Nicole Kidman Floored By Paparazzo Cyclist

Nicole Kidman has said she was "shaken" up after being knocked to the ground by a cycling paparazzo in New York.

Nicole Kidman falls to the floor as the cyclist crashes into her

The actress was returning to her hotel after an appearance on the red carpet at a fashion show when the cyclist - named by entertainment website TMZ as Carl Wu - crashed into her.

Kidman was helped to her feet by her entourage and later said: "I'm up, I'm walking around, but I was shaken."

One of the star's shoes fell off but she did not appear to be badly hurt

Photographs showed the paparazzo, who was wearing headphones and carrying a backpack laden with photographic equipment, lying on the ground, as security guards at the Carlyle Hotel ushered Kidman inside.

One of the Hollywood star's shoes fell off in the collision, but she did not appear to be seriously hurt.

A security guard removed the paparazzo's bicycle

A spokesman for New York Police Department said a 19-year-old man had been given three summonses for reckless endangerment, riding a bicycle on the pavement and riding without a helmet.

Kidman is ushered into the hotel - minus one of her high heels

Earlier, Kidman, who won an Oscar for her role in The Hours, was spotted wearing the same grey dress and gold belt at New York Fashion Week, where Calvin Klein was showing off its spring 2014 collection.

She attended an after-party at the city's Spring Studios later in the day.

The star had been at New York Fashion Week and later went to an after-party

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Santander Bank Hacking Plot Foiled By Police

Twelve men have been arrested over an attempt to take control of a Santander bank's computer and steal millions of pounds.

The men allegedly fitted a computer within the branch in Surrey Quays shopping centre, southeast London, with a "keyboard video mouse" (KVM).

The device, which can be purchased online for as little as £10, allowed them to transmit the contents of the computer's desktop and take control of the machine remotely.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said it was not clear whether any money was taken, but the bank said "no money was ever at risk".

Police added that detectives and bank officials had thwarted a "very significant and audacious cyber-enabled offence" that would have cost Santander millions of pounds. 

A KVM device similar to the one used in the cyber theft plot

Officers arrested 11 men aged between 23 and 50 in Hounslow, while a 34-year-old was arrested in Victoria.

Searches were carried out at addresses in Westminster, Hounslow, Hillingdon, Brent, Richmond and Slough, where property was seized.

The men are currently in custody at a London police station.

A Santander spokesman said: "Like all high street banks, Santander works very closely with the police and other authorities to help prevent fraud.

"Through this co-operation, Santander was aware of the possibility of the attack connected to the arrests. The attempt to fit the device to the computer in the Surrey Quays Branch was undertaken by a bogus maintenance engineer pretending to be from a third party.

"No member of Santander staff was involved in this attempted fraud.

"We are pleased that we have been able, through the robustness of our systems, to prevent the fraud and help the police gather the evidence they needed to make the arrests."

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syria: Russia And US Push For New Peace Talks

Syria: How Crisis Has Developed

Updated: 2:13pm UK, Friday 13 September 2013

:: March 2011 - Protesters stage demonstrations in Damascus and security forces in Daraa shoot dead several campaigners, leading to unrest and violence.

:: May - The Syrian military deploys tanks in a bid to quash demonstrations.

:: July 19 - The UK freezes £100m of Syrian assets.

:: August 18 - US President Barack Obama calls on Bashar al Assad to step down. The US freezes all assets of the Syrian government.

:: November 16 - The Free Syrian Army attacks a military base near Damascus.

:: February 4, 2012 - A UN Security Council resolution on Syria is rejected for a second time by Russia and China.

:: March 1 - Government troops seize the Baba Amr district of Homs after an intense battle lasting for several weeks.

:: April 12 - A UN-brokered ceasefire comes into force after fierce fighting in the country.

:: May 23 - Dozens of people, many of them women and children, die in Houla, near Homs. Foreign Secretary William Hague says they were "massacred at the hands of Syrian forces". The UN later accuses the Syrian military of committing war crimes.

:: August - Barack Obama says the use of chemical weapons against civilians would represent the crossing of a "red line".

:: March 6, 2013 - Foreign Secretary William Hague says Britain will provide opposition forces with "non-lethal equipment for the protection of civilians".

:: April-May - Britain says there is credible evidence to suggest Syrian forces have used chemical weapons in Adra, Darayya and Saraqiq and calls for an investigation by the UN.

:: April 29 - Syrian prime minister Wael Nader al Halqi survives an assassination attempt as a car bomb explodes in Damascus.

:: May 14 - Footage of a Syrian rebel commander apparently cutting out a soldier's heart is condemned by the country's National Coalition.

:: June 6 - Syrian forces, backed by Hizbollah fighters, recapture the strategic border town of Qusair.

:: June 6 - Human Rights Watch releases footage which it claims shows Syrian troops shelling school buildings.

:: July 25 - The UN says the number of people killed in the civil war has reached 100,000.

:: August 21 - An alleged chemical attack in Damascus kills 1,300 people, according to the opposition. Doctors Without Borders says 335 people died from "neurotoxic" symptoms.

:: August 25 - Foreign Secretary William Hague says a chemical attack by the Syrian government is the only "plausible explanation" for the deaths.

