Anger Over Bomb Hurled At Belfast Police Car

An explosive device was thrown at a police vehicle in Belfast, just hours after a separate car bomb was found a few miles away.

A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) spokesman said the officers targeted had escaped serious injury following the attack near the City Cemetery in the west of the city.

Paramedics treated up to four members of the public for shock but no one was badly hurt.

A PSNI spokesman said: "Police in west Belfast have escaped serious injury tonight after an explosive device detonated close to their vehicle on the Falls Road.

"The incident occurred shortly before 10.30pm close to the entrance of the City Cemetery.

Debris from the explosion. pic: Press Pix / Samuel Severn

"It is believed some form of explosive device was thrown at their vehicle."

SDLP councillor Claire Hanna tweeted: "Hoping no serious injuries following explosion. Throwback (to) terrorists reduced to trying to embarrass Northern Ireland over St Patrick's. Get off our backs."

The City Cemetery, at the junction of Falls Road and Whiterock Road, is one of Belfast's oldest public cemeteries.

Police in Northern Ireland have been urged to tighten personal security measures after a separate under-car bomb was found a relatively short distance away from City Cemetery on Friday morning.

It fell from the vehicle and failed to explode, and even though the target has not been positively identified, the PSNI has not ruled out the possibility it was meant for one of their officers.

The device was discovered at Blacks Road, a busy route close to the M1 not far from Woodbourne police station.

Dissident republicans have been blamed for planting the bomb in what appears to have been a deliberate attempt to embarrass Northern Ireland First Minister

Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, who are in Washington to meet senior members of the Obama administration as part of St Patrick's Day celebrations.

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Couple Jailed For Lee Rigby YouTube Videos

A man has been sentenced to five years and four months for posting YouTube videos glorifying the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby.

Royal Barnes, 23, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, with his wife, Rebekah Dawson, getting a 20-month sentence.

The videos posted by the British Muslim couple were "offensive in the extreme", the court heard.

They published the clips shortly after the brutal murder of Fusilier Rigby in Woolwich last May.

Barnes filmed himself laughing as he passed flowers left for the soldier

The couple, from Hackney in London, made three videos - the first uploaded on the day after the attack, with Barnes calling it a "brilliant day".

It was edited together with pictures of a man holding a decapitated head, a scene from Woolwich, and images of the World Trade Center.

The second clip showed Dawson ranting about how British troops would be killed on London's streets.

Fusilier Rigby, 25, was hacked to death in broad daylight on May 22, 2013

A third video showed Barnes mocking the public's grief at Fusilier Rigby's murder and laughing uncontrollably as he and his wife drove past flowers at the murder scene.

Barnes pleaded guilty last month to inciting murder and three counts of disseminating a terrorist publication.

Dawson, 22, who insisted on wearing a full veil in court, also admitted charges of disseminating a terrorist publication.

Rebekah Dawson's video was posted shortly after the murder

Judge Brian Barker QC said the pair showed "a total and continuing disregard" for the effect it would have on the soldier's family and the wider public.

Fusilier Rigby's killers were jailed last month for the attack, which saw them hack the solider to death on the streets of southeast London.

Michael Adebolajo, 29, was given a whole-life term, and Michael Adebowale, 22, was jailed for at least 45 years.

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West Brom Sack Anelka After 'Quenelle' Storm

West Brom say they have terminated Nicolas Anelka's contract for gross misconduct, following his ban for performing the controversial 'quenelle' gesture during a match.

In a statement on their website, the club said their decision was the result the player's conduct while celebrating a goal against West Ham on December 28 and his remarks posted on social media.

"The club considers the conduct of Nicolas Anelka on December 28, coupled with his purported termination on social media this evening, to be gross misconduct," it said.

"As a result the club has tonight written to Nicola Anelka giving him 14 days' notice of termination as required under his contract."

The 35-year-old, whose deal at the Premier League side was due to expire in the summer, had earlier announced he would leave the club over its response to his five-match ban and £80,000 fine from the FA.

He wrote on his Twitter account that he had decided to "put an end" to his contract, saying the club had proposed "certain conditions that I cannot accept".

The Frenchman's tweets on Friday evening

In three posts written in French on Twitter, the player said: "Following talks between the club and me, propositions were made to me in order to reintegrate me into the squad under certain conditions that I cannot accept.

"Wishing to retain my integrity, I have therefore taken the decision to free myself and put an end to the contract linking me with West Bromwich Albion to 2014, with immediate effect."

West Brom previously issued a statement in response, indicating Anelka's words had taken them by surprise.

It said: "The club has received nothing formally regarding the termination of Nicolas Anelka's contract from either him or his advisers.

"The club regards the release of such a statement on social media as highly unprofessional and will make a further statement when appropriate."

It was claimed the quenelle was anti-Semetic, but Anelka says the gesture was merely anti-establishment and made in support of his friend Dieudonne M'bala M'bala, a French comedian who has been convicted seven times of anti-Semitic crimes.

A Football Association commission found it was abusive and/or indecent and/or insulting and/or improper, and that it included a reference to ethnic origin and/or race and/or religion or belief.

It accepted there was no intent by Anelka to be anti-Semitic, but banned him for five matches and fined him £80,000. He was subsequently suspended by West Brom.

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EuroMillions: Lucky Brit Wins £107.9m Jackpot

A British ticket-holder has scooped £107.9m on the EuroMillions draw, becoming the fourth biggest UK winner in the history of the National Lottery.

The winning ticket belongs to a single player.

Friday's winning numbers were 06, 24, 25, 27 and 30, while the lucky stars were 05 and 9.

A National Lottery spokesman said: "With the weather set fair for the coming week, this UK winner is set fair for the rest of their lives having just become a multimillionaire.

"This single UK ticket-holder will enter the exclusive top five on the National Lottery Rich List - at number four - and we've got the champagne on ice ready for the lucky winner to claim their prize."

Top of the National Lottery Rich List are Colin and Chris Weir, who won a £161m EuroMillions jackpot in July 2011.

The Scottish husband and wife said they were "tickled pink" by their winnings and reportedly bought a fleet of cars for friends, as well as a mansion.

The second largest jackpot of almost £150m was claimed by Adrian and Gillian Bayford, from Suffolk, in August 2012.

At the time, Mr Bayford said he would carry on running his music shop in Haverhill. Mrs Bayford, a children's ward healthcare assistant, said she would treat herself to her dream car, an Audi Q7.

However just 15 months after their win, the couple announced they were divorcing following the "irretrievable" breakdown of their marriage.

The third biggest jackpot of £113m was claimed in October 2010, but the lucky ticket-holder decided not to go public.

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Gove Says Number Of PM's Etonians 'Ridiculous'

Education Secretary Michael Gove has criticised the "ridiculous" numbers of Old Etonians in David Cameron's inner circle.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Gove said such a "preposterous" concentration of individuals from the same privileged background at the top of government was unique among developed countries.

Labour said his comments showed the Conservatives were "out of touch" with the concerns of ordinary people in Britain.

Old Etonians around the Prime Minister - himself a former Eton pupil - include his chief of staff, Ed Llewellyn; the head of his policy unit, Jo Johnson; the minister for government policy, Oliver Letwin; and Chancellor George Osborne's chief economic adviser, Rupert Harrison.

