Weather: Snow Forecast After Brief Spring

Weather forecasters have issued a warning not to pack away the winter woollies because a blast from the east will bring snow back to the UK this weekend.

Despite the glimpse of spring this week, with temperatures reaching a high of 17C (63F) on Tuesday, the winter weather is set to return.

Winds from Eastern Europe will be bringing with them bitterly cold weather, especially for the North East and east.

It might be just three weeks until the clocks go forward but temperatures will plummet to around zero with the wind chill factor making it feel more like -4C (25F).

This is significantly lower than the average temperature for the time of year, which is around 9-10C (50F).

Spring weather saw temperatures hit 17C (63F) on Tuesday

Sunday will see the coldest weather with eastern blast bringing some snow flurries to the North East and east coast.

The beginning of next week will continue to be bitterly cold and it will be midweek before it warms up.

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "Don't pack your winter woollies away just yet because it's going to be bitterly cold this week particularly in eastern areas.

"Saturday might be an umbrella day, but Sunday will be a day for several layers."

Heavy rain is expected on Friday night and Saturday, which could make difficult driving conditions particularly along the M4 corridor and in the South East for those hoping to get away for Mother's Day weekend.

Both January and February saw widespread snow across the country causing disruption across the transport network.

The Office for National Statistics reported last month that snow at the beginning of the year had a substantial impact on retail sales.

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dragged Taxi Driver 'Had Extensive Injuries'

Nine South African police officers charged with the murder of a Mozambique taxi driver have appeared in court for a bail hearing.

The death of Mido Macia caused outrage around the world after video footage was published appearing to show him being handcuffed and dragged behind a police vehicle.

Mr Macia was later found dead by another officer in a police cell in Daveyton, Johannesburg.

Police have claimed they put 27-year-old Mr Macia in a police van to take him to a police station. Officers have said they cannot explain how he died, though other inmates have claimed he was beaten to death.

Video of Mr Macia dragged behind a police van was shown around the world

The court heard he suffered extensive injuries culminating in hypoxia - a lack of oxygen to the body - which caused his death.

According to a report by pathologist Reggie Perumal, Mr Macia had extensive abrasions on his face, limbs and body, deep cuts on his forearms and wrists and "almost full thickness lacerations of the head".

He also had bruising to his ribs, back, testicles and lips and bite marks on his tongue, as well as bleeding and water on the brain.

Several dozen protesters gathered outside Benoni Magistrates Court in Johannesburg as the nine officers - aged between 25 and 57 - sat together in court, some dressed in suits, others in casual clothes.

Mr Macia's parents arrive at the court in east Johannesburg

Eight officers were originally arrested in connection with Mr Macia's death while a ninth who was on duty that day has since turned himself in. All have been refused bail.

South Africa's police watchdog, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, said Mr Macia suffered head injuries and internal bleeding after officers tried to arrest him for allegedly obstructing traffic.

Police in South Africa are known for heavy handedness when dealing with the public, and the police watchdog is handling numerous cases of police brutality.

In the 12 months before March 2010, according to Amnesty International, there were 920 complaints of serious assault and 294 deaths in custody.

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Woman, 82, Thrown Off Miami Train For Singing

The family of an 82-year-old woman who was thrown off a train in Florida for singing too loudly is threatening legal action.

The mayor of Miami-Dade County has now apologised to Emma Anderson after she was kicked off the Metrorail service on February 20.

She had been told by a security guard to stop singing religious hymns and making a noise in the carriage.

"I was beating my little beads with the bottle and I was singing a song, and he came up to me and said, 'Ma'am, you're making too much noise'," Mrs Anderson told WPLG-TV.

But when she ignored the warnings, the officer told her she had to leave.

A mobile phone video, taken by a fellow passenger and posted online, shows the guard physically removing Mrs Anderson from the train at a station.

She fell onto the platform as she struggled with the guard for her rolling suitcase.

"We took her to the hospital and they took X-rays. Doctors say she has a bruised hip and shoulder," her son Kenny Anderson said.

The family plans to pursue legal action over their mother's injuries.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez issued an apology to Mrs Anderson earlier this week and ordered a review of procedures.

"The situation should have been handled with more care and common sense," he said in a statement.

"We have made it clear to all County employees and contractors that our patrons must be treated with dignity and respect."

Miami-Dade Transit also issued a statement saying county rules prohibit anyone from "singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument" unless they have a commercial permit.

Transit spokeswoman Karla Damian said Mrs Anderson's singing was causing a disturbance.

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teen Bus Stabbing: First Picture Of Suspect

Police are trying to piece together the movements of the chief suspect in the stabbing of 16-year-old schoolgirl Christina Edkins.

A CCTV image of the suspect wearing a black jacket with a distinctive tiger motif on it was released by police in Birmingham in an attempt to try to track his movements before and after the attack.

Christina was killed on a busy double-decker bus as she travelled to school during rush hour in what police branded a "senseless and random" attack.

