Rail Overcrowding: First Class May Be Axed

Rail Fare Rises Revealed By Route

Updated: 2:21am UK, Thursday 02 January 2014

The rise in rail fares depends on the route passengers are taking. Here are some examples.

ROUTE                                   JAN 2013   JAN 2014     PERCENTAGE

RISE

Leeds-Wakefield                    £964           £992             2.9%

Basingstoke-London              £3,952        £4,076          3.13%

Ramsgate-London                  £4,864        £5,012          3.04%

Folkestone Central -London   £4,836         £4,984          3.06%

Bedford-London                     £4,172         £4,300          3.07%

Sevenoaks-London                £3,112         £3,208          3.08%

Cheltenham Spa-London        £9,184        £9,468          3.09%

Deal-London                            £4,864          £5,012         3.04%

Woking-London                       £2,896         £2,980         2.9%

West Malling-London             £3,876         £3,996         3.1%

Guildford-London                    £3,224         £3,320         2.98%

Dover Priory-London             £4,864          £5,012          3.04%

Ludlow-Hereford                    £1,992         £2,032          2%

Morpeth-Newcastle               £1,008         £1,040           3.17%

Milton Keynes-London           £4,620          £4,772           3.29%

Tunbridge Wells- London      £4,132          £4,260           3.1%

Aylesbury-London                  £3,632          £3,732           2.75%

Hastings-London                   £4,304          £4,432           2.97%

20.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jailed Terrorists Refuse To Change Beliefs

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

Almost three-quarters of those jailed for Islamist terror offences in the UK have rejected efforts to steer them away from extremism, Sky News has been told.

Sources said 110 of the country's 150 terrorist offenders, who are currently in prison or on parole, are resisting rehabilitation.

Analysts have told Sky News the security services will be faced with an increasing challenge trying to monitor those who retain extreme views once released.

The Government's counter-terrorism strategy, Contest, is aimed at encouraging extremists to re-examine their beliefs and choose a path of non-violence.

But experts say tackling the terrorist mindset is extremely challenging.

Many terrorism-related inmates are housed at Belmarsh prison

Dr Usama Hasan is a senior researcher in Islamic studies at the counter-extremist think tank, the Quilliam Foundation.

He said: "It shows the extent of the challenge that, 12 years after the 9/11 attacks in the US, you've still got the majority of these people not wanting to deal with any examination or discussion of their hardline ideas."

Whitehall sources have told Sky News that every single senior jihadist jailed in the UK in recent years has refused to engage with the anti-extremism programme.

They include the likes of Abdullah Ahmed Ali, who led a terror cell which planned to blow up airliners with liquid bombs.

It has been claimed the plot could have been more deadly than the 9/11 attacks. Ali and his fellow plotters were arrested and jailed in 2009.

Dr Hasan said it was not surprising that every senior terrorist figure had rejected overtures by prison authorities.

The Government is trying to get inmates to re-examine their beliefs

"If you look at their background and ideology, it is hardline jihadists' ideology which is the same as that of al Qaeda. 

"It is very fanatical, it's narrow minded, it's entrenched. It is absolutely certain that it is the correct world view and anybody who opposes it is its enemy and is the enemy of God.

"It's very difficult to change that view amongst such individuals."

Of the 150 people convicted of terrorist related offences in recent years, 40 have agreed to participate in the Government's anti-extremism programme.

The 40 are drawn from the ranks of those who were jailed for lesser offences - so-called foot soldiers.

Raffaello Pantucci, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said reaching such offenders remained extremely challenging for the authorities.

He said: "I think individuals who have pursued a path of radical extremist ideas are very difficult to persuade away from those ideas.

"I think trying to persuade them when they're within the context of a prison is understandably even harder.

"The news that around three-quarters of these individuals are not responding to Government attempts to reach out to them with deradicalisation programmes is certainly negative, but is not entirely surprising."

Around 30 terrorist offenders are already back out on Britain's streets on probation - some continue to hold extremist beliefs.

Mr Pantucci said that monitoring growing numbers of these offenders will prove increasingly challenging for the authorities. 

"It poses a difficulty for the security services because you are seeing a lot of people coming back out of prison who don't necessarily seem to have rejected the beliefs that they had before," he said.