:: August 26 - UN inspectors brave sniper fire to gather "valuable" evidence from one site of the alleged chemical attack, as the US Secretary of State John Kerry says the Assad regime would face action over the "moral obscenity".

:: August 27 - The UK recalls Parliament to hold a vote on August 29 on the use of chemical weapons in Syria. David Cameron and Barack Obama agree there is "no doubt" the Assad regime is responsible for the alleged attack.

:: August 28 - Britain tables a draft UN resolution condemning the alleged attack and "authorising all necessary measures".

:: August 29 - David Cameron is forced to rule out military action after narrowly losing a Commons vote on the principle of intervention.

:: August 31 - President Obama says the US "should take military action" in Syria but confirms he will seek authorisation from Congress before launching any strikes against the Assad regime. He says the US is "prepared to strike whenever we choose".

:: September 2 - a French intelligence reports claims the Assad regime was responsible for a "massive and coordinated" chemical attack in Damascus.

:: September 3 - Israel says it has carried out a joint missile test with the US in the Mediterranean.

:: September 4 - The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approve a draft US resolution authorising the use of military force in Syria. Meanwhile, MPs in France debate whether to join any possible military intervention, although they do not vote on the subject.

:: September 5 - World leaders meet at the G20 summit in Russia, with the crisis in Syria high on the agenda.

:: September 6 - Britain pledges £52m in aid to Syria, as David Cameron hits back at a reported jibe from Russia that Britain is a "small island".

:: September 8 - The RAF sends up two Typhoon jets in Cyprus as warplanes, thought to have come from Syria, enter international airspace. Meanwhile John Kerry says more nations than his country can use are prepared to join military action against Syria.

:: September 9 - Russia urges Syrian President Bashar al Assad to hand over his chemical weapons to avert a US-led military strike on Damascus.

:: September 10 - President Barack Obama delays a Congress vote on air strikes as Russia gives the US its plan for putting Syria's chemical weapons under international contral.

:: September 11 - A UN report confirms at least eight massacres were carried by the Assad regime and one by rebels over the past 18 months.

:: September 12 - Syria formally applies to join the Chemical Weapons Convention. Russia and US hold two days of talks on the issue.

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

South Korea: Abducted Man Escapes From North

A South Korean man has escaped from North Korea more than four decades after he was abducted while fishing near the disputed Yellow Sea border.

Jeon Wook-pyo, 68, arrived in Seoul recently after escaping from North Korea in early August, a government official said.

"He is now under investigation by security authorities," the official added.

South Korea says more than 500 of its citizens - most of them fishermen - have been abducted by North Korea in the 60 years since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Those who manage to make it back to the South are often treated with initial suspicion, and subjected to a rigorous screening programme to ensure they are not operating as North Korean spies.

Mr Jeon was among 25 fishermen aboard two boats that were seized by a North Korean navy ship on December 28, 1972.

Jeon Wook-Pyo in a photograph taken in his youth

The whereabouts of his fellow crewmen are not known.

An activist group said earlier that Mr Jeon had stayed in an undisclosed third country - probably China - after fleeing the North on August 11.

He then sent a letter to South Korean President Park Geun-hye seeking assistance, saying he wanted to spend his remaining days in his hometown, the group said.

South Korea has repeatedly urged North Korea to free remaining abductees, but Pyongyang insists it is holding no one against their wishes.

Since 2000, 28 former South Korean soldiers who were listed as killed in action have been confirmed alive in the North, with 13 of them appearing for reunions with their southern relatives.

The two nations have remained technically at war since 1953 because no peace treaty was ever signed and there are no mail, telephone or email exchanges between ordinary citizens across the heavily fortified border.

Many do not even know whether their relatives are alive or dead.

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Delhi Gang Rape: Four Men Sentenced To Death

By Neville Lazarus, Sky News Producer, in Delhi

Four men have been sentenced to death for the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman on a bus in Delhi.

A judge said Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh should be hanged after they were convicted of the brutal attack.

In his 230-page judgement, Yogesh Khanna said the severity of the crime meant it fell into the "rarest of rare" category, telling the men: "We cannot turn a blind eye towards such a gruesome crime. There cannot be any tolerance.

"The victim was tortured to the end. There is a zero tolerance in society for such a crime."

A police vehicle carrying the four men arrives at a court in Delhi

Thakur, 28, Sharma, 20, Gupta, 19, and Singh, 26, lured their victim and her male friend onto the bus last December before raping the woman, assaulting her with an iron bar and dumping her on the roadside with her friend.

She suffered serious internal injuries and died in hospital in Singapore 13 days after the attack, which triggered violent protests across India.

New laws were introduced and existing ones amended, while fast-track courts were set up to try men accused of sexual crimes.

Police used CCTV images to track the bus and arrested two of the accused within 24 hours of the attack.

Tight security was in place outside Delhi's Saket District Court

The court case relied on evidence from the victim given to a magistrate before her death, as well as statements from her friend, forensic evidence, fingerprints and DNA samples.

Bite marks were also matched with dental impressions of the men.

A defence lawyer in the case had asked for sentences of life imprisonment, saying Indian law calls for execution only in exceptional cases.

The counsel referred to their family background and economic status and said they had clean past records.

However, prosecutor Dayan Krishnan joined the victim's family and leading politicians in calling for the men to be given the death penalty, telling the court: "There can be nothing more diabolic than a helpless girl put through torture."