The Prime Minister at a Cabinet meeting last year

Mr Gove compared them to the cabinet of Eton-educated Tory prime minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, the Marquess of Salisbury, who was accused of nepotism and cronyism.

"At the beginning of the 20th century, the Conservative cabinet was called Hotel Cecil," he said.

"The phrase 'Bob's your uncle' came about and all the rest of it. It is preposterous.

"It doesn't make me feel personally uncomfortable because I like each of the individuals concerned, but it's ridiculous. I don't know where you can find some such similar situation in a developed economy."

Mr Cameron's inner circle was compared to that of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil (R)

Mr Gove, who went to a fee-paying school in Scotland, said the concentration of Old Etonians at the top of the Conservative Party was due to the fact that "more boys from Eton go to Oxford and Cambridge than boys eligible for free school meals".

But shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Ashworth said it was a "reflection of the Conservative Party" under Mr Cameron.

"It's up to David Cameron who he puts into top jobs, and the fact is that the Prime Minister has chosen to surround himself with people just like himself," he said.

"He's leading a Government that's completely out of touch.

"That's why his decisions have helped a privileged few rather than hard-working families, with tax cuts for people earning over £150,000 while wages are down an average £1,600 a year."

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Tony Benn Obituary: A Conviction Politician

Tony Benn was one of the most charismatic, iconoclastic and - to many colleagues - infuriating figures of his generation.

Born into a world of privilege, and married to a wealthy American, he entered Westminster as a centre right politician.

But over time he veered to the hard left, renouncing not just his peerage but also the orthodoxy of mainstream power politics.

He had many critics but he stuck to his guns and in later years the pipe-smoking vegetarian acquired cult status, especially among young people.

He was born Anthony Neil Wedgewood Benn on April 3, 1925, at 40 Millbank, Westminster.

The son and grandson of MPs, Benn's links to the Labour movement ran deep.

His next-door neighbours were Sidney and Beatrice Webb, who wrote Clause IV of the Labour Party Constitution which was adopted by the party in 1918 and set out its aims and values.

Tony Benn at his home after announcing he would step down as MP

His father, Viscount Stansgate, was a Liberal MP who defected to Labour and was then elevated to the Lords.

Tony Benn was educated at Westminster School and Balliol College, Oxford, interrupting his studies to serve in the RAF in the later stages of World War II.

In 1950 at the age of 25 he was elected the member for Bristol South-East and went on to serve as an MP for 47 years, a Labour party record.

After his father's death in 1960, he fought a long, hard and ultimately victorious battle to relinquish his peerage and remain in the Commons.

He was a cabinet minister in the 60s and 70s under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan, serving as technology minister, postmaster general, and industry and energy secretaries.

His ability was never in doubt but his unwillingness to compromise his ideals often put him at odds with his colleagues.

Wilson once commented waspishly that Benn had "immatured with age". His reply: "I haven't yet decided what I want to do ... when I grow up".

Michael Foot with Benn in their seats at the House of Commons in 1980

He supported unilateral nuclear disarmament and favoured closer ties between western and eastern Europe.

It was hardly surprising then that he was vilified by the right and once denounced as "The Most Dangerous Man in Britain".

But he also backed the abolition of capital punishment, the ordination of women priests and the televising of Parliament, showing himself way ahead of his time.

His main aim was to achieve peace in the world - he campaigned against both wars in the Gulf, insisting they were about profit, oil and control of the region.

The death of his wife Caroline, an educationalist and writer, in 2000, was a huge blow. They had four children and 10 grandchildren.

Benn retired from the Commons in May 2001 to, as he put it, "devote more time to politics".

Benn and his daughter Melissa at a polling station in 1975

He was an assiduous diarist, recording everything in his notebooks every night since 1940, seven volumes of which have been published.

He also wrote several books and tracts, including a powerful polemic against nuclear energy.

At different times he was described - with some justification perhaps - as self-righteous, a crackpot and manic.

But Benn was a compelling performer and when he spoke, people always listened.

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Hatfield Father Charged With Daughter's Murder

A father has been charged with the murder of his four-year-old daughter in Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

Alexa-Marie died at Lister hospital in Stevenage after police had been called to a house in Queen Bee Court at 9.36am on Thursday.

It is not known how  Alexa-Marie died.

A post-mortem examination to establish the cause of her death will take place on Monday.

Carl Wheatley will appear before Hatfield Remand Court on Friday.

The family of Alexa-Marie's mother said in a statement: "We are completed stunned and devastated that our beautiful little girl has been taken from us so suddenly.

"She was truly the most gentle, loving, happy and amazing little soul we had the pleasure of knowing. We would be asked to be left alone to grieve at this traumatic time."

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Annual Energy Bills 'To Rocket By 2020'

By Poppy Trowbridge, Consumer Affairs Correspondent

Annual household energy bills could rise by more than £600 within seven years so power companies can keep the lights on.

Sky News has learned the watchdog has written to the Treasury ahead of next week's budget to warn of rising costs.

In a new forecast, consumer champion Which? has predicted energy companies will need to spend £118bn on new infrastructure between now and 2020.

This would include building new power stations, replacing grids and building wind farms as part of a drive to sustain Britain's power supply and cut down on carbon emissions.

Which? believes this cost will inevitably be passed on to consumers, and that households and businesses will foot the bill.

This would mean that the average bill would exceed £2,000 a year even if wholesale costs of gas and electricity remain stable - an annual rise of £640 per household.

Richard Lloyd, executive director of Which?, said: "I don't think consumers know that this is heading their way and that decision has already been made by the Government.

"This is a massive chunk potentially on everyone's bills. This means one thing: that household bills are set to rise, and to rise for many people very steeply for the foreseeable future."

Which? is campaigning for a full market investigation to find out if consumers are paying a fair price for energy.

Sky News also learned that at least one of the 'big six' energy firms is not guaranteeing to make the necessary investment should it not prove profitable for the company.

Energy companies rely on investors - who require a return on their investment - to finance certain projects.

Angela Knight, of Energy UK, the body representing the industry, said: "A lot of this is all about the policy that the Government and previous Government signed up to.

"Right now there is significant concern about the price of a bill and that is before much of this investment comes through.

"At the same time, a lot of our stuff is old and you do have to refresh and replenish."

One move Chancellor George Osborne may deploy to tackle the costs being passed through to consumer energy bills could be freezing the Carbon Floor Price in next week's budget.

The tax policy means polluting industries must pay a minimum amount of money for the right to pollute.

If Mr Osborne were freeze or abolish the Carbon Floor Price, the knock-on effect would prevent around £8 being added to bills each year, according to one energy company source.

In December 2013, HM Treasury released estimates of planned national infrastructure investments relating to 2013-2020 and beyond.

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Tony Benn: Veteran Labour Politician Dies

Tony Benn: "Controversial, But Courteous"

Updated: 11:54am UK, Friday 14 March 2014

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Harold Wilson famously said of Tony Benn: "He immatures with age."

And it's true that as he grew older Benn changed from a charismatic and dynamic minister in the mainstream of government to a divisive left-winger who split the Labour Party, before becoming the national treasure of his declining years.

He was controversial, but always courteous. I first met him in the late 1970s, when he came to speak at Southampton University Students Union while still a Cabinet minister.

He paid his own train fare and came alone, without the army of spin doctors that accompany Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet members today.

