Lord McAlpine Denies Sex Abuse Allegations

Lord McAlpine: Full Statement

Updated: 10:45am UK, Friday 09 November 2012

Tory peer Lord McAlpine today described reports linking him to the North Wales child abuse allegations as "wholly false and seriously defamatory". Here is his full statement.

"Over the last several days it has become apparent to me that a number of ill-or uninformed commentators have been using blogs and other internet media outlets to accuse me of being the senior Conservative Party figure from the days of Margaret Thatcher's leadership who is guilty of sexually abusing young residents of a children's home in Wrexham, North Wales in the 1970's and 1980's.

"It has additionally become apparent to me that a number of broadcasters and newspapers have, without expressly naming me, also been alleging that a senior Conservative Party figure from that time was guilty of or suspected of being guilty of the sexual abuse of residents of this children's home.

"It is obvious that there must be a substantial number of people who saw that I had been identified in the internet publications as this guilty man and who subsequently saw or heard the broadcasts or read the newspapers in question and reasonably inferred that the allegation of guilt in those broadcasts and newspapers attached to me.

"Even though these allegations made of me by implication in the broadcast and print media, and made directly about me on the internet, are wholly false and seriously defamatory I can no longer expect the broadcast and print media to maintain their policy of defaming me only by innuendo.

"There is a media frenzy and I have to expect that an editor will soon come under pressure to risk naming me. My name and the allegations are for all practical purposes linked and in the public domain and I cannot rewind the clock.

"I therefore have decided that in order to mitigate, if only to some small extent, the damage to my reputation I must publicly tackle these slurs and set the record straight. In doing so I am by no means giving up my right to sue those who have defamed me in the recent past or who may do so in the future and I expressly reserve my rights to take all such steps as I and my solicitors consider necessary to protect my interests.

"On Tuesday, 6 November the Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Theresa May MP, made a statement in the House of Commons about the historic allegations of child abuse in the North Wales police force area.

"She explained that in 1991, North Wales Police conducted an investigation into allegations that, throughout the 1970s and 1980s, children in homes that were managed and supervised by Clwyd County Council were sexually and physically abused.

"The result of the police investigation was eight prosecutions and seven convictions of former care workers. Despite the investigation and convictions, it was widely believed, she said, that the abuse was in fact on a far greater scale, but a report produced by Clwyd Council's own inquiry was never published, because so much of its content was considered by lawyers to be defamatory.

"In 1996, the Rt Hon William Hague MP, the then Secretary of State for Wales, invited Sir Ronald Waterhouse to lead an inquiry into the abuse of children in care in the Gwynedd and Clwyd Council areas. Mrs May told the House of Commons that the Waterhouse inquiry sat for 203 days and heard evidence from more than 650 people.

"Statements made to the inquiry named more than 80 people as child abusers, many of whom were care workers or teachers. In 2000, the inquiry's report 'Lost in Care' made 72 recommendations for changes to the way in which children in care were protected by councils, social services and the police.

"Following the report's publications, 140 compensation claims were settled on behalf of the victims.

"Mrs May further said that the report found no evidence of a paedophile ring beyond the care system, which was the basis of the rumours that followed the original police investigation and, indeed, one of the allegations made in the past week.

"Last Friday, a victim of sexual abuse at one of the homes named in the report - Mr Steve Messham - alleged that the inquiry did not look at abuse outside care homes, and he renewed allegations against the police and several individuals.

"I am, as is now well known to readers of the internet and to journalists working for the print and broadcast media, one of the individuals implicated by Mr Messham.

"I have every sympathy for Mr Messham and for the many other young people who were sexually abused when they were residents of the children's home in Wrexham.

"Any abuse of children is abhorrent but the sexual abuse to which these vulnerable children were subjected in the 1970's and 1980's is particularly abhorrent.

"They had every right to expect to be protected and cared for by those who were responsible for them and it is abundantly clear that they were horribly violated. I have absolutely no sympathy for the adults who committed these crimes.

"Those who have been convicted were deservedly punished and those who have not yet been brought to justice should be as soon as possible.

"The facts are, however, that I have been to Wrexham only once. I visited the local Constituency Conservative Association in my capacity as Deputy Chairman.

"I was accompanied on this trip, at all times, by Stuart Newman, a Central Office Agent. We visited Mary Bell, a distant relative of mine and close friend of Stuart Newman.

"We did not stay the night in Wrexham. I have never been to the children's home in Wrexham, nor have I ever visited any children's home, reform school or any other institution of a similar nature.

"I have never stayed in a hotel in or near Wrexham, I did not own a Rolls Royce, have never had a 'Gold card' or 'Harrods card' and never wear after-shave, all of which have been alleged.

"I did not sexually abuse Mr Messham or any other residents of the children's home in Wrexham. Stuart Newman is now dead but my solicitors are endeavouring to locate a senior secretary who worked at Central Office at the time to see if she can remember the precise date I visited that Association.

"I fully support the decision (announced by the Home Secretary in the House of Commons on Tuesday) of the Chief Constable of North Wales, Mr Mark Polin, to invite Mr Keith Bristow, the Director General of the National Crime Agency, to assess the allegations recently received, to review the historic police investigations and to investigate any fresh allegations reported to the police into the alleged historic abuse in north Wales care homes.

