Snowden Leaks: Guardian Editor To Give Evidence

The editor of the Guardian is to give evidence to MPs over documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

A spokesman for the newspaper told Sky News that Alan Rusbridger had been "invited to give evidence to the home affairs select committee and looks forward to appearing next month".

It follows a series of articles published by the Guardian about the surveillance of phone and internet communications by the security services.

The revelations in the newspaper - and others around the world - were made in top-secret documents obtained by Mr Snowden, a former CIA computer analyst who has since fled to Russia.

Three of Britain's spy chiefs warned of the impact of the revelations

On Thursday, three of Britain's spy chiefs warned that terrorists would be "rubbing their hands with glee" at the level of information released.

Al Qaeda would be "lapping up" the revelations, they told an intelligence and security committee hearing.

It also emerged that dozens of Conservative MPs had written to Mr Rusbridger, asking him to consult the Government or security services before publishing any further stories based on Mr Snowden's files.

In their letter, the MPs said that publishing the leaked information in such detail "runs the risk of compromising the vital work of the institutions, processes and people who protect the safety of this country".

The Guardian has published a series of stories based on Mr Snowden's leaks

However, Mr Rusbridger said: "We continue to consult with both the security services and the Government on our reporting.

"We have in fact consulted with the White House, Downing Street (and) the intelligence services on both sides of the Atlantic ... on every story but one that we have published."

He added: "Snowden handed these documents to newspapers, who have responsibly edited them after prolonged and regular discussions with the relevant authorities.

"Were newspapers to be injuncted, criminalised or inhibited from reporting on such matters ... it is easy to predict what the next Edward Snowden or (fellow whistleblower) Chelsea Manning would do.

"They would, in all probability, bypass newspapers and publish the material directly on to the web, with far more serious consequences."

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Star Wars Auditions Being Held In Bristol

Hundreds of Star Wars hopefuls are queuing in Bristol on the first day of open auditions for two leading roles in the next instalment of the sci-fi franchise.

An audition notice put out by Disney on Twitter earlier this week says it is on a "nationwide search for lead roles for a Walt Disney Pictures film".

The casting call says it is looking for a girl called "Rachel" and a boy called "Thomas".

"Rachel" is described as "street smart and strong" and "always a survivor, never a victim"; while "Thomas" has "grown up without a father's influence" but is "smart, capable and shows courage when it is needed".

The advert says candidates must be good looking and athletic - over 16 for the female role or over 18 for the male role.

Up to 1000 people are estimated to have turned up in Bristol and organisers are now sending people away.

The success of the original Star Wars made its characters world famous

Further open auditions are to take place in Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin and London.

Jasmine Du'Pre, the first in line at Bristol, told Sky News she had arrived at 2pm on Friday.

She admitted it had been "freezing" overnight but said it was a chance she could not miss.

She said: "On my god, this is Star Wars, when I heard about it I just had to get here. It's such an amazing opportunity.

"The acting industry is really hard to get into. For people to have the opportunity to show their skills, to be seen, is fantastic."

Speaking after her moment in the spotlight, she said the casting directors were "really nice" but did not ask her to recite any lines.

"They basically told us where to go, we filled out some forms and sat in front of one person and they asked us a few questions.

Star Trek director JJ Abrams is directing the new film

"They asked me if I had done any acting before ... The other thing they wanted to know is what I do for a hobby and how I relax.

"We were just engaged in a conversation. It was quite friendly and a nice atmosphere to be yourself."

It is thought that each person gets about five minutes to impress.

Sky News' Clare Fallon said the hopefuls in Bristol appear keen to put on a 'professional' show.

"No fancy dress costumes, no light sabres," said Fallon. "Most of them are very serious about being in this film."

Disney announced the three new Star Wars films in October 2012 when it purchased George Lucas' Lucasfilm company for $4.05bn (£2.7bn).

The next instalment, Star Wars: Episode VII, will be made by Emmy-award-winning director JJ Abrams next year at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.

The three icons of the original Star Wars movies - Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher - are expected to make a comeback.

The film will open in cinemas on December 18, 2015.

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Man Killed In Double Shooting In Leeds

A man has been killed and another seriously injured after a double shooting inside a house in Leeds.

The pair were attacked at around 5.30pm on Friday in Wortley, in the west of the city.

They were both taken to hospital but one of the victims, 21, was pronounced dead a short time later.

A 31-year-old man is being treated for serious wounds to his lower body.

Detective Superintendent Simon Beldon, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "At this time our investigations are at a very early stage and forensic examinations are taking place at the scene.

"We believe that the shots were fired inside the property, however inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.

"The nature of this incident suggests it was a targeted and isolated attack and a team of detectives are currently working hard to quickly identify those responsible for this serious crime.

"Neighbourhood policing team officers are also patrolling the local area, speaking to residents and responding to any concerns they may have."

:: Anyone with information is asked to contact police on the non emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Andy Murray Fans Arrested After 'Gun Scare'

Police arrested four men suspected of brandishing a gun at tennis star Andy Murray - but later realised they were autograph hunters with a tennis racket.

The mix-up happened in north London on Wednesday at around 5pm when the Wimbledon champion was in a car with his agent.

Two men apparently got out of another car and knocked on the window of Murray's vehicle to ask him to sign the racket before he drove off, but a member of the public thought the racket was a gun and contacted police.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said they received a report of a man with a firearm in a Mercedes car in Swiss Cottage and the vehicle was stopped in Chelsea, west London.

The four men, aged between 21 and 31, were arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm and taken into custody, but were later bailed until late January pending further inquiries.

The spokesman added: "A search of the car was conducted and no trace of a firearm was found."

Murray is currently recovering from back surgery he had in September.

In July, he became the first British man to win Wimbledon for 77 years, although he missed the latter part of the season after undergoing the surgery.

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Miliband: Energy Bill Freeze 'Would Save £100m'

Freezing energy prices would save the taxpayer more than £100m in reduced fuel bills for public services such as hospitals and schools, says Labour leader Ed Miliband.

Labour has promised to freeze the price of bills until 2017 and "reset the broken energy market" if the party wins the 2015 general election.

The Opposition leader - speaking during a visit to Crouch End in north London - said £40 million would be cut from NHS costs, £28 million from schools and £21 million from defence if the move was implemented now.

The Tories have dismissed the price freeze idea as a "con", suggesting energy firms would simply push up prices in the run up to any freeze or immediately afterwards.

Controversial energy price rises have seen the average bill go up by an average of nine per cent and made the issue a hot political topic.

Mr Miliband said today: "If Labour win the next election, we will freeze energy prices until 2017.

"Labour's price freeze will save families an average £120 and an average small business user would benefit by over £5,000.

Mr Miliband revealed the price freeze pledge at his party's conference

He added: "It's not just Britain's families and businesses that would benefit from this price freeze, it's our vital public services too.

"New figures today show that if David Cameron put in place our freeze today, public services would save £100m.

"And that matters more than ever in an era when there's less money around."

He said savings to the NHS were the equivalent of 1,300 nurses' salaries and that school savings could pay for the salaries of over 700 teachers.

Labour's figures are drawn mainly from answers to a series of parliamentary questions by shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Chris Leslie.

Parliament earlier this week voted against Labour's proposal to freeze energy prices for 20 months but Labour is pushing ahead with the pledge as part of its strategy to win the next election.

The coalition government argues that a price freeze is not workable.

Instead it is putting in place an annual competition check by regulators, while the Conservatives will push for green levies on bills to be rolled back in the Chancellor's autumn statement in December.

Representatives from the 'Big Six' energy companies were also recently grilled by MPs, with E.ON boss Tony Cocker calling for a Competition Commission inquiry to reassure customers.

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Alcohol Testing 'Should Take Place At Work'

By James Matthews, Sky News Correspondent

An organisation set up to tackle alcohol misuse has called for workplace testing to seek out problem drinkers.

The Alcohol Health Network wants employees to take a standardised test which identifies whether or not they are misusing alcohol.

The body's director and founder, Don Shenker, wrote in the British Medical Journal that if problems were identified, employers could provide advice to help prevent problem drinking at an early stage.

