Prince Charles Honours Transvestite Grayson Perry

Cross-dressing artist Grayson Perry has been made a CBE by the Prince of Wales, accepting his award a midnight blue dress and matching fitted jacket with a wide brimmed black-hat decorated with what looked like ostrich feathers.

The flamboyant transvestite potter said the award was recognition for "30 years of hard graft".

The Turner Prize-winning artist regularly appears dressed as his female alter-ego Claire and did not disappoint his fans at Buckingham Palace for the investiture ceremony.

Mr Perry once described Claire as "a cross between Katie Boyle and Camilla Parker-Bowles".

But when reminded of this after the ceremony he laughed and said: "This is my Italian mother of the bride outfit.

Grayson Perry at the Palace

"When I got the call (about the CBE) my first thought was what am I going to wear, it's a serious thing I'm not going to compromise my identity as Britain's pre-eminent transvestite.

"I googled to see what people wore and went for the sexier end. I always do like the older woman who makes an effort."

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said that Mr Perry's "attire was entirely appropriate".

Mr Perry is a married family man who spends hours meticulously making ceramic pots and is also a self-styled transvestite.

The vases are beautifully crafted and at a distance look like ornaments most people would love to own.

Prince Charles honours the artist

But they are covered in words - including crudely-incised graffiti - and sometimes graphic images depicting his own past or railing against society.

Born in 1960 in Chelmsford, he began his career at Braintree College of Further Education and then at Portsmouth Polytechnic, where he studied fine art.

Later when he moved to London in the early 1980s he began attending evening pottery classes and developed a strong connection with the medium.

He has said that he loves using clay because "it is held in such low esteem in the art world".

All smiles: Mr Perry dressed as his female alter-ego

Mr Perry won the Turner Prize in 2003 after being nominated for the piece Claire's Coming Out Dress and a collection of vases depicting the dark recesses of life.

The pots are covered with subject matter such as child abuse, autobiographical images of himself, Claire and his family, as well as examinations of cultural stereotypes.

Speaking at the palace, Mr Perry said: "I'm grateful I'm not one of these people who has sky-rocketed to fame.

"Some people say I've become a member of the establishment but I've been that for years. I'm an RA (Royal Academician).

"The idea that rebellion is at the margins of society - that's false, it's far more interesting to be mischievous from the centre."

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'Suitcase Killer' Gyarmati Guilty Of Murder

A man who strangled a woman and dumped her body in a suitcase has been convicted of murder.

Laszlo Gyarmati, from Hungary, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 17 years for the killing of Alexandra Kovacs.

Laszlo Gyarmati will spend at least 17 years in prison

CCTV footage of Gyarmati showed him leaving Miss Kovacs property on July 18 last year with a large suitcase containing her body.

He wheeled the suitcase to Dollis Valley Greenwalk and dumped it near some bushes.

The court heard that the night before, the pair had gone to get some fast food in Hendon, north London.

Neighbours later told police they had heard a woman scream and call for help in the early hours of the morning.

Alexandra Kovacs trusted Gyarmati, said police who worked on the case

A member of the public found Ms Kovacs' body on the same day and asked a friend to report it. However a police search of the riverside walk failed to find anything.

It was not until three days later, after a missing person report was filed and blood stains discovered in Miss Kovacs' property, that police dogs tracked down her body.

Gyarmati dumped the body near some bushes

The Old Bailey trial was told that Gyarmati and Miss Kovacs had met when they briefly lived together in the same property.

Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Wall said: "Alexandra was a young woman starting out in life when she was killed by Laszlo Gyarmati.

"She was working very hard sending money back to Hungary to her mum and younger brother."

DCI Wall added: "Alexandra knew Gyarmati and was happy to be in his company that evening. She obviously had no thoughts that he would hurt her. Sadly he betrayed that trust in the ultimate way."

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Winter Weather To Hit After Weeks Of Floods

Britain looks set for a distinctly colder end to January with the possibility of snow, widespread frost and cold winds.

After saturated southern England is hit by further flooding this weekend, low pressure will start to bring change across the UK next week.

The change comes as a "major incident" was declared on the Somerset Levels which have seen weeks of severe flooding and remain underwater.

Sedgemoor District Council chief executive Kerry Rickards said: "With significant rainfall expected over the coming days we feel this situation needs to be escalated as a major incident."

The council said it would continue to provide practical support to residents whose properties are flooded or are predicted to flood.

The Somerset Levels have seen weeks of flooding this winter

Next week's drop in temperature will come as a shock following a wet but exceptionally mild December and January, Sky News Weather Presenter Isobel Lang, said.

"The low bringing us rain this weekend will slip away southwards allowing significantly colder air to seep west and southwestwards across us on a biting east or northeast wind.

"It will be a shock to the system after a mild December, the mildest since 1988, and a mild first half of January with a mean UK temperature up to January 15 of 5.1C, which is 1.5C above average.

"Snow is likely, especially over hills, with more widespread frosts too."