Speaking at a news conference, Detective Superintendent Richard Baker said that they believed that the man "continued using buses in the hours after the tragic event".

Det Supt Baker also appealed for witnesses to the attack saying there were 16 people travelling on the number 9 bus when the attack happened but that only half of them had spoken to police.

Police have released a CCTV image as part of their investigation

He said: "We know there are a number of passengers who were on the bus yesterday morning when Christina was attacked while she was sitting upstairs.

"Some of these passengers were sitting downstairs on the bus and they haven't yet spoken to police. They may not even have known what happened but may have vital evidence and it is crucial they contact us as soon as possible on 101."

Christina died of a single stab wound to the chest, a post-mortem examination found.

A woman claiming to have witnessed the attack on the bus said she waited for the girl's attacker to get off the vehicle before performing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on the teenager.

Writing on Facebook, Stephanie Bent said: "I was on that bus i knew what he had done and he was stood next to me when he was getting off, all i could think of was i hope he gets off this stop so i can go upstairs and help the girl.

"Thankfully he got off and i was able to go upstairs and help the girl as best i could i gave CPR until medics arrived and am deeply traumatised i could not save her, i certainly wasn't going to confront a knifeman knowing he had just stabbed someone i thought me may stab me too all i cared about was getting up to the girl to help."

Christina was described as "bright and popular"

Officers are continuing to question a 22-year-old man who was arrested after a manhunt was launched following the 7.30am stabbing and were granted an extra 12 hours to detain him.

Police today provided extra patrols on public transport after the attack prompted concerns among residents about knife crime and many voiced fears over travelling on the city's transport system on social network sites.

Christina, who was described as a "bright and popular" pupil at Leasowes High School in Halesowen, was killed shortly after she boarded the double-decker.

The stabbing happened nearly a month after the teenager had voiced concerns on Twitter about the behaviour of a passenger on another bus trip.

The bus on Hagley Road after the rush hour stabbing

On February 8 she wrote: "This man is worrying me on the bus keeps getting up and walking up and down stairs, and sitting in different place."

However, police said there was no evidence to suggest Christina knew her attacker but that they were aware of her "social media presence".

Police officers stood guard at the Edkins' semi-detached house near Birmingham city centre for much of the day on Thursday while family liaison officers sought to comfort relatives.

Neil Shaw, the headteacher of Leasowes High School, led tributes to his pupil and said friends and family were "deeply saddened" by her death.

Forensic officers get to work at the scene of the attack

 

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cameron's Speech Rebuked By Fiscal Watchdog

David Cameron has been rebuked by the Office for Budget Responsibility about the impact of his Government's austerity measures on economic growth.

In a high-profile speech on Thursday, the Prime Minister said the OBR was "absolutely clear that the deficit reduction plan is not responsible" for depressed growth, adding "in fact, quite the opposite".

But the head of the independent fiscal watchdog has written to Mr Cameron saying he misrepresented its position.

Chairman Robert Chote wrote to Number 10, disputing the claims.

He insisted that it believed there was a short-term effect and that "fiscal consolidation measures have reduced economic growth over the past couple of years".

The strong retort from the watchdog came in response to a passage from the Prime Minister's speech which he used to insist there was "no alternative" to the Government's strategy.

"There's not some choice between dealing with our debts and planning for growth," he said.

"As the independent Office for Budget Responsibility has made clear growth has been depressed by the financial crisis, the problems in the eurozone and a 60% rise in oil prices between August 2010 and April 2011.

"They are absolutely clear that the deficit reduction plan is not responsible. In fact, quite the opposite."

But the OBR published a letter sent to Number 10 on Friday by Mr Chote in which he took exception to the claims.

"For the avoidance of doubt, I think it is important to point out that every forecast published by the OBR since the June 2010 Budget has incorporated the widely-held assumption that tax increases and spending cuts reduce economic growth in the short term."

He added that an impact of "external inflation shocks, deteriorating export markets and financial sector and eurozone difficulties were more likely explanations" than incorrect multipliers for the reason growth was even weaker that initially forecast.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The OBR has today again highlighted external inflation shocks, the eurozone and financial sector difficulties as the reasons why their forecasts have come in lower than expected.

"That is precisely the point the Prime Minister was underlining."

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boy, 4, Dies After Falling From Flat Window

A four-year-old boy has died in hospital after falling from a window on the third floor of a block of flats in Glasgow, police have said.

He was rushed to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Yorkhill but doctors were unable to save him.

Strathclyde Police are investigating the incident, which happened in St Andrew's Drive in Pollokshields at around 10.20am on Friday.

Norman MacLeod, SNP councillor for the Pollokshields ward, said: "This is distressing news of a young boy in my ward.

"Clearly the proper authorities will require to undertake a full investigation into all the circumstances surrounding this incident.

"In the meantime, I hasten to extend my most profound and heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the family, friends and relatives of the youngster."

Scottish Conservative councillor for the area, David Meikle, said: "I'm shocked and saddened to hear about the tragic death of a young boy falling from a block of flats in Pollokshields.

