Unicef: Austerity Risks Children's Prospects

British children's prospects trail behind many of their European neighbours and current Government policies are making it worse, a UN organisation has warned.

Unicef's report on child well-being placed the UK 16th out of 29 developed countries, but it ranked much lower on key indicators including involvement in further education (29th), teenage pregnancy (27th) and youth unemployment (24th).

The children's rights organisation warned that a generation of British teenagers is being "sidelined" by the Government's austerity agenda and called for more state investment in young people.

Anita Tiessen, deputy executive director of Unicef UK, said: "There is no doubt that the situation for children and young people has deteriorated in the last three years, with the Government making policy choices that risk setting children back in their most crucial stages of development.

"With the UK ranking at the bottom, or near the bottom, of the league table on teenage pregnancy and young people not in education, employment or training, we know that many are facing a bleaker future.

"While children and young people will be the first to bear the brunt if we fail to safeguard their well-being, over time society as a whole will pay the price."

The UK has actually crept up the child well-being tables since Unicef's last report in 2007, which branded Britain the worst place in the developed world to be a child.

But the organisation warned that the improvement seen under the previous Labour administration risks being reversed by the Coalition cuts programme.

It cited research by the Family and Parenting Institute and Institute for Fiscal Studies predicting that 400,000 more children will be in poverty by 2015/16 due to austerity measures.

The new report draws on statistics from 2010 and shows a general improvement in children's experiences over the first decade of this century, compared with the previous scorecard, which looked at data from 2001/2.

But the brighter picture for younger children is not matched among teenagers, who remain more likely than their peers in other developed countries to drop out of education and get involved in underage drinking and teenage pregnancy.

The table was topped by the Netherlands, then Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Romania was ranked last.

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Thatcher Football Silence Idea 'A Disgrace'

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent

Calls for a minute's silence at football matches to mark the death of Margaret Thatcher have been dismissed as "a disgrace" by the Hillsborough Family Support Group.

Two Premier League chairmen, Reading's John Madejski and Wigan's Dave Whelan, have called for the former prime minister's death to be commemorated this weekend.

But Margaret Aspinall, chair of the group that campaigned for more than 20 years for justice for the 96 Liverpool fans who died in 1989, said it would be wholly inappropriate.

Monday sees the 24th anniversary of the disaster, and the first since an independent inquiry revealed the extent of a cover-up by South Yorkshire police that sought to blame Liverpool fans for the deaths.

Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan also wanted a minute's silence

The Hillsborough Independent Panel report, published last autumn, also revealed Lady Thatcher's reluctance to endorse criticism of the police despite the government being aware of "damning" evidence of their role.

Adding to sensitivities around the issue, Liverpool play at Madjeski's Reading on Saturday, where a minute's silence for the victims of Hillsborough is already planned.

Mrs Aspinall, whose teenage son James died in the tragedy, told Sky News a silence at any fixtures would be "an insult".

"I think if they have a minute's silence for her at any football ground it would be an insult to all fans. We all know that Margaret Thatcher was no friend of football, everyone knew her feelings," she said.

"I do not want to speak ill of the dead because we have to consider the feelings of her family, but she was part and parcel of what we [the bereaved families] have gone through.

"I think it is a disgrace that they would want to have a minute's silence for her, an absolute disgrace."

Margaret Aspinall (R) lost her son in the Hillsborough disaster

Despite Mr Madjeski and Mr Whelan's comments, the Premier League and the FA have said there will not be silences either at league fixtures or the two FA Cup semi-finals staged at Wembley.

An FA spokesman said there was "no precedent" for silences following the death of prime ministers and that it wanted the games to remain apolitical.

The FA and Premier League position has been endorsed by the Football Supporters' Federation.

Chairman Malcolm Clarke said: "We believe the football authorities have made the right decision in not holding minute's silences this weekend.

Margaret Thatcher's death has been recognised across the world

"I think that most fans will be more concerned with marking the Hillsborough anniversary than the passing of Margaret Thatcher."