"These are individuals that the security services have to watch out for and they need to be aware of these people and watching someone requires a substantial amount of resources."

He added, though, that it wasn't necessarily the case that all those coming out of prison still retaining some radical beliefs, would pose a threat to national security.

"We've certainly seen, historically, that people have rejected these ideas for a variety of reasons, sometimes because they've reached a decision they simply want to move on to another stage in their lives," he said.

Dr Hasan said the authorities still had plenty of time to reach the senior convicted jihadists as they are serving much longer prison sentences.

But he said a more robust approach might eventually be needed to try to influence their thinking.

Experts acknowledge there is only so much the authorities can do to persuade inmates to address their offending behaviour.

Even if they continue to hold on to their extremist beliefs, once they've served their sentence - like everyone else - they will be eligible for release.

Official sources have said they are encouraged that 40 terrorist offenders have agreed to participate in efforts to put them on a path away from violent extremism.

Although officials are hopeful other inmates will follow suit, there is a real risk significant numbers of convicted terrorists will re-join society in the future with the same beliefs that got them jailed in the first place.

In response to the revelations, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson told Sky News: "Challenging the extremist ideologies of individual prisoners can be a long and complex process.

"There is no one size fits all solution.

"Such interventions are a process - not an event.

"That is why we have a range of robust interventions to address these dangerous beliefs and to manage offenders effectively while they are in prison."

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

20.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Debenhams CFO Quits After Profits Warning

The chief financial officer at Debenhams has quit the retailer, just 48 hours after it issued a post-Christmas profits warning.

Simon Herrick had already been under pressure, according to media reports, after he asked suppliers for a discount on goods just eight days before Christmas in what was seen as a 'Santa tax'.

The department store chain denied at the time of his letter to suppliers that it was an attempt to boost fragile festive trading.

In the letter he wrote: "As we will mutually benefit from the growth of Debenhams we are now seeking a contribution from our suppliers to support our commitment to on-going investment."

He said this would include: "A single-sum contribution on all outstanding payments on your account at close December 17.

"An additional discount of 2.5% applied to all open orders on our system at close on December 17.

"This is a contribution and not a permanent amendment to your trading terms with Debenhams," the letter said.

The company, which lowered its profit outlook on Tuesday after the hoped-for surge in last-minute Christmas shopping failed to materialise, said a search to find a replacement for Mr Herrick was under way.

Neil Kennedy, director of finance, has assumed the role of acting chief financial officer on an interim basis, Debenhams said.

The chain blamed its poor Christmas performance on the continuing decline of the high street, the impact of the recession on household incomes and bad weather.

The retailer said it was planning to slash prices in January and February.

Michael Sharp, chief executive of Debenhams, said on Tuesday: "As has been widely commented on in the media, the market was highly promotional in the run-up to Christmas and we responded to these conditions to ensure our offer was competitive.

"However, this extremely difficult environment has inevitably had an impact on both our sales and profitability."

The announcement, which had been due on January 17, saw the retailer reveal an £85m profit for the 17 weeks to December 28 – some way off the £114.7m in the same period last year, a 26% drop.

The company's statement showed that online sales had increased by 27% during that time and accounted for 15.6% of total sales, compared to 12.4% for the same period last year.

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

20.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jobless Youngsters 'Have Nothing To Live For'

More than 750,000 young people in the UK may feel they have nothing to live for, according to a survey by the Prince's Trust.

The study found that long-term unemployed youngsters are facing "devastating" symptoms of mental illness and often self-harm - and almost a third have contemplated suicide.

Jobless 16 to 25-year-olds are also twice as likely as their peers to have been prescribed anti-depressants, with 40% of those who were out of work saying they faced symptoms of mental illness.

Out of more than 2,000 people who took part in the charity's survey, those unemployed for more than a year were more likely to say they had no one to confide in.

The study found that 9% agreed with the statement: "I have nothing to live for", and in its report the Trust pointed out that if 9% of all young people felt the same, there would be 751,230 across the country feeling that way.

Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince's Trust, said: "Unemployment is proven to cause devastating, long-lasting mental health problems among young people.

"Thousands wake up every day believing that life isn't worth living, after struggling for years in the dole queue.

"More than 440,000 young people are facing long-term unemployment, and it is these young people that urgently need our help.