"Although I live in Italy and have done so for many years and although I am in poor health, I am entirely willing to meet Mr Polin and Mr Bristow in London as soon as can be arranged so that they can eliminate me from their inquiries and so that any unwarranted suspicion can be removed from me.

"I wish to make it clear that I do not suggest that Mr Messham is malicious in making the allegations of sexual abuse about me. He is referring to a terrible period of his life in the 1970's or 1980's and what happened to him will have affected him ever since. If he does think I am the man who abused him all those years ago I can only suggest that he is mistaken and that he has identified the wrong person.

"I conclude by reminding those who have defamed me or who intend to do so that in making this statement I am by no means giving up my right to seek redress at law and repeat that I expressly reserve my rights to take all such steps as I and my solicitors consider necessary to protect my interests."

McAlpine of West Green

8 November 2012

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Coronation Street Star Bill Tarmey Dies

Former Coronation Street star Bill Tarmey, who played loveable rogue Jack Duckworth in the show, has died.

A spokeswoman for the soap opera said Tarmey, 71, who featured as the long-suffering husband of Vera, died in Tenerife while on holiday.

The actor's family confirmed the news and said in a statement: "The family of Bill Tarmey have confirmed that he sadly passed away this morning in Tenerife. They have respectfully asked the media for privacy as they grieve for a wonderful husband, father and brother."

And the star's former colleagues issued their own statement: "The cast, crew and production team at Coronation Street are devastated to hear of Bill's death. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bill's wife and soulmate Ali and their family at this very sad time."

Liz Dawn returned as Vera for Bill Tarmey's final scene as Jack Duckworth

Tarmey was a native Mancunian. He started out working as a builder and began his showbiz career singing in working men's clubs.

He joined Coronation Street as an extra in 1977 but show bosses spotted his potential and two years later he landed the role that made him famous.

He left the soap in 2010 after more than 30 years playing the pigeon-fancying, loveable rogue alongside Liz Dawn, who played his wife Vera.

He was dogged by ill-health, having suffered a heart attack at the age of 35, and then a stroke a year later.

A lifelong smoker, he underwent a quadruple heart bypass 15 years ago and another bypass operation in June 2002.

Corrie stars have been adding their own tributes on Twitter.

Antony Cotton, who plays Sean Tully in the show, tweeted: "Goodnight Bill Tarmey. You were the best. We'll miss you so much x"

Catherine Tyldesley, who plays Eva in the show, said: "So sad to hear that Bill Tarmey has died. #legend #RIPBILL. My deepest sympathies to all who knew him best xxx".

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Chelsea Profits From Champions League Win

Chelsea Football Club has said "on-field success" helped it post its first profit in almost a decade.

The Premier League club reported a profit of £1.4m for the year to the end of June, compared with a loss of £67.7m the previous year. 

It is Chelsea's first profit since Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich bought it in 2003 and poured hundreds of millions of pounds into the club.

Winning the Champions League and FA Cup helped boost its turnover, the club said, making it the fifth largest in Europe in terms of revenue.

Profits of £28.8m made through transfers also boosted its revenue from £222.3m to £255.7m.

Key sales included defender Yuri Zhirkov to a Russian Premier League side for an undisclosed sum and centre-back Alex to Paris Saint-Germain for £4.2m.

"We had that success on the field this year, as we were the first London team to win the Uefa Champions League, and we enjoyed it off the field as well and this helps us inject financial investment into the team," said chief executive Ron Gourlay.

"The big challenge is always to have a successful team on the field that wins trophies and to make a profit at the same time."

The club's chairman added that he would "never forget" the night Chelsea beat Bayern Munich to win the Champions League - which earned it £47.7m in prize money.

"While we draw huge satisfaction from the achievements of the past 12 months we are more than ever focused on continuing the story of on-field success supported by improving financial performance off the pitch," Bruce Buck said.

Joe Rundle, head of trading at ETX Capital, said that on the face of it the results appeared to be encouraging news, but there were questions about whether it was sustainable.

"These are all exceptional cases as the club would need to enjoy similar - if not better - success in 2013 to top today's figures," he told Sky News.

"In the transfer market, it would need to continue the current momentum but with Uefa's financial fair play regulation coming into effect - which will see clubs that fail to operate within their financial means banned - Chelsea's balance sheet is likely to be more stretched next year."

He added: "The club is likely to reverse 2012 profits if it fails to follow through with on-pitch success and buying star players in order to keep them in the competition with rivals in the Premier League."

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Sweden Shooting: Man Dies At PM's Residence

A man has been shot dead at the Swedish prime minister's official residence.

Police said he was a security guard at the Sagerska Palace, the prime minister's waterfront home and office in Stockholm, and had security clearance to be there.

They said it was not suspected that any crime had been committed.

"We investigate this as a suicide or a work-related accident," said police spokeswoman Towe Hagg.

Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt was not at the residence at the time of the shooting, and police said he and his family were safe and well.

