers had to cut through the bodywork of the bus to free several passengers. Ladders were used to reach those on the top deck.

"The actual floor of the bus was starting to collapse and we had to shore that up," he said. 

Earlier, police reported that two people were in a critical condition.

Among the injured were two police officers

Among the injured were two police officers who had been travelling on the bus. They were taken to hospital - one with a suspected broken arm. 

Kevin Brown, of the London Ambulance Service, said the injuries ranged from bumps and bruises to serious limb and head injuries. 

Aerial footage from the scene showed the front of the bus, operated by Arriva, collapsed around the trunk of a tree.

The TfL have promised a 'thorough' investigation into the crash

Transport for London said there will be a thorough investigation.

Mike Weston, TfL's director for buses, said: "Our first concern is, of course, for the driver, passengers and others involved in this incident.

"There will be a thorough investigation into this incident as a matter of urgency."

Police are still unsure what caused the crash

Police say they still do not know what caused the crash and will be viewing CCTV footage from inside the bus.

Chief Superintendent Glyn Jones said: "At this stage we don't know what's caused the collision - that is subject to an ongoing investigation." 

Kennington Road was closed in both directions with routes 3, 59, 159 and 360 on diversion. 

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Nigella Case Lifted Lid On Lavish Lifestyle

By Ian Woods, Sky News Correspondent

When they called in the police to arrest the sisters who used to clean their home, Charles Saatchi and Nigella Lawson could never have imagined that so much of their dirty laundry would be aired in public.

To members of the public with only a passing interest in the case, it must have appeared that it was the now divorced couple who were on trial rather than their former employees.

The Grillo sisters may have been in the dock, but their trial lifted the lid on their employers' lifestyle and the disintegration of their marriage.

The court heard details of lavish spending by both the accused and the family they worked for. It was never clear exactly how much Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo were accused of spending. Estimates of around £300,000 to £700,000 were mentioned, but such was the lack of oversight of spending of household spending that nobody could be sure what was spent on behalf of family members and how much the sisters had spent on themselves.

A jury found the Grillo sisters not guilty of fraud

The Grillos never disputed spending the money, though they argued that some items attributed to them were actually for members of the household. They insisted everything was authorised and known about by either Ms Lawson or Mr Saatchi.

That included numerous personal holidays to New York, Prague, Venice, Berlin and Paris. The sisters maintained they were given permission to buy themselves gifts as a reward for their hard work.

Eighteen months ago, when the levels of expenditure first came to light, Ms Lawson appeared to have all the ingredients for domestic bliss. She was the TV cook known to millions of viewers; her husband was the man who made millions of pounds from advertising and art collecting.

This incident led to Mr Saatchi accepting a police caution. Pic: Jean-Paul

But a year later they were famous for something quite different - an incident in a Mayfair restaurant captured by a photographer which led to Mr Saatchi accepting a police caution, and led to Ms Lawson seeking a divorce. There were two photographs in particular which were discussed during the trial. One pictured Mr Saatchi with his hands around his wife's throat, the other showed him pinching her nose.

That incident led to Ms Lawson and her assistants dubbed Team Cupcake to move out of Mr Saatchi's home in Chelsea. It also led the Grillo sisters to bring new information to the police. They said Ms Lawson was a regular drug user, information the defence would use to try to undermine her credibility as a witness.

Ms Lawson found herself in the role of the accused. When Mr Saatchi heard about the allegations, he sent her an angry email entitled Higella.

An email Charles Saatchi sent to Nigella Lawson was read in court

"I can only laugh at your sorry depravity," it said. "Of course now the Grillos will get off on the basis that you … were so off your head on drugs that you allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked and yes I believe every word the Grillos have said, who after all only stole money.

"I'm sure it was all great fun and now everything is perfect - bravo, you have become a celebrity hostess on a global TV game show. And you got the pass you desired, free to heartily enjoy all the drugs you want, forever. Classy."

During his evidence to the jury, Mr Saatchi said he was "bereft" that a private email had been made public. It entered the public domain because Ms Lawson considered it threatening and forwarded it to her lawyers. They in turn informed the Crown Prosecution Service, and it became part of the evidence in the trial. The Judge Robin Johnson took the unusual step of permitting it to be aired in the media even before a jury in the trial had been sworn in.

In court, he backtracked a little. He had believed the drug allegations but he had no proof. "Over this whole period she was writing books very successfully. I have never, never seen any evidence of Nigella taking drugs," he said.

When Ms Lawson came to court to give evidence she admitted having used cocaine and cannabis but denied she was addicted.

"If I was taking drugs to the extent you say I wouldn't be able to stand up here today," she said. "Regular cocaine users do not look like this. They are scrawny and unhealthy. If you think I would sabotage my health and leave my children orphans, you are wrong."

She said she first used cocaine while married to her terminally ill husband John Diamond in 2001, and once while depressed in 2010. She admitted more regular use of cannabis, including the fact that she smoked joints in front of her teenage children.