Throughout his long career, he would record interviews with journalists, for many years on an old-fashioned cassette recorder. He was quirky, but never tetchy.

Teetotal and famous for drinking tea from large mugs. And before smoking was banned he would smoke his pipe at party meetings and conferences.

In the early 60s, in terms of Labour Party presentation Benn was the Peter Mandelson of his day, a "moderniser" pioneering the party's use of television as a means of communicating with voters as Wilson swept the Tories out of office in 1964.

He leaves some historic legacies. As Postmaster General in the Wilson government he oversaw the opening of London's Post Office Tower and drove pirate radio stations off the air. Then, as Minister for Technology, he was in charge of the development of Concorde.

In those days, he was known as Antony Wedgewood Benn, until he declared in 1973 – when he was moving sharply left with Labour in Opposition – that he wanted to be known in future as Tony Benn.

For years, however, the Daily Mail continued to call him by his old name.

Of course, despite his claims to be a great hero of the working class, Benn was in fact as upper crust as they come and earlier, in 1960, had to fight a battle in Parliament to disown his hereditary peerage, Viscount Stansgate, so he could remain an MP.

In 1975, when Wilson was back in Downing Street and held a referendum on whether Britain should stay in the Common Market, Benn shared platforms with Right-wing Tory MPs opposed to Britain's membership.

But it was after Labour's crushing defeat by Margaret Thatcher in 1979 that he became the leader of Labour's hardline left wing in a civil war that led to the breakaway SDP formed by major Labour figures Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams and David Owen.

In 1980 he stood against Denis Healey for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party, in one of the most bitter and divisive elections in the party's history. He lost by a whisker, but the party split deepened and within a year the SDP was on the march.

At Labour's low point, the crushing election defeat of 1983, Benn lost his seat in Bristol.

"Labour gain!" chanted Right-wing Labour MPs, appalled by Benn's destructiveness over the previous few years.

But he bounced back in a by-election in Chesterfield, selected on a snowy Sunday night – I was there! - and from the moment he returned to the Commons until he retired he was almost inseparable from his left-wing Derbyshire neighbour, "the Beast of Bolsover", Dennis Skinner.

In the 1984-85 miners' strike, Benn and Skinner were Arthur Scargill's strongest allies and loudest cheerleaders in Parliament, while Labour leader Neil Kinnock had a nightmare year because of Scargill's refusal to hold a ballot.

In 1999, he proudly introduced his son Hilary into the Commons after Hilary won a by-election in Leeds Central, campaigning on the slogan "a Benn, not a Bennite". And in 2001, the Benn dynasty in the Commons assured, he stood down claiming he was "leaving Parliament to spend more time on politics".

In his latter years, he became a leading opponent of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, becoming president of the Stop the War movement. And in his 80s he becamse more popular than at any time during his career, touring Britain with his one-man show and his diaries became best sellers.

At Westminster, he will be remembered as one of the best speakers in the House of Commons, highly respected by Conservative MPs who shared his anti-EU views.

But for many Labour MPs, he will be remembered as an aristocrat with a romantic view of the working class whose judgement was often flawed.

Many older Labour MPs will never forgive him for what they regarded as his destructive splitting of the party which came close to destroying it in the 1980s.

Those Labour MPs, critical too of his opposition to Tony Blair and the war in Iraq, would also agree with Harold Wilson's famous phrase about Tony Benn.

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Helicopter Crash: N Ireland's Richest Man Dies

Northern Irish peer and businessman Lord Ballyedmond was one of the four men killed in a helicopter crash in Norfolk.

The helicopter - an AgustaWestland AW139 - crashed in a wood in Gillingham, near the suffolk town of Beccles.

It happened close to Gillingham Hall - one of the homes owned by Lord Ballyedmond, the richest man in Northern Ireland with an estimated wealth of £500m.

The bodies of the four victims remain at the scene and next of kin are still being informed.

Sky's Emma Birchley, who is at the scene, said it was unclear whether fog, which had affected the area earlier on Thursday, was a factor in the crash, which happened at around 7.30pm.

Early morning fog was still making recovery difficult

"The fog is certainly going to form part of the investigation. It was very foggy last night and it remains foggy now, which has made conditions for the emergency services very tricky," she said.

An AgustaWestland spokesman said it was investigating the case, amid reports that Lord Ballyedmond was taking legal action against the firm in relation to possible safety defects with the helicopter.

Inspector Louis Provart said emergency services were alerted after people living near the crash reported hearing a loud bang.

Roland Bronk, owner of The Swan House restaurant in nearby Beccles, said it was "very foggy" in the area at the time of the crash.

Emergency services at the site. Pic: Ryan Leddington

Taxi driver Mark Murray, 22, from Beccles, said: "There is a large stately home nearby and you often see helicopters coming and going from there.

"When they have a game shoot the guests often all arrive in separate helicopters. We don't know if that is linked, but that's the only helicopter activity we see in this area."

The site is 45 miles from Cley Next The Sea, where four US airmen were killed in January when their Pave Hawk military helicopter came down in a marsh.

Local roads remain closed

As well as being in the in pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing businesses, Lord Ballyedmond also ran an air travel business - Haughey Air - which owned a helicopter charter company.

In 1996, three pilots were killed in a crash while en route from Belfast to his estate in County Down.

Sky's Ireland Correspondent David Blevins said: "The 70-year-old owned Ballyedmond Castle in Rostrevor, County Down, Corby Castle in Cumbria, and 9, Belgrave Square in London, a six-storey townhouse purchased in 2006 for about £12m.

Traffic backed up on the A143 near the crash scene. Pic: dom_bond

"In the early '90s, he sat in the Irish Senate (Dublin's upper house) before being made a life peer in the Lords in 2004. Lord Ballyedmond initially sat as an Ulster Unionist before switching to the Conservative Party."

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MLA said he was "shocked and sad to hear that Dr Eddie Haughey and three other people have lost their lives in a helicopter crash. My sympathy is with their families."

NI Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister, Arlene Foster MLA said: "Lord Ballyedmond was one of NI's most successful entrepreneurs, known for his leadership, integrity and global vision."

Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy, MP for Newry and Armagh, told David Blevins he was "very, very saddened" by the fatal crash.

He said: "It's a huge tragedy for all of the families involved and it's something that, I think, will shock the workforce here (at Norbrook Laboratories) particularly the very substantial workforce that Eddie Haughey had in the Newry area.

"He certainly was a very strong-willed character. He established from nothing a very successful business."

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Flights Delayed And Cancelled Amid Thick Fog

Cancellations And Delays At Airports

Updated: 11:17am UK, Thursday 13 March 2014

A number of flights were cancelled or delayed at London City Airport and Southampton Airport as thick fog enveloped parts of the UK.