Private security guards protect the Sagerska Palace

Markus Friberg, a spokesman for Mr Reinfeldt, said: "The prime minister is fine. He was at an external meeting. He wasn't there."

Earlier, the Aftonbladet newspaper reported that a bodyguard had been shot and injured at the residence, but police said the dead man was not part of the prime minister's personal security team.

The Sagerska Palace is protected by security guards working for a private company. The prime minister also has bodyguards from the Swedish Security Service.

"This doesn't involve an employee at the Swedish Security Service," said Sirpa Franzen, a spokeswoman for the agency.

"At present there is no indication that the incident has any link to the Parliament or government."

The protection of Sweden's senior politicians was stepped up after the 1986 murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme and the deadly stabbing of Foreign Minister Anna Lindh in 2003.

Both had been without bodyguards when they were killed.

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M1 Crash: Seven Hurt And Lorry Driver Arrested

A lorry driver has been arrested after a man suffered life-threatening injuries in a seven-vehicle motorway pile-up.

Thames Valley Police say six cars and a lorry were involved in the crash on the northbound carriageway of the M1, close to junction 14 near Milton Keynes, shortly after 8.30am.

A 55-year-old man from Bedfordshire, who was driving a blue Vauxhall Corsa, was airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, where he is in a critical condition.

Six women, aged between 35 and 59, suffered minor injuries and were treated at Milton Keynes General Hospital.

The crash closed part of the M1. Picture from Twitter: Thames Valley Police

The 43-year-old driver of a green Volvo lorry was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving. He remains in police custody.

The M1 was closed northbound between junctions 13 and 14 for around four hours while accident investigators examined the scene. The road was fully re-opened by 12.45pm.

Witnesses are asked to contact PC Garry Fortnum, of the Milton Keynes Roads Policing Team, on 101.

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Karina Menzies Funeral Held In Cardiff

The funeral of a mother who was killed in a hit-and-run rampage which injured 13 others in Cardiff has taken place.

Karina Menzies, 31, was killed outside Ely fire station by a white Iveco van which allegedly deliberately targeted young families.

Shock at the unprovoked attack in south Wales is still reverberating through the community.

In a dramatic final act, heroic Ms Menzies managed to throw her two daughters to safety but was unable to save herself.

Tributes left at the scene in Ely, Cardiff, after the fatal hit-and-run

She was one of 14 pedestrians, half of them children, run down during 30 minutes of mayhem spread over three miles.

Hundreds of mourners attended her funeral at the Church of Resurrection in Ely as Ms Menzies' body was carried in a leopard print style coffin in a horse-drawn hearse.

Roads around the church were cordoned off due to the number of people attending the funeral.

Following the service, there was a private burial at the Western Cemetery.

The hit-and-run took place through Cardiff's Ely and Leckwith districts three weeks ago.

Matthew Tvrdon, 31, was charged with murder and 13 counts of attempted murder within hours of the attack.

He is also charged with dangerous driving and four counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Tvrdon appeared in court and has been remanded in custody until next year while awaiting trial.

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Care Home Abuse Victim Tells Of Sex Parties

By Tom Parmenter, Sky Correspondent

A man who was abused in North Wales care homes has told how he was routinely taken to London and forced to take part in sex parties.

He alleges he was regularly abused as a 12-year-old boy by members of the establishment in a smart London flat. 

Michael was 10 when he was first taken into care at the former children's home called Bersham Hall near Wrexham, North Wales.

He quickly became drawn into the abusive regime at the home.

But he says it was when staff from another home called Bryn Estyn in Wrexham moved to Bersham Hall that the abuse became worse.

Michael, who is now 44, was one of a number of boys who would be taken down on a minibus that belonged to the home to London on a Friday evening.

He told Sky News: "I'm going to be blunt, we were taken to sex parties and we'd be traded off and displayed and we would be picked out one by one." 

He claims he was so institutionalised by his time in care that he saw the trips to London as a privilege.

He said: "To us it was great, we could drink, we could smoke we could be naughty we were in the adult world - fantastic.

"Then uncle 'whoever' would pat his knee and call you over and he'd give you another drink and he'd talk to you.

"A lot of them were quite old men, 50s or 60s, very posh. They would take us away to separate bedrooms where we were abused.

"It was how compliant you were, how nice you were towards them and looking back it was all about what they could get away with."

He has now reported allegations of rape at the parties to his local police force.

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Seals Reveal Secrets To Warfighter Games Team

Seven members of America's secretive US Navy Seals have been punished for disclosing sensitive information to a video games maker.

Members of Seal Team Six, including one man who was involved in the Osama bin Laden raid, are alleged to have divulged classified information to the makers of Medal Of Honor: Warfighter.

Four other Seals are under investigation for similar alleged violations, according to US Navy officials.

Each of the seven received a letter of reprimand and a partial forfeiture of pay for two months. Those actions generally hinder someone's career in the US military.

Rear Admiral Garry Bonelli, the deputy commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, issued a statement confirming that non-judicial punishments had been handed out for misconduct.

"We do not tolerate deviations from the policies that govern who we are and what we do as sailors in the United States Navy," he said.