"My thoughts go out to the family who have lost a child."

He added: "There needs to be a full investigation into this incident so we can get to the bottom of what happened and ensure nothing like this happens again."

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Conclave To Elect Pope To Begin On Tuesday

By Sally Arthy, Senior News Editor, in Rome

The secret vote to elect a new Pope is set to begin next Tuesday at the Vatican.

The Vatican press office said the decision was taken during a vote Friday afternoon of the College of Cardinals.

Only Cardinals who are under the age of 80 - 115 of them - can take part in the election which is held behind locked doors in the Sistine Chapel.

Pope Benedict XVI says his farewells at Castel Gandolfo on March 1

The Chapel has been closed to the public as it is prepared for the conclave which is carried out according to strict protocols and ancient ritual.

The Cardinals will attend a mass on Tuesday morning before filing into the Chapel and holding their first vote that afternoon to choose a successor to Pope Benedict XVI.

Benedict announced last month he was resigning saying he didn't have the mental or physical strength to carry on as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

The conclave will take as long as it takes. Cardinals hold 2 votes in the morning and 2 in the afternoon until one candidate gets a two-thirds majority - 77 votes.

When that happens white smoke will rise from the Vatican chimney as the votes are burnt signalling a new Pope has been selected.

If there is no majority, black smoke signals the conclave will continue for another day.

Within an hour of the white smoke, the new Pope will appear on the balcony of St Peter's basilica to the words "Habemus Papem" - "we have a Pope".

00.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Justin Bieber: Singer Lunges At Photographer

Pop superstar Justin Bieber has lashed out at a photographer in the latest drama to hit his troubled UK tour.

The 19-year-old Canadian singer burst out of a vehicle and lunged at the man but was restrained by minders in an incident which was captured by TV cameras.

In the footage a photographer can be heard responding angrily after the star apparently shoved him as his security team hustled him into a waiting vehicle.

The singer crouches behind a minder as he emerges from his hotel

Moments later the door of the car opens and Bieber, wearing a red top and beanie hat, lunges forward - swearing and making threatening comments.

"What did you say? What did you say?" he shouts, before swearing as his team drags him back into the vehicle.

The footage emerged hours after Bieber left hospital following a health scare that forced him off stage during a gig at London's O2 arena.

Footage shows Bieber putting out his hand to block an oncoming snapper

So far the run of shows in the capital has seen the singer castigated for letting down fans with a late arrival, then being treated by medics after struggling for breath on stage.

Soon after the latest incident Bieber took to Twitter to describe his frustration and told his 36million followers it had been a "rough week".

He wrote: "Trying to feel better for this show tonight but let the paps get the best of me.

Moments later the furious 19-year-old bursts out of the vehicle

"Sometimes when people are shoving cameras in your face all day and yelling the worst thing possible at you - well, I'm human. Rough week.

"Not gonna let them get the best of me again. Gonna get focused on this show tonight. Adrenaline is high now. Gonna put it on the stage.

"Only way someone can break you is if you let them," he added.

A member of his security team restrains him as he lunges forward

Charles Murray, a cameraman for 5 News who witnessed the incident, said it was "an angry outburst".

He went on: "He deliberately went out of his way to shove the photographer. The photographer shouted back at him as Bieber got into his car.

"Bieber then decided to get back out of the car and slapped his camera out of the way."

Bieber is still swearing as his minders bundle him back into the van

Bieber is due to perform the last of four shows in London tonight - although a spokesman admitted he is feeling "under the weather" after becoming ill during his third date at the Greenwich venue.

Some reports said he collapsed on stage but video that emerged later suggests he stopped singing, put his hand to his face, and stooped forward looking tired.

He took a 20-minute break backstage where he reportedly fainted and was given oxygen by doctors. He then completed his set and was later taken to hospital.

His spokesman said: "Justin has been released from the hospital after a check-up and while he's feeling a little under the weather, he's planning on going ahead with tonight's show."

00.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bin Laden Son-In-Law Ghaith Pleads Not Guilty

By Dominic Waghorn, US correspondent

Osama Bin Laden's spokesman and son-in-law has pleaded not guilty to plotting to kill Americans in a federal court in New York.

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith appeared in a dark blue prison smock and handcuffs. He is thought to have been captured in Jordan by US agents.

Ghaith will be the closest of bin Laden's confidantes to face trial in a US federal court.

His capture is a major coup for the US. He was never an operational commander but an ideologue and preacher whose fiery online sermons inspired others to attempt attacks, say US officials.

Prosecutors say Ghaith was the spokesman for bin Laden. The day after the 9/11 attacks, prosecutors say, he called on the "nation of Islam" to battle against Jews, Christians and Americans, warning them "a great army is gathering against you".

He was one of the founding inner circle of al Qaeda - a position he strengthened by marrying one of bin Laden's daughters. He could yield valuable information under interrogation about the network.