London City Airport

Arrivals

LX 484  SWISS (BSL) Basel, Switzerland/Mulhouse  7:00 AM  Cancelled

LX 484  SWISS (BSL) Basel, Switzerland/Mulhouse  7:00 AM  Cancelled

VG 5070  Cityjet (RTM) Rotterdam  7:05 AM  Cancelled

AF 5070  Air France (RTM) Rotterdam  7:05 AM  Cancelled

KL 2471  KLM (RTM) Rotterdam  7:05 AM  Cancelled

T3 3270  Eastern Airways (DUS) Dusseldorf  7:05 AM  Cancelled

BA 3270  British Airways (DUS) Dusseldorf  7:05 AM  Cancelled

LX 442  SWISS (GVA) Geneva  7:20 AM  Cancelled

LX 442  SWISS (GVA) Geneva  7:20 AM  Cancelled

CJ 8450   BA CityFlyer  (AMS) Amsterdam  7:20 AM  Cancelled

BA 8450  British Airways (AMS) Amsterdam  7:20 AM  Cancelled

CL 926  Lufthansa CityLine  (FRA) Frankfurt  7:30 AM  Cancelled

LH 926   Lufthansa  (FRA) Frankfurt  7:30 AM  Cancelled

NH 6235  ANA  (FRA) Frankfurt  7:30 AM  Cancelled

US 5890   US Airways  (FRA) Frankfurt  7:30 AM  Cancelled

CJ 8731  BA CityFlyer  (FRA) Frankfurt  7:35 AM  Cancelled

BA 8731  British Airways  (FRA) Frankfurt  7:35 AM  Cancelled

AB 5089  airberlin  (FRA) Frankfurt  7:35 AM  Cancelled

CL 926  Lufthansa CityLine  (FRA) Frankfurt  7:30 AM  Cancelled

LH 926   Lufthansa  (FRA) Frankfurt  7:30 AM  Cancelled

US 5890   US Airways  (FRA) Frankfurt  7:30 AM  Cancelled

CJ 8731  BA CityFlyer  (FRA) Frankfurt  7:35 AM  Cancelled

BA 8731   British Airways  (FRA) Frankfurt  7:35 AM  Cancelled

AB 5089   airberlin  (FRA) Frankfurt  7:35 AM  Cancelled

LX 450  SWISS  (ZRH) Zurich  8:05 AM  Cancelled

LX 450   SWISS  (ZRH) Zurich  8:05 AM  Cancelled

CJ 3291  BA CityFlyer  (ABZ) Aberdeen  8:20 AM  Cancelled

BA 3291   British Airways  (ABZ) Aberdeen  8:20 AM  Cancelled

VE 7050 Milan Linate VE7050 8:30 AM Cancelled

AF 5276 Nuremberg 08:35 AM Delayed

AF 5118 Dublin 8:55 AM Cancelled

AF 5184 Amsterdam 8:55 AM Delayed

AF 5074 Rotterdam 09:00 AM Delayed

BA 8490 Stockholm 09:00 AM Cancelled

AF 5020 Paris Orly  09:05 AM Delayed

BA 8209 Billund 09:15 AM Diverted, contact airline

LH 928 Frankfurt  09:30 AM Cancelled

LX 460 Zurich 09:30 AM Cancelled

AF 5170 Dundee 10:00 AM Delayed

AZ 212 Rome 10:00 AM Delayed

BA 8703 Edinburgh 10:10 AM Cancelled

BA 8739 Glasgow 10:15 AM Cancelled

AF 5294 Munster-Osnabruck 11:15 AM Cancelled

BA 8452 Amsterdam 11:30 AM Cancelled

LX434 Geneva 11:55 AM Cancelled

BA 8715 Edinburgh 12:05 PM Delayed

BA 8725 Glasgow 12:05 PM Cancelled

AF 5122 Dublin 14:00 PM Cancelled

Departures

LX 451  SWISS  (ZRH) Zurich  7:30 AM  Cancelled

LX 451   SWISS  (ZRH) Zurich  7:30 AM  Cancelled

VG 5071  Cityjet  (RTM) Rotterdam  7:35 AM  Cancelled

AF 5071   Air France  (RTM) Rotterdam  7:35 AM  Cancelled

KL 2470   KLM  (RTM) Rotterdam  7:35 AM  Cancelled

LX 443  SWISS  (GVA) Geneva  7:50 AM  Cancelled

LX 443   SWISS  (GVA) Geneva  7:50 AM  Cancelled

UA 7751   United Airlines  (GVA) Geneva  7:50 AM  Cancelled

CJ 8732  BA CityFlyer  (FRA) Frankfurt  8:05 AM  Cancelled

BA 8732   British Airways  (FRA) Frankfurt  8:05 AM  Cancelled

AB 5088   airberlin  (FRA) Frankfurt  8:05 AM  Cancelled

LX 485  SWISS  (BSL) Basel, Switzerland/Mulhouse  8:35 AM  Cancelled

BA 8451 Amsterdam 08:35 AM Cancelled

BA 3292 Aberdeen 08:50 AM Cancelled

BA 8722 Glasgow 08:50 AM Cancelled

VE 7051 Milan Linate 09:00 AM Cancelled

AF 5183 Amsterdam 09:25 AM Cancelled

BA 8491 Stockholm 09:30 AM Cancelled

LX 461 Zurich 10:00 AM Cancelled

LH 929 Frankfurt 10:05 AM Cancelled

BA 3284 Isle of Man 11:20 AM Cancelled

LX 435 Geneva 12:25 PM Cancelled

BA 8453 Amsterdam 13:05 PM Cancelled

Southampton Airport

Arrivals

BE616  Guernsey 07:50 AM Delayed

AF6455  Guernsey 07:50 AM Delayed

T34700  Leeds 07:50 AM Delayed

BE228  Jersey 07:55 AM Delayed

SI234  Guernsey 08:00 AM Delayed

SI642  Jersey 08:05 AM Delayed

BE760  Edinburgh 08:10 AM Delayed

BE881  Glasgow 08:15 AM Delayed

GR501 Alderney 09:05  AM Delayed

BE862 Manchester 09:55 AM Cancelled

EY7884 Manchester 09:55 AM Cancelled

BE383 Dublin 10:00  AM Delayed

BE1012 Amsterdam 10:20 AM Delayed

BE620 Guernsey 10:35 AM Delayed

BE232 Jersey 10:50 AM Delayed

AF6407 Jersey 10:50 AM Delayed

Departures

T34701 Leeds 08:20 AM Cancelled

BE617 Guernsey 08:25 AM Cancelled

BE229 Jersey 08:30 AM Cancelled

SI235 Guernsey 08:30 AM Cancelled

SI643 Jersey 08:30 AM Cancelled

BE986 Belfast City 08:40 AM Cancelled

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Pedestrian Killed By Police Car In Hastings

A pedestrian has been killed by a police car in East Sussex.

The victim, thought to be a man in his 40s, was hit on the A259 at White Rock, Hastings, on Wednesday evening.

Police and paramedics at the scene tried to save him but he died at the crash site.

Two police officers were travelling in the vehicle, which was responding to a report of a car being driven by a disqualified driver in the area.

One of the officers is reported to have been slightly injured in the collision.

A police spokesman said the matter is being referred to the police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

"The full circumstances of the incident have yet to be established," he added.

Sussex Police have asked for anyone with information to call 101, quoting Operation Marshside.

The car believed to have been driven by the disqualified motorist has not been found.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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North Sea Helicopter Crash 'Was Preventable'

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

A North Sea helicopter crash that killed 16 men could have been prevented if its operator had taken "reasonable precautions," a report has found.

Fourteen oil rig workers and two pilots died when the Super Puma crashed on April 1, 2009, as it flew back to shore from BP's Miller platform.

Their grieving families reacted to the findings by the fatal accident inquiry (FAI) at a news conference this morning.