He stated that introducing such a measure could "prevent alcohol-related harm and sickness costs".

Mr Shenker wrote: "Offering staff confidential use of the 'alcohol use disorders identification test' and brief advice as a self-awareness initiative at work, whether through face to face interactions or leaflets, may well help prevent problems with alcohol at an earlier stage.

"In this way, staff who may be concerned about their drinking or whose level of drinking is not yet apparent to them, can assess the risks their drinking poses to their health and take appropriate action.

"Reducing hazardous drinking also reduces the risk of dependent drinking occurring."

He added: "Employers need also to be convinced of the business case for prevention rather than cure - that is, that it is ultimately more cost effective to prevent and reduce harmful drinking in the general working population, compared with the costs of managing dependent drinking among a minority of staff."

The NHS estimates that in the UK around 9% of men and 4% of women show signs of alcohol dependence.

In 2011, 167,764 prescriptions for drugs to treat alcohol dependency were prescribed.

In 2010, 6,669 deaths were directly related to alcohol.

The Government advises that people should not regularly drink more than the daily unit guidelines of three to four units of alcohol for men (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer) and two to three units of alcohol for women (equivalent to a 175ml glass of wine).

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Maternity Negligence Cover: NHS Spends £482m

A fifth of maternity services funding is spent on insurance against malpractice, according to a review by the National Audit Office (NAO).

The report found the NHS in England spent £482m on clinical negligence cover in the last year - the equivalent of £700 per birth.

The most common reasons for maternity claims are mistakes during labour or caesarean sections and errors resulting in cerebral palsy, the review said.

Public Accounts Committee chairwoman Margaret Hodge said the figures were "absolutely scandalous".

"The current system is not working as it should," she said.

"The Department of Health needs to buck up and take responsibility for this.

"It needs to review its monitoring and reporting process to ensure that all relevant bodies can work effectively together to deliver maternity services that are value for money and fit for purpose."

The report also highlights a shortage of midwives and consultants on labour wards.

The equivalent of £700 per birth is spent on insurance, the report said

During 2012 there was a shortfall of around 2,300 midwives, the authors said.

More than half of units were not meeting the levels of consultant presence recommended by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Between April and September 2012, more than a quarter (28%) of maternity units were forced to close their doors to patients for at least half a day because of a lack of space or a shortage of midwives.

Of these units, 11% closed for the equivalent of a fortnight or more, the report found.

Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said: "We are many thousands of midwives short of the number needed to deliver safe, high-quality care.

"Births are at a 40-year high and other figures out this week show that this is set to continue.

"As the report states, births are also becoming increasingly complex putting even more demands on midwives and maternity services."

The report found a "wide variation" in complication rates between hospitals

She added: "The cost of litigation payments in maternity can be enormous.

"What this shows is that you cannot get safe, high-quality maternity services on the cheap because it will cost much more in the long run."

Minister for Health and Maternity Dr Dan Poulter said: "We have always recognised the need for greater investment in midwives and maternity units.

"The NHS now has over 1,300 more midwives since May 2010 and there are a record 5,000 more in training."

But Labour's shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: "David Cameron promised thousands more midwives, but he's failing to deliver them.

"Across England, too many maternity units are operating without enough staff - unable to keep up with demand - whilst others are facing closure or downgrading."

The NAO report also highlights a "wide unexplained variation" in complication rates between hospitals.

In some hospitals up to 1.6% of women are readmitted as an emergency after having a baby, compared to 0.5% in others.

Infection rates in newborns range from 0.6% of babies born in some hospitals, while the figure is as high as 4.2% of babies born in others.

The authors also said more needs to be done to address the number of stillbirths in England.

The report points out that in 2011, one in 133 babies was stillborn or died within several days of birth.

The mortality rate has fallen over time, but comparisons with the other UK nations suggest scope for further improvement.

On the number of stillbirths in England, the minister said: "The death of a child is always a tragedy and has a devastating impact on the whole family.

"We are working closely with the charity Sands and the NHS on ways to raise awareness about stillbirth with women and NHS staff."

Dr David Richmond, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: "Although the UK is generally a safe place for women to give birth, we have known for some time that pressure on maternity services is growing in some areas particularly inner city conurbations placing stress on clinicians, managers and patients alike.

"More consultants are needed to deal with not only the rapidly increasing birth rate but the rise in complex pregnancies, with older mothers, maternal obesity and multiple pregnancies at the fore."

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Thames Water 8% Price Hike Stopped By Ofwat

Britain's biggest water company has been stopped from imposing a price hike of 8% on its customers for 2014-15.

Ofwat, the water regulator, said the Thames Water price rise of £29 was not justified, despite the company saying the extra money was needed to fund the construction a "super sewer" under London.

The watchdog's chief regulation officer Sonia Brown said: "We said we would challenge Thames' application, in the interests of customers.

"We did just that and on the evidence provided we are not convinced that an extra bill increase is justified."

This announcement is Ofwat's final decision on the application.

Thames Water now has the right to trigger an appeal to the Competition Commission. The company told Sky News it was reviewing the decision by Ofwat.

The decision by Ofwat means the maximum that Thames Water can add to customers' bills for 2014-15 is capped at 1.4% above inflation, as set in the 2009 price review.

 Thames Water had submitted the application to Ofwat for an interim adjustment to prices over the current five-year price period.

The firm, which is privately owned by a global consortium led by Australia's Macquarie group, said it has spent £273m on acquiring land needed for the construction of the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

It also said bad debt as a result of the economic slowdown had prompted the application.

Ofwat criticised Thames Water over delays to a sewage treatment programme

In September, Ofwat criticised Thames Water over the application, saying it had made "substantial savings" by doing less than expected to tackle sewer flooding.

A major investment programme in sewage treatment has also dragged on too long, it added, despite customers being charged for the improvements.

Last week, Ofwat chairman Jonson Cox wrote to all water companies asking them to consider whether they needed to increase their bills for 2014-15 by the full amounts set in the last price review.

On 2 December, companies will submit their business plans for the next price review, which will cover the period from 2015 to 2020.

Ofwat has called on these plans to reflect their customers' priorities, and believes there is scope for reductions in bills from 2015.

If companies do not propose reductions, they will need to fully explain to their customers why.

Mr Cox told the firms that Ofwat will set 2015-20 prices using an independent, rigorous process, ahead of a final decision is due on these prices by January 2015.

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Bristol PC Falls Through Roof Chasing Suspect

A police officer is in a critical condition after falling through a garage roof while chasing a suspect.

PC Christopher Hardaway suffered serious head injuries when he plunged through the roof of Bristol 2CV garage in Hampton Road, in the Redland area of the city, early this morning. 

The Avon and Somerset officer, who was in his 20s, was pursuing a man seen acting suspiciously on the roof of the building.

A police helicopter spotted the man on top of the garage and PC Hardaway climbed up to investigate when the roof gave way.

The officer was rushed to Frenchay Hospital and is currently undergoing emergency surgery.

Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham called the PC's actions "brave and courageous".

The scene of the fall remains cordoned off and officers are carrying out door-to-door inquiries.

Police are still looking for the suspect who is thought to have dark hair and dark clothing.

Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Anyone with information should contact the Bristol CID on the police number 101.

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Political Broadcaster John Cole Dies At 85

Former political journalist John Cole has died aged 85 after a long illness, his son has said.

The BBC's former political editor spent more than 10 years with the public broadcaster after a lengthy career in newspapers.

Cole died at his Surrey home on Thursday and is survived by his wife Madge, four sons and nine grandchildren.

Cole's family said he was "loving, funny and devoted"

His family said: "While many people will remember John for his journalism and broadcasting, for us he was the most loving, funny and devoted husband, father and grandfather.

"We will miss him terribly, but have so many memories of the tremendous happiness he has brought into our lives."

David Cameron's official spokesman said: "The Prime Minister is deeply saddened by the news and would send his condolences, of course, to Mr Cole's family and friends.

"He is someone who contributed so much to British political life."

