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Arctic Blast After 'Thundersnow' Storms

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 31 Januari 2015 | 20.14

A fierce Arctic blast will sweep across Britain this weekend bringing more snow and freezing temperatures, forecasters say.

A Level 3, or severe weather warning, has been issued across the North and West of England lasting until next Thursday.

Sky weather producer Rebecca Yussuf says today's wind chill will "make it feel sub-zero in many places".

"Most places will have a cold and frosty start to Saturday, with icy stretches on untreated surfaces," she said.

"Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic will see frequent, blustery sleet and snow showers through the morning.

"The heaviest snowfalls are expected across northern Scotland, where fresh accumulations are likely.

"Further south, it will be largely dry, but west Wales, south-west England and East Anglia will see a few wintry showers develop. Any snow that falls there is likely to be only temporary and melt quickly."

Yussuf added: "It will be cold everywhere, with temperatures peaking between 4C and 7C, but the wind chill will make it feel sub-zero in many places."

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  1. Gallery: UK Freezes As More Snow Sweeps In

    Britain's winter has brought a thick covering of snow and dangerous driving conditions to parts of the country. Here snow covers graves at St Joseph's Church in west Belfast

A horse stands against in a snow-covered field in Belfast

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20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Manics Star's Family Reveal Pain

The family of Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards have spoken of their pain at still not having closure 20 years on from his disappearance.

The lyricist had been due to depart for a US tour on 1 February 1995 when he checked out of a London hotel never to be seen again.

His sister, Rachel Elias, has revealed how the family's agony became even more pronounced with the passing of her father Graham two years ago.

"It was difficult because he had to face up to that realisation - that we all may have to - we may not find out what happened to Richard," she said.

"It is very different. When someone dies… you can go to a crematorium, graveyard or place where you have scattered their ashes and remember.

"But when someone goes missing you are left with this ongoing uncertainty. Not knowing makes it worse.

"What you end up being left with is your imagination and you can construct everything in that."

Though his car was found abandoned at a motorway service station two weeks after his disappearance, no trace of Edwards has been found.

The musician suffered from mental health problems in the years preceding his disappearance.

Mrs Elias, who is part of The Missing People Rock Choir who have released a fundraising single called I Miss You, said: "People said all sorts of things in the initial stages - that he was hiding out at a fan's house or that we knew where he was. It was just totally fabricated.

"That hampered the police's involvement, they had to explore statements like that rather than just be focused on the investigation.

"Also he was noted as a vulnerable adult on his missing person's file - because he had a recent hospital admission and prescribed anti-depressants.

"In retrospect, there wasn't that much active searching done. They would follow up leads if people contacted them, but they didn't actively try to find him.

"One officer even said he had a right to go missing. It was incredibly hurtful."

Mrs Elias, a mental health support worker, has campaigned with families of other missing people.

"Things have definitely improved," she said. "People have family liaison officers now and improvements have also been made in the way the police communicate with families of missing people."

The Missing People Rock Choir track can be downloaded for a donation of £1 via this website.


20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Dramatic Rise' In Liver Disease Deaths

Deaths from liver disease have increased 400% in the last 40 years, according to the British Liver Trust, which is calling for screening to help combat the problem.

The organisation is warning that costs from the disease could rise above £1bn a year unless action is taken.

It has launched its fourth annual Love Your Liver campaign with a call for the Government to back universal liver health screening in primary care and a national liver health prevention campaign.

Andrew Langford, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: "The average age of death from liver disease is 57, that's over 20 years lower than deaths from cancer, stroke and heart disease - liver disease is now the third most common cause of premature death.

"Most people think that a glass of wine or pint of beer a night or a couple of takeaways a week won't do much harm - when in fact drinking even just a bit too much alcohol every day and eating unhealthy food are major contributing factors for liver damage.

"We are all affected differently and the symptoms are almost undetectable in many cases until it is too late."

The trust says advanced liver disease is a "ticking time bomb the government cannot afford to ignore".

More investment into early diagnosis could save the NHS as much as £600m, it claims, and Mr Langford added this could also save more than one million lives.

Liver specialist Dr Jude Oben told Sky News screening would "make a huge difference". 

He said: "If 30% of the UK population is obese, how many of those patients are having their livers tested for the presence of liver disease?"

The British Liver Trust has an online screening tool that acts as an early warning system.

It takes five minutes to complete and helps people to understand if they are in danger of liver damage.


20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Call For Tasers For All Police To Tackle Terror

Frontline police officers should be able to carry a Taser to combat attempted attacks on them by terrorists, according to the head of the organisation that represents them.

Police Federation chair Steve White said the stun guns, which can temporarily disable the target with two dart-like electrodes that carry a maximum 50,000-volt charge, should be made more widely available to uniformed officers.

He told The Guardian newspaper the move was needed because acts of terrorism could be carried out anywhere and officers needed protection.

Mr White said: "The terrorist ideal to get attention no longer relies on an attack being in a place of note.

"It could be in Cheam high street, in any town, in any part of the UK.

"We know there are more dangerous people out there, preparing to attack police officers and we need to be able to respond to that threat."

Leaders at the Police Federation will vote next month on a proposal that every officer on the frontline should be offered training in how to use the weapons.