But Lang said the change looked unlikely to last.

"At this stage the Atlantic influence still looks strong and it could be that the cold air pushes back into continental Europe again by the end of the week," he said

The Met Office has warned of a wet and windy Sunday.

Muchelney village in Somerset has been cut off by floods for three weeks

It will then turn colder and "increasingly wintry, particularly across northeastern parts", its UK five-day forecast reads.

Its summary for the 10 days from Tuesday warns of biting easterly winds and temperatures near or just below normal.

The change to weather more like the January we expect comes after weeks of rainfall that have left large areas of the UK waterlogged.

The Environment Agency has 10 flood warnings in place in southwest and southeast England and 91 lower level flood alerts in place, mainly in the southeast and southwest but also in other parts of England and Wales.

The UK has largely escaped a big freeze this winter, unlike the United States which saw a polar vortex bringing some of the lowest temperatures ever seen across many states followed by heavy snow this week. 

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Screwfix.com Screw-Up Gives Mega Bargains

Canny online shoppers have found bargains galore on a DIY retail website, after a computer glitch slashed the price tag of expensive items.

Screwfix.com suffered the internet screw-up, which saw a swarm of customers buy a variety of valuable hardware and tools at the reduced cost of just £34.99.

Shoppers landed power tool bargains, and it is understood even expensive ride-on lawn mowers because of the inadvertent price drop.

Happy customers took to social media to spread the word of the pricing glitch before the website was shutdown over "technical issues".

Some shoppers apparently visited their local Screwfix stores on Friday morning to ensure they received purchases before a potential delivery recall.

In a statement given to Sky News, Screwfix said: "Last night a number of customers visiting the site experienced a technical issue which resulted in some products being displayed at obviously low prices.

"The issue has now been resolved and everything is back up and running as normal.

"We have reviewed all transactions and those customers affected are being contacted today and issued a refund."

But the company indicated that those who had dashed to shops early on Friday would get to keep their haul.

"This does not affect any customers that have already received a delivery or collected their goods.

"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused," the firm said.

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Justin Bieber: Celebrities Split Over Star

Justin Bieber Is No Stranger To Controversy

Updated: 3:35pm UK, Thursday 23 January 2014

Justin Bieber found fame at the age of 14 after a talent manager saw videos of him performing on YouTube.

Since then he has sold millions of records, won awards and has a global fan base, called Beliebers.

But even before his arrest in Miami for driving under the influence, he was having brushes with the law, annoying fans with late appearances and drawing controversy for his behaviour.

In March 2013 he was booed by hundreds of fans and their parents when he arrived nearly two hours late for a sold-out concert at London's O2. He blamed a technical fault for the late appearance.

During his London stop, he also lashed out at a photographer in a foul-mouthed rant. "Rough week," he later tweeted.

That same month he was reportedly kicked out of one of Paris's most prestigious hotels for bad behaviour.

He was also questioned by customs officials after he flew his pet monkey into Germany from the US on a private plane without the correct papers.

The pet, a capuchin called Mally, is thought to have been given to the singer for his 19th birthday by music producer Jamal Rashid. Mally was quarantined and it was later suggested he should be placed in a zoo.

In April 2013 Bieber was criticised for saying that he hoped Holocaust victim Anne Frank "would have been a belieber".

The Canadian singer wrote in the guestbook at Anne's former home in Amsterdam: "Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a Belieber."

On tour in Sweden a few weeks later, a stun gun and drugs were allegedly found on his tour bus.

An officer on crowd duty told Sky News they had smelled marijuana on the vehicle. No one was arrested.

In May 2013 thieves broke into a stadium in South Africa hours after Bieber performed there, and made off with thousands of pounds in cash.

Weeks later he was reportedly chased back to his California home by furious former American footballer Keyshawn Johnson after allegedly speeding around his gated community in a white Ferrari.

Police investigated the singer over reckless driving.

In July, Bieber telephoned Bill Clinton to say sorry for cursing him and spraying his photo with cleaning fluid in a New York City restaurant kitchen earlier in the year.

A video posted on TMZ.com also allegedly showed the singer urinating in a mop bucket as he and others raced through the restaurant.

In November the pop star stormed off stage at a gig in Brazil after being hit by a water bottle.

He was then investigated by police over claims he sprayed graffiti on the wall of a hotel in Rio de Janeiro.

Graffiti also got him in trouble in Australia, where he was told to clean spray-painted cartoon heads off the wall of the QT Hotel in Surfers Paradise in Queensland.

In December the 19-year-old's grandmother denied the singer needed rehab treatment following an eventful year.

Diane Dale, who was among several of the singer's family to attend the premiere of his new film in Los Angeles, said the media had been "terrible" to him as he travelled the world on his global tour.

"There are so many lies going around," she said.

"A little bit is true but most of it is lies. It's terrible."

He then announced that he was retiring from music.

But 2014 did not start off well after the singer and his friends were accused of causing thousands of dollars worth of damage to a neighbour's home after throwing eggs at it.