As the face of the BBC's political coverage during the Thatcher years, he covered major stories including the Falklands War, the Brighton bomb and Mrs Thatcher's resignation.

His distinctive Ulster accent made him a regular subject for satirists.

Cole was born in Belfast in 1927 and started his career on the Belfast Telegraph in 1945 before joining The Guardian, where he worked as labour correspondent, news editor and eventually deputy editor.

In 1975 he joined The Observer before moving to the BBC in 1981.

He retired after the 1992 general election and wrote his memoirs, As It Seemed To Me, and a novel set in his native Northern Ireland.

In his memoirs, Cole recounted how an interview early in his career with then-prime minister Clement Attlee during a holiday in Ireland inspired him to to work in Westminster.

He went on to interview many of Westminster's biggest names and was a regular fixture outside Downing Street in the 1980s.

The BBC's current political editor Nick Robinson said Cole "shaped the way all in my trade do our jobs."

Labour leader Ed Miliband wrote on Twitter: "My generation grew up watching John Cole.

"He conveyed the drama and importance of politics. Many condolences to his family."

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Missing GP: CCTV Released In Appeal Over Mum

The husband of a doctor who has gone missing as she battles postnatal depression has made an emotional appeal for her to get in touch.

CCTV images have been released of mother-of-two Elizabeth Kinston, who disappeared from her home in Beeston, Nottingham, five days ago.

She was on maternity leave from her role as a GP, having given birth to her second daughter in January.

Her husband David called for Dr Kinston - or 'Lizzie', as she is also known - to let him know she was safe.

He said: "Lizzie, I miss you, the girls miss you. It's so hard without you here. We need you.

"If you want more time, that's okay. But please call me - or call your mum and dad or your sister, who are all so worried about you too - just so we know you are alright".

Nottinghamshire Police has now released CCTV images showing the last time Dr Kinston was seen.

Mrs Kinston walking past the Vat and Fiddle pub

The pictures show the 37-year-old walking past the Vat And Fiddle pub, in Queensbridge Road, Nottingham, at 11.43am on Friday, minutes after she walked up Carrington Street towards Nottingham train station.

She had left her home an hour earlier.

Her Audi was spotted soon after at a petrol station near Priory Island on the A52 and at the Broad Marsh car park, in Nottingham.

The car was found at the car park the following day, with her purse and phone inside.

The jumper Mrs Kinston was last seen wearing

Detective Inspector Kev Broadhead, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Elizabeth has never left her family like this before and we are aware that she has been battling postnatal depression since Elise was born.

"That fact, along with our belief that she has little money, no bank cards and no phone with her is of great concern. The cold weather is an added worry.

"We have been exploring the possibility that Elizabeth boarded a train the day she went missing, but these new images suggest she walked past the station and then headed away from the station.

Police believe the 37-year-old has little money, no bank cards and no phone

"With this in mind, she could still be in Nottinghamshire.

"Were you in the area at the time? Did you see a blonde woman in a long green coat with a fur hood?

"Did you see her a few minutes later wearing a dark woollen hat and a pink hooded jumper, carrying the same coat? If you have any information call us."

Dr Kinston is described as white, around 5ft 7in tall and of medium build. She has blonde, shoulder-length hair, which was tied back in a ponytail.

The day she went missing, she was wearing a thigh-length, dark green quilted coat with a fur hood, a light pink jumper, blue jeans and dark brown knee-high riding-style boots.

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Miley And Rihanna Explicit Pop 'Over The Top'

More than 80% of children are mimicking overtly provocative dance moves and repeating lyrics of sexual songs after being exposed to explicit pop music, a survey has revealed.

A third of parents admitted that their child had copied overtly provocative dance moves they had seen pop stars perform, while more than four fifths said their youngster had sung or repeated sexual song lyrics without realising what they meant.

Almost one in 12 said that their son or daughter had sung lyrics knowing what they meant, with some first becoming aware of the meaning of the songs they were singing by the age of five or even younger.

The Netmums poll, which surveyed more than 1,500 parents, suggests that mothers and fathers are increasingly concerned that many of today's pop stars put on far more explicit performances than when they were young, and that it is sending their children negative messages about sex.

Lady Gaga performing at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards

Many fear that their sons and daughters are being taught that they need to show off their bodies and act in a sexual manner in order to get noticed.

Asked how they felt about singers such as Miley Cyrus and Rihanna, more than half of parents said that while they did not mind stars acting sexily, they believed some were "over the top".

Around a fifth said that pop stars had always acted in this fashion because they knew it sold music, while two thirds said that the message being sent by some singers was that "you need to flash your body and be sexual to get noticed".

Of those questioned that have boys, almost half said that they feared sexy music videos may make them grow up expecting women to be too sexually available, while 58% said it may leave their sons expecting women to have unrealistic figures.

Katy Perry at the 51st annual Grammy Awards

Of those with girls, three quarters worried their daughters would think they would be judged on their looks, not personality or achievements, and nearly two thirds said they thought their child might be expected to be sexual too soon.

Almost nine in 10 parents said they thought pop stars acted worse today, and had to go further to shock, than singers did from their own childhood.

Many of the parents surveyed said that they tried to shield their children from watching explicit music videos.

Netmums founder Siobhan Freegard said: "Modern parents aren't prudes - they know sex sells. But there's a strong feeling that things have gone too far now.

"It's toxic to tell young kids casual sex and violence are something to aspire to.

"Instead, if a star wants to make a statement, why not use their brain, not their body?"

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Gosport Girls' Road Deaths: Man Charged

A 20-year-old man has been charged with the manslaughter of two teenage girls who died after they were hit by a car.

Samuel Etherington, from Gosport, Hampshire, will appear at Portsmouth Magistrates Court later.

Police were called to Ann's Hill Road in Gosport at 4.15am on Sunday following reports that a green Honda Civic collided with two girls.

Jasmine Allsop, 14, died at the scene, while Olivia Lewry, 16, died later after being taken to hospital.

Jasmine's mother, Rosemary, has described how she kissed her daughter goodbye after she was awoken by the emergency services attending the accident which happened outside her home.

Ms Allsop, 37, said she had enjoyed a night in with the two girls before the accident.

She said: "I went out and then a neighbour covered me in a blanket.

"I kissed her - it was four hours before they took her body away because I did not want to let her go.

"I told her she was my angel and I'd loved her since the day she was born. I can remember her big blue eyes staring."

The housewife, who is also the mother of a four-year-old, said the death left her numb.

She said: "I'm empty inside and lost. I keep expecting her to come through the door."

She added: "Jasmine was a gorgeous, lovely, bubbly character. They (Jasmine and Olivia) were best friends."

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Universal Credit Scheme 'Has Lost Over £140m'

Universal credit has been savaged by MPs for "shocking" failures that have already wasted at least £140m.

The scheme has been blighted by "alarmingly weak" management, with secretaries allowed to authorise purchase orders worth more than £20m.

In some cases it is unclear what suppliers have been paid for.

The cross-party Public Accounts Committee (PAC) also voiced doubts about whether the project can still be fully delivered by 2017 - branding a pilot "inadequate" and open to fraud.

Universal credit is due to replace a bundle of means-tested benefits in four years' time, with Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith insisting it can ensure people are always better off in jobs and save £38bn by 2023.

Iain Duncan Smith says universal credit can save £38bn by 2023

However, a former Olympics executive had to be drafted in earlier this year to "reset" the programme amid concerns over delays and IT issues.

The PAC report said the Department for Work and Pensions had "neglected to implement basic procedures for monitoring and authorising expenditure".

The MPs said: "We saw evidence that purchase orders with a total value of £8.7m were approved by a personal assistant to the programme director.

"In another case, two purchase orders, one for £22.6m and one for £1.1m, were approved by a personal assistant to the programme director whose delegated financial authority at the time of approvals was only £10m.

"When the department made individual payments to suppliers these could not be linked to particular pieces of work that had been delivered."

PAC chair Margaret Hodge said the implementation of universal credit so far had been "extraordinarily poor".

She said: "The failure to develop a comprehensive plan has led to extensive delay and the waste of a yet to be determined amount of public money.