Mr White said: "Talking to them with a cup of tea and a biscuit is not going to work."

The murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich in 2013 showed "you don't need to have a gun to create terrorism", said Mr White, who rejected the notion the move amounted to arming officers.

"It is a defensive tool and a tactical option.

"We have a largely unarmed service and the service wants that to remain.

"The alternative is to have officers out there without anything at all. We have to do something."

But one police chief, speaking anonymously, told The Guardian the idea risked damaging public confidence in the police.

"The idea of arming every police officer with a Taser is alien to 200 years of police culture," they said.

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  1. Gallery: Taser Device Explained

    The most common device used by police is the X26 Taser, which has a peak voltage of 50,000 volts when discharged - this drops to 1,200 volts while travelling around the body

The Taser fires two small dart-like electrodes which stay connected to the main unit as they are propelled by small compressed nitrogen charges to the body similar to air gun or paintball marker propellants

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20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Viral Campaign Raises £100K For Mugging Victim

Donations for a disabled pensioner who was mugged outside his home have reached more than £100,000.

After reading about the mugging of 67-year-old Alan Barnes, beautician Katie Cutler set up an online fundraising page that went viral and has raised more than 200 times its original £500 target in just two days.

Mr Barnes, who has disabilities from birth after his mother contracted German measles when she was pregnant, broke his collarbone when he was pushed over by his attacker.

People were moved to help after hearing that Mr Barnes was too afraid to return to his home in Low Fell, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.

Following reports of the attack, which police described as "disgraceful", Ms Cutler set up the Help Alan Barnes online donation page on the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe.

She wrote: "I was so upset that anyone could target a disabled pensioner and be so cruel.

"We can't take away what has happened but with a little donation we can make the future a prettier one and help towards the cost of his new home. Thank you all."

One online contributor, Lorraine Susan, said: "I really hope this fund helps him get settled somewhere nice & safe.

"At least he knows there are literally thousands on his side."

Mr Barnes is a well-known figure in Low Fell and is renowned for being able to quickly calculate how many days old someone is from their date of birth.


20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Andy Murray Reaches Australian Open Final

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 29 Januari 2015 | 20.14

Andy Murray is through to the final of the Australian Open after beating Tomas Berdych in four sets.

The British number one lost the first set against the seventh seed Czech, but came back to triumph 6-7 (6-8), 6-0, 6-3, 7-5.

It is the first time Murray has made it to the final of a Grand Slam tournament since he won Wimbledon in 2013.

He will play either Novak Djokovic or Stan Wawrinka in Sunday's decider.

The world number six was too strong for Berdych, who failed to match his performance as he beat Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals.

After losing a marathon 76-minute opening set in a tiebreaker, Murray finished strongly to clinch the match in 3hr 26min on Rod Laver Arena.

There had been much focus ahead of the match on Berdych's decision to hire former Murray team member Dani Vallverdu as his coach.

And the match saw some flashes of anger from both players and a few glares at each other at changeovers during the opening set.

"Yeah, there was a little bit of extra tension," Murray said in an on-court interview.

"It's a big match. A lot was made of Dani working with him.

"Me and Dani have been friends since we were 15 and I felt that was a little bit unfair and unnecessary. There is more to life than sport.

"I was disappointed to lose the opening set after I had a couple of chances at the end but I felt I was playing better as the set went on and I was very aggressive at the beginning of the second set.

"I got more comfortable with the conditions and with Tomas's ball, in the beginning I was feeling quite rushed and then I got more aggressive and made him do more running."

Murray was cheered on throughout the game by fiancee Kim Sears, who sat alongside the 27-year-old's coaching team.

He also launched a staunch defence of his coach Amelie Mauresmo, whose arrival last year was thought to have caused disagreement in his camp. Vallverdu and fitness trainer Jez Green subsequently left in November.

"A lot of people criticised me for working with her and I think so far this week we have showed women can be very good coaches as well," he said.

"Madison Keys, who reached the semi-finals here, is also coached by a woman in Lindsay Davenport and I see no reason why that can't keep moving forward so I am very thankful to Amelie for doing it.

"I would say it was a brave choice from her and hopefully I can repay her in a few days."


20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Thundersnow' Storms As Icy Blast Hits UK

Parts of England are being battered by "thundersnow" storms as the winter weather continues to bite across Britain.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: "We have got snow falling in a number of areas in the North and West, including thunderstorms.

"There is thundersnow to the north of Manchester - these are normal thunderstorms but with snow rather than rain."

More than 200 schools in Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England are closed today and mobile phone operator EE advised customers of coverage problems in Ayrshire, West Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear due to the weather.

Main roads in Durham, Yorkshire and north Wales are among those closed because of the weather and more than a dozen rail services between Manchester and York have been cancelled, as northern England is hit by the storms this morning.

Phil Verster, route managing director for Network Rail, advised train passengers to check before they travel.

Flights to and from Manchester Airport have been suspended, with flights being diverted. Passengers are advised to come to the airport as normal but to check with their airline.

A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: "We have currently suspended all departures and arrivals for a short period of time, whilst we are in the process of clearing both runways of snow so we can resume operations as quickly as possible."