The star's home was raided by police and his friend, Lil Za, a 20-year-old rapper whose real name is Xavier Smith, was held on suspicion of cocaine possession.

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Mum Jailed For 14 Years For Murdering Baby

By Tom Parmenter, Sky Correspondent

A mother has been jailed for life with a minimum of 14 years for murdering her 11-month-old baby son.

Emma Wilson, 25, from Windsor in Berkshire attacked her own toddler inflicting a catalogue of 'catastrophic' injuries.

Callum Wilson was born on April 23 2010 and spent his first months with foster parents.

In November 2010, Callum returned to the care of his mother at her flat in Paddock Close.

In March 2011 neighbours described hearing five or six loud bangs coming from the flat, the following morning Ms Wilson called paramedics to help her son who she said was "lifeless and not doing anything".

During the trial at the Old Bailey prosecutor Paul Dunkels QC told the jury: "The effect of the injuries would have been immediate and catastrophic."

In court Ms Wilson tried to blame the injuries on the toddler's two year old brother who she said was "boisterous".

The jury though returned a unanimous verdict of guilty to murder.

The jury were also shown a series of 'selfie' photograph taken in the days before the fatal attack where Ms Wilson was smiling at the camera with her son behind her - at this stage he could be seen with minor injuries.

Judge Stephen Kramer QC told Wilson: "You are adept at lying and once you have decided to lie you are adept at sustaining that lie."

As she was taken down to the cells Wilson was in tears, as were members of her family who were watching on from the public gallery.

Speaking after the verdict, Det Ch Insp Ian Hunter from Thames Valley Police said: "This case has been a harrowing and emotional journey for all involved.

"Callum's life was cruelly cut short and he suffered an abhorrent catalogue of abuse at the hands of his mother.

"This conviction demonstrates the absolute commitment of the prosecution team and witnesses to ensure justice was served. Our thoughts will always be with Callum."

A neighbour and friend of Ms Wilson, who didn't want to be identified, told Sky News: "I thought she was a good mum.

"I don't know why if people saw him going downhill at nursery or whatever they didn't step in earlier."

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Older Cancer Patients Are Being 'Written Off'

Cancer Care: Experts' Opinions

Updated: 5:04pm UK, Friday 24 January 2014

Two experts give their view on treating older people who have cancer. Macmillan Cancer Support has claimed some patients are being "written off" for treatment because they are too old.

:: Professor Karol Sikora, Chief Medical Officer for Cancer Partners UK

Of course older people with cancer should be treated properly.

The Macmillan report and its interpretation by some of the media is in my view exaggerated. Doctors are not withholding treatment to try to reduce care costs.

Cancer treatment even with the latest drugs is a high risk business. The side effects are sometimes severe and often distressing.

Older people may have several other medical problems which mean we have to reduce the dose of drug. Also they may take longer to recover from the side effects.

So each case has to be assessed on its own merit. And there has to be a sense of balance - the quality of life has to be balanced against its length.

None of us are immortal and striving to prolong life may cause more pain and suffering. The art of good medicine is to make good decisions involving the wishes of the patient.

I've been an NHS consultant for 35 years and have seen massive changes. Above all older people are much healthier than ever before. Eighty is the new 60.

So the Macmillan report is a timely reminder that the actual age of a patient is no barrier to effective cancer treatment. But please don't blame the doctors for the capacity problems facing cancer care in our NHS. We are doing our best.

:: Tom Gentry, Health Policy Adviser for Age UK

The news today that people over 65 are surviving for 10 years or more following a diagnosis for cancer is a testament to both the improving health of older people and the incredible work of health and care professionals .

However, many older people are still unable to get the treatment they need and could benefit from.

It is often forgotten that people over 75 represent a third of all cancer diagnoses. But at the same time they represent a half of all cancer deaths.

People over 80 with the disease are the only age group in which mortality rates have got worse in the last 40 years.

Part of this will be because more of us are living beyond 80 and when we get there, we are more likely to live with a number of long-term conditions.

Some people may choose not to go through what could be highly aggressive treatments and value quality of life over how long they could live.

But such decisions are not always being made with the full facts.

People should be able to expect a care team to make a full assessment of their health and capacity to recover from treatment, i.e. your biological age.

Instead, health professionals too often make assumptions based on when you were born, i.e. your chronological age. This should never be a proxy for a person's health and fitness and is entirely out of step with the advances that continue to help all of us to live well for longer.

It is symptomatic of a health service that is not yet equipped to deliver fully equitable care for our ageing society. It is symptomatic of the fact that is has only been illegal to discriminate on the basis of age since October 2012.

Older people are the fastest growing group in our communities. All sections of society, particularly the care services they rely on, must do more to reflect this.

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Team USA Uniforms 'Pose Security Risk' In Sochi

American athletes gearing up for the Sochi Winter Olympics have reportedly been told not to wear their Team USA uniforms outside the games' venues amid security concerns.