Admiral Bonelli said the punishments "send a clear message throughout our force that we are and will be held to a high standard of accountability".

The main complaint against the Seals was that they did not seek the permission of their commanders to take part in the video game project.

They also showed the game designers some of the specially designed combat equipment unique to their unit, according to an unnamed senior military official.

The single player campaign of Medal Of Honor Warfighter, which was developed by Danger Close Games, features various locations including Bosnia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Somalia.

A retired Navy Seal wrote a first-hand account of the Abbottabad raid

Preacher, a character from the first game returns, while the new playable character is Stump, a Recon Marine-turned US Navy Seal.

Seals, including some of those involved in the raid of May 2011 targeting the al Qaeda leader, have been uncharacteristically prominent in the news this year.

Matt Bissonnette, who participated in the raid in Abbottabad in Pakistan and later retired from the Seals, wrote a firsthand account called No Easy Day under the pseudonym Mark Owen.

He landed in hot water with the Pentagon even before it was published in September.

It accused him of disclosing classified information in violation of the nondisclosure agreements he had signed as a Seal. He disputes the charge.

The head of Naval Special Warfare Command, Rear Admiral Sean Pybus, responded to the book by telling his force that "hawking details about a mission" and selling other information about Seal training and operations puts the force and their families at risk.

Seal Team Six: The Raid On Osama Bin Laden, a docu-drama film about the raid was shown on the National Geographic Channel in the US earlier this week, amid criticism of the timing of the broadcast two days before the presidential election.

US Navy Seals, both active duty and retired, possess highly sensitive information about tactics and techniques that are central to the success of their secret and often dangerous missions overseas.

That is why they are obliged to sign non-disclosure agreements when they enter service and when they leave, and it is why the Pentagon seeks to enforce such written agreements.

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Jessie J Gig Death: Man Jailed For Murder

A graphic designer has been jailed for a minimum of 14 years for killing a telephone executive with a broken bottle after a Jessie J gig.

Ashley Charles, 26, was found guilty of murdering Phillip Sherriff, 37, and jailed for life at the Old Bailey.

Mr Sherriff died in April four days after being attacked at Pulse nightclub in central London, where the singer had just finished her performance.

Charles, of Nevanthon Road, Leicester, denied the charge, claiming he acted in self-defence.

But Judge Paul Worsley said Charles killed Mr Sherriff, of Preston, Lancs, because he was annoyed.

Judge Worsley told Charles: "This is a tragic case. Mr Sherriff may have pushed you in a crowded bar and made inoffensive remarks to a girl talking to you.

Jessie J was performing at the BlackBerry party before the murder

"You clearly became annoyed at what you perceived was the conduct of Mr Sherriff and lost your temper when he may have pushed against you at the bar."

Charles took a beer bottle from Mr Sherriff's hand and swung it behind him, where it broke, and then plunged it into Mr Sherriff's neck.

"It was a lethal weapon. He was a decent man," added the judge.

He said Charles had done something "which was truly out of character".

Judge Worsley told him: "You did not deliberately smash the bottle you used. I am satisfied you did not intend to kill Mr Sherriff and you were immediately remorseful."

Andrew Hall QC, for Charles, said he acted "in a split second of madness".

Mr Sherriff's wife Jane said in a statement to the court she had launched a campaign to ban glass bottles and glasses from bars and clubs.

Addressing Charles, she said: "I will never let another person like you devastate another family. Your actions have devastated so many people's lives."

Mrs Sherriff said organ donations from her husband saved three other lives, but the lives of her family, including her two young daughters, had been ruined.

Duncan Penny, prosecuting, told the trial Charles had been trying to get free beer at the promotional event organised by BlackBerry, the company Mr Sherriff worked for.

CCTV showed Charles grabbing the bottle and plunging it into Mr Sherriff's neck.

Mr Penny said: "It happened very, very quickly indeed - perhaps one second, one second to take a life."

Mr Sherriff began to bleed profusely as vital blood vessels had been cut.

Mr Penny said the clash came about just after midnight after Jessie J and other performers had left.

As people tried to help Mr Sherriff, Charles was detained by security staff. He asked them: "Is he okay? I wish I had not done that. It was a stupid mistake."

After being arrested by police, he said: "Yeah, I know I bottled him. He kept pushing past me through the bar area."

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Ex-Fugitive Wayne Smith Jailed For Seven Years

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

A fugitive couple who spent six years on the run have been jailed after giving themselves up in Cyprus.

Wayne Smith, 38, who jumped bail after a conviction for causing death by dangerous driving in Birmingham in 2005, was jailed for seven years and ten months.

His partner Julie Anne Skelding, 40, who gave him a false alibi, was sentenced to one year and ten months.

The pair fled the UK before they could be sentenced over the death of 22-year-old waiter Mohammed Idrees.

They handed themselves into authorities after they were exposed in the latest Most Wanted list released by Crimestoppers and the UK's Serious and Organised Crime Agency in September.

The couple had lived in the Turkish-controlled north of the divided island because it has no extradition treaty with the UK.