"£425m has been spent so far on the programme. It is likely that much of this, including at least £140m worth of IT assets, will now have to be written off.

"The management of the programme has been alarmingly weak.

"From the outset, the department has failed to grasp the nature and enormity of the task; failed to monitor and challenge progress regularly; and, when problems arose, failed to intervene promptly."

The MPs said the project would not hit its current target of enrolling 184,000 claimants by April 2014.

As a result the later stages would have to be speeded up to meet the 2017 completion date - but that would "pose new risks".

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Senior Lib Dem Failed To Declare Donations

The deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, Simon Hughes, has apologised for failing to declare six donations to his local party.

Mr Hughes failed to properly declare the donations in the register of members' interests and, in a personal statement to the House of Commons, said: "I take full responsibility for these failures and apologise unreservedly to the House."

The Standards and Privileges Committee said it found no evidence of attempts to conceal the donations because they had been declared to the Electoral Commission.

However, it said that an MP with the experience of Mr Hughes should have properly updated parliament.

More follows...

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Dog Attack: Girl's Family Pays Tribute

Dangerous Dogs: The Victims

Updated: 9:58am UK, Wednesday 06 November 2013

Some 17 people have now been killed by dogs in the UK since 2005. Here is a list of the cases...

October 2013: Lexi Branson, 4, killed in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire. Breed of dog responsible is not yet confirmed.

May 2013: Clifford Clarke, 79, was outside his home in Clubmoor, Liverpool. Breed of the dog, belonging to a neighbour, was believed to have been a bull masitff crossed with either a Presa Canario or a bandog.

March 2013: Jade Lomas-Anderson, 14, from Wigan, Greater Manchester. Attacked by four or five dogs at a friend's house. Two were believed to have been bull mastiffs, two were Staffordshire bull terriers.

November 2012: Harry Harper, eight days old, from Ketley, Shropshire. Attacked by a Jack Russell in his cot.

October 2012: Gloria Knowles, 71, from Morden, south London. Suffered a heart attack when savaged by her daughter's dogs when she went to feed them. Two were Bordeaux bulldogs, two were American bulldogs and one was a mongrel.

January 2012: Leslie Trotman, 83, of Brentford, west London. He was in his garden when a neighbour's Pitbull-type dog escaped and attacked him.

December 2010: Barbara Williams, 52, Wallington, Surrey. Attacked by a Belgian mastiff in a garden.

April 2010: Zumer Ahmed, 18 months, from Crawley, West Sussex. Killed when her uncle's American bulldog got into the house.

November 2009: John Paul Massey, aged four, from Wavertree, Liverpool. Killed at home by his uncle's pitbull-type dog.

May 2009: Andrew Walker, 21, Blackpool, Lancashire. Bitten more than 50 times by his flatmate's two Alsatians.

February 2009: Jaden Mack, three months old, from Caerphilly, South Wales. Stafforshire bull terrier and Jack Russell attacked him on a table at home after his grandmother fell asleep.

January 2009: Stephen Hudspeth, 33, Bishop Auckland, County Durham. Attacked by a Staffordshire bull terrier and died days later from blood poisoning.

January 2008: James Redhill, 78, Plaistow, east London. His own pet Rottweiler attacked him in the street.

December 2007: Archie-Lee Hirst, one year old, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Attacked by a Rottweiler at his grandparents' home.

January 2007: Ellie Lawrenson, five years old, St Helens, Merseyside, Attacked at her grandmother's home by her uncle's Pitbull-type dog.

September 2006: Cadey-Lee Deacon, five months, from Leicester. Taken from her Moses basket by two Rottweilers in the living area of her grandparents' pub.

November 2005: Liam Eames, one year old, from Leeds. Attacked at home by the family's American bulldog.

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Curtis Warren Ordered To Repay Millions

A drugs baron has been ordered to pay back almost £200m within a month after what is believed to be Europe's largest confiscation order.

Curtis "Cocky" Warren, one of Europe's most notorious drug dealers, is serving a 13-year sentence for plotting to smuggle cannabis with a street value of £1m into Jersey and is due for release from Belmarsh prison in January.

The 50-year-old former Liverpool nightclub bouncer has been warned he must hand over the money within 28 days or face a further 10 years behind bars.

A statement from the State of Jersey's Law Officers' Department read: "The Royal Court of Jersey has today ordered that £198m be confiscated from Curtis Warren. It is believed to be one of the largest ever confiscation orders made in the British Isles and Europe.

"The confiscation proceedings are the result of several years of extensive investigation into the criminal career and financial affairs of one of Europe's most notorious organised criminals."

Prosecutors allege Warren was laundering £10m to £15m a week from smuggling drugs.

Warren arriving at court in 2009

The case primarily featured evidence related to cocaine trafficking between 1991 and 1996 which "generated huge sums of monies", the department said.

The shipments ranged from 500 kilos to multiple tonnes and gained "huge" profits, with a two-ton shipment of cocaine able to sell on the UK market for £40m wholesale, it said.

Warren became the first criminal to be the subject of a High Court move to protect the public last month.

Designed to prevent reoffending, it will impose restrictions on Warren's access to mobile phones and telephone kiosks as well as limitations on bank accounts.

Serious Crime Prevention Orders are normally made at Crown Court following a conviction but Warren was convicted in 2009 in Jersey, which is outside the jurisdiction of England and Wales.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said Warren coordinated a global drugs empire from his cell at Jersey's La Moye prison while awaiting trial between 2007 and 2009, where he was alleged to have used several illicit mobile phones to contact a network of associates in an attempt to continue his drug trafficking empire.

Some 35,000 calls across 41 countries between March 2008 and October 2009 involving Warren's mobile phones were analysed during the investigation.

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Burka Terror Suspect Mohamed: Hunt Stepped Up

The Metropolitan Police, MI5 and the UK Border Agency have combined forces to find a terror suspect who escaped from his government minders after changing into a burka.

Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed disappeared on Friday while visiting the An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre in Acton, west London.

The 27-year-old, who is subject to a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measure (Tpim) order restricting his movements, arrived at the centre in Western-style clothing at 10am.

He was last seen at 3.15pm that day.

There has been no sign of Mohamed since he made off

Mohamed is understood to have links to the Somali-based al Shabaab militant group, which carried out the attack on Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi.

Police have issued an image of him leaving the community centre disguised as a woman.

However, doubts have been raised as to whether it is actually Mohamed as he is 5ft 8 (1.72cm) tall and of medium build and the figure in the picture is quite burly.

Mohamed's escape has been a huge embarrassment for Home Secretary Theresa May, who has insisted he does not pose "a direct threat" to members of the public.

Mohamed is believed to have fled the centre in a burka

Mohamed is the second terror suspect under a Tpim order to go missing. The first, Ibrahim Magag, made off in a taxi on Boxing Day in 2012 and has never been caught.

Along with 28-year-old Magag and others, Mohamed is thought to be a member of a UK-based network that raises money and provides equipment for terrorism.

London Mayor Boris Johnson has joined calls for tougher controls over terror suspects after Mohamed's "absurd" escape.

Mr Johnson said: "Plainly (Tpims) are not working in the way we would like them to work in the sense that this guy Mohamed was able to flee in absurd circumstances.

Boris Johnson: 'We need to review controls'

"If a fellow can get into a burka and evade his invigilators in the way that Mohamed has done, then we clearly need to look at how it is working.

"Depending on how much of a risk you are deemed to pose, you should be deprived of contact with networks that might help you with any end you desire.

"This guy Mohamed was obviously helped to escape. I don't believe for a minute that he did it on his own. He was in contact with people who are sympathisers.

"Characters such as him - and even if he doesn't pose an immediate threat to this country, it is plain he is a danger - should be more closely invigilated than they currently are."

On the day of his disappearance, Mohamed was cleared at the Old Bailey of tampering with his electronic tag, it is understood.

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Stubbs' Kangaroo And Dingo Works To Stay In UK

Two paintings that gave Britain the first glimpse of a kangaroo and a dingo will stay in the country after a successful campaign.