A memo sent by the US Olympic Committee says they should avoid wearing team colours too prominently when they are not in the so-called 'Ring of Steel'.

The secured boundary stretches for about 60 miles along the southwest coast of Russia and 25 miles inland.

To get inside, spectators will have to pass through police checkpoints where cars and luggage will be X-rayed.

President Vladimir Putin has staked his reputation on a successful and safe Olympics and there are concerns that terrorists could target the games.

Security officials are hunting three potential female suicide bombers ahead of the start of the games next month.

One of the suspects, 22-year-old Ruzanna Ibragimova, was reported to be at large in Sochi.

Suspect Ruzanna Ibragimova is reported to be at large in Sochi

According to the Wall Street Journal, the memo about uniforms said: "The US Department of State has advised that wearing conspicuous Team USA clothing in non-accredited areas may put your personal safety at greater risk."

American snowboard half-pipe rider Greg Bretz said US Olympic officials "have told us not to wear our USA gear outside of the venues".

But he added: "I have so much faith in the United States and our safety that I'm not too worried about it."

A number of countries say they have received threats against their athletes ahead of the games which take place between February 7 and 23.

Britain, Italy, Germany and Hungary are among the nations whose Olympic Committees have confirmed they have received threatening emails.

Statements suggested that some or all of the committees may have received the same message - warning of attacks against competitors or delegates if they travel to the games in Sochi.

Vladimir Putin has staked his reputation on a successful and safe Olympics

The British Olympic Association and the International Olympic Committee described the email threat as "not credible".

Last month, the southern city of Volgograd was rocked by two suicide bombings, which killed 34 and injured dozens more.

An Islamic militant group in Dagestan recently posted a video claiming responsibility for the bombings and threatened to target the games, around 300 miles west of Dagestan.

At the Opening Ceremony, US athletes will wear the Ralph Lauren-designed uniforms featuring a cardigan with stars, an American flag, and the Olympic rings, as well as hats.

The company said: "A dynamic mix of patriotic references in a classic colour palette of red, white and navy defines the Ralph Lauren 2014 Team USA Opening ceremony uniform, which is proudly Made in America."

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Syrian Delegations 'To Meet In Same Room'

Syria's regime and opposition have agreed to meet together in the same room for peace talks in Geneva, a UN mediator has said.

It comes after the Syrian government threatened to walk out of the peace talks in Switzerland.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told the mediator, Lakhdar Brahimi, that "should serious sessions fail to take place tomorrow, the official Syrian delegation will leave Geneva."

The ultimatum followed the refusal by the country's opposition to hold face-to-face talks with Bashar al Assad's regime, after it refused to concede to the formation of a transitional government.

Mr Brahimi spent Thursday and Friday trying to convince the delegations to meet in the same room at the UN headquarters.

He has now managed to keep the peace talks on track, with the warring sides to come face to face on Saturday.

"I met the delegations of the opposition and the government separately yesterday and again today and tomorrow we expect, we have agreed, that we will meet in the same room," Mr Brahimi said.

"We knew that it was going to be difficult, complicated.

"We never expected this to be easy - I think the two parties understand what is at stake."

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Twitter Trolls Jailed For Sending Abusive Tweets

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Two people who sent abusive and menacing tweets to banknote campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez and Labour MP Stella Creasy have been jailed.

Isabella Sorley, 23, and John Nimmo, 25, posted dozens of abusive tweets against both women before they were arrested.

Senior district judge Howard Riddle jailed Sorley for 12 weeks and Nimmo for eight weeks as well as ordering them to pay £400 compensation to each victim.

Earlier this month the pair pleaded guilty to sending the menacing tweets, admitting they were among the users of 86 separate Twitter accounts from which Ms Criado-Perez had received abusive messages.

Passing sentence at Westminster Magistrates Court, Judge Riddle said that both victims had suffered substantially as a result of the abuse.

He said that Ms Criado-Perez had faced "panic, fear and horror" adding that she feared the "abusers would find her and carry out the threats. She felt hunted."

She responded to the sentencing on Twitter, saying: "I feel immensely relieved that the judge clearly has understood the severity of the impact this abuse has had on me." She said the compensation would be given to charity.

Of Ms Creasy the judge said: "She became concerned for her safety to the extent that she had to alter her behaviour. She had a panic button installed in her home."

As he passed sentence Sorley shook her head and looked to the floor while Nimmo stared straight ahead, showing no emotion.

Sean Caulfield, defending Sorley, told the court his client was "articulate and intelligent" and there was "disconnect" between her and the person that sent the messages.

He said they were sent in a half hour window between 2.25am and 2.55am last July 30 when she was under the influence of alcohol and she was "horrified and appalled" at what she had done.

The court also heard how she had 25 previous convictions, mostly for being drunk and disorderly but she had also been convicted twice of assaulting police.

Nimmo and Sorley arrive separately at Westminster Magistrates Court

At the time of the Twitter abuse last summer Ms Criado-Perez was leading an ulimately successful campaign to have women featured on British banknotes.