Sky News forecaster Isobel Lang said today would see frequent snow showers in Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern parts of Ireland and in northern England.

She added: "The strong winds will blow the snow around, making driving dangerous.

"During this evening and tonight the showers will ease, it will turn slightly less cold, with the showers turning more to sleet or rain later. It may still be icy."

Cold blasts from Greenland and Iceland will cause temperatures to drop to around 2-3C (36-37F) in the North and 4-5C (39-41F) in the South. It will become slightly milder by Friday, reaching 7C (45F) in the South.

The Met Office has issued an amber "be prepared" warning for snow, which covers huge parts of Britain from Liverpool Bay to the Humber to the western side of the Welsh mountains.

Up to 15cm (6in) of snow is expected to fall in parts of the North tonight and there is also snow expected during the morning rush hour in the Northwest, on the M6 north of Cheshire, Scotland and Greater London.

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  1. Gallery: UK Freezes As More Snow Sweeps In

    Britain's winter has brought a thick covering of snow and dangerous driving conditions to parts of the country. Here snow covers graves at St Joseph's Church in west Belfast

Terminal One at Manchester Airport covered in a blanket of snow which has closed the airport

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20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Labour Pledges Home Rule Bill For Scotland

A new Home Rule Bill for Scotland will be introduced within 100 days if Labour wins the General Election.

Ed Miliband made the promise ahead of a campaign visit to Scotland, saying devolution would be "one of the first things on our agenda".

He said: "This will be real Home Rule for Scotland in the 21st century, giving Scotland the powers it needs."

Referring to former Labour prime minister Tony Blair's establishment of the Scottish Parliament after his 1997 election victory, Mr Miliband said: "Just as in 1997, devolution will be one of the first things on our agenda for the next Labour government.

"This Bill will give Scotland the powers that were promised over jobs, welfare and tax.

"But we want to go faster. Scotland needs the job creating powers that the Smith Agreement promised. And Scotland needs them now. Next month, Labour will force a vote on our Bill to pass these powers now.

"If that's not accepted, we will devolve control over the work programme immediately on taking power, so Scotland has the tools it needs to put people back to work."

He praised new Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy as "already leading the agenda in Scotland", having set out plans to increase the number of nurses and help the oil and gas sector.

Mr Murphy is also "talking about how Labour will use the new powers to deal with unemployment and get our young people back to work", Mr Miliband added.

Scottish National Party (SNP) deputy leader Stewart Hosie said: "Trying to claim that this is Home Rule could be reported under the Trade Descriptions Act for being completely untrue.

"Recently, Lewis MacDonald MSP specifically denied that Labour had ever talked about 'Home Rule', which renders the claims of Ed Miliband and Jim Murphy laughable.

"The reality is that, with 70% of taxation and 85% of welfare spending staying under Westminster control, Labour and the other UK parties are offering Westminster rule not Home Rule - and it is embarrassing for Mr Miliband to try to pretend otherwise.

"People in Scotland don't believe Ed Miliband - who has achieved the extraordinary feat for a Labour leader of having even worse poll ratings in Scotland than the Tory Prime Minister.

"The way to achieve the real powers of Home Rule is to vote SNP in May, for a strong team of SNP MPs holding the balance of power at Westminster."

Meanwhile, influential pollster Lord Ashcroft has told Sky News that the surge of support for the SNP is real, coming after last year's independence referendum in which 45% voted for the party.

The Conservative peer said: "You could say if you voted 'yes' to independence, why now wouldn't you vote for the SNP in the Westminster Parliament?"

A Sky News projection said the SNP could increase its number of seats at the General Election from its current six to 53.


20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rotherham Victim Says Abusers 'Untouchable'

By Jason Farrell, Sky News Correspondent

A survivor of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham claims she still sees her abusers "driving young girls in their car", as a Sky News investigation reveals hundreds of new cases continue to emerge.

In August 2014, the Alexis Jay report identified 1,400 cases of child sexual exploitation in the Yorkshire town.

But Sky News has learned that hundreds more cases were known to authorities prior to its publication and that hundreds more are being reported.

Victims continue to feel let down by authorities.

One survivor "Gemma" told Sky News: "It's still going on if not worse, because now they're having to hide it more.

"I'm still seeing my abusers driving young girls in their car. They're untouchable."

The Alexis Jay report found that hundreds of children had been sexually exploited, mostly by Asian gangs, and that Rotherham Council and South Yorkshire police had failed to tackle the problem.

Jayne Senior, who ran an outreach programme for victims in Rotherham called Risky Business, has revealed that she reported nearly 1,700 cases of grooming or sexual exploitation to the council's children's services between 1999 and 2011.

This was a shorter time period than that examined by the report.

"I was accused of saying too much, of sharing too much information, reporting too much intelligence," she told Sky News in her first interview.

"Risky Business didn't make all this up. It was accused of making it all up and Alexis Jay exonerated all of that."

The report found Risky Business was seen by the borough's social care services "as something of a nuisance".

It added that "there were too many examples of young people who were properly referred by Risky Business to children's social care and who somehow fell through the net and were not treated with the priority they deserved".

Risky Business was shut down in 2011 and victims have expressed frustration that a recent application to set up a new support group has been turned down by the council despite recommendations in the Jay report.