"If we fail to act, there is a real danger that these young people will become hopeless, as well as jobless."

Danielle Stevens told Sunrise she "went down a suicidal path"

In December, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that UK unemployment fell by 99,000 to 2.39 million in the three months to October - the lowest level since 2009.

But the Prince's Trust Macquarie Youth Index found that 16-25 year-olds were not necessarily feeling the benefits of the economic recovery.

Around 280 of those surveyed were not in employment, education or training, 166 had been unemployed for more than six months and 135 had been jobless for a year or more.

Prince's Trust ambassador Danielle Stevens was diagnosed with depression and attempted suicide after being kicked out of college in her teens.

She told Sky News' Sunrise programme: "I felt like I had no reason to be here. I didn't feel like it was worth living. I had no job, no education at the time."

Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, commented: "This research proves that unemployment is a public health issue.

"It is one that must be tackled urgently and it is essential that youth unemployment is added to the public health agenda.

"Unemployed young people are struggling in many aspects of their lives, from their mental health and wellbeing to their relationships and their qualifications and we must act quickly to end this."

The Prince's Trust has called for urgent support from the Government, health agencies and employers to help fund its work with long-term unemployed young people battling mental health issues.

The youth charity said it would support 58,000 disadvantaged young people this year.

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

20.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Weather: More Torrential Rain On The Way

Fresh warnings of severe weather and widespread flooding have been issued for the UK, as the Government called an emergency meeting over the conditions.

Floods and strong winds have hit households across the country, with roads closed, train services disrupted and hundreds of homes without electricity.

Authorities are urging people to be extra vigilant as the country prepares for more vicious weather, severe gales and torrential rain.

More than 270 weather warnings and alerts have been issued by the Environment Agency, affecting every region of England and Wales.

Its floods manager Wendy Brooks told Sky News that it would be issusing some "severe flood warnings" later, which means there "couid be risk to people's lives and property".

The flood risk will extend along the UK coastline from north-west England, through Wales and south-west and southern England. Areas particularly at risk include the Isles of Scilly, the north and south coasts of Devon and Cornwall, Dorset and the coastline of Wales.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has also issued several flood warnings, with some 14 throughout Tayside.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson chaired an urgent meeting in response to flooding that has wreaked havoc.

Bad weather has been lashing Britain for a number of weeks

"We had a range of ministers from right across government attending, who will be working very closely with local councils, power companies, utilities and transport companies, making sure that all those organisations are absolutely prepared for the bad weather that is coming," he said.

"I would appeal to everyone to keep in very close touch with the warnings that are being put out on a regular basis by the Environment Agency, to pay heed to them, as these floods and the coast will be dangerous."

Dozens of flood warnings have been put in place, mostly in the South East and South West, with strong winds of up to 60 to 70mph, heavy downpours and more flooding forecast over the coming days.

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "There is further heavy rain coming in this evening from the west and spreading eastwards. It is going to be quite heavy at times.

"It is not anything too unusual for the time of year. It is just that we are having so much rain coming in, in a short space of time, falling on the already saturated ground.

Just under 300 flood alerts and warnings are in place in England and Wales

"Therefore, we are going to see the risk of further flooding in many areas, and the winds are going to be strong tomorrow with gusts up to 60 to 70mph along exposed western coasts. This could cause some damage as well, some travel disruption is likely too.

"It is going to remain stormy for the rest of the week, even into the start of next week as well."

A search for a 27-year-old man who was swept out to sea while celebrating the new year on the beach with friends at Loe Bar, near Porthleven, in Cornwall, was called off on Thursday after a body was found

That came after a woman, thought to be on holiday wither her family, died in the surf in north Devon.

The coastguard is also searching for a man who is believed to have fallen into the River Stour, near Iford Bridge in Christchurch, Dorset.

And emergency services across the country are searching for several people who have not been seen since New Year's Eve.

Some 300 homes in the south and east of England had no power last night

Pete Fox, head of strategy at the Environment Agency, said: "We are expecting flooding along the west and south coasts of England and Wales, due to a combination of strong winds, large waves and high tides, from the early hours of Friday and into the weekend.

"Coastal paths and promenades could be highly dangerous as there is an increased risk of being swept out to sea. People are warned to stay away from the shoreline.