They called for the Lord Advocate to look again at the evidence and reconsider a criminal prosecution.

They also demanded a full public inquiry into the tragedy and said they would trust nothing else.

Families called for a public inquiry at the news conference

An investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) concluded the crash was caused by a catastrophic failure of the gearbox.

The FAI, overseen by Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle, spent six weeks looking at the circumstances of the crash.

Mr Pyle was critical of Bond, the company which operated the Super Puma AS332-L2, but did not go as far as to say the firm was responsible for the crash.

Mourners weep at a memorial service for the 16 people who died

He said Bond failed to adhere to recognised maintenance procedures.

It also failed to ensure communications with helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter were in accordance with established procedures.

The FAI heard evidence about a potentially serious problem discovered a week before the crash. 

The Super Puma was grounded after computer software detected the presence of a metallic chip in the gearbox - an indication of fatigue fracture.

Flowers left for the 14 oil right workers and two pilots who died

Engineers at Bond consulted Eurocopter over how to address the fault.

However, the inquiry was told communications between the operator and the manufacturer were confused.

As a result, the gearbox was not replaced and the helicopter was cleared to fly. 

The inquiry also heard evidence of technical log books indicating Bond engineers took just 10 minutes to carry out checks on the helicopter on the day before the tragedy - less time than it takes to start up and shut down the aircraft.

An AAIB report into the crash found confusion, mistakes and miscommunication were to blame for a faulty gearbox not being replaced before the crash.

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Anger As Thousands Of Nurses Denied 1% Rise

Hundreds of thousands of health workers will miss out on a 1% public sector pay rise as part of the Government wage award package.

The Government has announced a 1% pay rise for public sector workers, including nurses, soldiers and civil servants.

However, it has withheld the rise from 600,000 health workers who already receive a "progression pay increase", which is a fixed annual average rise of 3% to reflect growing experience.

Unions claimed this was around 70% of nurses and midwives and 60% of NHS staff and accused the Government of "taking a scalpel" to NHS wages. They have threatened to take action.

In addition, ministers also confirmed that around 400 senior NHS managers will not receive a pay rise either.

It is estimated this will save the health service £200m in 2014-15 and £400m in 2015-16.

Unison national officer Christina McAnea said: "The Government has shown complete contempt for the NHS, contempt for staff and contempt for patients and will pay the price at the ballot box.

"Even a straight 1% increase would be nowhere near enough to meet the massive cost of living increases that NHS staff have had to cope with since 2010. Staff are on average, 10% worse off than when the coalition came to power."

Nurses on a fixed annual average 3% rise will miss out on the 1% pay award

It marks the fourth year of below inflation rises for those in the NHS leaving them struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living, the unions said.

Last year NHS workers received a 1% increase, before that there was a two-year pay freeze.

The contrast with the increase in politicians pay is stark. Last year it was recommended that MPs should see their wages increase by 11% by May 2015.

Rehana Azam, national officer of the GMB said: "Members will not stand aside whilst the Government makes such direct attacks on their pay and conditions. GMB will immediately begin making arrangements to consult members who will be asked to vote in a consultative ballot to decide the next steps in this dispute."

Unite and Unison have also threatened possible action.

Announcing the 1% increase, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said: "Public sector workers make a vital contribution to the effective delivery of public services. We need to continue with public sector pay restraint in order to put the nation's finances back on a sustainable footing.

"We are delivering on our commitment to a 1% pay rise for all except some of the most senior public sector workers."

Public sector workers earn, on average, 14.5% more than those in the private sector, according to Office for National Statistics figures released earlier this week.

The average annual pay rise for those in the private sector is around 2.5%.

Asked abut the announcement during his trip to Israel, Mr Cameron told the BBC: "NHS staff are worth a 1% pay rise and everyone in the NHS will get at least a 1% pay rise, either through the 1% raise or through the progression payments that they otherwise receive."

The Treasury said: "The public sector pay bill makes up over half of departmental resource spending, therefore continued pay restraint remains central to the Government's deficit reduction strategy. Public sector pay restraint has already helped protect thousands of jobs and frontline services."

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Three School Staff Held In Extreme Porn Inquiry

Three men employed as teachers or teaching staff in Birmingham have been arrested for alleged possession of extreme pornography.

Two of them, aged 36 and 37, were detained at their homes in the city while the third, aged 32, was held at his property in Wolverhampton just after 6am.

They are being questioned by detectives from the West Midlands force's public protection unit at police stations in the region.

One of the men works at Park View School and the other two are employed at Golden Hillock School.

Police have notified the suspects' employers as well as the Department for Education.

The force said its investigation began in April 2013 as a result of an ongoing enquiry into the sharing of extreme pornography.

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Bob Crow: A Man Devoted To The Railways

Bob Crow left school at 16 and took a job as an apprentice track worker. He worked on the railways for the rest of his life.

The RMT leader was clear about the importance of taking action

The 52-year-old was born in east London on June 13, 1961, and moved with his family to Essex as a toddler.

He became one of the most high-profile, left-wing union leaders of his generation, sparking as much anger among passengers hit by rail and Tube strikes as praise from his members for winning pay rises.

Mr Crow started working for London Underground at 16

His first job was on London Underground as an apprentice track worker and he soon became involved in union activity, becoming a local representative at the age of 20 for what was then the National Union of Railwaymen.

He won the union's youth award - handed to him by veteran general secretary Jimmy Knapp, whom he later succeeded - and rose quickly through the ranks, via the executive, to the top job.

His formative years were at a time when unions enjoyed huge power and influence over the country, thanks to leaders such as Jack Jones, Hugh Scanlon and Joe Gormley.

Under his leadership, the RMT was one of Britain's fastest-growing unions

He took part in a TUC-organised nationwide day of action in 1980, and the next strike he joined was on the Tube - a day after returning from his honeymoon in 1982.

After that he took part in, or helped organise, official and unofficial strikes against London Underground and was clear about the need to take action to improve pay and conditions.

"I don't shirk from taking industrial action," he said. "Our job is to negotiate the best pay and conditions. Industrial action is the last resort and you don't take it lightly - but when you start you don't finish until you have won. That's what I have been brought up on."

Crow and colleagues adding their protest at the Leveson Inquiry

Mr Crow maintained he wanted to do the "very best" for his members, wherever they worked and whichever political party they belonged to.

"I will be the captain, steering the ship, but the members will make all the decisions," he said.

He was constantly involved in industrial disputes and campaigns and led a walkout by London Underground workers last month in a dispute over ticket office closures.

Mr Crow said he wanted to do the "very best" for his members

Apart from his devotion to Millwall football club - he had been supporting the team since first going to the ground as a young boy - Mr Crow had an unusual interest outside his job.

"I'm really interested in the weather," he admitted. "I spend ages looking at weather maps and graphs. I have a barometer in the house and if I could have been anything else other than a union official I would have been a footballer - or a weatherman."

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Co-Op Crisis: Boss Euan Sutherland 'Quits'

The chief executive of the Co-operative Group has quit amid continuing turmoil at the mutual, Sky sources say.

Euan Sutherland resigned on a point of principle and cited the Group's structure as 'ungovernable', it is understood.

The sources added that efforts were continuing at the highest level of the Group to persuade him to change his mind.