Police launched an investigation after both she and Walthamstow MP Ms Creasy complained about the vile tweets.

Sorley used Twitter to tell Ms Criado-Perez to "f*** off and die you worthless piece of crap", "go kill yourself" and "rape is the last of your worries".

She also deluged Ms Criado-Perez with menacing messages claiming that she had just been released from prison, writing: "I will find you and you don't want to know what I will do when I do, you're pathetic, kill yourself before I do."

Sorley, from Newcastle upon Tyne, has a 2:1 degree in creative advertising from Leeds College of Art and was working in an Asda supermarket in Newcastle at the time. She has since lost her job.

Other vile messages included: 'I've only just got out of prison and would happily do more time to see you berried!!' (sic) and 'Rape?! I'd do a lot worse things than rape you!!'

Unemployed Nimmo told Ms Criado-Perez to "shut up bitch" and "Ya not that gd looking to rape u be fine" followed by "I will find you (smiley face)" and then the message "rape her ass."

In an attack on Ms Creasy, Nimmo, from South Shields, said:"The things I cud do to u (smiley face)", calling her "Dumb blond bitch."

Ms Creasy responded to Nimmo's message of "Dumb blonde bitch" with the message "That's dumb Dr blonde bitch to you".

"Love it at least u can have a laugh", Nimmo responded, to which Ms Creasy said: "I'm not having a laugh, I'm cataloguing your vile conduct #takebacktwitter".

In court his solicitor Paul Kennedy described him as a "recluse and sad individual" adding that he had no previous convictions and was sorry for what he did.

Sorley's brother who was in court with two holdalls carrying her belongings in the hope his sister would not be jailed left without making any comment.

Before the early hearing, Sorley posted a picture of herself on her Twitter page posing outside Buckingham Palace with the message "just chilling at the queens".

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Boy Dies Saving Relatives From New York Fire

An eight-year-old boy has saved six relatives from a fire at a trailer home in New York, but died trying to rescue a disabled uncle.

Tyler Doohan's body was found in the bedroom of his grandfather's small trailer in Penfield, a suburb of Rochester.

Nine people were inside the trailer when a fire broke out shortly before 5am on Monday.

Tyler managed to wake six people up, including his grandmother, aunt and two children aged four and six.

He then went back inside to help the remaining occupants of the trailer.

The scene of the fire in Penfield

Tyler was found near the bed of his uncle Steve Smith, a wheelchair-user, and investigators believe he was trying to wake him up.

Mr Smith and Tyler's grandfather Louis Beach also died.

The family's pets - cats, a dog and hamsters - were also killed in the blaze, according to local newspaper Democrat & Chronicle.

Tyler had gone to his grandfather's trailer on Monday, the Martin Luther King Day holiday, because he did not have school.

Penfield Fire Chief Chris Ebmeyer said the death toll would likely have been much worse were it not for the boy's bravery.

"He saved those other six people," he was quoted as saying by USA Today.

The boy was hailed as a hero by neighbours and officials at his school.

"The kid has more guts than I know of," an uncle, Joseph Bereyette, told Rochester-based station WHEC.

"I mean, to run back in there and go through what he went through to try to save his uncle - what can you say for the kid?

"He was a great kid."

A statement released by East Rochester Central School District said: "It is extremely important to remember that according to emergency personnel, (Tyler) was the person who discovered the fire and tried to wake the eight other people in the residence at the time.

"In bravely and selflessly giving his own life, he was able to save the lives of six others, and he is truly a hero."

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Unemployment Rate Falls To 7.1% In Job Surge

The UK unemployment rate fell to 7.1% during the three months to the end of November, prompting concerns of a rise in mortgage rates.

It was the biggest ever quarterly increase in employment. A total of 280,000 jobs were created in the period.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of those jobless fell by 167,000 between September and November, to 2.32 million.

The ONS said a total of 30.15 million people are now in work. The number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance last month fell by 24,000 to 1.25 million, the ONS said.

It said average earnings increased by 0.9% in the year to November - excluding bonuses. The pay figure was unchanged on the previous month.

Base rate and unemployment rate since June 1992

The drop in the unemployment rate has potential implications for both savers and borrowers.

The Bank of England's monetary policy committee said it would consider a base rate rise, from the current record low of 0.5%, when the unemployment rate reached 7%.

The 0.5% is the lowest sustained base rate since 1964.

Forecasters had not expected the threshold to be reached until later in the year.

The 7% jobless rate will not trigger an automatic rate rise, according to the bank.

The latest unemployment rate of 7.1% is down by 0.5% from June-August, and by 0.6% from a year earlier.

Youth unemployment also fell, by 1.0% on the quarter.

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Sochi Olympic Teams Receive 'Terror Threats'

A number of countries say they have received terrorist threats against their athletes ahead of the Winter Olympics in Russia.

Britain, Italy, Germany and Hungary are among countries whose Olympic Committees have confirmed they have received threatening emails.