Ghaith's case is a victory for the Obama administration, which has long sought to charge and try al Qaeda figures in US federal courts instead of the military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

President Obama promised to close down the Guantanamo detention centre, but failed to do so in the face of fierce opposition by Republicans.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, is on trial there with four alleged accomplices after the failure to bring them to trial in mainland America.

Ghaith appeared in court a few blocks from Ground Zero, where the twin World Trade Centre towers stood until the 9/11 attacks.

So far his appearance has not aroused any significant protest from New York residents, although some Republicans in Congress have called for him to be tried at Guantanamo.

Ghaith's activities over the last decade is the subject of debate. He is believed to have lived in Iran for much of that time.

Iranian sources have said he was held in jail there for years. But US media reports claim he was free to operate an al Qaeda cell funnelling money and weapons over the border and into Afghanistan.

He is thought to have been arrested first in Turkey where authorities reportedly claimed there was insufficient evidence to extradite him to the US.

He is thought to have been captured by US agents in Jordan while en route to Kuwait after being deported from Turkey.

Bail was not requested during Friday's proceeding and none was set. The judge scheduled an April 8 trial date, which prosecutors expect to last about three weeks.

00.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hugo Chavez: Funeral For Venezuelan President

The state funeral is taking place for Venezuela's left-wing president Hugo Chavez at a military academy where his body has been lying in state since Wednesday.

Most Latin American leaders attended the service, including Chilean president Sebastian Pinera and Cuba's Raul Castro, as well as Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who said earlier: "It is a great pain for us because we have lost a friend.

"I feel like I have lost myself, but I am sure that he still lives. Chavez will never die. His spirit and soul live on in each of our hearts."

Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat congressman, and ex-congressman William Delahunt, a Democrat from Massachusetts, represented the United States, which Mr Chavez often portrayed as a great global evil even as he sent the country billions of dollars in oil each year.

Hollywood actor Sean Penn also attend the funeral, which began with the country's youth orchestra singing the national anthem, led by conductor Gustavo Dudamel

An estimated two million people have filed past Mr Chavez's half-open, glass-covered coffin to say goodbye to the man worshipped by the country's poor, who he championed.

The red beret that became a symbol of his socialist rule

He was dressed in olive green military fatigues, a black tie and the iconic red beret that became a symbol of his 14-year socialist rule.

People blew kisses, made the sign of the cross or gave military salutes as they walked by, with just seconds to see him.

A four-man honour guard flanked the coffin, with a golden sword at the foot of it, and outside the academy, the line to see the body stretched for more than a mile.

His mother, Elena Frias, was pictured weeping ahead of the funeral in the capital Caracas.

Nicolas Maduro will be named acting president

Mr Chavez, a former paratrooper who died on Tuesday aged 58 after a long battle with cancer, had not been seen in public since a fourth round of surgery in Cuba in December last year.

He will lie in state for another week to allow everybody to see him.

This evening Nicolas Maduro, who was Mr Chavez's vice president, will be named acting president and elections are expected to be called within 30 days.

He will then be embalmed "like Ho Chi Minh, Lenin and Mao" and kept in a glass coffin "for eternity," Mr Maduro said.

His remains will be displayed at the Museum of the Revolution, close to the Presidential Palace where he ruled, so that "his people will always have him", Mr Maduro said.

Mr Chavez used the former military barracks to plot a failed coup against President Carlos Andres Perez in 1992. His arrest turned him into a hero, leading to his 1998 election victory.

Mr Chavez's mother Elena Frias mourns her son

Mr Maduro suggested that Mr Chavez may one day be moved elsewhere, a nod to popular pressure for him to be taken to the national pantheon to lie alongside Latin American independence hero Simon Bolivar.

In a country divided by Mr Chavez's populist style, opinions of his legacy vary, with opposition supporters in better-off areas angry at the high murder and inflation rate.

Under Mr Chavez, Venezuela's oil wealth underwrote the Castro brothers' communist rule in Cuba, and he repeatedly courted confrontation with Washington by cosying up to anti-western governments in Russia, Syria and Iran.

General Jose Ornella, who said he was with Mr Chavez in his final moments, said he had suffered a massive heart attack.

"He couldn't speak but he said it with his lips, 'I don't want to die. Please don't let me die,' because he loved his country, he sacrificed himself for his country."

00.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dead Driver 'Unnoticed On Busy Road For Days'

The body of a driver lay undetected on the front seat of his car beside one of New Zealand's busiest roads for five days before anyone called police, according to reports.

Auckland resident Alvin Singh was reported missing on February 22 and his corpse was found in his car, parked in plain sight near a major intersection, on February 27, after somebody eventually raised the alarm, police told the local news organisation Fairfax Media.

CCTV footage showed him pulling over and leaving the car briefly before getting back in prior to his death, police said.

Detective inspector Mark Gutry said the death was not being treated as suspicious and that it was unusual for a body to lie undetected for so long, saying it may have been because Mr Singh reclined his seat before he died.