"The Environment Agency is monitoring the situation closely, working alongside partners including the Met Office and local authorities. Environment Agency teams are out on the ground making sure that flood defences are in good working order, monitoring sea levels and preparing to issue flood alerts and warnings.

A Cornwall police spokesman said: "There are people who enjoy swimming in all weathers as well as those who may under-estimate the danger a rough sea can pose.

"During the current bad weather, we would appeal to everyone to use common sense and not put themselves in unnecessary danger."

Meanwhile, in Liphook, Hampshire, 300 homes lost power after lines were brought down in the stormy weather.

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

20.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Online Music Streaming Doubles In UK In 2013

Online music streaming in the UK has doubled in the last year, according to new figures.

But that has come at the expense of album sales, which have seen an overall dip during 2013 due to the decline in CD sales as people turn to digital listening.

Research by music trade body the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Official Charts Company shows 7.4 billion tracks were played on paid-for or ad-funded streaming services in the last year - twice the 3.7 billion figure of 2012.

Around £103m was brought in over the past 12 months by subscription services - up £26m on the previous year.

Runners-up Bastille saw their album Bad Blood become the most streamed

The total income generated by streaming will be much higher as the figure does not include the cash from advertising on free streams and on services such as YouTube.

Album sales were worth £772m last year, which is down £29m compared with the previous year.

CD sales of 60.6 million were down almost 13% on 2012, but still account for almost two-thirds of the album markets in the UK.

Digital sales of 32.6 million - up nearly 7% - now represent almost 35% of the total market.

Rock quartet Arctic Monkeys were the most streamed artists of the year.

The band, who headlined Glastonbury and whose fifth album AM was nominated for the Mercury Prize, beat Bastille into second place, with French duo Daft Punk third.

The biggest-selling album of the year was the compilation Now That's What I Call Music 86, selling 1.1 million copies, way ahead of the biggest seller by an artist which was One Direction's Midnight Memories, shifting 685,000 copies.

A report in trade magazine Music Week last month said 2013 is the first year since the 1980s in which there has been no million-album-selling artist in the UK.

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

20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cornwall: New Year Paddler Swept Away By Sea

A major search is under way for a person who was swept out to sea after going for a New Year's Eve paddle with friends.

They were in the sea at Loe Bar, near Porthleven, Cornwall when the missing person, who has not been named, was swept off their feet by a large wave.   

One of the group alerted Falmouth Coastguard, which mobilised rescue teams from Penzance, Porthleven, Mullion and Porthoustock, and RNLI lifeboats from Penlee and Lizard.

A helicopter from RNAS Culdrose also helped in the search in atrocious conditions.

Phil Mathias, Falmouth Coastguard watch manager, said: "The weather for searching has been particularly challenging and as the night has gone on, conditions have deteriorated."

The search was suspended at 4.30am, but resumed at first light with fresh search teams.  

Meanwhile, a woman has drowned after being swept out to sea off the north Devon coast.

A coastguard helicopter and lifeboat crews were sent to find the unnamed woman, who was pulled from the water at around 1pm on Tuesday.

"She was airlifted to North Devon District Hospital where attempts to revive her were sadly unsuccessful," a Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said.

The woman, thought to be a holidaymaker visiting Croyde Bay, was swept out in rough waves near Braunton.

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

20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Weather: Floods Warning For Start Of 2014

Heavy rain could bring more floods at the start of 2014, the Environment Agency (EA) has warned.

Counties at increased risk of flooding are Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Berkshire, Sussex, Surrey, Kent and Cumbria.

Parts of western Scotland are also at risk.

The EA has 19 flood warnings in place in England and Wales, meaning flooding is expected, and 151 flood alerts, where flooding is possible.

The Met Office has said that as much as 40mm (1.6in) of rain could fall on higher ground or coastal areas, and there are likely to be gales of 50-60mph.

The latest bad weather is set to push in from the Atlantic, crossing the UK from west to east.

Heavy rain caused flooding in Scotland on Monday

With the ground already saturated, some minor flooding is likely, the Met Office said.

Sky meteorologist Chris England said: "Heavy rain over central and southern England and Wales will add to the flood risk there, while there will be gales over southern and western coasts and hills.