Statements suggested that some or all of the committees may have received the same message - warning of attacks against competitors or delegates if they travel to the games in Sochi.

The British Olympic Association and the International Olympic Committee described the email threat as "not credible". 

Hungary said the messages it received had also been investigated and declared "non-threatening".

Germany said it had received the same emails as Hungary and believed the same message had been circulated widely.

Slovenia's Olympic Committee also said it had been sent a terrorist threat letter written in Russian.

"We've had it translated and have forwarded it to the police," spokesman Brane Dmitrovic told Reuters.

This train station in Volgograd, Russia, was targeted by a suicide bomber

German Olympic Committee spokesman Christian Klaue said: "We take all tips on security questions seriously and are in close contact with the relevant German authorities."

The Hungarian committee's international relations director Zsigmond Nagy said a letter written in Russian and English had been investigated by both the International Olympic Committee and the Russian organising committee.

He said: "Both the IOC and the Sochi organising committee ... officially declared after the analysis of the letter that this threat is not real, and this person has been sending all kinds of messages to many members of the Olympic family."

Sky News Sports Correspondent Paul Kelso said: "The British Olympic Association say they've shown the message to their security experts and they don't think it's credible.

"That's also the message that's coming from the International Olympic Committee based in Switzerland and they're saying that it seems to be the same communication that's gone to a number of big Olympic organisations across Europe.

"What it does tell us is that the level of twitchiness about security is incredibly high. The games start on February 7 and the security situation in Russia is pretty volatile."

The suspected threats come after Russian security officials said they were hunting three potential female suicide bombers ahead of the games.

One of the suspects, 22-year-old Ruzanna Ibragimova - the widow of a suicide bomber - was reported to be at large in Sochi itself.

The other two suspects were identified as Zaira Aliyeva, 26, and Dzhannet Tsakhayeva, 34.

Police information states that all three women have been trained "to perpetrate acts of terrorism".

Last month, the southern city of Volgograd was rocked by two suicide bombings, which killed 34 and injured dozens more.

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British Drug Smuggler Escapes Death Penalty

A British woman has escaped the death penalty after admitting smuggling crystal meth into Indonesia from China.

Andrea Waldeck has instead been jailed for 14 years and fined £100,000.

The 43-year-old admitted to taking three pounds of the drug through an airport in Java in April hidden in her underwear, but claimed she was coerced into it by her boyfriend in exchange for around £3,000, according to her indictment.

The former Police Community Support Officer with Gloucestershire Police, who left the force in February 2012, hung her head as she was led down to the cells at the court in Surabaya.

The ex-Gloucestershire Community Support Officer is considering an appeal

The sentence was lower than the 16 years recommended by the prosecutor. Under the country's strict anti-drugs laws Waldeck could have been given a death sentence.

The judge in the case said: "Andrea Waldeck has been proven legally and convincingly guilty of offering to sell or become a middle person to sell drugs."

He added that the punishment was lenient because Waldeck had "honestly admitted her mistake, which helped the trial proceed smoothly".

Waldeck's mother and brother at a hearing during her trial

The indictment against her said that Waldeck was arrested at a hotel after she managed to get through airport security with the drugs hidden in four plastic bags in her underwear.

It added that two members of a drugs gang had been on their way to the hotel to pick up the crystal meth, but police knew what was going on and got there first and arrested Waldeck.

She is considering whether to appeal against the ruling.

Waldeck is not the first foreigner to be punished in Indonesia for drug smuggling. 

Grandmother Lindsay Sandiford was sentenced to death in January 2013 after being caught trying to smuggle £1.4m worth of cocaine into Bali. The sentence was unanimously upheld in August by Indonesia's Supreme Court.

On Monday, Frenchman Michael Blanc was freed on parole after 14 years in prison for transporting hash, a purified form of cannabis, into the country.

His early release has raised hopes that Australian Schapelle Corby, who was given a 20-year sentence for smuggling nine pounds of marijuana into Bali in 2005, might also be released.

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Mafia Suspect Leaps To Death Before Arrest

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Producer

A businessman jumped more than 100ft to his death after police arrived to arrest him in connection with a multi-million pound mafia money laundering operation.

Giuseppe Cristarelli, 43, was one of 90 people rounded up by police in a series of dawn raids on Wednesday as part of the blitz against organised crime.

Officers said Cristarelli calmly asked for a glass of water, before then running through the fourth-floor apartment, opening a window and leaping more than 100ft to his death in front of his horrified wife.

The incident happened in the Tor di Quinto suburb of Rome and a planned police press conference about the operation was hastily cancelled at the force's city centre headquarters.

Cristarelli was originally from the southern Italian city of Naples, heartland of the local mafia known as the Camorra, and had been named on a judicial investigation document as wanted for questioning on money laundering.

A Rome police spokesman said: "There was no indication of what he was going to do. He asked for a glass of water, then just ran to a window, opened it and jumped out.