But Mr Sutherland was known to be furious over a number of leaks to the media - leaks that he believed had come from the top of the organisation and included details of his pay - and apparent hesitancy on his plans for Group reform.

An emergency board meeting on Monday night - held to discuss his resignation letter - also proposed a restructuring that will result in the current 21-member board being disbanded and replaced by two different structures.

One will be a PLC-type board while the other will represent members.

The appointment of now ex-bank chair Paul Flowers is being investigated

The decisions were taken following a crisis for the Co-op which has seen its banking operation subjected to regulatory scrutiny after control was lost to US hedge funds.

A £1.5bn black hole in the bank's balance sheet sparked the Co-op's problems but the restructuring of the lender left the Group with just a 30% stake.

Mr Sutherland's own role was in focus at the weekend over plans to raise his own pay to £3.6m despite the mutual's problems and an expected worst-ever loss for 2013 of £2bn, due to be announced at the end of the month.

The debate over rising awards at the Co-op began just weeks after Mr Sutherland admitted the Group had "lost touch" with customers.

The Co-op could sell 15 farms and its pharmacy business

At that time he launched an online poll so the public could make suggestions about its future direction.

A plan to sell parts of its business also left question marks over more than six thousand jobs.

Mr Sutherland has only been in the job since last April.

He expressed fury about media leaks on Sunday in a Facebook posting to an employees' group after the news on pay awards appeared in a national newspaper.

He said: "I'm very sorry to have to report that we have had yet another leak to the media.

"This time it is to the Observer newspaper and concerns levels of annual Executive remuneration, including my salary, and also proposed changes to the Group Executive team.

"It appears that, once again, the leak has come from our Group Boardroom.

"We seem to have an individual, or individuals, determined to undermine me personally, my team and the rest of the Group Board regardless of the uncertainty and disruption this causes to our 90,000 colleagues and our supportive members.

"Despite this, I am determined that we will see through the vital transformation of our business."

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Edinburgh Child Killer Theresa Riggi Found Dead

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

Theresa Riggi, who killed her three children in an Edinburgh flat in 2010, has been found dead at a high security hospital.

The 49-year-old was jailed for 16 years for killing her children, twins Gianluca and Austin, aged eight, and five-year-old Cecilia.

They were stabbed to death in a flat in August 2010.

After killing the three children, Riggi was badly injured after creating a gas explosion and jumping from the second floor balcony of the property.

She broke her pelvis but might have been killed had a neighbour not attempted to catch her, breaking her fall. When emergency services arrived, Riggi was also found to have stab wounds which were believed to have been self-inflicted.

California-born Riggi, who was initially charged with murder, admitted culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility in March 2011.

On Monday, a Nottinghamshire Police spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that we were called to Rampton in the early hours of this morning to the death of a woman.

"It's not being treated as suspicious and we are preparing a file for the coroner."

The children's deaths came amid a bitter custody battle between Riggi and the children's father, Pasquale.

In July 2010, Riggi had gone missing with her three children and they were the subject of a missing persons appeal.

Police eventually traced them to a flat on the west side of Edinburgh on July 21, 2010, but officers took no further action.

On August 3, Theresa Riggi failed to turn up to a custody hearing.

The judge duly instructed that she be traced and a decision taken by social workers as to whether her children should be taken into care.

The next day, August 4, the children were found dead with several stab wounds each.

The couple had moved to the UK because of the children's father's work in the oil industry. He is originally from Colorado.

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One Direction Back Anti-Poverty Campaign

One Direction, Katy Perry and Kings Of Leon are among dozens of stars backing a new scheme to encourage young people to help fight global poverty.

The musicians are joining up to give away tickets to their shows this summer, in exchange for showing support for the Global Citizen initiative.

Music fans will be able to win tickets through a points system after registering with the scheme, by performing a variety of actions such as signing petitions, sharing content via social networking sites and contacting their local MPs about issues involving food and hunger.

The 1D boys said: "We are absolutely proud to join so many amazing artists to inspire people to take action to end extreme poverty."

Katy Perry has also pledged to do her bit to end poverty

The scheme is launching in the UK after proving popular in the US, Australia and New Zealand with nearly 1.7 million "actions" having taken place worldwide.

The campaign has helped to increase funding of polio eradication and pledging more than £600,000 to community health workers in sub-Saharan Africa.

Around a fifth of the world's population is estimated to be affected by extreme poverty.

Bastille, Ed Sheeran, Franz Ferdinand, Russell Brand, John Newman and Jessie J are among the 100 artists already signed up.

More details can be found at globalcitizen.org/tickets.

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Bob Crow: Sudden Death Of Union Leader

The general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, Bob Crow, has died at the age of 52 after suffering a suspected heart attack.

Mr Crow was taken to hospital after reportedly complaining of feeling unwell on Monday but died in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The union confirmed his sudden death in a short statement.

There have been tributes from across the political spectrum to a man viewed by some as a working class hero and by others simply as a force for disruption.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who regularly sparred with Mr Crow, said he was a "fighter and a man of character".

"Whatever our political differences, and there were many, this is tragic news," he added.

Mr Crow was a divisive figure

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Former London mayor Ken Livingstone said Mr Crow's work had a huge influence on young people coming up through the trade union movement and would create a "better generation of trade union leader in the future".

He told Sky News: "He fought really hard for his members. The only working-class people who still have well-paid jobs in London are his members."

Sky News' Political Editor Adam Boulton described Mr Crow as a man of complexity, who dined at Scott's of Mayfair but continued to live in a council house.

He became general secretary of the RMT in 2002

"Bob Crow was a man who believed there was nothing too good for the workers and who was very much prepared to fight for it," he said.

"In a sense he was also someone who saw the way the wind was blowing between Labour and the trade unions before many others, taking his union out of affiliation with the Labour party, using its political funds for its own campaigns."

Mr Crow's brother, Richard, tweeted: "Sad Day, my Brother Bob has passed away. Love him or hate him he stood up for his people in a way this country lacks at the very top :-("

Mr Crow is understood to have suffered an aneurysm and heart attack and was taken to Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone.

In a brief statement the RMT confirmed the "distressing" death of its leader.

Mr Crow on the phone to Boris Johnson

Mr Crow's supporters cast him as a man who fought for his beliefs and credited him with revitalising the RMT, while his detractors highlighted his significant salary and holidays abroad.

Most recently he led a 48-hour Tube strike in protest at the closure of Underground station ticket offices, with the loss of 750 jobs.

He telephoned Mr Johnson to tackle him live on-air during the mayor's LBC radio programme, accusing the politician of refusing to hold talks with him over the threat of industrial action.

East London-born Mr Crow left school at 16 and got a job felling trees and fixing rails on the London Underground.

The Millwall supporter rose through the ranks to become general secretary of the RMT in 2002 and by 2008 the union's membership had swelled from 57,000 to 80,000, making it the fastest-growing in the country. 

His refusal to back down and determination to fight for his beliefs soon cemented his standing as a member of the "Awkward Squad" of union leaders.

Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA rail union, said: "Bob Crow was admired by his members and feared by employers, which is exactly how he liked it.

"It was a privilege to campaign and fight alongside him because he never gave an inch."

Mr Crow, lived in Woodford Green, east London, with his partner Nicola Hoarau, 50. He leaves four children.