"It shouldn't have been shut down," one victim told Sky News.

"Because that was an agency that was trying to tackle the situation. But knowing now that it was all a cover-up then I think it was closed down because they were trying to tackle the problem."

Rotherham MP Sarah Champion said she was also baffled as to why Risky Business was discontinued.

"Genuinely, I have no idea why it was shut down. Why would you shut down a successful organisation that was demonstrating there was a massive need for their services and was proving results. They were getting prosecutions."

She is leading calls for a national task force to be set up to combat large scale child abuse across the UK. She said she has been "overwhelmed" with new cases coming to her for help and advice.

As well as support, many victims are still seeking justice.

"Gemma" complained that local police "turned up suited an booted" outside her home with a panic alarm - showing neighbours that she was someone who had reported abuse.

"All they care about is getting a statement," she said. "Six months on we've had no arrests, we've had no charges, evidence is still being lost."

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said: "We look at each case individually to establish the most appropriate way to contact and visit victims throughout an investigation to ensure their personal safety is maintained.

"South Yorkshire Police has not received a complaint in relation to this alleged incident."

Leader of Rotherham Council, Cllr Paul Lakin, said: "We accepted the recommendations of Professor Jay's report and immediately acted to address the issues raised.

"We fully acknowledge that we should have done more in the past and have offered our sincere and heartfelt apologies to the victims and survivors of child sexual exploitation.

"Make no mistake, protecting children and supporting the police in tackling child sexual exploitation is our highest priority.

"With regard to the 2002 Home Office researcher's report, we take allegations of a "cover up" very seriously and have made strenuous efforts to obtain a full copy of the report. As yet, this has not been forthcoming.

"We are also working with our partners, including South Yorkshire Police, to identify cases where individuals may not have had the access to the services and support that they need."


20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tesco To Axe Thousands Of Head Office Jobs

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Tesco has begun a cull of head office staff that is expected to involve thousands of job losses as its new chief executive slashes costs and strives to reinvigorate the UK's biggest retailer.

Sky News has learned that the company has in recent days begun informing senior staff of changes to the structure of its head office functions, which currently employ around 8,000 people.

Insiders said around 120 business unit leaders had commenced individual discussions with hundreds of directors across the Cheshunt and Welwyn Garden City offices on Wednesday, with talks set to continue on Thursday and Friday.

Those affected include senior employees at commercial and category director levels.

Dave Lewis, Tesco's new chief executive, said earlier this month that as much as 30% of its head office cost-base could be removed as part of his transformation plan.

While part of these savings will relate to areas other than headcount, senior sources predict that "at least" 2,000 jobs at Tesco's headquarters will disappear over time.

No final number has been determined yet, with further decisions about role reductions further down the head office structure to be made in the coming weeks, one insider said.

The scaling back of some of its international operations meant there was unnecessary duplication of some functions, they added.

As part of his efforts to revive Tesco following a £263m commercial payments scandal and a slump in sales and profits, Mr Lewis has decided to vacate the Cheshunt site which has been its home for decades.

He is also planning to sell non-core businesses and has drafted in Matt Davies, the boss of Halfords, to run its UK operations.

News of the head office cuts comes just a day after Tesco outlined details of dozens of store closures, which will result in as many as 2,000 more jobs being axed.

Among the 43 shops being shut will be a number of its larger-format superstores and half a dozen of its non-grocery Homeplus outlets.

The changes demonstrate the pace at which Mr Lewis, who also sits on the board of Sky, the parent of Sky News, is tackling the malaise which had engulfed Tesco in recent times.

Under his predecessor, Philip Clarke, who was ousted last summer, Tesco saw sales decline even as the company's head office cost-base grew by 30% between 2011 and 2014.

Analysts accused Mr Clarke of failing to anticipate the growth of discounters Aldi and Lidl and of not acting sufficiently quickly to unravel expensive mistakes made by Sir Terry Leahy, who he replaced in 2011.

The Serious Fraud Office is now investigating how Tesco came to overstate profits by £263m, with supplier payments at the centre of its inquiry.

Nine executives were suspended, with four having since left the company and one being reinstated.

Last week, Sky News revealed Tesco had narrowed the search for a successor to Sir Richard Broadbent to Sir Ian Cheshire, the recently departed chief executive of Kingfisher, and John Allan, the chairman of housebuilder Barratt Developments.

Tesco declined to comment.


20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

The Candidates: Old, Young And Reincarnated

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 27 Januari 2015 | 20.14

By Joe Tidy, Elections Reporter

From teenage students, 84-year-old great grandmothers and ancient reincarnated kings, this election is seeing candidates from all walks of life vying for your votes.

:: King Arthur Pendragon: I'm Really Going To Fight This One

Perhaps the most resilient of all the candidates is King Arthur - standing in Salisbury as an independent, in what will be his fifth tilt at a general election.

The druid king, who believes that he is the reincarnation of the ancient King Arthur, says this year he is taking it seriously.

He told Sky News: "This year I have the best chance yet as so many people are fed up with politicians.

"In the past I was a paper candidate, but I'm really going to fight this one. I've got just as much chance as any of the others."