Privately, the football authorities also doubt that any silence would be respected given the antipathy that existed between the Thatcher government and football during the 1980s.

She was in power when hooliganism was at its height but her attempts to curb it, most notably the football ID cards scheme, were deeply unpopular and eventually rejected.

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Teens Killed 85-Year-Old In Handbag Mugging

Two 15-year-olds have admitted killing an 85-year-old partially sighted woman as they mugged her for her handbag.

Paula Castle, 85, who was registered blind, fell to the ground after she was robbed in an alleyway in Greenford, West London.

She died in hospital from head injuries the following day.

The youths, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were due to go on trial at the Old Bailey charged with murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

They admitted robbing Mrs Castle and a second woman, Rose Mohamed, 75, on November 20

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Weather: Temp To Hit 20C As Spring Comes

Spring will bloom next week as the cold snap that is winter's last blast moves away, according to forecasters.

Temperatures will reach up to 20C on Sunday in parts of the south and east and will get up to double figures across all of Britain after one of the coldest recorded Marches in history.

Sky News meteorologist Chris England said temperatures are set to rise next week as the jet stream steers away from the Atlantic. The narrow band of very strong winds, which moves weather systems around the globe, has been blamed for the recent bad weather.

He said: "It's going to turn warmer as the weather system comes over from the south but the downside is that there'll be rain and wind before we get there."

Billy Payne, a forecaster for the Press Association, said: "We are seeing change on the way through today, with heavy rain pushing north and bringing temperatures up with milder air before things get warmer next week.

"By Sunday and into Monday temperatures should be driving towards 20C in the south east and East Anglia, and double digits in Scotland and the north of England."

A car travels through the snow near Allenheads in Northumberland

The unseasonable weather has caused chaos for farmers, the transport network and homeowners throughout March and the Easter holiday.

In some parts of Britain, the continuously low temperatures have formed rarely seen ice formations.

Hundreds of farmers have lost livestock and wildlife is said to have been hit hard by weather that has left many animals struggling to find food.

Average temperatures between March 1 and 26 were just 2.5C (36.5F), three degrees below the long-term average, the Met Office said.

This would make it the coldest March since 1962 and also the fourth coldest in the UK since records began in 1910.

The coldest March in the UK was in 1962, at 1.9C (35.4F), followed by 1947, 2.2C (35.9F), 1937, 2.4C (36.3F), and 1916 and 1917, 2.5C (36.5F).

Geoff Lee at an ice wall which has formed on Durham Dales

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IVF Pioneer Sir Robert Edwards Dies

IVF pioneer Sir Robert Edwards has died at the age of 87, Cambridge University has announced.

Together with Dr Patrick Steptoe, Sir Robert developed the process that led to the birth of the first test tube baby Louise Brown in 1978.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his work in 2010.

A spokesman for Cambridge University said on behalf of Sir Robert's family: "It is with deep sadness that the family announces that Professor Sir Robert Edwards, Nobel prizewinner, scientist and co-pioneer of IVF, passed away peacefully in his sleep on 10th April 2013 after a long illness.

"He will be greatly missed by family, friends and colleagues. Please respect the family's privacy at this sad time."

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Margaret Thatcher: Critics Party In Brixton

Police were called to Brixton in South London after people celebrating the death of Margaret Thatcher gathered in the streets.

Some revellers climbed onto the Ritzy cinema building and rearranged letters on its film listings board to spell out the words: "Margaret Thatchers (sic) dead LOL".

Britain's first and only female prime minister died on Monday after suffering a stroke at the age of 87.

Other critics gathered in Windrush Square celebrated with cheers of "Maggie, Maggie, Maggie, dead, dead, dead".

A banner celebrating Margaret Thatcher's death hangs from the Ritzy cinema

The area was the scene of fierce riots in 1981, two years into Lady Thatcher's first term in office.