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Paralympics: Gallagher Wins GB's First Gold

Partially-sighted Kelly Gallagher has won Britain's first ever Winter Paralympic gold medal with victory in the Women's Super-G.

The 28-year-old and her guide Charlotte Evans were the first skiers out on the Rosa Khutor course in Sochi and clocked one minute 28.72 seconds.

She then waited as her rivals failed to beat her time.

Jade Etherington won bronze with the help of guide Caroline Powell for her second medal of the competition.

Britain has had athletes in every Winter Paralympics since the first event in 1976, but had never won gold.

The three medals won so far surpasses the minimum target of two set by UK Sport.

Jade Etherington with guide Caroline Powell

"It was nerve-wracking but I'm delighted with the result," said Gallagher.

"Normally when we compete, even in big events like World Championships, there is nobody interested in what we are doing, but here there has been a lot of hype and pressure, as well as expectation, and maybe we let some of that in, so today we just decided to ski and see what happens.

"I have to thank Charlotte for getting me to the line. We just threw ourselves at it. I prayed for the strength to ski and have fun."

Gallagher, from Bangor in County Down, has oculocutaneous albinism, a condition with affects the pigment in her hair, skin and eyes.

Etherington, Powell, Gallagher and Evans celebrate

She started skiing when she was 17 on a trip to Andorra.

Gallagher and Evans have been working together since 2010 and have previously won silver and bronze medals in the 2011 and 2013 World Championships.

Evans added: "I was yelling a lot and she wasn't doing what I told her, but finally it paid off. It didn't feel as good as we wanted to on the course, but who cares, we won a gold medal and it feels amazing."

The pair are in action again in Tuesday's Super Combined event.

Etherington and Powell will both compete in Friday's slalom.

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Max Clifford 'Left Me Frozen In Fear'

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

A woman has said she was "frozen in fear" during an alleged sex attack by Max Clifford.

The witness, who cannot be named, described meeting the publicist in a Wimpy burger bar in Morden, south London, in 1966.

She was 14 years old at the time and claims Clifford, then in his 20s, offered her a lift in his car and said he had "something to show her".

She claimed in court that he showed her a collection of photos of big musical acts of the time such as the Beatles and asked her: "Who would you like to meet?"

The woman said he drove her in the opposite direction to her home and then pulled over.

She told Southwark Crown Court: "He put my seat right back and then he tried to force himself upon me basically.

"It was quite obvious what he wanted me to do, I thought at the time I was going to get raped if I didn't get out of the car.

"My body was frozen in fear."

The witness then described how she managed to struggle free and get out of the car.

She said she ran home and said she felt "relieved to get away with it", but did not report the incident to the police.

Clifford could be seen shaking his head in the glass fronted dock as the allegations were made.

He denies eleven counts of indecent assault and his trial continues.

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Bankers' Bonus Tax To Pay For Labour Job Plan

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

Labour is including a £5.5bn "jobs guarantee" in its manifesto under which the long-term unemployed will be told to take up taxpayer-subsidised work or lose their benefits.

The party is to fund the policy with a tax on bankers' bonuses and by reducing the rate of pension tax relief among higher earners to 20% from 45%.

Labour had initially pledged the jobs guarantee scheme for one year when it was first unveiled in January, however, now it will run until 2020, if the party is successful in 2015.

The scheme will see those under 25 given jobs for six months, with 25 hours a week paid at the minimum wage. 

People aged under 25 will be asked to take on the positions after a year on jobseekers' allowance, while for everyone else they will kick in after two years.

Ed Miliband floated the job guarantee scheme in 2012

Private companies and voluntary sector organisations will be given incentives to provide the jobs by the offer of a wage subsidy. They will also be given £500 to provide an additional 10 hours a week of training.

Labour insists the policy is funded, claiming the bankers' bonus tax will raise between £1.5bn and £2bn and the pension relief rate cut between £900m and £1.3bn each year.

However, the Conservatives said the policy would cost more than Labour had estimated - around £2.6bn a year - and as such would not be covered by the banker bonus tax and change to pensions.

They also pointed out that Alistair Darling, the former Labour chancellor, had said the bonus tax would be a "one off" because City chiefs would soon find a way to evade it.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury: 'Sums don't add up'

Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Sajid Javid, said: "Labour's sums don't add up. They are proposing yet more unfunded spending, meaning more borrowing and more taxes to pay for it.

"And Labour's bank tax is a short-term political gimmick that they want to spend ten times over."

Labour wants to present itself as the "party of work" but this policy is also borne out of a perception that it needs to be tougher on welfare.

Internal polling suggests people support Government welfare reforms by two-to-one, rising to seven-to-one with swing voters.

Rachel Reeves, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said she was prepared to be even tougher than the Government when she took up this role.

"Our Basic Skills Test and Compulsory Jobs Guarantee will give young and long-term unemployed people the chance to work and will help us to earn our way out of David Cameron's cost-of-living crisis," she said.

Speaking at a visit to a building site in south London, Labour leader Ed Miliband, who first floated the scheme two years ago, said: "We can't have a recovery that's just for a few banks.

"We've got 56,000 young people who have been unemployed for over 12 months. A Labour government will tax the bankers' bonuses and put our young people back to work."

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Dog Attack: Armed Police Catch Pitbull

A 22-year-old woman is in hospital with "serious injuries" after being attacked by a dog on the outskirts of Lincoln.

The attack happened near the city's Outer Circle Road in an area close to a quarry at around 10.30pm on Sunday.

It sparked a hunt using armed officers and a helicopter, with police warning local people to stay away from the area.

The dog attacked the woman near the city's Outer Circle Road

The animal was caught at around 1.30am and police confirmed the attack victim was not its owner.

Staff at Lincoln County Hospital had raised the alarm when the woman was admitted with her injuries.

It is the latest attack by what is thought to be an American pitbull-type dog.

Last month 11-month-old Ava Jayne Marie Corless was mauled to death by a dog believed to be of that species while in bed at a house in Emily Street, Blackburn, Lancashire.

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Soldier 'Murdered' At Shropshire Barracks

A murder investigation has been launched after the body of a soldier was found at Clive Barracks in Shropshire.

The 32-year-old, from the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, was discovered at the barracks in Tern Hill at 9am on Saturday morning.

A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Detective inspector Steve Tonks, of West Mercia Police, said: "We have made an arrest in connection with the death.

"The investigation is in its early stages and extensive inquiries are continuing.

"A post-mortem conducted by a Home Office pathologist was held yesterday and further examination and tests are being carried out to help establish the cause of death."

The deceased's next of kin has been informed but his identity has not been revealed.

Det Insp Tonks made an appeal to the public, urging anyone with information to contact Shrewsbury CID.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: "We are assisting West Mercia Police with their inquiries.

"Our thoughts are with the family, but it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

More follows...

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£140m Pothole Repair Fund After Winter Storms

By Tadhg Enright, Sky Correspondent

An extra £140m is being made available by Westminster to help local councils repair roads which have been battered by this winter's severe weather.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "Having the right infrastructure in place to support businesses and hardworking people is a crucial part of our long-term economic plan.

"This extra money will help make a real difference to the millions of road users and local residents who rely on local roads, giving them safer and smoother journeys."

Some £36.5m of the cash will be ring-fenced for councils which experienced the worst of the flooding and it brings the total amount of emergency government funding for these authorities to £80m.