"He was in the front seat, which was reclined, and he had sort of rolled over on the seat," Mr Gutry said. "After that time in a hot car, it wasn't pleasant."

He told the New Zealand Herald that 34-year-old Mr Singh had suffered from a pre-existing medical condition, which was the likely cause of his death.

00.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Grandma Goes On Trial For Shooting Grandson

As wounded teenager Jonathan Hoffman pleaded with 911 dispatchers for help last May, his grandmother allegedly shot him again, a court has heard.

Just as the 17-year-old "thought he was safe ... Sandra Layne walks up and shoots him again. This time in the stomach," prosecutor Paul Walton told a court in Michigan.

The 75-year-old's defence team countered that she feared for her safety during the fatal confrontation last year at her home in the West Bloomfield in suburban Detroit.

The teenager was shot three times in the chest, once in the abdomen and once in his left arm.

He had been living with his grandparents while his mother and father were divorcing.

Jonathan Hoffman had moved in with his grandparents in suburban Detroit

Officers had been called two months earlier, when the grandmother told police she was having a difficult time with her grandson.

Four days before that, the high school senior was pulled over and charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

He received a 93-day suspended sentence and was placed on 12 months' probation.

Sandra Layne is "not a murderer", her attorney Jerome Sabbota said on Tuesday.

"She was afraid. She felt she had no choice. Why else would she shoot him? This is a tragic case."

In Hoffman's 911 call, played during Layne's preliminary examination last summer, the teen yelled into his phone: "I've just been shot. My grandma shot me. I'm going to die. Help."

A few minutes later, he tells the operator: "I got shot, shot again. Please help. Help."

His voice trails off and a woman's shouts are heard in the background.

A police officer said she later walked out of her home with her hands up and screamed: "I murdered my grandson."

00.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Car Thief Strangles Baby Left In Vehicle

A Chinese car thief strangled a two-month-old baby after stealing a vehicle with the infant inside, according to police.

In a crime that has sparked revulsion across the country, officers said the baby was killed and then buried in the snow.

The baby's parents had left the child alone for 10 minutes with the car doors unlocked and the engine running, according to state-run media.

Reports suggested the father had run into the shop where he worked to turn up the heat because he wanted to keep the baby warm.

Zhou Xijun, 48, stole the car in the north eastern Jilin province, triggering a major hunt involving thousands of police officers and taxi drivers.

He handed himself in a day later and confessed, according to reports.

Jilin police said in a statement that Zhou had "discovered a baby in the back seat of the stolen car, stopped at the side of a road before strangling the baby to death and burying it in the snow".

The child's body has been recovered.

The South China Morning Post reported that the child's mother had a heart attack when told of the killing and was being treated in hospital.

The case caused a storm in China, generating far more attention than the annual meeting of China's parliament which opened on Tuesday.               

Changchun citizens mourn the death of the two-month-old baby

Internet users expressed their disgust at the crime and many called for Zhou to be put to death.

"Killing him once would not be enough," one user of Sina Weibo, a website similar to Twitter, wrote.

Another added: "I would never have imagined that what people most feared would actually happen ... The killer should be severely punished."

However others entered into debates about negligent parents, calling for harsher punishments for those who fail to protect their children.

A candlelit vigil for the baby was held in Changchun on Tuesday evening. Lights were dimmed at 10.10pm and a moment of silence was observed.

The latest UN figures on the murder rate in China puts it at one per 100,000 people, among the lowest in the world.

00.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nani Red Card: Man United Fan Dials 999

A football fan was so outraged with the referee's decision to send off Manchester United's Nani during a Champions League clash with Real Madrid, that he dialled 999.

The 18-year-old Manchester United supporter was watching the second-leg tie at Old Trafford from his home in a village near Bingham, Nottinghamshire, at around 9.20pm on Tuesday when he made the call.

He felt the moment the Reds' Portuguese midfielder was controversially shown the red card by Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir for a high challenge on Real's Alvaro Arbeloa was a crime and called police.

The fan later apologised for his actions, claiming to have been caught up in the excitement.

Nani reacting to the dismissal as he leaves the field

United, who were leading 1-0 at the time of the dismissal, were reduced to 10 men and went on to lose the tie 2-1 and exited the competition 3-2 on aggregate.

Police are now urging Nottinghamshire residents to think before they dial.

There were 6,933 recorded hoax calls to Nottinghamshire Police in 2012, with calls increasing during holiday periods, particularly in August. This amounted to around 2% of all reported incidents.

Control Room Chief Inspector Ted Antill said: "While this recent example may be amusing, it illustrates the sort of insincere calls we have to deal with on a daily basis in the control room.

"They waste our time and they direct us away from genuine victims of crime, particularly if we dispatch officers out to something that turns out to be a bogus report.

"I would ask people to think before picking up the phone for emergency services. I would also advise parents to ensure your children are aware that prank calls and the reporting of made-up crimes is a crime in itself.

"There may be people out there in real trouble who need our help and they have to wait because we are tied up with calls like this one, reporting a referee from the television.