:: The Great-Grandmother: My Age Is An Advantage

The oldest candidate to declare is 84-year-old Doris Osen, standing in the marginal seat of Ilford North.

She turns 85 in March so will be the oldest parliamentary candidate in the country by a few months.

Standing as an independent, she says she is not going to be able to do much of the door-knocking but will instead focus her campaign on talking to people and sending out leaflets.

Recently she spent £1,000 sending 30,000 fliers to the area.

When asked about how her age will affect her, she said: "It's actually a big advantage because I've got experience and lots of time. I'm in this to win it." 

:: The Student: I Can Win This Tory Seat

The youngest candidate to step forward so far is 18-year-old Solomon Curtis - standing in Wealden for Labour.

He has a large Conservative majority of 17,000 to overturn to become the youngest MP ever.

As a member of the Youth Parliament, Solomon says he has built up lots of experience and thinks he can be an MP.

He said: "The argument I always make is that everyone that I speak to wants a more representative parliament, they want more women, more disabled people and they want more young people."


20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sky: Labour Biggest Party In Hung Parliament

Labour will be the largest party in a hung parliament after May's General Election, according to a Sky News projection based on the latest poll of polls.

According to Sky's figures, which look at the national figures and those just for Scotland, Labour will fall short of an overall majority by 44 seats, with 282 seats.

The projections suggest the Tories will win 270 seats, the SNP 53, Lib Dems 20 and UKIP two, other parties will represent 23 seats.

The Green Party, UKIP and the Scottish National Party are all vying to lure voters away from the traditional two-party system and if the numbers are correct, the SNP could hold the key to any coalition.

It comes with just 100 days until the General Election, as Britain's two largest parties - Labour and the Conservatives - launch new policies in a bid to lure voters.

In an interview with Sky News, David Cameron said he was worried about the future of the country, warning that if Labour was to get the keys to Number 10 in May it would "wreck" the economy.

He insisted the Tories could win an outright majority but said the next 100 days would be a "tough fight".

And he insisted his tax cut promises could be funded by the Conservatives' continued careful management of the economy.

He said: "I am worried about the future of our country if we end up with an unstable, left-wing government that starts to borrow and spend and wreck the economic progress that we have made. Of course I worry about that.

"But, we have 100 days to go to make this argument and I think people  can now see, increasingly, our country getting stronger day by day. 

"We have not finished the job, there are still many challenges left for us to meet but we are on the right track and when you are on the right track that's exactly the wrong time to turn backwards."

Mr Cameron has promised a renewed squeeze on benefits "within the first few days" of Government if the Tories are re-elected on 7 May.

The Prime Minister plans to reduce the annual cap on welfare payments from £26,000 to £23,000 - with the £135m saved going towards funding for three million apprenticeships by the end of the decade.

The Tories plan a £30bn adjustment in the first two years of government - £5bn from tax evasion, £13bn from cuts across Whitehall departments and £12bn off the welfare bill.

Mr Cameron said this would help to bankroll the tax cuts promised, including increasing the amount at which people start to pay income tax to £12,500 - lifting a million people out of tax.

He added that he was happy for the televised leaders' debates to go ahead but was keen Northern Ireland parties should be included and the showdowns should not "take the life out of" the election campaign.

:: Sky looks at the 150 seats that could play a deciding role in May's General Election. Click here for the link to the In The Margins console.

Meanwhile, Labour is outlining its 10-year plan for the National Health Service, which includes a pledge to improve the care that terminally ill, frail and elderly people receive at home.

The announcement of 5,000 new "homecare workers" is part of a wider policy to invest an extra £2.5bn in the NHS, with a view to recruiting 20,000 more nurses and 8,000 additional GPs.

In a speech later this morning Ed Miliband will say: He will claim: "One of the country's most precious institutions faces its most perilous moments in a generation. The future of our NHS is at stake in this general election."

Speaking on Sky News, shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said Labour was not thinking about cutting deals with the SNP to form a coalition in the event the party did not secure a majority.

"My focus is on winning a majority for Labour," he said.

He added that he was not putting his energy into "deal-making" but into making sure the coalition cuts and privatisation in the NHS did not continue.

"The NHS matters more to me than anything and I think it's in a very dangerous position today," he added.


20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Economy Slows - But Growth Hits 7-Year High

The UK economy grew at its fastest rate for seven years in 2014, but official figures highlight a sharper slowdown in the final quarter than had been expected.

With the economy growing by 2.6% in 2014, Britain is on track to have the world's fastest growing major economy last year.

But gross domestic product (GDP) rose by just 0.5% in the fourth quarter, the weakest level in a year.

It was weighed down by a construction sector which shrunk 1.8% - its worst pace for more than two years - and a contraction of almost 3% in energy supply, as warm weather persisted and power generation was hit.

The performance meant that annual growth for 2014 fell short of the 3% forecast just last month by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

But GDP is now 3.4% higher than its pre-recession peak, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The services sector, which represents more than three-quarters of output, grew by 0.8% as consumers spent more in the run-up to Christmas as wage growth outpaced inflation amid a supermarket price war.

The economy is the main battleground going into the General Election, which is now 100 days away, and the ONS said it was unable to say whether the weaker output in Q4 was a worrying sign for the Chancellor.