Pictures of anti-Thatcher graffiti scrawled on walls in Brixton also appeared on Twitter, with one reading: "You snatched my milk! & our hope"

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said extra officers were brought in to control the crowds, who "caused low level disorder" and threw "a small number of missiles" at officers.

There were no reports of any arrests and the group dispersed in the early hours of the morning, acccording to police.

Some revellers sprayed champagne as they celebrated in Brixton

A spokesman for Ritzy said there was some damage to its building, adding that staff helped clear up the streets after the demonstration.

Meanwhile in Glasgow, up to 300 people gathered in George Square, 24 years after poll tax protests were held there.

Some anti-capitalist campaigners wore party hats and launched streamers into the air, while a bottle of champagne was sprayed.

Earlier, David Hopper, general secretary of Durham Miners' Association, said he was celebrating on his 70th birthday after learning of Baroness Thatcher's death.

"She was a heartless woman who tore the heart out of the mining communities of the North," he said.

George Galloway, the Respect MP for Bradford West, wrote on Twitter: "Thatcher described Nelson Mandela as a 'terrorist'. I was there. I saw her lips move. May she burn in the hellfires."

Parliament is being recalled on Wednesday for a special session to allow politicians to pay tribute to Lady Thatcher.

A full ceremonial funeral will take place at St Paul's Cathedral next week.

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Film-Maker Death Post-Mortem Inconclusive

By Frazer Maude, Sky News Reporter

A post-mortem on the body of a young film-maker who died while sleeping rough for a documentary has proved inconclusive.

Lee Halpin, 26, had planned to spend a week living rough in his home city of Newcastle but his body was found in a derelict building three days into the project .

Newcastle coroner David Mitford said the post-mortem was not able to establish the cause of his death and that further tests were being carried out.

Mr Mitford said: "There are tests being taken and will need to be analysed. That might take some time and it depends on the nature of the tests.

"We don't know the reason why he died and we do not have full information about the background circumstances."

Speaking in a YouTube video he made the day before he started his week on the streets, Mr Halpin, whose body was found on Wednesday, said the documentary was part of an application for a Channel 4 investigative journalism scheme.

He said he hoped it would be an example of fearless reporting.

On the video, he said he had spoken to a homeless charity about the rise in the number of people on the streets and the effect of changes to Britain's welfare system this month.

"I'm about to go and spend a week being homeless in the West End of Newcastle. I will sleep rough for a week, scrounge for my food, access the services that other homeless individuals use," he said.

"I will interact with as many homeless people as possible and immerse myself in that lifestyle as deeply as I can."

Channel 4 has defended its decision to ask aspiring journalists to demonstrate their "fearlessness" following Mr Halpin's death.

In an online application form for the broadcaster's Investigative Journalism Programme 2013, applicants were asked to post a YouTube video describing a time in which they were "fearless in a pursuit for a story".

No date has been fixed for the inquest to resume because the tests could take some weeks.

Meanwhile, the police investigation continues.

Two men, aged 26 and 30, were arrested on suspicion of supplying class A drugs in connection with Mr Halpin's death and have both been released on bail.

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Margaret Thatcher: Funeral Next Wednesday

Baroness Thatcher's funeral will be held at St Paul's Cathedral next Wednesday and attended by the Queen, it has been announced.

Britain's longest serving prime minister and the only woman so far to hold the role will be given a ceremonial funeral with full military honours.

It is the same status as that accorded to the Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales, although some Tories want a full state ceremony.

The funeral will be the first of a former prime minister attended by the Queen since Sir Winston Churchill's state ceremony in 1965.

The Queen will attend Lady Thatcher's funeral next Wednesday

She will be accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, and other heads of state and foreign dignitaries from around the world are expected to attend.

Lady Thatcher died at The Ritz in central London on Monday morning after suffering a stroke. She had battled ill health for a number of years.