Protesters outside court had called for the men to face the death penalty

The father of the victim said he was satisfied with the verdict, telling reporters: "We are very happy. Justice has been delivered."

Besides rape and murder, Thakur, Sharma, Gupta and Singh were found guilty of three abduction offences and various other counts, including attempted murder, banditry, destruction of evidence, voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery and dishonestly receiving stolen property.

Defence lawyers said they will appeal to the High Court and, if necessary, the Supreme Court.

A fifth defendant in the case, Ram Singh, was found hanged in his cell in Delhi's Tihar prison in March.

A woman lights a candle at a vigil for the 23-year-old victim

A sixth person, who was a juvenile at the time of the attack, has already been found guilty of murder, rape and kidnapping and sentenced to three years in a correction facility.

On an average, judges in India hand down 130 death sentences a year, although in the last 17 years only three executions have taken place.

India, which voted against a draft UN resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions, currently has 477 death row prisoners.

According to the National Crimes Records Bureau, 1,121 rape cases were recorded in Delhi in the first eight months of the year - double the number in the same period in 2012.

Police say the increase is due to more cases being reported.

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iran Seeks Solution To Nuclear Stand-Off

Iran wants to end the international stand-off over its nuclear programme but will not sacrifice its interests for the sake of a solution, President Hassan Rouhani has said.

In a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a regional security summit, Mr Rouhani said it was time to take new steps to resolve the dispute.

"Regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, we want the swiftest solution to it within international norms," Mr Rouhani said in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, where leaders are gathering for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.

"Russia in the past has taken important steps in this sphere and now is the best opportunity for new steps from your side," he added.

Western states believe Iran's nuclear programme is aimed at developing weapons.

Iran has been in talks for years with six global powers seeking to ensure it does not develop a nuclear weapons capability.

A view of Iran's Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant in August 2010

A solution to the stand-off has been elusive and the most recent talks, in April, ended without a breakthrough.

Mr Rouhani, who was elected in June, has said Iran will be more transparent and less confrontational in talks with the six powers - the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.

But he made clear he is only ready to go so far, indicating Iran would not give up its right to enrich uranium.

"I declare that only if there is political will, if there is mutual respect and mutual interest, and only if the rights of Iran's people are ensured, can we guarantee the peaceful character of Iran's nuclear programme," he said.

Western diplomats say Iran has continued to expand its uranium enrichment capacity in recent months, potentially shortening the time it would need to produce sufficient highly-refined material for a bomb.

Mr Rouhani said a date could be set for the next round of talks later this month during the UN General Assembly in New York, where meetings between Iran and some of the powers are expected.

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sheffield Wednesday Striker Madine Facing Jail

A Championship footballer is facing jail after punching two men in separate nightclub attacks.

Sheffield Wednesday striker Gary Madine shook his head after he was found guilty of causing Sheffield United fan Reece Hall actual bodily harm at Leeds Crown Court.

The 23-year-old was earlier convicted of causing Wednesday fan Daniel Beresford grievous bodily harm after a week-long trial.

Madine, who has a previous conviction for knocking out a man in a Carlisle pub, punched Mr Beresford in the Paris Bar in Sheffield city centre in February last year, breaking his nose.

Four weeks later, he punched bricklayer Mr Hall in the face at the Viper Room club in Sheffield, shattering his cheekbone.

The jury cleared Madine - known by some Wednesday fans as Goal Machine - of the more serious charge of causing Mr Hall grievous bodily harm.

He was also found not guilty of causing Mr Beresford grievous bodily harm with intent.

Madine was on bail for the first offence when he attacked Mr Hall on March 11, 2012.

Prosecutors told the jury of seven men and five women that Madine turned into "an arrogant, violent thug" when drunk.

The court heard how he stared at Mr Beresford n the Paris Bar and when the keen Owls fan asked why, he walked over and punched him on the nose.

Mr Beresford was knocked to the floor, banged his head and was unconscious for between two and five minutes after the assault.

Mr Hall was attacked after Madine started a conversation with him in the Viper Room toilets and asked: "Wednesday or United?".

Madine, who is 6ft 3in tall and weighs 14st, was granted bail but Judge Rodney Jameson QC told him: "You must understand that an immediate custodial sentence is very likely."

Judge Jameson said he agreed with all the jury's verdicts, adding: "I think you've got it absolutely spot on."

He adjourned the case for sentencing so reports can be prepared. No date for sentencing was fixed.

Madine has not played for Wednesday this season due to the court case.

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

April Jones' Parents Plan Funeral A Year On

The parents of April Jones are planning a funeral for the five-year-old a year after she went missing in the hope an inquest will finally enable them to have some closure.

April was kidnapped by 47-year-old Mark Bridger outside her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, on October 1 last year. Bridger is serving a life sentence for her murder.

Despite police launching one of their biggest-ever search operations, April's body has never been found. Bridger has repeatedly claimed he cannot remember what he did with her.

However, fragments of a child's skull were found in the ashes of Bridger's fireplace at his home in Ceinws following his arrest, his trial heard.

Coral and Paul Jones have waited a year to bury their daughter's remains

It is hoped the opening of April's inquest on Monday will result in an interim death certificate being issued which will allow her parents to lay her to rest.