ONS chief economist Joe Grice said: "The dominant services sector remains buoyant while the contraction has taken place in industries like construction, mining and energy supply, which can be erratic."

George Osborne said: "Today's figures confirm that the recovery is on track and our plan is protecting Britain from the economic storm, with the fastest growth of any major economy in 2014.

"But the international climate is getting worse, and with 100 days to go until the election now is not the time to abandon that plan and return Britain to economic chaos."

Economists see the recovery being supported in the coming months by low inflation - aided particularly by falling oil costs - and the fact that the Bank of England is unlikely to raise the base rate of interest this year.

Much depends though on the health of the world economy, with the country's biggest trading partner, the eurozone, not due to begin its quantitative easing programme to stimulate activity until March.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said: "Tory claims that the economy is fixed will ring hollow with working people who are still not feeling the recovery.

"Wages are down by £1,600 a year since 2010 and now these figures show a concerning slowdown in economic growth too.

"Construction is down again, business investment under this government is lagging behind our competitors and exports are way off target.

"And the stagnating wages we have seen over the last five years are the reason why the Chancellor has broken his promise to balance the books."


20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Little Britain' Shoplifters Hunted By Police

Police are appealing for help tracking down a couple of suspected shoplifters who "want that one" - but did not appear to want to pay for it.

The pair - who appear to be channelling their inner Andy and Lou from hit comedy Little Britain - were captured on CCTV at the Marks and Spencer food section of a petrol station in Coventry.

In the footage, a woman is seen being pushed around the shop in a wheelchair by a male accomplice.

But when she apparently thinks nobody is looking, she eases herself out of the chair and stands upright, carefully looking at what is on offer.

After making her choice, the woman is seen putting the items under her coat while her companion loads other goods into the woman's rucksack.

The pair managed to get away with meat products worth about £60 during their spree at the service station on the A45 in Finham at around 5pm on 11 January. 

The woman in the wheelchair is described as black, in her mid-30s, around 5ft 7ins tall while the man is described as black, in his mid-30s and around 6ft tall. 

Police have asked anyone who recognises them to get in touch by phoning 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.


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Murdered Alice's Family Say Questions Remain

The family of murdered schoolgirl Alice Gross have said there are still "serious unanswered questions" about her Latvian killer.

They were were speaking after the police said they had concluded they would have had enough evidence to charge builder Arnis Zalkalns with her abduction and murder had he not committed suicide.

Alice's body was found more than a month after she was last seen, walking along a towpath in west London on 28 August last year.

Police began searching the Grand Union Canal for the 14-year-old on August 29, but investigators have now decided she was probably already dead by the time the hunt began.

Zalkans was found hanged in Boston Manor Park, not far from the murder scene, on 4 October, four weeks after he was reported missing.

The 41-year-old had previously served seven years in jail in his home country for murdering his wife Rudite.

The labourer, who worked at a building site in Isleworth, west London, is believed to have come to the UK in 2007, but authorities are thought to have had no record of his murder conviction.

Alice's family said their daughter believed in the European Union's principle of free movement but said they would be working with the campaign group Liberty to raise important questions.

"Although we now have certain information about how Alice died, we are still left with a number of serious unanswered questions about what the authorities knew or should have known about the man who is believed to have killed our daughter when he came to the UK," they said in a statement.

"Alice believed in the free movement of people and so do we.

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  1. Gallery: Alice Gross: Police Evidence And Scene Gallery

    Where Alice's body was found

The same scene during the day

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No Kiss, He Just Vanished - Auschwitz Survivor

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 25 Januari 2015 | 20.14

By Samantha Simmonds, Sky News Presenter

Seventy-five years ago in 1939 when the Nazis invaded Poland, Renee Salt was just 10 years old. Now 85, she is able to look back and reflect on how, miraculously, she survived when so many others perished.

Renee's first experience of the Nazis was when they rolled into her home town of Zdunska Vola - throwing her and her family out of their home and appropriating all of their belongings. They were left with nothing and nowhere to go. 

All of the Jewish people in town were forced into a ghetto - no one was allowed in or out and they weren't allowed to communicate with the outside world. They struggled to survive on starvation rations, with no sanitation and little access to any medicine.

The Nazis put up gallows in the communal outside space and regularly chose Jewish men at random to hang - leaving their bodies there for days - for all to see.

During the summer of 1942 everyone in the ghetto was rounded up for what Renee soon realised was a "selection".  It was a process she was to go through numerous times.

The Nazis were choosing who would live and who would die - separating out the old, infirm and the young. She says the screams and cries were like nothing she had heard before as people begged for their children to be saved.

Renee's mother hid her two daughters underneath her coat but an SS officer grabbed Renee's eight-year-old sister and marched her away - this is the last memory Renee has of her sibling.

The selection process lasted for days and although Renee was a child, somehow she was spared. But out of 30,000 Jewish people in the ghetto only 1,200 were allowed to live.

They were sent in cattle transports to the Lodz Ghetto. They were forced to stand for the overnight journey, crammed in so tightly more than 100 people suffocated.

Every day, more and more Polish Jews arrived in the ghetto from across the country. They were regularly beaten by SS officers and many died from the cold, starvation or illness. Within two weeks of arriving at the ghetto, Renee's grandmother was taken away and killed.