"Thursday will bring a spell of mostly fine weather, with just the odd coastal shower, but the next storm system will bring rain into Cork and Kerry by dusk.

"That rain will push across all parts overnight, clearing eastern England on Friday morning, but gales or severe gales following will bring squally showers to most areas.

"It will stay unsettled with further rain and strong winds into next week."

Councils are preparing for the worst, with emergency accommodation lined up in case people are forced to leave their homes.

The Local Government Association is urging people to look on council websites to keep updated with information.

An EA spokeswoman said: "People travelling this week are reminded to check the latest flood updates ahead of making journeys and should not drive through dangerous floodwater."

Much of southern England is at risk from more flooding at the start of 2014

To date, there have been 1,300 properties flooded across England. 

Seven people were airlifted to safety on Monday after heavy rain caused flooding in Scotland.

The group, which included four children, were rescued from a farmhouse near Closeburn in Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway, by a Royal Navy helicopter.

Rain forced families to be evacuated from dozens of homes and caused major road disruption.

Advice on what to do before, during and after flooding is available on the Environment Agency website or by calling Floodline on 0845 9881188.

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

20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

New Year: 'Multi-Sensory' Fireworks For London

Revellers in London have been treated to the world's first "multi-sensory" fireworks display as people around the world welcomed in the New Year.

More than 250,000 people lined the Thames for the display, which saw peach snow and orange-scented bubbles descend on a section of the crowd.

Fireworks explode over Edinburgh Castle

In Scotland, about 80,000 were in Edinburgh city centre for the famous Hogmanay street party.

There was music from the Pet Shop Boys as well as traditional Scottish sounds at an outdoor dance event.

But those venturing outside to welcome in 2014 were contending with some horrible weather - with the Met Office issuing more than 100 flood alerts.

Thousands enjoyed the celebrations in London

Spectators in London said the show was the best ever.

Harriet Dudley, from Brighton, said: "This was the best ever show and I'm so glad I came to watch - I feel so emotional. It was, like, four-dimensional."

Referring to London's show, Mayor Boris Johnson said: "There is no better way to celebrate the highs of 2013 and the start of an exciting new year than by seeing one of the world's most dazzling firework displays, now augmented in more ways than one.

Dubai's fireworks display is billed as the largest ever

"Watched by millions around the world, and hundreds of thousands of people from the banks of the Thames, it highlights our capital's fantastic community spirit and its premier position on the global stage."

Up to 100,000 people in key viewing areas by the Thames were given packs featuring scratch 'n' sniff programmes and LED wristbands.

They also had seven kinds of fruit-flavoured sweets that linked to the tastes and smells of the multi-sensory display.

Peach snow and orange-flavoured bubbles descended in London

The UK celebrations were among displays from around the world including the largest ever fireworks display in Dubai.

The six-minute extravaganza included 500,000 fireworks from 400 firing locations, all synchronised by 100 computers from stations across the city.

Spectators said the show was better than last year's

Later, there will be a celebration parade in London which features music from around the globe.

It leaves from the Ritz Hotel at noon before winding through Piccadilly, Pall Mall and Trafalgar Square and ending in Parliament Square.

Fireworks in Moscow

About half a million people are expected to attend.

Those attending the event may have to contend with a miserable start to the year, weather-wise, with rain and strong winds predicted.

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

20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hartlepool Murder: Teen Held Over Boxer Death

By Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent

A murder inquiry has been launched after a man died at a New Year's Eve party in Hartlepool.

Mark Denton, a 31-year-old amateur boxer, was taken to hospital after suffering what the police have described as serious injuries at a house in the town.

A 17-year-old was arrested and is being questioned in connection with the incident, Cleveland Police said.

Officers were called to the house in in Hutton Avenue at 10.20pm.

Mr Denton was found at a semi-derelict property in the affluent street, a few doors away from the house lived in by Lord Mandelson when he was the local MP.

Bobby Gill, a friend of Mr Denton, told Sky News he had gone to the house with another man to attend a party.

He said: "He was a good lad, he was no angel but no one deserves this do they on New Year's Eve?"

A post-mortem examination will be carried out today to establish the cause of death.

Officers have cordoned off the address and are carrying out house-to-house inquiries in the area.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact them on 101.

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

20.14 | 0 komentar | Read More