It is believed their daughter's remains will be placed in a pink coffin to be taken through her hometown on a horse-drawn carriage.

"They are all we have," her mother Coral said.

"We can now finally lay April to rest. Our hell this past year has been made worse because we did not have April's body."

Mourners have reportedly been asked to wear pink, which was April's favourite colour. It also became a symbol of hope in the wake of her disappearance with scores of pink ribbons being put up by residents.

Mark Bridger is serving a full life sentence for April's murder

Hundreds of people are expected to turn up to say their farewells to the little girl, with a possible venue being St Peter's Church in Machynlleth.

Local councillor Michael Williams said a funeral was the "right and proper" thing to happen.

"I don't think it will be a final goodbye but it will be another step in remembering all the wonderful times that the family had together," he said.

"It will bring people together again in one place to remember the life of a little child that was taken so savagely from the family and community."

Father-of-six Bridger is only the 37th person to be given a whole-life tariff, which means he will die in prison.

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Leicester Fire: Police Probe 'Revenge Murders'

A mother and her three children have been found dead in a house fire in what may have been a revenge attack after a man was killed several hours earlier.

Shehnila Taufiq, who was in her 40s, died along with her 19-year-old daughter and sons aged 17 and 15 when their property was engulfed in flames.

Their bodies were found inside the bedrooms of the terraced home in the Spinney Hills area of Leicester just after 12.30am on Friday.

Detectives said they could not rule out a link with a deadly assault on a man in his 20s half a mile away in Kent Street as they launched two murder investigations within 24 hours.

Officers were called to the scene at 5.30pm on Thursday and the victim was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary where he died.

The fire ripped through the property in Leicester

Assistant Chief Constable Roger Bannister said police were examining the possibility of the blaze being a revenge attack.

Urging witnesses to get in touch, Mr Bannister said it was possible both offences, which he described as "terrible, terrible crimes", were linked.

He said officers were exploring different lines of inquiry but one included the fire potentially being a revenge attack.

Mr Bannister said he was particularly keen to speak to witnesses who were in both locations. He said the crimes might be linked because of the close locations and lack of time between them.

He added: "I can't confirm here and now it is a revenge attack - it may be, it may not be - but lines of inquiry will certainly get to the bottom of that."

Referring to neighbours talking about a "fire bombing", Mr Bannister said: "Fire bombing in my experience means different things to different people.

"We are working really closely with the fire brigade. Exactly how the fire started, where it started and of course who is responsible is something we will get to the bottom of."

The children were named by the local mosque as Zainab, Jamal and Bilal.

Mrs Taufiq's husband, Taufiq Sattar, works at a hospital in Dublin.

A spokesman for the Beautmont Hospital said: "We have learned, with shock, of the tragic loss suffered by our colleague Mr Taufiq Sattar.

"We wish to express our sincere condolences to Mr Sattar and assure him that our support and thoughts are with him at this terrible time."

Neighbours spoke of flames shooting out of the house which was gutted in the blaze.

Mr Bannister said neither the family nor the man who was killed were known to police.

An aerial view of the house

The force has drafted in extra officers and forensics staff to investigate both crimes and increased patrols in the area.

Officers are working to trace a man who also lived in the property.

Among friends and neighbours who paid tribute at the scene was teacher Mohammed Qasim Manjra.

Mr Manjra, who taught Jamal history at a nearby independent Islamic school, said: "He was a very sociable kid and we are very sad that he has gone."

Leicester-based Imam Ibrahim Mogra, the assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, also visited the scene.

He told reporters: "I did not know them personally but from what people have told me they were a very religious family, very humble, very modest and very generous.

"The mother was a scholar herself and clearly they were a family that was into religion and education and were held in very high esteem by the local community."

Local store-keeper Sattar Raidhan, who has lived in the area for 35 years, said: "I believe the husband worked as a doctor in Ireland and he came home every weekend to see his family. I can't even imagine how this would happen to a family like that."

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

New Housing Bubble Fears As Price Gap Widens

By Ed Conway, Economics Editor

Fears of a housing bubble have been underlined by new figures showing some parts of the country now have the most unaffordable property prices in history.

The average home in Kensington and Chelsea is now some 28.9 times the average salary of those living in the borough, according to research by Sky News.

The gulf between local salaries and property prices has doubled since 2009, pushing them further out of reach even of those who live in the area.

The figures will reinforce concerns both within and outside the property market that a bubble is emerging in some parts of Britain.

The average house price across Britain is now around six times the median salary.

This is broadly unchanged from its levels in 2007, before the financial crisis, and is beyond the level defined by property economists as "severely unaffordable".

However, an analysis by Sky News of local-level affordability shows that the gap between prices and incomes is now at unprecedented levels.

In Westminster, the average home is now 19 times the median salary  - up from 13 times in 2009.

In Hammersmith and Fulham the ratio - often used by economists to measure affordability - is at 17.5 times salaries, compared with 11.3 in 2009.

In Blackburn, prices are 3 times the average salary

However, in other parts of the country, prices are well within reach. In Durham, homes cost 3.5 times the local salaries. In Blackburn prices are 3 times the average salary. Across England and Wales the affordability ratio is 6.1 times.

The Sky News research compares the most recent Land Registry house prices figures with official local earnings figures.

It underlines that for those living in the most expensive areas of London, house prices are now well beyond realistic levels.