"His wife was also in the apartment and she was as shocked as the officers.

"An investigation has been launched and his body is now been taken away for autopsy. A press conference about the operation has been cancelled."

Neighbours reported hearing the father-of-two's wife screaming in the early hours of the morning following the police raid.

One said: "Everyone in the block heard her screaming. It was terrifying. People came out and that's when we found out the husband had jumped from the window.

"No one can quite believe it. They are a lovely family with two children. The wife was taken away for questioning and the block is surrounded by police.

"All I know is that the man is a businessman from Naples. I'm not sure what business exactly though - I think maybe construction but I'm not sure."

In the past, various crime bosses and their associates have chosen to commit suicide both in prison and out rather than face a trial or investigation.

Earlier, police had said the raids were in connection with an operation against the Contini crime family and had involved arrests all over Italy as well as the confiscation of property worth more than 250 million euro.

Detectives said that the blitz was against Camorra money laundering facilities and that businesses seized included around two dozen bars, restaurants and ice-cream parlours in tourist-heavy areas of the capital, near Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, as well as luxury clothes shops in Naples.

The operation was the biggest carried out to date against the Naples-based Contini clan, which launders money and traffics drugs in the Campania region, Tuscany and Rome.

The clan's boss, 64-year-old Salvatore Botta, is already serving time in a Naples prison.

His wife and nephew, who are accused of running the business for him while he is behind bars, were taken into custody during the sting, Rome's anti-mafia unit said in a statement.

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Moors Murderer Ian Brady Taken To Hospital

Moors murderer Ian Brady has been taken to hospital after a fall at the high-security psychiatric unit where he is being held.

The 76-year-old child killer suffered two broken bones in the fall at Ashworth Hospital in Liverpool on Tuesday.

He is said to be in a stable condition after he was taken to an unspecified general hospital for treatment.

The child killer recently lost a bid to be moved to a prison

Brady was jailed for life in 1966 after he and his partner Myra Hindley were convicted of luring children and teenagers to their deaths.

Some of their victims were sexually tortured before they were buried on Saddleworth Moor.

Last year, Brady, who previously said he wants to starve himself to death, lost a bid to be transferred to prison.

At a mental health tribunal, his legal team claimed he was well enough to be treated away from Ashworth, where staff have a duty to keep him alive by feeding him through his nose.

However, doctors said he was chronically mentally ill and a paranoid schizophrenic who required around-the-clock care.

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William Roache 'Not Attracted To Young Girls'

By Mike McCarthy, North Of England Correspondent

The actor William Roache told police that it was against his nature to "force himself sexually" upon anyone, a court has heard.

The Coronation Street star, who faces two charges of rape and five of indecent assault, "absolutely denied" having met any of the alleged victims and said that he was not sexually attracted to young girls.

His trial has heard that he was arrested and cautioned at home in Cheshire in May 2013 and was "visibly shocked" by the allegations.

Roache told a detective that he was "absolutely surprised and amazed" by what had been claimed.

The jury at Preston Crown Court was told that the actor was arrested and cautioned before being taken to a police station for questioning.

In response to the claims, he said: "I think that I am a very sensitive and caring person. I have always respected the rights of other people. I would not dream of forcing myself sexually on another person."

The soap star is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in his bungalow in Lancashire in 1967 and raping her again in a nearby cottage the same year.

Asked why he thought the woman had made the allegation, he said: "The climate of what is happening at the moment with people coming forward. I don't know what her motivation is. 

"I can only surmise there is hope of selling an article to a paper for a moment of fame."

He went on to say: "I have plenty of attractive and wonderful partners. I love women and love making love to women but it has to be with full co-operation and youngsters have no attraction to me at all.

"These allegations are not nice, not pleasant and I don't know why they have come forward."

Roache was shown photographs by the police of his accusers as girls and said that he did not recognise any of them, that he would not have invited young girls into his dressing room or given them lifts in his Rolls-Royce.

The actor has pleaded not guilty to the seven charges against him.

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CORRECTION: On the 21st of January 2013 Sky News reported that the actor William Roache allegedly offered sweets as part of the "grooming process" of a girl.  This was inaccurate.  The evidence presented in court related to another actor.   We apologise unreservedly for this error.

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Saatchi And Taki Trade Insults Over Nigella

Charles Saatchi has warned a writer who backed his ex-wife Nigella Lawson: "I am a cage-fighter".

The 70-year-old art dealer and Taki Theodoracopulos, 77, appeared to be on course to settle their differences with a brawl after trading insults in a weekly magazine.

Mr Saatchi wrote to the Spectator attacking Mr Theodoracopulos, known as Taki, who had branded him a "rogue" and a "coward" over his treatment of the TV cook in his weekly column.

The millionaire shipping heir wrote that Mr Saatchi, 70, had a "coward's bullying manner - against women that is".

He also wrote: "The art world is full of rogues and pirates, and in my book the heroic man who grabbed Nigella by the throat is both of these things, and he is most welcome to come and try to grab my little throat anytime."