In 1944, the Nazis told everyone in the ghetto they were being offered the opportunity to be relocated to somewhere they could work and be well-fed and looked after. Even though they didn't believe the Nazis, Renee's family had little choice 

They were sent to Auschwitz Birkenau, the largest of the concentration camps. As soon as the train pulled up Renee says her father jumped down and with that he was gone.

No goodbye, no kiss, he simply vanished into thin air - an event she clearly still struggles to recall without breaking down.

Renee and her mother went through another selection process. They were sent to the left. Everyone who was sent to the right went straight to the gas chambers. She said the screaming from the gas chambers lasted for more than 15 minutes. In total more than a million Jews were murdered at Auschwitz.

Renee and her mother spent several weeks at the camp. They were then moved to Hamburg and eventually to another camp - Bergen Belsen. She describes the long walk of many miles from the train station to that camp - every step of the way she says was littered with dead bodies along the side of the road - prisoners who had collapsed and died en route.

As she walked through the gates of Bergen Belsen she told me of seeing a scene from hell; walking skeletons and bodies piled so high she couldn't see over the top. The camp was in chaos, the end of the war was clearly coming but Renee didn't think she would live to see it.

As she watched an allied tank approaching the gates she passed out. Several days later after coming round she found herself lying in a clean bed being washed and fed by German doctors and nurses who were ordered to look after their former prisoners.

Tragically, her mother died 12 days after the camp was liberated.

Renee says every day of those six years were spent living in fear. She never knew when there would be a selection or when a random act of evil would be inflicted upon her and her loved ones.

She says she has tried to make sense of what happened to her but simply cannot. These, she told me, were educated people who derived so much pleasure out of what they did.

After the liberation with nothing more than the clothes on her back, Renee made her way back to her home town in Poland. There she found an aunt who was one of the only members of her large extended family to survive.

They eventually moved to Paris where Renee met her husband - a British soldier who had in fact been one of those who had liberated Bergen Belsen. They were both so traumatised by their experiences they never talked about them, not with each other or to their children.

Twenty years ago when Renee was 65 she was persuaded she should do so, so that others could hear a first-hand account of the horrors of the Holocaust.

Although now old and frail and with memories still so terribly vivid, she continues to tell her story to schoolchildren. She says it is her duty and will carry on doing so as long as she can.


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Warsi Attacks Govt Policy Towards Muslims

The former Conservative party chairman Baroness Warsi has accused the Government of viewing Britain's Muslim community with suspicion.

Baroness Warsi also criticised what she described as a policy of non-engagement with Britain's three million Muslims, leading to a lack of trust.

Writing in The Guardian newspaper, the former Foreign Office minister revealed her thoughts about the controversial letter sent to mosques across England earlier this month.

The letter urged Muslim leaders to do more to stop people becoming radicalised in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

She said Britain has seen almost six years of non-engagement with the Muslim community, both by the previous Labour Government and the coalition.

"The reaction to the Pickles letter underlines what I consistently argued for in government - that it was important for us to engage with a broad range of groups and individuals who purported to speak for the British Muslim community, while accepting that, inevitably, some didn't do it very well," said Lady Warsi.

She said the Muslim community is currently beset by a climate of concern, worry and fear.

"So it's no surprise there is a trust deficit, a questioning of motive to a letter sent with the best of intentions," she said.

"For too many, the hand of friendship felt like an admonitory finger that was once again pointing at Britain's Muslims."

Baroness Warsi quit her role in the Government last August over its response to the crisis in Gaza, which she said was "morally indefensible".


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Crackdown On Prisoners Caught With 'Legal Highs'

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

Prisoners caught using so-called "legal highs" will face tougher penalties following a huge increase in the use of the drugs inside jails.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has warned that the trend could be driving a spike in violence among inmates, which has resulted in prison staff being injured.

Mr Grayling told Sky News that he wanted to make sure that when legal highs were found in prisons, it was treated as seriously as if it were heroin. 

It comes alongside figures that show a 27-fold increase in seizures of these "new psychoactive substances" in prisons, from just 16 in 2010 to 436 in 2014.

Under the new crackdown offenders could face prosecution, have their jail sentences extended by up to 42 days, be segregated from other prisoners, confined to their cells for 21 days, placed in higher security prisons or banned from any physical contact with visitors.

The new powers will be outlined in guidance sent to prison governors in England and Wales this week by the Ministry of Justice.

It comes as Sky News obtained exclusive access to HMP Ranby in Nottinghamshire during a major operation that saw 60 National Crime Agency officers and extra police drafted into the prison to try to tackle the problem.

Dawn raids were carried out on cells, while every vehicle and person entering the site was searched.

Sniffer dogs were used in the operation, which uncovered a number of packages of "legal highs", alongside smaller amounts of cannabis, mobile phones and weapons.

Staff told Sky News that there had been a large rise in the use of legal highs, with inmates acting erratically and violently when high.

One prison officer described prisoners as displaying "incredible amounts of strength" and "aggression" after taking the drugs – which can be smuggled in by visitors or even thrown over the walls.

The prison governor, Susan Howard, said the operation had focused on legal highs because of concerns about the effects.