In general, mortgage lenders are reluctant to provide potential homebuyers with a loan of more than four to five times their salaries.

According to Demographia, the most unaffordable city in the world last year was Hong Kong, with average property prices equivalent to around 13 times the average salary.

The overall figure for London is now 11.8 times, having risen sharply from 8.6 times in 2011.

The figures come on the same day the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors suggested that the Bank of England should consider limiting house price inflation to 5% a year, using its tools to clamp down on lending if prices exceed that.

According to HBOS, house prices across Britain rose by 5.4% in the three months to August.

RICS also suggested that the Bank could start targeting house prices by region - something that the South Korean authorities recently did.

Some, including the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, have warned that if there are further signs of a bubble in parts of the property market, the Government should reconsider the wisdom of the mortgage guarantee scheme at the heart of its Help to Buy programme, which part-funds homebuyers' deposits.

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mark Bridger: Prisoner Admits Knife Attack

A prisoner has admitted slashing child killer Mark Bridger across the face at one of Britain's most secure jails.

Bridger, who was jailed earlier this year for abducting and murdering five-year-old April Jones, needed hospital treatment after he was attacked with a makeshift blade on July 7.

Bridger was sentenced on May 30 and was sent to HMP Wakefield, a category A prison where some of Britain's most dangerous offenders are held.

Juvinai Ferreira, 22, admitted attacking Bridger as he appeared via videolink for a short hearing at Leeds Crown Court.

On screen in court, Ferreira, originally from Gambia, looked bored and propped his head up with his hand for most of the proceedings.

At one point, he could be heard asking his guards: "I thought this was going to be quick?"

After judge Christopher Batty told him the case was going to be adjourned until sentencing on October 2, Ferreira said to him: "Can you just not sentence me? I can't keep coming back. Just give me anything and move on."

Ferreira is serving a life sentence for the murder of Elaine Walpole in Dereham, Norfolk, in April 2008.

Bridger was attacked by a fellow prisoner at HMP Wakefield

At the time police said Ferreira moved to Dereham in 2007 with a relative after escaping civil war in Africa.

He befriended Miss Walpole, an alcoholic who lived alone, after they met at a shop and she bought him cigarettes.

A post-mortem examination showed the 47-year-old mother-of-three had been stabbed three times and bitten.

Prosecutors in the case described Ferreira as "sex-crazed".

Father-of-six Bridger, 47, abducted April as she played near her home in Machynlleth in Powys before murdering the schoolgirl.

A judge at Mold Crown Court sentenced the former slaughterhouse worker to a whole-life tariff in May.

The five-year-old's body has never been found.

00.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Le Vell Trial: Prosecutor Denies 'Witch-Hunt'

One of Britain's top prosecutors has denied actor Michael Le Vell was subjected to a celebrity "witch-hunt", as the debate about whether to give anonymity to those accused of sex crimes continues to rage.

Nazir Afzal, the Crown Prosecution Service lead on child sexual exploitation, insisted "nobody should be above the law" and said he would not shy away from high profile cases.

It comes after Mr Le Vell, who plays Kevin Webster in the ITV soap Coronation Street, was cleared of all 12 charges against him by a jury at Manchester Crown Court.

"I absolutely detest this word witch-hunt. It is not a witch-hunt," Mr Afzal said.

"We look at the evidence. We follow the evidence. We present the evidence."

He said it "does not matter" if, when looking at the evidence, "it takes us to someone who might have drawn attention to themselves publicly in some way, shape or form".

Mr Afzal says evidence against celebrities will continue to be investigated

Defence lawyer Nick Freeman told Sky News that Mr Le Vell's acquittal "urgently highlights" the need for anonymity for those accused of sexual offences until they are convicted.

"These heinous allegations carry a terrible social stigma and a revulsion that transcends most other criminal offences," he said.

"These don't die with an acquittal - they stay with a person for the rest of their life."

However, Mark Williams-Thomas, a child protection expert, argued that under the current system victims feel "more confident" in coming forward and speaking to the police.

"We need to look at the detrimental effect not naming individuals could have," he said.

"We know that as a result of the (Jimmy) Savile investigations, people came forward and made allegations.

Ex-broadcaster Hall is serving a 30-month jail sentence for sexual assault

"Stuart Hall was then prosecuted, having initially vehemently denied the allegations ... and is now in jail."

Mr Le Vell's legal team argued it was a "strange case of child rape" without any DNA evidence or injuries to the alleged victim, who claimed she had been raped and abused when she was younger.

Jurors were told to decide whether the girl was telling the truth or had set out to "quite literally destroy" the actor's life.

Sky News Correspondent Nick Martin, outside the Manchester studios of ITV, which is in talks with Mr Le Vell about a return to Coronation Street, said the debate about anonymity had divided opinion.

"In the past, it's been very difficult for people who have been acquitted to move on," he said.

"Many people think the slur and the stigma can go on to ruin people's lives.

"On the other side of the argument ... other victims see that person going through the court. It's claimed they are then encouraged to come forward and that their evidence can bolster cases."

00.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vince Cable Raises Help-To-Buy Doubts

Vince Cable has called for the Government's flagship help-to-buy property scheme to be reconsidered in comments likely to anger George Osborne.

The Business Secretary told Sky News there was a risk of a "new housing bubble" because of recent changes in the market.