Spectator editor Fraser Nelson published Mr Saatchi's reponse in full and said his letter would feature in the magazine's latest edition.

Mr Saatchi wrote that Ms Lawson would have been "aghast at having you as her valiant supporter."

He added: "People tell me that in your unreadable column you also like to brag that you are a Black Belt at karate.

The Spectator's Taki challenged Mr Saatchi over his ex-wife Nigella Lawson

"Well, me too, old boy. But apparently your 'fights' are genteel affairs, against other soppy geriatrics rolling around the floor in crisp white outfits, in some bit of judokai nonsense.

"Mine take place in cages, 20 feet square, unofficial little events with no gloves, no rules, and the loser being carried out, usually battered to bits.

"You will understand why I laughed out loud at your schoolyard boast that I should try throttling a real hard case like you."

Mr Nelson also published a response from Taki, who said: "I am 77 years old, 5ft 9in and weigh 185lbs. I am willing to face him any time under cage-fighting non-rules, which will be a first for me.

"I need three days' notice."

Mr Saatchi and Ms Lawson divorced last year after photos were published showing the ad agency founder's hands round his wife's throat outside a Mayfair restaurant.

Details of the couple's life together were laid bare in court last month when their PAs Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo went on trial charged with defrauding their employers.

The Italian sisters were found not guilty at the end of the trial, which Ms Lawson has described as "mortifying".

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Russian Mine Blast: One Dead, Three Missing

At least one coal miner has died and three others were missing after a blast at a Russian coal mine, reports Interfax news agency.

A local law enforcement official said 101 of the 105 miners who had been in the mine in the city of Prokopyevsk in the Kemerovo region of Siberia had made it to the surface.

A miner's body was found after the blast at the Dzerzhinsky mine in a coal-rich section of central Siberia known as the Kuzbass.

The local adminstration said the fate of three other miners was unknown.

Fatal accidents are frequent in Russia's ageing pits despite improvements in safety since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

Most accidents have been attributed to methane gas blasts, negligence or a failure to follow safety regulations.

A methane blast at a coal mine in northern Russia last February killed 18 miners.

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Syria: Both Sides Agree To Direct Talks

The Syrian regime and opposition figures have agreed to finally sit down to talks that could end a nearly three-year civil war after a summit in Switzerland.

At the end of a day of discussion, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said both sides had "taken the first small step" to making peace.

He told a news conference: "Ending this war and making peace will be hard. We have taken the first small step here in Montreux.

"But it can be done, and it must be done. It is still not too late to end the bloodshed and find a peaceful and democratic solution.

Ban Ki-moon described the move as a "small step to peace"

"The moment to act courageously and decisively is now."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who held talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al Moallem and Syrian opposition leader Ahmed Jarba, urged the talks not to be focused on leadership change in Damascus.

He said: "As for guarantees that the talks will not collapse - it is necessary to influence both delegations so that this does not happen.

"The main thing is to start the process."

The talks between the two sides are expected to last for a week from Friday, before a pause and a second round of discussions.

The UN, Russia and the US were seeking to agree on a prisoner swap in Syria and exchanging lists of people it could potentially include to assist in the peace process.

Earlier the peace talks on the shores of Lake Geneva got off to a rocky start as a bitter clash over President Bashar Assad's future threatened to collapse the negotiations even before they really began.

Walid al Moallem and Ahmed Jarba have agreed to direct talks on Friday

US Secretary of State John Kerry told the conference it was time "to deal with reality".

He said: "There is no way - no way possible in the imagination - that the man who has led the brutal response to his own people could regain the legitimacy to govern.

"One man and those who have supported him can no longer hold an entire nation and a region hostage."

But Mr al Moallem said terrorists and foreign meddling had ripped his country apart, and refused to give up the podium despite numerous requests from Mr Ban.

He said: "You live in New York. I live in Syria. I have the right to give the Syrian version here in this forum.

"After three years of suffering, this is my right."

He also accused the West and neighbouring countries of funnelling money, weapons and foreign fighters to the rebellion.

Syrian National Coalition officials had wavered until the last minute on whether to attend the talks. They have insisted that any discussion of Assad continuing to remain in power would effectively end the talks.

The "Geneva II" talks are being held in Montreux on Lake Geneva

At least 130,000 people have been killed since a peaceful uprising against Assad's rule began in March 2011, with around 2.3 million refugees created.

On Tuesday, a group of international lawyers published allegations of the "systematic torture and killing" of up to 11,000 people by the Syrian regime.

The "Geneva II" conference went ahead after a last-minute dispute over the UN decision to withdraw an invitation to Iran over Tehran's refusal to endorse a plan for a transitional national body in Syria.

Iran is one of Assad's closest allies.

Later this week in Geneva, Syria's warring sides will sit down for their first face-to-face meeting since the conflict erupted.

While the talks took place, fresh clashes were reported in Damascus, Hama, Aleppo and the southern province of Deraa.

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