Downing Street said the date of her funeral was agreed at a meeting attended by her family and officials from Buckingham Palace.

The day before the ceremony, Lady Thatcher's coffin will be transferred to the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster.

Newspaper front pages were dominated by the former PM's death

There will be a short service following its arrival before the coffin rests in the chapel overnight.

The streets will then be cleared for a procession taking the former leader's body from parliament to Church of St Clement Danes, the RAF Chapel on the Strand.

At the church, it will be transferred to a gun carriage drawn by the King's Troop Royal Artillery. The streets will be cleared for the procession on to St Paul's.

There the coffin will be met by a guard of honour as members of the armed services and pensioners of the Royal Hospital Chelsea line the steps.

A private ambulance taking Lady Thatcher's body from the Ritz

The public will not be able to attend the funeral service itself but will be able to line the route of the procession.

Parliament is expected to be suspended for the event, which means the first Prime Minister's Questions since the Easter break could be cancelled.

Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude, who is in charge of some of the arrangements, said: "There's already a huge amount of interest.

"There's a guest list and people will be invited over the coming days. It will be a big event. I think there's a huge amount of people - not just in Britain, but around the world - who will want to pay their respects to her."

A flag flying at half-mast over the Houses of Parliament

Some Tory MPs have expressed disappointment that the 87-year-old has not been granted a state funeral, as wartime leader Churchill was.

Peter Bone, MP for Wellingborough, said she should have "the highest kind of funeral that can be allowed".

"I would have thought a state funeral would be very appropriate. She was the first female prime minister. She was also the greatest peacetime prime minister we ever had," he told the Daily Mail.

However, friends have indicated that she did not want such treatment. She had specifically said she did not want to lie in state and that a fly-past would be a waste of money.

The former PM sitting for a 70th birthday photograph

For a state funeral to be granted to a non-royal, a parliamentary vote would have to be passed to permit the release of public funds.

Parliament is also being recalled from the Easter break on Wednesday to allow MPs to voice their tributes, although the decision has angered some MPs.

Labour's John Mann questioned why taxpayers' money was being spent on bringing back MPs when tributes could have been paid next week, when parliament was due to resume.

"It is perfectly valid that, when a prime minister dies, MPs can pay tribute, but this could be perfectly properly done on Monday," he said.

Mrs Thatcher in a tank on a British base in Germany in 1986

He added that he would not be attending the session tomorrow, saying: "I will be at the dentist's."

Prime Minister David Cameron, who has already hailed Lady Thatcher as "a great Briton", is expected to give a statement to the Commons, followed by Labour leader Ed Miliband.

Mr Miliband said on Monday that while he "disagreed with much of what she did", he respected "her extraordinary achievements and her extraordinary personal strength".

The former Tory leader was hailed across the world as a towering politician, although there was also jubilation at her death from critics angry at some of her most controversial actions in office.

Flowers outside her home in Belgravia, London

While some mourners laid flowers in tribute outside her home in Belgravia, London, others took to the streets to celebrate her demise.

Some 200 revellers took to the streets in Bristol, where six police officers were injured in a scuffle as bottles and cans were thrown.

There were similar scenes in south London, where more than 100 people gathered in Brixton - the scene of fierce riots in 1981, two years into Lady Thatcher's first term in office.

A crowd of 300 also gathered in Glasgow's George Square, where in 1989 protests at the introduction of the infamous poll tax took place.

Crowds celebrating the death of the former Tory PM in Brixton

Many on the Left have condemned the social impacts of Lady Thatcher's policies encouraging the free market and stripping power from unions during her 11 years in power.

Her death was also welcomed by veterans of the Falklands conflict in Argentina, who blamed her for the deaths of the 649 troops who died during the 74-day war.

But the news was received with "great sadness" by islanders on the Falklands, who flew the union flags at half mast and hailed her intervention 31 years ago.