Mr Osborne's plans were a key plank of his Budget last year but prompted fears of a price surge because they do not address property availability.

Under the first stage, an equity loan scheme allows buyers with only a 5% deposit to buy a new-build property worth up to £600,000.

In January, the scheme will be extended to include a mortgage guarantee for buyers of any home up to the same value with deposits of 5-20%.

It is due to last for three years.

Asked if it should be rethought, Mr Cable said: "We should certainly think about how it should come into effect, indeed whether it should come into effect in the light of changing market conditions.

"We don't want a new housing bubble."

He cited warnings from experts including from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors this week about the "real risk" involved.

George Osborne recently hailed the change in economic fortunes

"I think in many parts of the country it clearly isn't a problem. If you are in Northern Ireland or Wales or indeed the East Midlands you would wonder what all this is about," he said.

"But certainly in London and the South East, in the north east of Scotland, in other areas, there are serious housing inflationary pressures."

Despite the warning, Treasury sources confirmed the Government's commitment to the policy and its launch next year.

Government sources added there were no plans for a rethink but that Mr Cable wants the Bank of England to keep a close eye on the scheme's effects.

His comments came shortly before he had been due to warn about "complacency" over Britain's economic recovery, insisting ministers cannot "rest on our laurels".

The keynote speech in Warwick was set to be a stark contrast to an address by Mr Osborne on Monday, in which the Chancellor declared the economy was finally "turning a corner".

But Mr Cable ended up toning down his remarks while still making clear the recovery was not yet assured and further Government action was needed to address the skills shortage and boost exports.

"The kind of growth we want won't simply emerge of its own volition. In fact, I see a number of dangers. One is letting up just because we have had a few quarters of good economic data," he said.

"Recovery will not be fully established until we see strong and sustained business investment."

In a separate interview, he also stressed that he supported Mr Osborne's comments but said the economy remained in a "long, dark tunnel".

"I don't want the public debate about this to become obsessive about a few weeks' data, when what really matters is the long-term change we're trying to achieve, getting Britain more outward looking, avoiding a return to the boom-bust psychology," he said.

"The point I am trying to make is that this is a long-term haul. We have got a marathon not a sprint here."

Before Mr Cable altered his speech, shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said he had delivered an "embarrassing slap-down" to Mr Osborne.

However, he insisted the Lib Dems could not distance themselves from the Chancellor's economic strategy.

"It also reminds everyone that you can't trust a word the Lib Dems say. Vince Cable has supported the Chancellor's policies which choked off the recovery in 2010," he said.

"Three wasted years of flatlining that has left families worse off and done long term damage to our economy is his record and he should take responsibility for it."

00.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Princes Trade Baby Banter For 9/11 Charity

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

Princes William and Harry cracked jokes and ribbed each other as they closed multi-billion pound deals in the City to raise money for charity.

As the brothers helped broker record-breaking deals, they shouted across the trading floor, with Prince Harry mocking his brother for being preoccupied with "baby chat".

In remarks to traders, Prince Harry said: "He's on the phone, and it's all baby chat."

The younger brother then turned to Prince William and ordered him to: "Stop flirting, and get on with it!"

Prince William was in an equally mischievous mood telling one person on the end of the phone "It's all a wind-up, I'm Gary".

At the conclusion of one trade, Prince William was heard to remark: "Bloody hell, was that a billion?!"

Sky Sports presenter Charlie Webster interacts on the trading floor

The last deal the brothers made was for €25bn (£21bn), a world record for a forward foreign exchange.

The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry took to BGC Partners' trading floor in Docklands to raise money in memory of those who lost their lives in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre.

Among the celebrities on hand to help raise money was England rugby captain Chris Robshaw and British actor Idris Elba, who plays the lead role in TV crime series Luther.

BGC broker Nick Thompson, who mentored Harry through the deal he made, said: "Prince Harry was far more confident. Prince William was too busy with the baby chat, rather than the numbers."

After the deal was struck, William conceded: "I'm much better at helicopters."

BGC lost 658 employees in the attack on the World Trade Centre 12 years ago, and its annual Charity Day, now in its ninth year, has so far raised more than £65m.

All profits from the trades during the day are this year donated William's SkillForce and Harry's WellChild charities.

00.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Philadelphia Girl Found Starved To Death

The parents of a three-year-old girl who starved to death in Philadelphia have been charged with murder.

Nathalyz Rivera, a girl with special needs, weighed only 11 pounds (5kg) when she was found in a filthy home. That is the average weight of a three-month-old.

Her mother took the girl to hospital, wrapped in a dirty blanket, but she was already dead, local news reports say.

The Philadelphia home where the girl was found

When crime scene investigators went to the scene, they wore bio-hazard suits and masks to search the squalid apartment, which was strewn with garbage.

At one point they called the fire department to use their ladder so they could take pictures from the window of the home. 

The girl's parents, Carmen Ramirez and Carlos Rivera, have been charged with third-degree murder.

The Philadelphia homicide captain called it one of the worst cases of child malnutrition he has ever seen.

"I saw the photos, they were extremely disturbing," said homicide captain James Clark.

Nathalyz showed signs of bruising and bites on her body.

Forensic investigators at the scene

"That may have been from fleas or insects or rodents biting her," said Mr Clark.