Stubbs did not paint the animals in real life

The works by George Stubbs, one of Britain's most famous artists, date from 1772.

Named The Kongouro From New Holland and Portrait Of A Large Dog, they were first shown at the Royal Academy in London the year after they were painted.

They gave the British public the first ever glimpse of the Australian animals.

The paintings were sold last year to a buyer outside the UK and there were fears they would soon leave the country.

The Portrait Of A Large Dog aimed to depict a dingo

However the works were made the subject of a Government export bar while the National Maritime Museum was given a chance to raise funds to keep it.

Now a final donation of £1.5m from the Eyal Ofer Family Foundation means works will stay at the museum, in Greenwich, south London.

Sir David Attenborough, who publicly supported the museum's appeal, said: "Exciting news that these two pictures, so important in the history of zoological discovery, are to remain where they were commissioned and painted."

Stubbs was best known for his images of horses and dogs

The iconic works are thought to have been commissioned by Sir Joseph Banks following his part in Captain James Cook's first voyage of discovery to the Pacific.

But Stubbs, best known for his images of horses and dogs, was unable to paint the creatures from life so worked from spoken accounts, and in the case of the kangaroo, from sketches and after inflating the preserved skin.

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BAE Announces 1,775 Shipyard Job Losses

Defence giant BAE Systems has announced that 1,775 jobs are to go across its three shipyards.

In addition, the firm will end an 800-year-old tradition of shipbuilding at Portsmouth with 940 jobs to go there by the second half of 2014, reducing the 1,200 workforce to just 260.

The remainder are expected to go across BAE's shipyards at Govan and Scotstoun in Scotland, where the company currently employs 3,200.

The cuts are part of a maritime defence review, which BAE systems launched 18 months ago.

Portsmouth dockyard has a rich historical heritage of shipbuilding

A statement from BAE said: "(The) company proposes to consolidate its shipbuilding operations in Glasgow with investments in facilities to create a world-class capability, positioning it to deliver an affordable Type 26 programme for the Royal Navy.

"Under these proposals, shipbuilding operations at Portsmouth will cease in the second half of 2014."

Confirming the announcement in a statement to the House of Commons the Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, said that the losses were "regrettable but inevitable".

He said that the shipyards would have been unable to sustain such a large workforce once the £6.2bn project to build the Royal Navy's largest ever aircraft carriers came to an end.

Falklands troops return home to Portsmouth

The decision has taken on significant political prominence with the Scottish referendum looming in 2014 and warnings any closure of one of the Scottish yards would have handed First Minister Alex Salmond "a victory on a plate".

Mike Hancock, Liberal Democrat MP for Portsmouth South, said: "I think personally it is a real tragedy for them as individuals and for us as a community in Portsmouth.

"To lose close to 1,000 jobs in this way is a bitter blow. There has to be some element of cynicism being brought into play here to suggest this is simply being done to suit the financial situation at BAE and the Scottish referendum must have played some part, albeit maybe a small part.

"I think people would be foolish not to think that that was something in the background." 

The front section of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth at Portsmouth

Ending shipbuilding at Portsmouth would mean the UK would lose the ability to build its own warships if Scotland is granted independence in 2014.

Gerald Vernon-Jackson, leader of Portsmouth Council, said: "I condemn the decision to shut down the last remaining shipyard in England with the capability to build advanced surface warships.

"This decision is bad for Portsmouth, with the loss of many highly skilled jobs, but it's also bad for the defence of the UK and for the Royal Navy.

"The remaining yards with the capability to build advanced warships are in Scotland, and the referendum on Scottish independence is less than one year away. Ministers have put the defence of the UK and the future of the navy at real risk."

Type 26 warships will be built in Glasgow

Asked about the decision, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "This is a Government that always takes decisions based on the national interest.

"This decision was taken with a view of how we have the best-equipped, best-maintained Royal Navy. That is the basis on which it was taken."

Mr Hammond has announced BAE will build three Offshore Patrol Vehicles

Mr Hammond also announced that the Ministry of Defence would be giving BAE the contract to build three Offshore Patrol Vehicles to bridge the gap between the aircraft carrier project ending and the beginning of work on the new Type 26 warship in 2016.

This, he said, was to avoid having shipyards being paid to lay idle, with workers losing valuable skills.

Unite national officer for shipbuilding Ian Waddell said: "This is a very worrying time for the workforces and their families as the work on the two carriers comes to a conclusion.

"Unite will be working very hard to retain the maximum number of jobs at both Portsmouth and in Scotland.

"It is a huge blow to Britain's manufacturing and industrial base, with many highly skilled workers faced with losing their jobs."

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Terror Suspect's Height 'Made Disguise Easier'

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

A friend of terror suspect Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed has told Sky News his small stature may have helped him disguise himself as a woman.

The 27-year-old, who is understood to have connections with the al Shabaab terror group, escaped police surveillance on Friday by changing into a burka at a mosque in west London.

He was being watched under a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measure to "prevent his travel to support terrorism overseas", the Home Secretary said.

Mohamed's friend, a 26-year-old Somali shopkeeper in Acton, revealed the man being hunted by police is known as "Little Mo".

The suspect changed from fun loving to quiet after a trip to Somalia

He did not want to be identified, but said: "He's only around 5ft 7in or 5ft 8in so perhaps that was why he got past the cops dressed as he was - he probably wouldn't stand out as a man in hiding.

"I saw him last on Wednesday before he disappeared on the Friday - he seemed fine.

"I never suspected anything like this that the police were watching him.

"It is unbelievable to think it is him."

The friend said they used to play football together in Acton Park and used to enjoy nights out going clubbing in central London.

He added: "He didn't smoke, didn't drink and was quiet but could also be very funny - he liked a joke and could be a comedian."

But after returning to west London from Somalia, Mohammed became much quieter and withdrawn.

He said: "When he came back it is like a person you didn't know, he was not talking to people he used to know before."

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Essex Child Shooting: Eight-Year-Old Fired Gun

An eight-year-old boy fired a gunshot that left a five-year-old with serious injuries, police have revealed.

Officers were called to a house in Essex after reports that a gun had been fired. They believe the shooting was an accident.

A spokeswoman said: "It is thought to have been fired by an eight-year-old boy."

The force has refused to comment on the type of weapon used in the incident on Sunday or the relationship between the two children.

The injured child was taken to the Royal London Hospital with a serious but not life-threatening injury.

It is understood the owners of the property in in Upper Park Road, Wickford, were not at home at the time but were nearby.

An 18-year-old man was arrested for possession of a firearm and unrelated drug offences.

The weapon and other legally-held firearms at the property were handed over to police officers.

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Prince Charles' Duchy Estate Defends Tax Breaks

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

The Duchy of Cornwall does not possess a "competitive advantage" over other businesses despite being exempt from hefty taxes, a spokesperson for Prince Charles' estate has told Sky News.

The comments come as the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) publishes its report on the accounts of the 700-year-old Duchy of Cornwall estate.

Under the Duchy, established in 1337 by King Edward III, the heir to the throne is exempt from paying corporation and capital gains taxes on land and property transactions.

But while the current Duke of Cornwall, Prince Charles, is technically exempt from paying income tax, he has volunteered to do so since 1993.

The Duchy of Cornwall estate was established by King Edward III in 1337

The Duchy spokesperson told Sky News: "We do not believe we have a competitive advantage.

"The Duke of Cornwall's income is taxed at income tax rates. The Duchy is not subject to corporation tax and the Duchy is not a corporation ... any capital gains have to be reinvested in the business and cannot be distributed."

But the PAC's Margaret Hodge MP wonders whether the Duchy's unique tax arrangements allow for a level playing field when the estate stands alongside other businesses.

She said: "If you're letting property to a Holiday Inn in Reading or to Waitrose to run a big depot on an industrial estate, are the terms of that enabling other competitors in that market to compete on an equal and level playing field?

"What started off 700 years ago as a medieval estate, today demonstrates all the features of a modern big corporation, yet it hangs on to old habits such as exemption from corporation tax."