"It's no joke. In this case, the man realised his bad judgement and apologised and we decided not to pursue it further - but we can and we do prosecute people for wasting police time and making false reports."

00.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Philpott Weeps As Police Interviews Read Out

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

A father accused of killing six of his children in a house fire wept in court as the police interviews following his arrest were read out.

Mick Philpott and his wife Mairead deny six counts of manslaughter following the blaze at their home on Victory Road in Allenton, Derby last May.

A third defendant, Paul Mosley, also denies manslaughter.

Jade Philpott, 10, and brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jessie, six and Jayden, five all perished in the fire.

Their older brother Duwayne, 13, died three days later in hospital.

DC Steve Barnes interviewed Philpott after his arrest. When the detective cautioned Mick, he replied: "I understand, I can't believe it."

Later he said: "I don't think you understand what it is like losing six children."

Philpott told the detective that before the fire, at 7.30pm, Mosley, also known as Shakey, had come to the house to play pool and Philpott had obtained cannabis for his friend.

He said Mosley left at 12.45am, and that he and Mairead fell asleep in the conservatory watching the film Centurion.

Philpott was woken by an alarm and saw "bright lights at the door".

He knew it was a fire and heard a "whoosh", adding: "It wasn't like an explosion it was a pop sound."

Philpott said he put his Derby County jogging bottoms on, went through to the back of the house, got ladders and put them up to Jade's window.

He tried to smash it first with a tennis racket, then a wrench.

"I smashed the window about five times, I wish now I could have got in, it would have been me in that morgue and not my kids," he said.

Philpott said he was restrained by police officers from trying to get back in the house.

The prosecution allege that the defendants started the fire to frame Mick's ex girlfriend Lisa Willis, who he was in a custody battle with.

Ms Willis and her children used to live with the Philpotts and their children, but left three months before the fire.

Asked about Ms Willis, Philpott said: "I treated her like a queen. For the past four years I have given her all my attention and not to my wife.

"It came to a couple of points where I asked Mairead for a divorce, so I could marry Lisa."

The court heard that Lisa had been chief bridesmaid at Mick and Mairead's wedding.

"It was a three-way relationship between me, Mairead and Lisa," he said. "It's just something that happened."

Philpott also told the detective: "You will find residents (residue) on my clothes and shoes from the strimmer, you might find it on Duwayne's too."

In the interview he also said petrol would be found in the kitchen, front room, conservatory, snooker room and the garden, where he had carried the strimmer through.

When asked by a detective whether he was responsible for the fire, he replied: "Watch these eyes, categorically no, nor was my wife."

The trial continues.

00.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK To Supply Military Aid To Syria Opposition

The UK is to supply armoured vehicles and body armour to opposition forces in Syria, Foreign Secretary William Hague has said.

In a statement to the Commons, William Hague said Britain would increase aid to Syrian opposition forces, including providing "new types of non-lethal equipment for the protection of civilians", after EU sanctions had been amended.

He said the UK, along with the National Coalition, was in the middle of trying to identify "the protective equipment that will be of most use to them and likely to save most lives".

"It will certainly include armoured four-wheel drive vehicles to help opposition forces move around more freely as well as personal protection equipment including body armour," he added.

Testing equipment to provide evidence of any use of chemical weapons by the regime and training for armed groups in international human rights and legal standards is also being sent.

Mr Hague said £3m had been allocated this month for the work with another £10m to follow - urging other countries to do the same.

The deadly conflict has been going on since March 2011

"The Cabinet is in no doubt that this is a necessary, proportionate and lawful response to a situation of extreme humanitarian suffering, and that there is no practicable alternative," he said.

"All our assistance will be carefully calibrated and monitored as well as legal, and will be aimed at saving life, alleviating this human catastrophe and supporting moderate groups.

Mr Hague told MPs that the conflict in Syria, where President Bashar Assad is trying to defeat attempts to overthrow his regime, had reached "catastrophic" proportions.

The British Government could not stand aside as Assad used Scud missiles against civilians, Mr Hague said, adding that diplomacy was "taking far too long and the number of dead continues to rise".

The death toll is reported to have reached 70,000 since the fighting began two years ago, with more people having been killed so far this year than during the whole first year of the conflict.

Some 40,000 people were fleeing the civil war each week, many of them children, he added.

There are now more than a million Syrian refugees according to the UN

His speech came as the UN refugee agency revealed official figures showing the number of Syrian refugees leaving their homeland had topped the one million mark.

Mr Hague described it as a "sad milestone".

The Foreign Secretary also warned that there was a danger Syria could become a "top destination for jihadists anywhere in the world".

Meanwhile, there were risks that the Syrian government could use chemical weapons against civilians, he said, telling MPs there was "credible information" that Iran was providing "considerable military support" to Mr Assad.

Sky News Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lisa Holland said Mr Hague's announcement marked "a new phase in what Britain is going to do for the opposition".