The couple's four other children - aged nine, eight, seven, and a twin of the three-year-old girl who died - were placed in the custody of children's welfare services.

00.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Turkey Shooting: British Family 'Shocked'

The family of three British people shot, including one fatally, in Turkey have said they were "lovely people who would never harm anybody".

Catherine Anne Bury, who was known as Anne, died after she was attacked at the family villa allegedly by her gardener.

Her son Alex, 24, and mother Cecilia, who is in her 80s, were injured in the shooting in the resort of Dalyan on Monday.

The family of 56-year-old Ms Bury thanked people for their "warm wishes and condolences at this very sad time".

Alex Bury was shot in the leg

They added: "Although our family are still deeply shocked and grieving for Anne, we are pleased to say that both Anne's mother and son are recovering from their injuries.

"Both have been given wonderful care, treatment and support by hospital and consulate staff and many other local people."

Mr Bury has described how he pleaded with the alleged gunman Veli Acar to stop the attack, trying to reason with him before he opened fire on his mother.

Speaking from his bed in Mugla University Hospital, Mr Bury told The Times he recognised the gunman as Acar, their gardener who was said to have been in a relationship with his mother.

Mr Bury is recovering in hospital after the shooting

Acar had apparently threatened the family earlier that weekend, but was later released by the police and returned with a pump-action shotgun to the Bury's villa.

Mr Bury, who was shot in the leg, said: "I tried to reason with him. I told him it didn't have to be this way.

"He lifted the gun to his shoulder and gestured for me to go through to my mother and grandmother's room. They had heard me talking and had locked themselves in the room."

Acar is alleged to have gunned down Ms Bury as she cowered in the villa bathroom.

The family added: "It appears that the person that Anne employed as a general gardener/handyman, to look after her holiday villas, has committed this terrible crime.

"We cannot comprehend the mentality of somebody who would do this to three lovely people who would never harm anybody.

"We would like once again to thank everyone for their kindness and offers of help - they are a great source of strength to us."

The alleged gunman was the gardener at the villa

The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism confirmed the death of Ms Bury, who lived in the North Yorkshire village of Swainby.

Ms Bury, who trained as a midwife, had been working for an oil company in Dubai in a health role.

Her son worked at a North Yorkshire hotel, the Cleveland Tontine, after taking a year out of university, but is hoping to restart his studies in medicine.

Ms Bury's mother has been discharged after treatment.

Acar is said to have given himself up after the shooting and is due in court.

00.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hillsborough: Police Notebooks Handed In

Dozens of police notebooks that could contain vital new information about the Hillsborough disaster have been recovered by investigators.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said 90 pocket notebooks had been handed in to South Yorkshire Police by retired and serving officers.

The force has also found boxes of notebooks and other documents which could also contain important details.

Deputy chairwoman of the IPCC Deborah Glass said: "This is an ongoing criminal investigation the like of which has never been seen before in this country.

"Hillsborough has had a history of inquiries by the police and others, many completed quickly, coming to flawed conclusions. Our investigations need to deliver the last, definitive account."

Last month the IPCC revealed that at least one officer made a note of what happened that day, against instructions, and that none of the previous investigations had recovered any such notebooks.

Hillsborough families at a high court hearing

The disaster, which claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans at the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest in 1989, is now at the centre of the biggest ever inquiry into police conduct in the UK.

The IPCC said it has uncovered evidence to suggest that the statements of 74 more officers might have been changed, and that fans' witness accounts could also have been altered.

This is on top of the 164 police statements that were previously said to have been amended.

Investigators are to appeal for witnesses in relation to how West Midlands Police ran their inquiry into the handling of the disaster by South Yorkshire Police.

Ms Glass said: "This appeal, which will be launched next week, forms a crucial element to our investigation. We want to hear people's experiences of that process.

"We have already had a number of people contact us with concerns that their statements were amended and we have no doubt there are others who have not contacted us.

"We want to be able to present as full as possible a picture of witness evidence, both for the inquests and the criminal investigations."

Liverpool Football Club is expected to promote the appeal during the team's home match against Southampton on September 21.

00.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Costa Concordia Wreck To Rise From The Depths

Testing of a stabilisation system to salvage the wreck of the 114,000-tonne Costa Concordia has begun off the Italian island of Giglio.

Mechanics are checking the strength and safety of metal cables they have built around the ship before they begin the ambitious task.

The remarkable feat of engineering is expected to take take place in a month providing authorities are satisfied there are no safety concerns.

Some 500 engineers and divers from 21 countries have been active at the site 24-hours a day, seven days a week, assisted by 30 marine vessels. The budget for the project - which is taking place more than a year and a half after the disaster - has reached €500m (£421,000).

The wreck will first be stablised with submarine anchors

Retrieval of fuel from the ship's 15 tanks and collection of 240 cubic metres of waste water and sewage to prevent pollution, was completed earlier this year.

Senior salvage master, Nicholas Sloane, said: "We have 100 divers in the water every day, we have 55 welders on the project 24-hours a day and 21 nationalities coming together - it's quite remarkable what's been achieved."

UK engineering firm Frugo Seacore will salvage and retrieve the wreck in five stages.

A false seabed will be installed before the ship is 'parbuckled' (righted)

Once afloat, a section of about 18 metres of the hull will remain submerged as the ship is towed away to be dismantled.