The Duchy's main activity is the management of land and properties which make up its estate, providing an income for the present and future Dukes of Cornwall.

Its portfolio is made up of 131,000 acres of land, properties spread across 24 counties and more than 3,500 individual lettings.

All together over the last financial year it generated £28.8m and the Prince received an income of £19m, up 4% on the previous year.

The estate owns property including the Kia Oval in south London

The money is partly used to fund his and his family's public, charitable and official duties and the Prince voluntarily pays income tax on the cash left after costs, around £9.2m last year, according to the PAC.

Margaret Hodge believes the Treasury falls short of proper scrutiny when it comes to the Duchy's finances.

She said: "It [The Treasury] relies on the Duchy to provide it with accurate information without carrying out its own independent checks.

"Details of the Treasury's approvals for the Duchy's proposed land transactions over £500,000, of which there are around 15 a year, are not published.

"Greater transparency is needed."

In answer to the PAC findings, the Treasury said: "HM Treasury's role is to ensure that the Duchy of Cornwall is managed in a sustainable way and that the strategic choices made by the estate's managers are in its long-term interests and those of current and future dukes.

"The Treasury has a constructive working relationship with the Duchy, and challenges decisions where appropriate."

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Ed Miliband Takes On The 'Wonga Economy'

The Labour leader has launched an attack on our "Wonga economy" saying payday lenders are "running riot through our communities".

Ed Miliband accused the firms of preying upon vulnerable people then intimidating them with bullying tactics when they failed to repay the loans.

He said they had created a "quiet crisis" for thousands of households saddled with debts they were unable to pay off.

In a speech at Battersea Power Station, Mr Miliband said that he had visited the Citizens' Advice Bureau in his Doncaster constituency and heard the stories of a number of people who had become victims of pay day loan firms.

He had spoken to one young mother who was "down to her last nappy" when she saw an advert for a payday lender on the television. He said she had succumbed to the financial pressures to take one.

Now, he said, the "bullying and harassment" she was being subjected to by those firms was such that she had been forced to give her mobile phone to her mother because she was getting 15 calls a day.

The payday loans firm, Wonga, has 1.25 million customers

His intervention came as representatives of the three of the biggest payday lenders - including Wonga - were facing a grilling by MPs on the Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Committee.

Mr Miliband responded angrily to the boss of Wonga, who has commissioned a film which tells the story of 12 people who have been happy with their payday loans, claiming he was speaking for a "silent majority" who were satisfied with the service.

He said: "Payday lenders don't speak for the silent majority. They are responsible for a quiet crisis of thousands of families trapped in unpayable debt.

"The Wonga economy is one of the worst symbols of this cost of living crisis."

He said that seven out of ten customers customers said that they regretted taking out a payday loan, with half saying they were unable to repay it.

Wonga has come under attack from the Archbishop of Canterbury

He said the woman who ran his local Citizens' Advice Bureau had told him: "Payday lenders are running riot through this community."

However, earlier Henry Raine, head of regulatory and public affairs at Wonga, told the Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Committe: "Wonga's business is aiming to lend to people who can pay us back, that's how we make money.

"The vast majority of people pay us back on time. We freeze interest after 60 days and 25% of people pay us back early."

Mr Raine said around 3% of loans, equating to around 40,000 of Wonga's 1.25 million customers, go to the 60-day period.

He said Wonga's record compared favourably with the rest of the loan industry, including credit card companies and banks.

But MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis told the committee: "Do we really need them (payday lenders)? I think we'd all be a lot better off without them and maybe it's worth the sacrifice for the few small number of people who actually do find them rather convenient.

"If you take 100 people who get payday loans, I would suspect 99% of them would find a cheaper and better alternative doing something else or not doing them. So the problem is they're used by far too many people and they are not fit for the purpose that they are used for."

In his speech, Mr Miliband also intensified his attack on David Cameron over energy bills and the cost of living.

He challenged coalition MPs to back Labour plans for a temporary freeze on electricity and gas charge in a Commons vote on Wednesday.

Today the Government announced it had urged water companies to look closely at whether price increases were necessary and to introduce special tariffs for hard-pressed household.

The move has been seen as an attempt to seize back the initiative on the cost of living, which is becoming a key battleground ahead of the General Election.

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David Beckham Helps Launch Sky Academy

David Beckham has helped unveil the Sky Academy, which aims to create opportunities for one million young people by 2020.

The academy will work to support up-and-coming talent and inspire under-25s across Britain and Ireland through a range of initiatives, such as providing role models from television, sport and the arts.

Beckham, as Sky Academy ambassador, is heading up a team of top athletes, including Jessica Ennis-Hill, Darren Campbell and dancer Ashley Banjo, for the project.

"Mentors and role models have always been important to me," said Beckham.

Ennis-Hill is a Sky Sports Living For Sport ambassador

"When I was young, they helped me to believe in myself and gave me the confidence to follow my dreams. That's what Sky Academy will do and I'm excited to be a part of it."

The football star joined chief executive Jeremy Darroch for the unveiling at the Sky Studios in West London, where the academy will be based.

Mr Darroch said: "Building skills and nurturing talent are vital not just for business success, but for society as a whole.

"A generation has been born since Sky's launch and, as we look ahead to our 25th anniversary next year, we want to use our position as a successful company to support young people across Britain and Ireland.

"Sky Academy will create exciting opportunities to inspire young people and help them build skills and experience.

"We'll use our strengths as a leading media and technology company and work with inspirational role models to get people involved and make a lasting impact."

The academy includes a skills studio, where young people will learn to use state-of-the-art technology by going behind the scenes at Sky.

It will also incorporate Sky Sports Living for Sport, a schools-based initiative that for 10 years has been using sports stars and skills teaching to help motivate young people and increase their confidence.

The academy will also offer a range of scholarships for emerging talents in the sporting and creative fields.

:: For more information, go to www.sky.com/academy

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Terror Hunt: Suspect 'Linked To Al Shabaab'

A suspect who escaped surveillance by changing into a burka on a visit to a mosque has connections to the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab Islamist group in Somalia, according to Sky sources.

Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed, who was last seen at a west London mosque on Friday afternoon, is being hunted by counter-terrorism officers.

He entered the An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre in Church Road, Acton, at 10am, wearing Western-style clothes, but CCTV images issued by Scotland Yard later show him leaving with his face and body fully covered by the traditional Islamic garment.

The venue - where he was last seen at 3.15pm the same day -  said it did not intend to comment.

The wanted man is subject to a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures notice (Tpim).

Mr Mohamed is not considered a "direct threat", police said.

He was put under surveillance on terrorism prevention and investigation measures due to his connection with the Somalian terror group, which was behind the attack on the Westgate Mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on September 21 that killed at least 67 people.

The 27-year-old is understood to have received training and fought overseas for al Shabaab.

A court-imposed anonymity order banning the publication of Mr Mohamed's name has been lifted to allow police to make a public appeal, following an application from Home Secretary Theresa May, who is expected to make a statement to MPs later.

Mr Mohamed is "not considered at this time to represent a direct threat to the public", Scotland Yard said, but anyone who sees him is urged to call 999 immediately.

Security Minister James Brokenshire said: "National security is the Government's top priority and the police are doing everything in their power to apprehend this man as quickly as possible.

"The police and security services do not believe that this man poses a direct threat to the public in the UK.

"The Home Secretary, on police advice, yesterday applied to the High Court for an order protecting anonymity to be lifted in order to assist with their investigation."

Somalia-born Mr Mohamed, who is 5ft 8in tall and of medium build, arrived at the An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre in Church Road, Acton, at 10am on Friday and was last seen there at 3.15pm that day.

He is the second person to breach a Tpim since they were introduced to replace control orders in early 2012.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The Counter Terrorism Command immediately launched inquiries to trace Mr Mohamed and these continue.

"Ports and borders were notified with his photograph and details circulated nationally. Public safety remains our priority."

Pressure is mounting on the Government to explain how the al Qaeda-linked terror suspect escaped surveillance.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper described the matter as "extremely serious".