She said it was not just the risk to her staff, but also to the prisoners themselves who could suffer raised heartbeats, strokes or even put themselves at danger of death.

"A tiny amount of this could have catastrophic effects," she said, pointing to seized drugs, which are known by street names such as "Spice" and "Black Mamba".

Mr Grayling described the drug abuse as a "new phenomenon".

He added: "What we're also hearing is that these substances seem to be part of the problem around increasing violence in our prison estate.

"No one should be under any illusion how dangerous the abuse of any drug is. We are determined to make sure governors have every power at their disposal to detect supply, punish those found using or dealing, and enforce a zero tolerance approach."

The drugs are popular because they are difficult to detect as they are odourless and sniffer dogs have not been trained up to identify them.

Under the plans dozens of specialist dog teams will undergo training to search for these synthetic drugs.

A new project will also mean 10,000 urine samples will be tested for them in 10 prisons in northwest England. 


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Recovered Ebola Nurse 'Happy To Be Alive'

A nurse infected with Ebola while working in Sierra Leone has said she is "happy to be alive" as she left hospital after making a full recovery.

Pauline Cafferkey is now free of the deadly virus after more than three weeks in a specialist isolation unit, where for a time she was critically ill.

She admitted she still felt "quite weak", but said she was looking forward to going home.

She also thanked staff at the Royal Free Hospital in London, whom she credited with saving her life.

Ms Cafferkey was diagnosed with Ebola after returning to Glasgow and was initially admitted to the city's Gartnavel Hospital on 29 December, before being transferred to the Royal Free the following day.

The nurse, from Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire, had volunteered with Save The Children at the Ebola Treatment Centre in Kerry Town before returning to the UK.

Ms Cafferkey, who was discharged from hospital on Saturday, said: "I am just happy to be alive. I still don't feel 100%, I feel quite weak, but I'm looking forward to going home.

"I want to say a big thank you to the staff who treated me - they were amazing. They were always very reassuring and I knew I was in the best hands.

"They saved my life."

Ms Cafferkey was treated in the hospital's high level isolation unit (HLIU) for more than three weeks.

She said listening to music and having "lots of Irn-Bru" had helped in her recovery.

While in hospital she was under the care of the infectious diseases team, led by Dr Michael Jacobs.

He said: "We are delighted that Pauline has recovered and is now well enough to go home. I am very proud of the staff who have been caring for her.

"It is because of the skill and hard work of the entire team that she is now able to go home."

Save The Children has launched an investigation into how Ms Cafferkey was infected, but admits it may never establish the exact circumstances.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "I am delighted that Pauline Cafferkey has been discharged from hospital and can now return home.

"Her selflessness and courage are remarkable and she represents the very best of NHS values.

"I would like to thank all the staff at the Royal Free who have worked tirelessly to provide her with world class care and treatment."

Prime Minister David Cameron added: "It's great to see Pauline Cafferkey looking so well after her battle with Ebola. She's been extraordinarily brave."


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Social Media Campaign To Fight Cervical Cancer

By Charlotte Lomas, Sky News Reporter

The UK's only dedicated cervical cancer charity is launching a social media campaign to highlight the importance of smear tests as figures show cases of the cancer in young women are on the rise.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics show cases of cervical cancer in women aged under 35 are up almost 4% on 2014 and 33% on 10 years ago.

One in three young women fail to attend screenings, either because they are embarrassed, because they are concerned it will be painful or they are simply too busy.

Figures show that one in five think the test is unnecessary.

Samantha Ransom put off going to have her first smear test for eight months.

When she finally had it done she found out she had grade two cervical cancer and she was four months pregnant with her first child.

She was advised to terminate her baby as she needed intense treatment including radio and chemotherapy to rid her of her cancer.

Ms Ransom said: "I was devastated. It was the worst thing you can imagine.

"The doctors wanted to make sure I was fine and cancer free so they said it was my option but they thought a termination would be better."

After undergoing treatment, Ms Ransom had part of her cervix removed and her ovaries raised higher in an attempt to save them from the effects of radiotherapy.

However this was unsuccessful and she is now unable to have children.

She wants to make sure young women are aware of the importance of smear tests and don't leave it too late.

She said: "Don't leave that letter lying on the side. Book an appointment ASAP. It's not as uncomfortable as everyone thinks it is."

Launched at the start of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust is asking the public to join #SmearForSmear - a social media campaign which aims to draw attention to the importance of smear tests and stop the rise in numbers of women diagnosed with the disease.

The director of the charity, Robert Music, said: "It's a really important opportunity to raise awareness that cervical cancer is largely preventable.

"But we need to increase the number of women attending cervical screening or young girls getting the HPV vaccine."

Since 2008 young girls have been offered a vaccine against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This is a virus that can cause cervical cancer.

But medical experts warn that this doesn't mean they're fully protected.

Gynaecological oncologist Adeola Olaitan said: "The HPV vaccine protects against two of the viruses that cause 70% of cervical cancer.

"However it doesn't give 100% protection so it is important these women still go for smear tests when they are called."  

More than one million women failed to attend their smear test appointment last year.

It's hoped this new campaign will change that and make women realise that cervical cancer is one of the only cancers that is preventable.


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