Before his arrest, Smith told Sky News: "It's become a living nightmare, because eventually your passport runs out. I never wanted to escape justice, I wanted time to consider my actions because I felt I was unfairly convicted.

"I was involved in a tragic accident. It was hurtful to see myself described as Most Wanted. I would never put myself in that category with terrorists and murderers.

"What I did was wrong, I killed a man, but it wasn't intentional. I was charged with the wrong offence and I am going back to launch an appeal."

Smith and a friend, who was jailed for three years, had been racing when their vehicles hit Mr Idrees as he crossed the road.

The first car hit Mr Idrees, then Smith's car hit him and dragged him more than 100 metres to his death.

Witnesses said the vehicles were doing about 50mph in a 30mph zone.

Smith claimed he drove off because a large group of Asian men were running towards him and he feared being attacked. He said he fled abroad because he received death threats which police failed to take seriously.

Before his arrest in Cyprus, the victim's brother Yusuf Mohammed appealed to Smith through Sky News: "I would say to him that he was man enough to take a life and he should own up to his actions.

"We have lost someone we loved dearly and we feel just anger towards Wayne Smith. We hope someone will spot him and help get him arrested."

Smith, a former account executive with a mobile phone company, was employed as an odd job man in Cyprus. Skelding worked in various bars frequented by ex-pats. He said they struggled financially.

Smith told Sky News: "I want to go back and face justice. It's about closure for me and closure for the family of the man who died.

"Their loss is tragic and I sympathise and I'm truly and deeply sorry. No-one wants to turn back the clocks more than I do if I could."

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Nadine Dorries: I'm A Thorn In Cameron's Side

Galloway Heads Reality Politicians

Updated: 5:32pm UK, Tuesday 06 November 2012

Here are some political figures who have appeared on reality shows:

:: George Galloway

The Respect MP for Bradford West appeared on Big Brother in 2006 where he famously pretended to be a cat. As part of a task, he imitated a cat purring and pretended to lap milk from actress Rula Lenska's hands.

He was in the Big Brother House for three weeks until he was evicted from the Channel 4 show.

Mr Galloway appeared on the programme while serving as MP for Bethnal Green and Bow. He also dressed up in a leotard and acted the role of "lab assistant" while Ms Lenska "read the mind" of a goldfish called Barry.

:: Lembit Opik

The Liberal Democrat went on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2010. He lasted 14 days in the Australian jungle and was bitten by a snake in his first week.

The former MP was bitten on his finger by the snake as he put his hand into "hell holes" also filled with rats.

He has also appeared on Celebrity The Apprentice, Ant And Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Celebrity Come Dine With Me and Celebrity Juice.

:: Ann Widdecombe

Former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe was on Strictly Come Dancing for nine weeks, even though judge Bruno Tonioli said she was one of the worst contestants he had ever seen.

Miss Widdecombe, 63, was told by the judges she looked like a "Dalek in drag" and her performances were "like haemorrhoids - they keep coming back more painful than ever".

In 2002, she also appeared on Celebrity Fit Club where she shed 36lb.

:: Edwina Currie

The former Conservative MP has appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, where she lasted only a week, Hell's Kitchen and Wife Swap.

On the ITV cooking show in 2004, Gordon Ramsay repeatedly swore at her and said: "Edwina's like your old granny who just won't die."

During her time on Wife Swap, she lived with John McCririck, who questioned her about her affair with John Major.

:: Sally Bercow

The wife of Commons Speaker John Bercow controversially went on Celebrity Big Brother in 2011. Mrs Bercow said: "I want to stick two fingers up to the Establishment who think it's the kind of thing I shouldn't do."

The mother-of-three was the first contestant to be evicted from the Big Brother House after spending days dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard Of Oz.

She also posed nude in a bedsheet, recreating a previous photoshoot she did for London's Evening Standard newspaper.

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Trump In Twitter Tirade After Obama Victory

Donald Trump has vented his frustration at President Barack Obama's election victory, calling it a "travesty" and a "disgusting injustice" in a Twitter tirade.

The American real estate mogul grew increasingly disgruntled as it became apparent that Mr Obama had defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney, at one point saying: "We should march on Washington and stop this travesty. Our nation is totally divided."

Mr Trump, whose taste for showmanship has earned him a TV reality show, has long attacked Mr Obama, and had endorsed Mr Romney in the presidential race.

"Well, back to the drawing board," he said during election night.

Another tweet read: "Let's fight like hell and stop this great and disgusting injustice! The world is laughing at us."

However, a tweet saying that Mr Obama had lost the popular vote and calling for a "revolution" was later taken down. Mr Obama was ahead in the popular vote.

Mr Trump endorsed Mitt Romney in the race

During the campaign, Mr Trump had challenged Mr Obama to release his college and passport records in return for a $5m donation to charity.

He has called Mr Obama "the least transparent president in the history of this country".

"This election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy," Mr Trump tweeted.

Mr Trump was one of the leading exponents of the so-called "birther conspiracy", which held that Mr Obama, like his father, had been born in Kenya, making him ineligible to hold the US presidency.

The theory was eventually laid to rest in 2011 after the White House released the long form of the president's birth certificate, showing his birthplace as Hawaii.