She told Sky News: "The most important thing is the police and security services have every possible assistance to relocate this man and to make sure that controls can be reinstated.

Another CCTV image shows the burka-clad figure, believed to be Mr Mohamed

"But given that this is the second terror suspect to abscond in the space of just 10 months, we also need to have some answers about the controls that were in place, why they were weakened, and what the full information is."

Prime Minister David Cameron's official spokesman said the "priority" remained to find the suspect.

"Obviously, in all of these types of things, we look at whether there are lessons that can be learnt. But the reasons why the Government introduced the Tpim regime remain the same and the Prime Minister's view about Tpims haven't changed," he said.

Tpims, which include restrictions on overnight residence, travel and finance, are imposed by the Home Secretary who is given access to secret evidence that can not be placed before juries.

They do not allow for the relocation of suspects, as control orders did and unlike control orders, Tpims have a maximum time limit of two years.

Control orders could be extended year on year without limit, while Tpims can be extended after a year for another 12 months before they expire.

As of August 31, there were nine Tpims in force, including eight against British suspects, the latest written update to MPs showed.

Police are still hunting Ibrahim Magag, who absconded in December 2012

Last December, Ibrahim Magag, who is understood to have attended terrorist training camps in Somalia, absconded from a Tpim notice after ripping off his electronic tag. The police search for him is continuing.

The terrorism watchdog warned earlier this year that Tpims could allow those deemed potentially dangerous to be left "free and unconstrained" in the absence of prosecution or new evidence of terrorism-related activity.

David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said in his first report on Tpims, that the two-year limit was the "boldest" change from control orders made by the Government, adding that it was "tempting, in the most serious cases, to wish for longer".

However, he concluded that the two years of constraint now permitted were "a very strong power by international or indeed historic British standards".

Mr Brokenshire has defended the measures, describing them as providing a "robust mechanism" to manage suspects and reassure the public.

:: Watch Home Secretary Theresa May's statement to the Commons Live on Sky News at 3.30pm

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Ding Murders: Anxiang Du Pleads Not Guilty

A Chinese businessman has pleaded not guilty to killing a family of four.

Anxiang Du denied four murder charges over the deaths of university lecturer Jifeng "Jeff" Ding, his wife, Ge "Helen" Chui, and their two daughters, Alice, 12, and Xing, 18, on April 29, 2011.

Du, 55, of Coventry, was formally arrested in February after being extradited from Morocco.

He appeared in Northampton Crown Court dressed in a black suit and light coloured shirt and spoke through a translator.

Jifeng Ding with his wife Helen and daughters Xing and Alice

Du's extradition was approved by the Home Office and the Moroccan Ministry of Justice.

He was arrested upon arrival at Heathrow Airport.

A plea hearing scheduled for May was postponed when Du's interpreter failed to turn up.

Mr Justice Julian Flaux called the no-show a "complete disgrace" at the time.

Du was remanded in custody ahead of his trial, which is to start on November 12.

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Junk Food: Families Bought More In Recession

By Adele Robinson, Midlands Correspondent

Families are turning to cheaper, fattier foods to help keep bills down in the wake of the recession, according to researchers.

Studies carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) show that falling incomes and rising prices meant customers were buying more processed foods with increased saturated fat and sugar content.

Families with young children and pensioners were among the worst hit, with researchers also finding that the quality of produce is dropping.

The Food Expenditure and Nutritional Quality over the Great Recession report studied 15,850 households' purchases from 2005 to 2012.

It found that between 2005-07 the average household spent £102 a month per adult.

This fell by £4 (3.9%) on average as the recession struck and by 2010-12 was down by £8.70 (8.5%).

Over the same period, the nutritional quality of food bought declined.

Kate Smith, a research economist at the IFS, said that households have responded to higher food prices and income squeeze by switching to cheaper calories over the recession.

"This has coincided with a fall in the nutritional quality of foods purchased, with moves away from fresh fruit and vegetables and towards processed foods," she said.

"As a result, the average saturated fat and sugar content of food purchases has increased over this period."

A separate report published by the IFS, Gluttony In England? Long-Term Change In Diet, found the average weight of an adult man has increased by 19lb (8.6kg) and the weight of an adult woman by 17lb (7.9kg) but said the cause was a "puzzle".

The study found that despite a rise in consumption of junk food it was not enough to counteract the substantial reduction in the number of calories being bought by households since 1980 - between 15% and 30%.

Calories from alcohol purchases were also down 6.4%, it said.

Melanie Luhrmann, an IFS research associate, said they were surprised to find a substantial decline in total calories purchased at a time when obesity has risen.

"Purchases of snack foods, soft drinks and food out have increased, and now account for a greater share of calories for most households," she said.

"However, calories purchased for consumption at home have declined strongly and account for the bulk of households' food purchases.

"This does not mean that poor diet plays no part in rising obesity.

"But understanding the interaction between diet and physical activity is clearly crucial."

Both reports were funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the European Research Council.

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Mansfield Bodies In Garden: Couple In Court

The daughter and son-in-law of an elderly couple who were found buried in their own garden have appeared in court charged with their murders.

It follows the discovery of the human remains in the back garden of a house in Forest Town in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, on October 9 this year, following a tip-off.

Formal identification has yet to be confirmed, but they are believed to be those of William and Patricia Wycherley, who would now be 100 and 79 respectively.

Police have charged the couple's daughter Susan Patricia Edwards, 55, and her husband, Christopher John Edwards, 57, with killing the pair between May 1 and May 31, 1998.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court for a brief hearing, Mr and Mrs Edwards, of no fixed address, spoke only to confirm their names.

A provisional trial date has been set for June 2 next year.

No application for bail was made and both defendants were remanded in custody to next appear at Nottingham Crown Court on November 15 for a preliminary hearing.

Mr and Mrs Wycherley moved into the address in 1987, but disappeared in 1998, according to neighbours.

Post-mortem tests carried out on the remains have revealed that both people died as a result of being shot.

Mr and Mrs Edwards were arrested at St Pancras International railway station in London on Wednesday evening on suspicion of the murders, Nottinghamshire Police said.

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Young Boy Seriously Hurt In Shooting 'Accident'

A five-year-old boy has been seriously injured after a gun was apparently fired by mistake at his home in Essex.

Police were called to the property in Upper Park Road, Wickford following reports of an incident at 1.20pm on Sunday.

The child was taken to the Royal London Hospital with a serious but not life-threatening injury.

An Essex Police spokeswoman said: "Police are speaking to members of the family to determine the exact circumstances leading up to the incident .

"But (we) believe that this was an accidental discharge of the weapon and inquiries are ongoing."

An 18-year-old man was arrested for possession of a firearm and drug offences and has been released on bail.

The weapon and other legally held firearms were handed over to officers.

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Maidstone Prison 'Riot' Brought Under Control

A "riot" at Maidstone Prison has been brought under control, the Prison Service has said.

Officers from special prison service riot units across the country were called in to deal with the Maidstone incident in a system known as Operation Tornado.

A prison officers union said it had been told the riot involved up to 180 prisoners, but the Prison Service said just 40 inmates took part in the "incident".

Riot units were called to the prison

Prison Officers Association vice chair Ralph Valerio told Sky News negotiators had been sent to the scene in Kent to try to contain the disturbance.

He said he had been told that at one point inmates were smashing up the Thanet Wing at the prison.

Mr Valerio said he had been led to believe that between 160 to 180 foreigners were involved - and some staff could have been assaulted.

Up to 180 foreigners are thought to have taken part in the disturbance

He said prison staff had been forced to retreat to safety. Thanet Wing, where the riot occurred, is separated from the other wings.

Jackie Hipwell, the landlady of a pub nearby, said the whole road in front of the prison was filled with fire engines and riot vans.

She said it started around 4pm and there were so many vehicles deployed she was unable to use the road.

The location of Thanet Wing at Maidstone Prison

A Prison Service spokesperson said later: "An incident involving around 40 prisoners at HMP Maidstone has been successfully resolved with no injuries to staff or prisoners.

"An investigation is under way and the perpetrators will be dealt with appropriately by the prison."