The effort to try to move forward the stalemate in the Syria crisis follows a visit last week by new US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Speaking in London, he said the Syrian opposition would not be "left dangling" and that Western leaders had "new ideas" on Syria in the face of growing frustration by the opposition over the lack of help they have received.

00.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sir Mervyn King Writes To British Businessman

By Enda Brady, Sky Correspondent

When Mike Benson was refused a £10,000 loan to buy a new transit van for his company selling air compressors in Worcestershire, he despaired.

His business turned over £640,000 last year, and even more the year before - the kind of thriving small British business that Chancellor George Osborne has repeatedly urged the banks to help.

But still the answer was a firm 'no'.

All he wanted was a 12-month loan, but the money was not forthcoming.

"I was angry, annoyed, yes all of those things, but I was also slightly shocked and puzzled really," Mr Benson told Sky News at his company base outside Bromsgrove.

"We've been in business 20 years and the van needed replacing at a time when we had just paid a corporation tax bill of £10,500.

"The bank refused me on the basis of 'fixed assets'. But we have very few of them.

He added: "In the old days they would have taken a look at our business and at us and said 'yes'.

"But the banks have lost their way and they have lost touch with their customers.

"You struggle to even find a phone number for your bank. It's all done by call centres in a kind of 'tick box' fashion."

The personal letter was printed on Bank of England headed paper

So Mike decided to write a letter, not to the boss of his bank, but to the governor of the Bank of England.

And he was astonished to get a signed response from Sir Mervyn King himself.

It read: "I was sorry to read of the difficulty you have had in trying to replace your transit van.

"I can fully understand how maddening that, and the behaviour you describe from the banks you have spoken to, must have been.

"Your experience is common to that of many companies across the UK that I have visited recently.

"I would encourage people who have had problems with their bank to try new lenders. One such example is Handlesbanken, a long established, but relatively new to the UK, Swedish bank."

So will the publicity surrounding his letter shame the banks into lending to small businesses again? Mr Benson is not so sure.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'd like to think so. I'm just not that confident," he said.

"More chance of pigs flying at the moment, if you ask me!"

He eventually got the money and the van - but says he will take his business elsewhere in future.

00.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Zoya Anwar: Police Hold Five People

Five people have been arrested on suspicion of kidnap as police hunt for an 18-year-old girl who has not been seen since last Tuesday.

West Midlands Police said Zoya Anwar was last seen by school friends on the afternoon of February 26 when she said goodbye to her friends at the school gates in the Walsall area.

Her disappearance was not reported until last Friday, March 1.

Zoya is due to collect her exam results

The straight 'A' student should be picking up her A Level exam results tomorrow at King Edward VI School in Handsworth.

Zoya is described as Asian, slim build, 5ft 6ins tall and has shoulder length black hair.

Four men and a woman, aged between 27 and 48 and all from the Walsall area, have been arrested on suspicion of kidnap in connection with Zoya's disappearance.

They are all known to the teenager. They were arrested on Tuesday and remain in custody helping police with enquiries.

Detective Superintendent Jo Chilton, from the force's investigation team, said: "Zoya has never been missing before and it is very out of character for her. Whilst we are keeping an open mind, we are very concerned for her and need to know she is safe and well as a matter of urgency.

"We are carrying out extensive enquiries to trace Zoya with specialist officers from across the force working around the clock to try to find her.

"We are looking into a number of possibilities around Zoya's disappearance including her running away from home, her being taken against her will or any worries Zoya may have had herself. At this stage we cannot rule out anything more sinister and we looking into all possibilities.

"We are treating this as a major incident and we are doing all we can to find Zoya."

House-to-house inquiries and forensic searches have been carried out over the last few days and remain ongoing.

Ms Chilton added: "If Zoya hears this appeal herself, I want her to know that she is not in any trouble. We just need to know that she is safe and offer her help."

In a statement, the headmistress of Zoya's school, Elisabeth Wager, said: "Zoya joined the school in the sixth form with an exemplary school record.

"She has continued to achieve at a high academic standard and has a bright future ahead of her. She has firm friendships in the school and we are providing support as required to her friends and the wider school community."

A dedicated call centre has been set up where people can give information on Zoya's disappearance - 0800 092 0410.

00.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Skyfall Director Sam Mendes Turns Down Bond

Sam Mendes has turned down the chance to make the next James Bond film to get back to his theatrical roots.

The 47-year-old, who won the best director Oscar for his first feature film, American Beauty, said he wanted to turn his back on Bond so he could concentrate on the theatre.

Mendes, who was praised for his work on Skyfall with Daniel Craig as 007, said it had been "a very difficult decision" to turn down the offer of directing the next film in the franchise.

He told Empire Magazine: "Directing Skyfall was one of the best experiences of my professional life.

"But I have theatre and other commitments, including productions of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and King Lear, that need my complete focus over the next year and beyond."

King Lear will see Mendes work at the National Theatre, while his stage musical version of the Roald Dahl story sees him return to the West End.

Skyfall was a critical and commercial success, picking up five Oscar nominations and winning two, including one for Adele for original song.