Mr Obama joked during the campaign that Mr Trump's animosity had started when they were growing up together in Kenya.

Mr Trump called on Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, to "stay strong and never give up", saying it was up to them to "hold our country together for four more years".

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Hitler's House: Russian Aims To Destroy Birthplace

A Russian MP wants to buy the house where Adolf Hitler was born - so he can knock it down.

Frantz Klintsevich, an MP from the ruling United Russia party, is aiming to collect £1.8m from supporters to buy the house in the Austrian town of Braunau-am-Inn, according to a report in the Russian newspaper, Izvestia.

"I would buy this property in the blink of an eye if I had that kind of money myself, but I do not. If I were to receive financial help, I would buy the house and destroy it demonstratively," he told the paper.

Austria's interior ministry has rented the house since 1972 from the owner - a woman in her 60s who refuses to be identified publicly - and has been careful to sublet only to tenants with no history of admiring Hitler.

The 500-year-old building, which has thick walls, a huge arched doorway and deep-set windows, was most recently used as a workshop for people with learning difficulties, before that tenant moved out for more modern quarters.

In September, the mayor of Braunau-am-Inn suggested that the building should be turned into apartments.

Mr Klintsevich has not had any response from the hugely rich oligarchs that the country has produced over the past two decades, but he says some members of the Communist Party have been positive about the appeal.

"Everything that is connected to fascism should be wiped off the face of the earth. No one should even know that place ever existed," Vadim Solovyov, a member of the Communist Party's State Duma fraction, told the newspaper.

Mr Klintsevich does have his detractors, however.

One, Yevgeny Proshechkin, head of the Moscow Anti-Fascism Centre, said the MP should first discover whether or not the Austrians were prepared to sell the house to foreigners and, if so, would they allow it to be knocked down.

If not, what would be the upkeep be, Mr Proshechkin asked.

Braunau's town council only withdrew honorary citizenship from Hitler last year, 78 years after he was given the accolade.

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April Jones: Man Sentenced For Facebook Posts

An 18-year-old man has been given a six-week suspended sentence for making offensive comments on Facebook about missing girl April Jones.

Sam Busby, a sales adviser from Worcester, was arrested by police after posting grossly offensive sexual remarks on the social networking site.

The teenager pleaded guilty to sending an indecent and offensive message brought under the 2003 Communications Act.

"He told the police that he was an immature teenager and it was an attempt to get some attention," prosecutor Kerry Lovegrove told magistrates in Worcester.

Solicitor Belinda Arris, defending, said Busby felt extremely sorry and ashamed, and was now likely to lose his job.

"He's so, so sorry, he has closed down his Facebook account and no longer engages in any social networking," she said.

Murder suspect Mark Bridger

Magistrates said they had taken into account Busby's early guilty plea and remorse, as they handed him six-week jail term suspended for 18 months.

In a separate case, another Facebook user was recently given a 12-week jail term for a similar offence where comments were made about the five-year-old.

Police are continuing their search for April more than a month after she disappeared in the Welsh town of Machynlleth. She was last seen on October 1.

Mark Bridger, 46, has been charged with abduction and murder.

Ms Lovegrove told the court that Busby's initial post on Facebook was a "joke" about April obtained from another website.

Although other Facebook users urged Busby to stop, he went on to write more offensive comments, prompting a woman to contact police.

After his arrest, Busby said he had been responsible for the comments, and told officers he thought they could only be seen by his friends on Facebook.

Magistrates also ordered Busby to pay an £80 victim surcharge and keep to a 7pm to 7am curfew for eight weeks.

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Ghana: 'Dozens' Trapped After Mall Collapse

A shopping centre has collapsed in Ghana, leaving at least one person dead and dozens of victims feared trapped in the rubble.

It is thought the top three floors of the five-storey building housing the Melcom mall in Accra came down.

One employee at the scene who declined to be named told AFP around 40 workers were in the building when it collapsed, though he was not sure about the number of customers.

Family members could be seen at the site attempting to call relatives who may be trapped by mobile phone, while scores of rescue workers sought to clear debris and get oxygen masks to victims.

"My son, my son, my son! My son is going to die! Get him for me! He is my only son!" one woman screamed.

Witnesses saw at least six people being brought out of the rubble alive. The cause of the collapse of the Melcom shopping centre was not immediately clear.

Emergency officials at the scene said the collapse was most likely caused by structural failure. There was no evidence of an explosion.

"We are doing our best to get to those trapped. We hear there are about three dozen," Kwame Avevoi, a police officer co-ordinating the rescue, said.

Excavators attempted to lift the building's broken beams and concrete blocks.

Witness Ama Okyere: "I was very close to the mall because I was going to buy something only for me to see the building coming down.

"I had to run for my life. I was so terrified. I believe there are lots of people trapped under this because this is a heavily patronised shopping mall in the area."

Another witness, John Owusu said: "I was on my way to school and all of a sudden heard a big bang and people shouting, only for me to see that the shopping mall has collapsed."

Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama suspended his electoral campaign for next month's poll and arranged to visit the scene of the disaster.