Mr Valerio believes staff shortages and the impact this has had on the prisoners is a possible reason behind the rioting.

Maidstone, with an inmate population of about 600, is a category C training prison that predominantly houses sex offenders from the Kent and Sussex areas.

Its website says it aims to "create a therapeutic environment that supports, embraces and empowers change with a primary focus on risk reduction and protection".

The prison also takes in foreign prisoners with more than 18 months to serve and provides forums with the UK Border Agency.

Kent Police confirmed it was aware of the incident, but a spokeswoman said prison services were dealing with the matter.

Meanwhile, a passive demonstration took place at G4S-run Rye Hill Prison, near Rugby,  involving 60 inmates. However, this was resolved peacefully and was not linked to the Maidstone riot.

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Miliband: 'Pay Living Wage For £1,000 Tax Break'

Businesses that sign up to paying the living wage will be given a 12 month tax break worth up to £1,000 per worker under plans unveiled by Ed Miliband.

The Labour leader has pledged to introduce the contracts to raise wages for millions of low-paid workers if he takes the keys to No 10 at the general election.

At a speech next week Mr Miliband will warn that Britain risks "an era of growth without prosperity" as wages stagnate while household costs continue to rise.

"Ordinary families are doing much worse than the averages would suggest because people at the top continue to enjoy faster wage rises than everyone else," he will say.

"For ordinary families to keep up, we don't need average wages to just creep higher than prices. That will still leave millions of people worse off.

"We need the kind of strong increases in wages that will genuinely make people all across Britain better off. Wages for millions of families have been stagnant or in decline for far too long now.

"Low wages aren't just bad for working people and their families. They are driving up the social security bill too, as the country has to subsidise more and more low paid jobs with tax credits and benefits.

"So to those who say we can't afford to do anything about wages in our country today: I say we can't afford not to. The Tories are indifferent to millions of families being locked into a permanent cycle of low wages and poverty."

Mr Miliband will declare that any extra savings in lower tax credits and benefit payments, along with increased tax revenues in future years, would be used to cut social security bills and help pay down the deficit.

The living wage is £8.55 per hour in London and £7.45 in the rest of the UK although that will be uprated tomorrow.

Last year there were 4.8 million people who earned less than the living wage, up 1.4 million in just the last four years.

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Spy Cameras Target Illegal School-Run Parking

CCTV-style cameras are being used by councils to catch school-run parents who park illegally when dropping off or picking up their children.

A number of local authorities are trialling the technology with the aim of improving road safety outside schools.

The cameras are able to read the licence plates of vehicles stopping in prohibited areas.

It then "zooms out" to capture relevant parking signs, and sends a "video evidence pack" to the local authority for review, before automatically generating a penalty notice.

The manufacturer, Videalert, says the system provides councils with a more cost-effective alternative to mobile enforcement vehicles, equipped with cameras, to issue fines to offenders.

Five councils in London and at least two outside the capital are involved in the trial, according to The Sunday Times.

It reveals that the London Borough of Enfield is one of those involved.

But the use of the technology is set to come under fire from critics, already concerned that cameras are being used by authorities to raise cash from motorists.

According to the insurance industry, more than 1,000 children a month are injured on local roads near schools.

David Richmond, CEO of Videalert said: "This next-generation system is based on the same technology used for complex moving traffic offences, such as banned turns and box junctions.

"It will help to reduce the number of accidents that are happening outside our schools every day.

"We believe that the introduction of this technology is in line with Communities Secretary Eric Pickle's position on concentrating enforcement efforts on areas, such as outside schools, where children's safety has become a major issue due to people parking negligently."

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Bangladesh Death Sentence For UK Muslim Leader

A Muslim leader living in London has been sentenced to death after being found guilty of war crimes in his native Bangladesh.

Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, who was involved in setting up the Muslim Council of Britain, was sentenced in his absence at a special war crimes tribunal in his home country.

Before the sentence was handed down, Mr Mueen-Uddin said on his website that although he opposed Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan at the time, he was not involved in any crimes.

He said he had "no confidence that I will receive a fair hearing in a tribunal already accused of judicial and procedural misconduct".

Alongside New York-based Ashrafuzzaman Khan he was found guilty of abducting and murdering 18 people in December 1971, during the country's fight for independence against Pakistan.

The dead included nine university teachers, six journalists and three physicians.

Senior judge Obaidul Hassan told the packed court in Dhaka: "Justice will not be done if they are not awarded capital punishment."

Prosecutors accused the pair, who fled Bangladesh after it gained independence from Pakistan, of being "high command" members of the notorious Al Badr militia that supported Pakistani forces during the war.

Tribunal-appointed lawyers for them denied the charges against them. No defence witnesses were called during the trial held earlier this year.

The tribunal has now convicted 10 people, mostly leaders of the country's largest Islamic party the Jamaat-e-Islami, for war crimes, with seven of them sentenced to death by hanging. At least another eight are on trial.

The trials have sparked protests throughout the Muslim-majority country, leaving at least 150 people dead since January when the court started handing down their verdicts.

Jamaat claims the trials are politically motivated and accuses the secular government of trying to execute its entire leadership.

The government says the trials are needed to heal the wounds of the conflict.

Mr Mueen-Uddin, who came to the UK in 1973, has held positions in a host of top Islamic organisations, among them the Muslim Council of Britain - the country's largest umbrella group representing Muslims.

The Home Office was unable to confirm if an extradition request had been made for Mr Mueen-Uddin who holds dual UK and Bangladesh citizenship.

A spokesman said: "As a matter of long standing policy and practice the UK will neither confirm nor deny whether an extradition request has been made or received until such time as a person is arrested in relation to that request."

It is, however, convention that the UK does not extradite to countries that have the death penalty.

When contacted on his mobile phone, Mr Mueen-Uddin hung up after saying: "I'm not taking any calls."

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'Plebgate' Officers Facing New Investigation

Three police officers accused of deceiving MPs over the so-called Plebgate scandal are to face a new investigation by the police watchdog.

Inspector Ken MacKaill, Detective Sergeant Stuart Hinton and Sergeant Chris Jones will also be called back before an influential committee of MPs, over claims they gave misleading accounts of a meeting with Andrew Mitchell.

The trio were initially told they would face no action for misconduct after they used press interviews to falsely accuse the former chief whip of calling them "******* plebs" during a Downing Street row over his bicycle.

But the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has now said it will hold an investigation into their behaviour, saying the evidence they gave to the home affairs select committee revealed "a number of procedural irregularities" in earlier police reports.

The confrontation was caught on CCTV and shown on Channel 4

Speaking on Sky News' Murnaghan show, former shadow home secretary David Davis spoke about the "devastating" impact of the officers' actions on Mr Mitchell and his family.

He called for him to be returned to the cabinet, in which he served between 2010 and 2012, in any future reshuffle.

"Mr Mitchell's career came to an end and he was subject to widespread vilification," he said.

"At one point, the entire British public thought he was guilty. They now see him, quite rightly, as a wronged man.

"It's long past time that Mr Mitchell should be exonerated and returned to office."

The row had a "devastating" impact on Mr Mitchell, according to Mr Davis

The policemen, all of whom are police federation representatives, have been recalled to the home affairs select committee to apologise for giving "misleading answers" on October 23.

Mr Davis said members of the public expected "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth to be at the core of policing".

"When are (these three officers) going to realise that telling a lie or a half truth just isn't good enough?" he said.

"This isn't just about three policemen - it's about whether or not this sort of behaviour is seen as acceptable by the entire system."

Chief Constable Alex Marshall, chief executive of the College of Policing, told the Murnaghan show that the officers' actions had "damaged the public image of the police".

"There will now be a full, independent investigation by the IPCC and it's my view that there should have been from the start," he said.

"The officers should have apologised and they should have apologised very clearly."

Referring to a draft code of ethics published last month by the College of Policing, which outlined how all 220,000 police officers and staff in England and Wales are expected to behave, he added: "Officers must uphold high standards when they join the police.

"The code of ethics spells out those standards and for people joining the police service, (it should be) lesson one on day one."

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