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'Mild-Mannered' Family Dog Killed Baby Boy

A mother whose eight-day-old son died after being bitten by the family dog has told an inquest of her shock at the attack, saying the Jack Russell was "mild-mannered".

Mikayla Bell, 19, said the seven-year-old dog called PJ had never been aggressive towards children, adults or other dogs.

Miss Bell, whose son was sleeping in his cot when he was bitten, said she didn't "blame anyone" for what had happened but that it "was a really tragic accident".

She said that she had been upstairs at the family home in Ketley, Shropshire, while her mother had been caring for her son, Harry Harper, downstairs.

The sales assistant said she had been woken by an alarm at 6.30am on November 20 but shortly afterwards heard her mother, Teresa, screaming and shouting.

In a statement to Telford Coroner's Court, Miss Bell said: "I immediately ran downstairs and saw mum holding Harry over the sink.

"Mum was repeatedly saying 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' and I heard mum say 'He's been bitten'. I think at some point mum said it was PJ that had bitten him."

Harry was pronounced dead in hospital around 90 minutes later.

Miss Bell said: "I feel angry about what happened but I don't blame anyone. I am shocked to know it was PJ because he wasn't vicious at all."

Her mother said in her statement: "I know it was a tragic accident but I will always wonder if I could have done something differently that morning."

The tragedy happend at the family home in Ketley, Shropshire

The inquest was told that the dog had not followed Miss Bell's mother into the kitchen but remained in the sitting room where he attacked the baby, who was sleeping in a cot.

Detective Inspector Phil Shakesheff told the inquest that the family had an "unblemished history" of caring for dogs over a period of many years and that neither PJ nor the family's German Shepherd had previously displayed signs of dangerous behaviour.

He said: "There is no evidence to suggest that the death of Harry is anything other than a tragic incident that can't be ruled out from occurring in any other dog-owning household where children are present."

The inquest heard dogs had killed six children and two adults around the country since 2007.

Telford's Assistant Deputy Coroner Andrew Barkley, recorded a verdict of accidental death.

He praised the family for their dignity and said: "One can only hope that if anything positive can come out of what has been a deeply distressing case, it's that the public recognise the dangers associated with babies and small children being around dogs."

After the hearing, the family released a statement saying: "As a family, we remain absolutely devastated by Harry's death.

"Although he was only with us for eight days, he had brought enormous happiness to us all and his loss is a tragedy that we will carry with us forever.

"We will treasure every single moment we enjoyed of him and we will never forget the joy he gave us when he arrived."

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Weatherman Fred Talbot Held Over 'Sex Abuse'

TV weatherman Fred Talbot has been arrested by police investigating historic sexual abuse at a school where he taught.

The 63-year-old is being held on suspicion of three counts of indecent assault and four counts of inciting a child to commit acts of gross indecency.

The alleged offences relate to his time as a biology teacher at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys in Trafford, Greater Manchester, between the early 1970s to early 1980s, where four alleged victims were pupils.

Mr Talbot's home in Bowdon, Cheshire, was raided by police last December while he was out of the country.

He is best known for his colourful appearances on the weather map for ITV's This Morning programme when hosted by Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan at Liverpool's Albert Dock.

Mr Talbot remains the weatherman on the station's North West regional news programme Granada Reports.

The school at the centre of sex abuse allegations

Detective Chief Inspector Sellars said: "Since allegations were made to police in December, we have made good progress with this investigation and with tracing and speaking to former pupils of Altrincham Grammar school.

"However, as part of our ongoing enquiry I am eager to trace anyone who attended the school between the early 1970s and 1980s, who feel they may have information to assist the police investigation."

Mr Talbot remains in police custody.

The police inquiry was prompted following media reports of another probe into historic sexual abuse at a Catholic boys' school in Altrincham.

Last month, a 63-year-old former teacher at St Ambrose College in Hale Barns was held on suspicion of indecent assault of an ex-pupil and possession of indecent images dating back to the early 1980s.

He was later bailed pending further inquiries.

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