Soon after the building collapsed, he tweeted: "My prayers are with the workers, shoppers and others who are trapped in the rubble of the Achimota Melcom building."

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Missing Lewis Eddleston: Body Found In Yorkshire

Police investigating the disappearance of a 13-year-old boy in Doncaster have discovered a body in a ditch.

South Yorkshire Police have said it is too early to identify the body, but confirmed they are linking it to the disappearance of the missing teenager, named locally as Lewis Eddleston.

Police and family liaison officers were at his family home on Wednesday.

A police spokesman said: "Formal identification procedures will take place but officers investigating are linking this to the 13-year-old boy recently reported missing in Doncaster.

"An investigation has commenced into the circumstances surrounding this tragic event. At this stage it is too early to determine the cause of death or confirm the identity of the male."

Officers have been searching for Lewis, from Doncaster, since he went missing on Sunday.

The Hungerhill School pupil was last seen leaving a group of friends on playing fields in Edenthorpe at around 4pm.

Appealing for information after his disappearance, Lewis' family told a local newspaper they feared he had been abducted.

Forensic officers and police are searching the ditch and surrounding field, which is behind Lewis' school.

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Savile's Nephew Says Body Should Be Exhumed

A nephew of Jimmy Savile has told Sky News that he supports calls to have his uncle's body exhumed.

Guy Marsden, son of Savile's sister Marjorie, said he believes other members of the family would agree that he should be moved from Scarborough's Woodlands Cemetery and cremated to spare the anguish of other families.

Several families of people buried in the council-owned cemetery say they don't want his body to remain in its prime position above all the other graves at the top of the hill.

Retired nurse June Thornton told Sky that she wants the former television star to be dug up and dumped at sea. Her parents are buried in the cemetery.

Ms Thornton says she witnessed Savile abusing a young female patient at Leeds General Infirmary in the 1970s.

Scarborough Borough councillor Colin Haddington said he hopes the body will be moved and had been asked to take action by the family of a baby buried near Savile.

The disgraced star's ornate triple headstone in was knocked down and sent to landfill last month at the request of his family.

He is now believed to have been one of the UK's most prolific sexual abusers, with about 300 possible victims.

Detectives are following 400 lines of inquiry as part of the investigation, while the BBC has launched an inquiry into the culture and practices at the corporation in the era of Savile's alleged sexual abuse.

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Ash Dieback Threat May Be Worse Than Feared

A deadly fungal disease that threatens to devastate the UK's native ash trees has been discovered in six new counties.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the chalara fraxinea fungus, which causes leaf loss and crown dieback and can lead to tree death, has now been found in 115 sites.

New cases of ash dieback have been confirmed in Sussex, Berkshire, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Bedfordshire and Northumberland - in addition to Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent and Essex where it had already been identified in the countryside.

These include 61 cases in the wider countryside, 39 planting areas and 15 tree nurseries.

Officials asserted the fresh discoveries did not mean the disease was spreading rapidly, but that it was likely to have been present in these areas for a number of years, originally caused by spores blown in from mainland Europe.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson

The results of the urgent survey of 1,000 sites by the Forestry Commission over the weekend come as tree experts prepare to sit down to discuss the problem with government and industry officials at a summit hosted by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson.

A huge public response to mobile phone app AshTag, which has been collating pictures of possible sightings of the tree disease, could push the number of confirmed cases even higher.

AshTag has told Sky News that around 400 images have been posted on the app so far, but the number is "increasing all of the time".

Photographs have been submitted from across the UK, and its experts have identified "likely areas" - sightings which appear to show symptoms indicative of the disease - in Shropshire, Leicestershire, East Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Surrey.

Some 27 images have been referred to the Forestry Commission for further investigation to verify whether they are confirmed cases of ash dieback or not.

The Chalara fraxinea fungus has already wiped out 90% of ash trees in Denmark in seven years and is becoming widespread throughout central Europe.

The Government has been accused of dragging its feet over the issue after the alarm was first raised back in March, and the first confirmed British cases of ash dieback last month in East Anglia.

There are growing concerns the problem may be worse than previously thought and that the country's ash trees are facing a similar fate to its elms, which were destroyed by Dutch elm disease in the 1970s.

Ministers insist they are taking the problem seriously and have brought in a ban on imports of ash trees and set up a task force to tackle the issue.

Mr Paterson, who convened a Cobra crisis committee last Friday to examine the latest developments and co-ordinate action, has also been holding meetings twice daily to discuss the problem with experts.

He told Sky News: "I really want to get the very best ideas to decide how we do handle this disease because the ash tree is a key part of our rural environment."

Ash trees make up around 30% of the UK's wooded landscape.

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Dad's Army Star Clive Dunn Dies Aged 92

Dad's Army star Clive Dunn OBE, who played much-loved L/Corporal Jones, has died at age 92, his agent says.

The actor died in Portugal on Tuesday after a short illness.

His agent, Peter Charlesworth, said the star would be "sorely missed".

He added: "He will be a real loss to the acting profession."

Dunn was born into a showbusiness family in London on January 9, 1920.