All councils in England can apply for a share of the other £103.5m in additional funding to cover the cost of repairs after the wettest winter on record.

This winter has been England's wettest on record

Some of the most serious flooding was experienced in the Surrey County Council area where at least £15m - half its annual budget - has already been spent on repairing battered roads since Christmas.

Repair teams have been working at weekends to patch roads where a combination of rainwater and groundwater has caused more erosion than an average winter.

John Furey, Cabinet Member for Transport, Highways and Environment with Surrey County Council, told Sky News: "It's double the problem for this year. The reason is that it's been a continuous flooding situation, not something that happened and then we could deal with it. 

"The biggest problem has been the inspection times. We haven't been able to get in and look and see how much has needed to be done. 

"Now we're doing it. We've started the recovery stage. Now we're looking at what needs to be done and looking at what government is going to put into this."

Repair teams have been working at weekends to patch up roads

Surrey County Council will have to apply for extra financial help from the Government and its allocation will depend on the length of affected roads in its jurisdiction.

It does not expect its allocation to cover all the money spent on repairs and other budgets will have to be trimmed.

The Government intends to release the money by the end of this coming week and it hopes that councils will have completed repairs in time for the summer holidays.

Delays will cost motorists money too, as experienced by the increase in those seeking repairs to their cars at Reigate Motor Company.

The fund will be used for for fixing potholes and other dangers

The garage's director Simon Youthed told Sky News that business was particularly brisk and that potholes were to blame.

"We always see damaged cars at this time of year, but certainly the floods have had their effect on the roads, certainly in this area," he said.

"It's predominantly cars going through potholes, usually at speed, that often the drivers don't see. 

"One of the road wheels tends to go down into the pothole with force ... (and) that can either damage the wheel itself, it can damage the tyre, it can damage the suspension springs."

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TV Licence Dodgers May Not Be Prosecuted

Pressure Grows Over TV Licence Prosecutions

Updated: 1:18pm UK, Saturday 08 March 2014

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

What crime led to 180,000 people being hauled in front of magistrates in 2012, resulted in 70 prison sentences and accounted for one in nine of all cases heard by the courts?

OK, OK, I know you've read the news story and realise the answer is failure to pay a television licence fee.

Magistrates have long objected to being asked to deliver criminal records to these offenders, who tend to be poor, are often older and about two-thirds of whom are women.

They think it is an over-reaction and a waste of court time.

Instead, they want to divert cases to the civil system, along with parking offences or failure to pay your gas bill.

So could their argument be gathering steam in Parliament?

An amendment calling for the change by Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen is gathering support from across the political divide with a variety of motivations.

Some object to the "poll tax" nature of the fee - a £145.50 levy on the rich and poor is clearly regressive.

Others feel that criminal sanctions including prison are simply not the right response, particularly given the vulnerability of those it affects.

Then there is the idea of easing pressure on courts and prisons appeals across the political system.

And finally, there are those who simply detest the BBC.

The corporation itself would be uneasy about the change because of fears it would reduce the incentive to pay.

Even a 1% rise in evasion would cost £35m, which the Beeb tells us is equivalent to 10 local radio stations (or, to put a different spin on it, 11 Jeremy Clarksons).

What is notable about this story is that Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, has called Mr Bridgen's intervention "really interesting".

He says Maria Miller, the Culture Secretary, agrees and both departments will be doing some "serious work on the proposal".

In reality, any such change would be discussed as part of BBC Charter renewal.

The next round is due to be completed by the end of 2016, with talks starting around 18 months beforehand.

That means the middle of next year - probably not until after the General Election.

The magistrates, it seems, will have to wait.

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Man Arrested After 'Explosives' Found

A 55-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of possessing explosives after "potentially hazardous material" was discovered at a property in South Yorkshire.

Around 50 homes in Chestnut Grove in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, were evacuated and a cordon put in place around the area.

The material is being assessed by police and army bomb disposal experts, who were seen coming and going at a bungalow in the cul-de-sac.

Speaking at the scene, Superintendent Liz Watson said officers acted on information that a local man had been buying items which could be explosive if put together.

She said: "The police had received some information regarding a gentleman that lives in the local area that's been purchasing hazardous material."

Police vehicles parked at a pub near the scene

Police said the 55-year-old who was arrested remains in custody in Doncaster.

Evacuated locals either spent the day with relatives or at a centre in Mexborough set up by Doncaster Council.

Supt Watson said: "I'd like to personally thank residents for the patience, co-operation and community spirit that has been shown today.

"Some of the people evacuated from their homes this morning were elderly and vulnerable, but our partner agencies and members of the community really rallied round to ensure that all those who had to leave their homes for several hours were well cared for."

Supt Watson said the incident had caused concern among the community, but that the multi-agency response was necessary to ensure the suspicious items could be removed safely from the property.

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'iPhone Stun Gun' Found In Police Search

Police have seized a stun gun disguised as a smartphone from a 14-year-old boy.

The officer who searched the youth in Manchester city centre suffered a shock as he examined the fake handset, which resembles a black iPhone, but was not seriously hurt according to the force.

Police found the weapon, which is capable of giving a powerful electric shock, after being called to a complaint that the boy, who has not been named, and three other teenagers were racially abusing a bus driver in Portland Street.

The electric current is discharged from two points on top of the handset

The boy was also found to have a knife, police said.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the fake smartphone has a silver strip along the top with two points from which the electric current is discharged.

The device appeared to be activated by the volume buttons.

Police do not believe the weapons are common in the area but warned people that possession of such devices is an offence under the Firearms Act.

The 14-year-old was arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon, possession of a bladed article and a racially-aggravated public order offence.

The other three, one aged 16 and two aged 17, were detained on suspicion of racially-aggravated public order offences.

All have been bailed pending further inquiries, a police spokesman said.

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Co-op Set To Hand Senior Staff Large Pay Boost

The Co-operative Group is set to hand senior staff large pay rises and bonuses, as the troubled mutual prepares to announce losses for 2013 which are expected to be its worst ever.

Chief executive Euan Sutherland is set to receive a salary of more than £3.6m, it has been claimed.

He said last month the mutual had "lost touch" with customers and launched an online poll so people could make suggestions about its future direction.

It comes amid plans to sell parts of its business that have left question marks over thousands of jobs.

Co-op Group chief executive Euan Sutherland

The Co-op runs supermarkets, pharmacies and funeral services. It is owned by its eight million members.

The Observer has seen documents that say the pay packages are necessary because "the (Co-op's) executive agenda is possibly the most complex one facing a large business in the country today", a reference to the recent troubles at the bank.

Mr Sutherland will be given a base salary of £1.5m this year, with a £1.5m retention payment, the paper claims.

It says that when pension contributions and extras are included, this rises to £3.66m.

Mr Sutherland's predecessor, Peter Marks, received around £1.3m last year.

Chief operating officer Richard Pennycook will receive a salary of £900,000 and a retention payment of the same amount.

Six other executives will be paid salaries of between £500,000 and £650,000, with the same amount in retention.

Ursula Lidbetter, chair of the Co-operative Group, said: "The remuneration packages of our executives are in the middle of a range of comparable companies.

"This represents an increase on the pay of their predecessors to reflect the greater commercial, management and turnaround experience they are bringing to bear.

"Euan and his team have already made a significant contribution to the group and we are confident that they will continue to do so."

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