But she hit back at her ex-husband, accusing him of intimate terrorism. And she said she did not have a drug problem, telling the court: "I have a life problem."

"I was having a very very difficult time," she said. "I felt subjected to intimate terrorism by Mr Saatchi. I felt totally shamed isolated and in fear. A friend offered it to me and I took it. It completely spooked me."

She was furious that as a witness in the case she had no right to introduce evidence about her own reputation which had taken such a hammering.

Everyone, it seemed, had a opinion on the central characters, including the Prime Minister. His pro-Nigella comments in an interview held up proceedings and drew criticism from the judge.

Ms Lawson insisted she was not addicted to drugs

We can now report that Judge Robin Johnson was asked to throw out the case because the defence argued the comments meant their clients could not get a fair trial. The judge allowed it to continue but rebuked public figures for commenting on trials which were still in progress.

There was other drama behind the scenes which could not be reported while the trial was in progress. Elisabetta Grillo, or Lisa as she was usually called, collapsed while the jury were deliberating over their verdict.

Her barrister Anthony Metzer told reporters she was not breathing. She has a history of claustrophobia and panic attacks. Paramedics were called and neither she nor her sister were able to be in court when the jury were being sent home for the night.

And there were frequent terse spats between Mr Metzer and the judge, particularly over the drugs issue. Their relationship appeared to be so strained that the judge warned the jury not to take it into account when reaching their verdicts.

If Mr Saatchi had his way this would never have come to trial. He initially thought the sisters had simply been naughty. He did not want to fire them, but he did want them to pay a penance by working on a reduced salary. It was Ms Lawson who was unforgiving and insisted on calling the police.

But having heard evidence of years of household spending which went largely unchecked, the jury acquitted the sisters of fraud. It is Ms Lawson and Mr Saatchi who have paid a high price, and not just for designer clothes and luxuries. Their reputations have been scrutinised and criticised in the court of public opinion.

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Syria: Britain To Help Destroy Chemicals

Britain is to be involved in the international effort to destroy Bashar al Assad's illegal chemical weapons stockpile.

Under an international agreement brokered to avoid US military strikes on the Damascus regime, Syria's most dangerous chemical weapons have to be out of the country by a December 31 deadline.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said: "The international mission to destroy Syria's chemical weapons programme is essential to ensure that Assad can never again use these horrific weapons to murder his own people.

"The UK along with the US, Russia, China, Denmark, Norway and Finland will be playing its part in this mission over the coming weeks and months."

UN inspectors visiting the country

The UK has agreed to destroy 150 tons of two industrial-grade chemicals - which do not contain explosives - from the Syrian stockpile.

They will be shipped to a UK port before being transferred to a commercial site where they will be incinerated, the FCO said.

The Government stressed that "these are chemicals, not chemical weapons".

Bashar al Assad insists chemical weapons were not used against civilians

It said: "The chemicals, known as 'B precursors', are used in the pharmaceutical industry and are handled similarly to many other chemicals that are routinely manufactured, transported and destroyed in the UK.

"The chemicals only become highly toxic when mixed with an 'A precursor' to make a nerve agent.

"To eliminate this risk, the A and B precursors will be removed from Syria separately."

A Royal Navy vessel will also help Danish and Norwegian cargo ships in international waters during the removal of the entire chemical stockpile from Syria by sea.

"The UK is also providing specialist equipment to the US to assist with the hydrolysis of the most sensitive chemicals before their final destruction," the FCO said.

"These 'large access devices' will be used to move the chemicals between their storage units and the hydrolysis equipment."

Mr Assad has admitted his forces hold chemical weapons, and has vowed to surrender them to international experts, but insists his forces did not target civilians.

Last week, UN inspectors said chemical weapons were "probably used" five times in the Syrian conflict between March and late August in the districts of Ghouta, Khan al Asal, Jobar, Saraqueb and Ashrafieh Sahnaya.

However, the report does not attribute blame for the attacks, as this was beyond the mandate given to the team by the UN Security Council.

An initial report in September said there was "clear and convincing evidence" that rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used in an attack on August 21 which killed hundreds of people.

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Rochdale Men Jailed For Sexually Grooming Girl

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent

Five men who sexually exploited a 15-year-old girl in Rochdale have been jailed for a total of 26-and-a-half years.

The majority of the defendants were first arrested last year after a separate trial at Liverpool Crown Court revealed a largely Pakistani-heritage child sex ring abusing white girls in the town.

The victim, now aged 20, was described as having a "chaotic early life" who would drink to excess, take drugs, stay out late and sniff lighter fluid and self harm. She spent several years in care before returning to her mother's house where her drink and drug taking continued.

Manchester Minshull Crown Court heard that many of her abusers plied her with vodka and cannabis before committing their offences in 2008 and 2009.