He started his acting career in the 1930s, but when World War Two broke out, he served in Greece before captured.

He spent four years as a prisoner of war.

Dunn lived in Portugal

After the conflict, he resumed his career and in 1968 he landed his trademark role of Jones in Dad's Army, a much-loved sitcom about life on the home front.

The character, a World War One veteran-turned butcher, was notorious for his often rambling recollections of his time in the army and his much-used catchphrase "Don't panic".

Dunn is survived by his wife and two daughters.

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Obama 'Wants To Work With Defeated Rival'

Re-elected US President Barack Obama has tried to unify the country by reaching out to his defeated Republican rival about moving the country forward.

Following a bitter and costly election campaign, the president easily overcame challenger Mitt Romney - taking seven of the nine key battleground states.

Mr Romney won in North Carolina but Democrat Mr Obama swept to victory in Ohio, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Wisconsin, Virginia and Colorado.

With Florida still the last swing state left to call, he has 303 electoral college votes to Mr Romney's 206 and is well over the crucial threshold of 270.

Obama confirmed his win on Twitter - it's now the most-retweeted tweet ever

The president was also ahead in the national popular vote, with the country-wide exit poll putting him on 50% - two points ahead of his Republican challenger.

This is despite his popularity plunging since he was swept into the White House on a wave of hope in 2008 and unemployment currently standing at 7.9%.

:: READ MORE - Live Election Updates

Later, Mr Obama will fly from Chicago back to the White House in Washington.

Jubilation spread through the night in Chicago as it became clear Mr Obama was going to be re-elected. Once Mr Romney had conceded by phone, the president appeared on stage to rapturous cheers as Stevie Wonder's hit Signed, Sealed, Delivered played.

Mr Obama tried to unify the nation, saying: "In the weeks ahead I look forward to sitting down with governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward."

President Obama walks on stage with his family before his Chicago speech

He also said: "Despite all the hardship we've been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I've never been more hopeful about our future. I have never been more hopeful about America.

"I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggest. We're not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of individual ambitions."

He added: "We know in our hearts that, for the United States of America, the best is yet to come."

The first US black president declared that he was returning to the White House "more determined and more inspired than ever ... about the future."

The Obamas and Bidens after their victory was called

Before appearing in person, the Democrat had told his supporters via Twitter: "This happened because of you. Thank you," and: "We're all in this together. That's how we campaigned and that's who we are. Thank you".

In a third post, he said simply: "Four more years," and posted a picture of himself hugging his wife Michelle. This was retweeted more than half a million times - a Twitter record.

In Washington, thousands of well-wishers danced and waved flags outside the White House after the result became clear - chanting "four more years" and "USA, USA".

Crowds whooped and cried out "Obama, Obama" and gave high-fives to strangers as election fever swept across the city.

The contest had been billed as one of the tightest races for the White House in decades but ultimately, Mr Obama won comfortably.

His victory appeared to be a vindication for a campaign team that had predicted a close but winnable election - despite the pain of the deepest economic crisis since the 1930s Great Depression.

Romney campaign staff in Boston were shocked as Democrat victories piled up and Republican supporters looked increasingly devastated as they realised their dream was over.

Romney supporters absorbing the result

The candidate, who was watching the result in the city, rang Mr Obama to concede once he lost Ohio and then briefly addressed the crowds.

"This is a time of great challenges for America and I pray that the president is successful in guiding our nation," he said.

The Republican thanked his running mate Paul Ryan and his family, calling wife Ann "the love of my life" and saying "she would have been a wonderful first lady".

He added: "Paul and I have left everything on the field. We have given everything to this campaign. I so wish that I had been able to fulfil your hopes to lead the country in a different direction, but the nation chose another leader."

Mr Romney had earlier revealed he had written a 1,118-word victory speech and claimed he had not prepared anything in case he lost.

Mitt Romney spoke to supporters after conceding defeat

Until last month, the Republican was considered to have little chance of ousting Mr Obama after his campaign was damaged by a string of gaffes.

However, a lacklustre performance by the president in the first television debate turned the race on its head and Mr Romney surged back in the polls.

The incumbent was much stronger in the second and third debates, but it was not enough to derail the Romney campaign.

Better than expected employment figures last week helped bolster the Democrat and then fate also played a hand when Hurricane Sandy roared in.

The superstorm forced Mr Romney into the shade as campaigning was suspended and Mr Obama returned to presidential duties, but the pair was still neck-and-neck going into the final day.

The Empire State Building turns blue after Barack Obama's victory

Once the euphoria of another victory fades, the president will face a tough task enacting his second-term agenda, after Republicans - who thwarted him repeatedly in his first term - retained control of the House of Representatives.

Democrats kept the Senate but fell short of the 60-vote super majority needed to pass major legislation over Republican blocking tactics.

Two Republican Senate candidates, Richard Mourdock in Indiana and Todd Akin in Missouri, both lost their seats after making controversial remarks about rape during the campaign.

The Dow fell 2% - or 260 points - following news of Mr Obama's re-election.

Read live updates from Sky's Ian Woods, Amanda Walker and Andrew Wilson in the US.

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