According to engineers the project is currently 77% complete and it is hoped it will be finished by winter.

The manslaughter trial of the Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, resumes on September 23. The ship struck a reef, took on water and listed badly before capsizing off Giglio's port.

Prosecutors alleged Schettino steered the boat too close to shore, though he claims the reef did not appear on his navigational charts.

00.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syria: UN Accuses Assad As Obama Backtracks

How Chemical Weapons Can Be Removed

Updated: 8:14pm UK, Tuesday 10 September 2013

By Ian Woods, Senior News Correspondent

The US government has some expertise in how international observers can oversee the disposal of unwanted chemical weapons.

The Americans have allowed inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to supervise the elimination of their own stockpiles of unwanted sarin, VX and mustard gas.

The shells were part of a Cold War arsenal which had to be destroyed after the US became one of the 189 countries which signed and ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention, which was drawn up in the mid-1990s.

So, as the White House tries to work out whether the Russian/Syrian disarmament offer is genuine, it knows that where there is the will, there is a way. 

The first step would be for Syria to sign and ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention, which reports suggest it is now prepared to do.

It was one of only five countries to refuse to sign up; the others are Egypt, Angola, North Korea and South Sudan.

Israel and Burma signed but did not ratify the convention.

Once formal agreement is in place, Syria would have to provide a full inventory of stockpile locations and manufacturing sites, which would then be verified by inspectors from the OPCW.

The international experts would monitor the destruction of the weapons, but it would be up to the Syrians themselves to do the work, and to pay for it.

Many international chemical weapons experts believe there are substantial stocks to be destroyed. 

Hamish de Bretton Gordon told Sky News that Mr Assad has "up to a 1,000 tonnes of sarin, slightly less of VX",

He said: "He has substantial amounts of mustard gas, potentially also biological weapons.

"The fact that he's now agreed that the international community take control of his stockpile of chemical weapons is a pretty fair indicator that he has what we think he has.

"This strikes me as being a lengthy and fairly laborious exercise, but some lateral thinking and some bold action is what is required. Technically it's workable."

The OPCW is not part of the United Nations, so a UN resolution is not necessary to get inspectors into Syria if the regime in Damascus becomes a willing signatory.

Within 30 days of signing the Chemical Weapons Convention Syria would be legally obliged to allow the inspectors access.

It could take several weeks to get inspectors on the ground and ensure it is safe for them to carry out their task.

A country torn apart by an ongoing civil war is not the most stable place to be overseeing the collection and disposal of chemical weapons and the destruction of the arsenal will take many months.

Sky News visited Anniston, Alabama, in 2003 when the US Army was beginning the task of destroying its ageing and corroding stockpile of chemical weapons.

The site held just 7% of America's arsenal of such weapons. It took eight years to complete the task.

By 2012 almost 90% of America's chemical arsenal had been destroyed. Two more sites are currently being built in Colorado and Kentucky to destroy what remains.

But such weapons are usually destroyed in peacetime, not in the midst of a war.

Professor Alastair Hay from the University of Leeds has worked on chemical weapons issues for four decades.

He said: "The inspectors couldn't do their work if they were being shot at so you will have to ensure that the inspectors are safe, and that they can get access to all of the sites that they can do a decent inventory.

"Having located all those stocks, what's the best way of securing them? Should they stay where they are and be monitored, or should they be moved?

"And of course if they need to be moved, where would they go? And can you transport them safely to some other location, moving them through residential locations?

"But if it can de done it's much better than blowing these things up."

00.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man Set On Fire: Murder Pair Jailed For Life

Two men have been jailed for life for killing a man by setting him on fire and trying to kill his brother the same way.

Jakub Ostrowski and Mariusz Florowski were both convicted of murder and attempted murder earlier this month.

The pair were each sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in jail for the murder of 35-year-old Benedykt Nowak, also known as Ben.

They also got 27 years for the attempted murder of Sam Nowak and eight years for recklessly endangering the lives of others by arson as police said justice had been done.

Both men's sentences will run concurrently and they have been told they must serve a minimum of 30 years before they are considered for release.

During the three-week trial, the Old Bailey heard how police were called last February to reports of a fire at a commercial premises in the Dilloway industrial estate in Southall.

Ben Nowak died after suffering severe burns (Pic: Met Police)

London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service also went to scene and Ben and 27-year-old Sam Nowak were taken to hospital suffering serious injuries where Ben later died.

Police said 37-year-old Ostrowski, of Isleworth, and Florowski, 38, of Greenford, carried out a prolonged violent attack on the brothers before drenching them both in petrol.

Detective Sergeant Stuart Reeves said: "Acting together they then set light to Benedykt Nowak causing him such severe burns that he later died in hospital.

"Przemyslaw (Sam) Nowak managed to escape but was severely injured in the attack.

"The subsequent fire also caused a vast amount of damage putting the lives of residents and emergency service personnel at risk.

"Benedykt Nowak was murdered in a callous manner and this was witnessed by his courageous brother who bravely gave evidence in court.

"The investigation team are satisfied that justice has been done in this case. However, this does not detract from the continued grief and suffering that the actions of Mariusz Florowski and Jakub Ostrowski has had on the family of Benedykt Nowak."

00.28 | 0 komentar | Read More