Congolese refugee Freddie Kendakumana, 27, of Illminster, Rochdale, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years for rape and sexual activity with a child.

Mohammed Rafiq Abubaker, 32, of Freehold, Rochdale was jailed for two-and-a-half years for sexual activity with a child, whilst takeaway worker Roheez Khan, 27, of Ashfield Road, Rochdale, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years for sexual activity with a child and witness intimidation.

A fourth man, Chola Chansa, 33, of Illminster, Rochdale, was jailed for five years for sexual activity with a child.

Taxi driver Abdul Huk, 37, of Ouldfield Close, Rochdale, was sentenced to four years for sexual activity with a child.

Questions have been asked after it was revealed that Kendakumana had been arrested and interviewed before by Greater Manchester police (GMP).

The Rochdale victim in this case was not linked to men convicted last year

In December 2008 the girl complained to police that she had been raped the previous month.

The girl was told at the time by an interviewing male officer to stay away from Kendakumana while the investigation continued. But Sky News understands social care and health professionals dealing with the youngster failed to pass on her other reports in 2008 and 2009 that she was having consensual sexual contact with older men whom she labelled "boyfriends".

Kendakumana was finally charged, along with his co-defendants, in October 2012 - nearly four years after the girl made the initial rape complaints as several men went on to abuse her in the intervening period.

From the end of 2008 to October 2011, the girl had undergone a total of 23 video-recorded police interviews.

The victim was first prompted to go to the police on the advice of a health support worker when she disclosed that Kendakumana was sexually forcing himself on her.

There was no suggestion that the victim had been "passed around" by the different men, although some were known to each other, the court heard.

In a victim impact statement, read out in court, she wrote: "I look back on the years I was drinking and hanging around with these men and see that this period has impacted on my education and what exams I failed to pass, this has followed into my adult life.

"I think a lot about that period of my life, I sometimes blame others like my mum, social services and the men, but I sometimes blame myself," she said.

In May last year, nine men were jailed for the systematic grooming and sexual abuse of five girls - aged between 13 and 15 - in Heywood and Rochdale. Their trial at Liverpool Crown Court resulted in a national debate over the role of gangs of largely Pakistani-heritage men in grooming white girls.

A subsequent report from child safeguarding chiefs ruled that social workers, police and prosecutors had missed opportunities to stop the exploitation in Heywood and Rochdale.

Social workers in Rochdale were criticised for their approach to dealing with underage girls who were deemed to be "making their own choices" in engaging in consensual sex.

Although the girl in the latest court proceedings was being abused at about the same time, she had no known links with any of the defendants who were jailed at Liverpool Crown Court.

The convicted men in the Manchester trials came from a range of nationalities - Kendakumana and Chansa are from Congo, Abubaker is a Kurd, while Huk and Khan are believed to be of Pakistani heritage.

Several knew each other but it was not the prosecution case that they all acted as an organised gang.

The case has been voluntarily referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

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Mosque Fire Bombing: Former Soldiers Jailed

By Gerard Tubb, North of England Correspondent

Two former soldiers who fire-bombed a mosque four days after the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby have been sentenced to six years each.

Stuart Harness, 34, and Gavin Humphries, 37, unwittingly filmed themselves making petrol bombs before throwing them at the Grimsby Islamic Cultural Centre.

Hull Crown Court heard they threw the devices as if they were lobbing grenades, which they would have been trained to do.

The attack was staged in May as a reprisal for the murder of Fusilier Rigby, who was run over and hacked to death by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale outside Woolwich Barracks in southeast London.

The pair were caught on the mosque's CCTV cameras throwing their home-made devices at the main doors as terrified worshippers were trapped inside.

From left: Daniel Cressey was jailed with Harness and Humphries

Despite being frightened by the flames coming under the door, a worshipper ran out through the blaze and put it out with a fire extinguisher.

Two community support officers who were patrolling in the area because of previous incidents at the mosque chased the pair back to Harness' house where they were arrested.

They pleaded guilty to arson after police found video of the pair making the petrol bombs in the backyard which had been captured by a home CCTV camera installed by Harness.

He told officers he thought the camera had been turned off when he closed the laptop it was connected to.

The petrol bombs were thrown at the entrance to the Grimsby mosque

Harness and Humphries, both of Dixon Avenue, Grimsby, admitted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. The court heard they had served in the Army with unblemished records.

They were jailed by Judge Mark Bury, who told them: "Whatever your feelings of outrage were, you should have allowed justice to take its course.

"Instead you carried out a retaliatory act of throwing petrol bombs at the Grimsby Islamic Cultural Centre.

"As is usual in these cases, the victims had nothing to do with the events that so enraged you.

"They were entirely innocent law-abiding Muslims who were practising their religion in a peaceable way."

A third man, Daniel Cressey, 25, of New Holland, North Lincolnshire, was jailed for three years after he was found guilty of aiding and abetting Harness and Humphries by driving them to the mosque.

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