Cambridge graduate Mendes began his career with the Chichester Festival Theatre, later winning a Critics Circle Award for best newcomer for The Cherry Orchard which starred Judi Dench, also a Bond star.

He then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and, in 1992, he became artistic director of the reopened Donmar Warehouse in London.

The 1999 film American Beauty won five Academy Awards including best picture as well as Mendes' directing award.

Also a successful producer, Reading-born Mendes, was married for seven years to actress Kate Winslet, who was also born in the Berkshire town. They have one son together.

The Bond producers announced last year that Daniel Craig would play the suave spy in two more films, making five in total.

00.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hugo Chavez: Coffin Paraded Through Streets

A military parade is being held to carry the remains of President Hugo Chavez through the streets of the Venezuelan capital Caracas.

The country's foreign minister, Elias Jose Jaua Milano, declared seven days of mourning for the controversial socialist leader, who died at the age of 58 after losing his battle with cancer.

His coffin left Caracas' military hospital earlier for his body to be escorted through the city.

It will then lie in state at a military academy until a public funeral on Friday.

Masses line the streets of Caracas to catch a glimpse of the casket

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans filled the streets with many crying, hugging each other, or shouting slogans of support.

A sea of red, yellow and blue - the colours of the national flag - flowed past some of the city landmarks as masses of supporters took part in the procession to celebrate and pay their respects to the leader they loved.

Scores of motorists in their cars and motorbikes also joined the colourful parade, tooting their horns.

Clusters of women with tears streaming down their faces clung to each other and wept near the Miraflores presidential palace. Some wore T-shirts with slogans that read: "Go forward commander!"

Nearby, men pumped their arms in the air while shouting: "Long live Chavez! Long live Chavismo!"

Reporting for Sky News, journalist Virginia Lopez, said: "Family, friends and members of the President's Guard of Honour joined the parade.

The flag-draped coffin containing the body of Hugo Chavez

"The streets are bursting with people wearing red berets that Mr Chavez made emblematic of his rule."

Minutes before his final journey, vice president Nicolas Maduro said Mr Chavez's "spirit roams freely, filled with light protecting our people. Our people are in the streets expressing their solidarity, their feelings."

He fought back tears as he announced the death on Tuesday night in a national television broadcast.

He said Mr Chavez, who had been in power for 14 years, died at 4.25pm local time "after battling a tough illness for nearly two years".

Amid fears of unrest, Mr Maduro also said the army and police had been deployed "to accompany and protect our people and guarantee the peace".

Mr Jaua Milano said Mr Maduro would continue to run the country as interim president until fresh elections can take place in around 30 days.

Emotional vice president Nicolas Maduro announces the death on national TV

Ideological allies across Latin America lined up to salute former paratrooper Mr Chavez, a standard bearer of the region's "anti-imperialist" left.

Cuba has declared three days of national mourning, with the government saying Mr Chavez had "stood by Fidel Castro like a true son".

Bolivia's socialist President Evo Morales said he was "crushed", while Argentinian Vice President Amado Boudou said "all of Latin America" was in mourning.

President Barack Obama responded by expressing hopes for improved relations with the oil-rich state, voicing American "support for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government".

He added: "As Venezuela begins a new chapter in its history, the United States remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule of law, and respect for human rights."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was "saddened" by the death of a leader who had left a "lasting impression on the country and more widely".

Some Venezuelans in the US say they are glad the 'dictatorship' has ended

Mr Chavez had been receiving cancer treatment in Cuba on and off since June 2011 - when he was first diagnosed with the illness.

The announcement of his death came just hours after Mr Maduro announced the government had expelled two US diplomats from the country.

He had said Mr Chavez's illness had been induced by foul play by "the historical enemies of our homeland".

The government announced late on Monday that Mr Chavez's condition was "very delicate" due to a "new, severe" respiratory infection.

Mr Chavez had not been seen in public or heard since undergoing a fourth round of surgery in Cuba on December 11.

The government said he returned home on February 18, and had been confined to Caracas' military hospital ever since.

Mr Chavez with daughters Rosa Virginia, right, and Maria

During his time in power, the fiery populist leader declared a socialist revolution in Venezuela, crusaded against US influence, championed a leftist revival across Latin America, and over time, gradually placed all state institutions under his personal control.

The man Mr Chavez defeated in October's presidential elections, Miranda state Governor Henrique Capriles, is expected to represent the opposition in the national polls. He called for unity and offered his condolences to Mr Chavez's family.

Venezuela's defence minister pledged the military would remain loyal to the constitution in the wake of Mr Chavez's death.

Sky's Dominic Waghorn said Mr Chavez "used a mixture of brute force, persuasion, passion and charisma to keep himself in power".

"Such was the adoration and devotion that mainly the poor in Venezuela felt for him that he was seen as this almost sort of religious figure, and his loss now leaves a huge void in Venezuelan politics.

"A lot of people say he is irreplaceable."

00.27 | 0 komentar | Read More