Parents To Be Punished For Kids' Bad Behaviour

Parents have been warned by Education Secretary Michael Gove they will face punishments for failing to ensure their children arrive at school "ready to learn and showing respect for their teacher".

Mr Gove has vowed to raise school standards "higher than ever before" as he set out an uncompromising vision to get rid of what he believes is a culture of low expectations.

In a speech to the Policy Exchange think tank, Mr Gove insisted mothers and fathers have to take responsibility for their children's behaviour or face sanctions.

He also hit out at teachers who "set children up to fail" by refusing to think they might be intellectually curious or capable of greatness.

Mr Gove said: "We need to ensure that those parents who don't play their part in ensuring their children attend school, ready to learn and showing respect for their teacher, face up to their responsibilities.

"We will, later this year, be outlining detailed proposals to ensure parents play their full part in guaranteeing good behaviour and outlining stronger sanctions for those who don't."

Mr Gove wants to eradicate what he thinks is a culture of low expectations

Sky's Darren McCaffrey said: "One idea Michael Gove is considering is deducting money from child benefit payments from parents who repeatedly refuse to pay fines imposed through persistent truancy.

"Although initially resisted by the Liberal Democrats, the Education Secretary wants to strengthen sanctions on parents to 'tackle the root causes of truancy and misbehaviour'."

The Education Secretary's approach has seen him clash numerous times with teaching unions, which have accused him of a "personal ideological crusade".

But Mr Gove rejected suggestions his reforms are too demanding, and added his reforming zeal would not diminish.

"I believe we have to embrace reform, lean in to the future, set standards higher than ever before," he said.

Mr Gove said he knew what "real barriers to success look like".

"I spent the first four months of my life in care," he said.

"Both my parents had to leave school at 15.

"My sister spent all her school career set apart from other children who were just as bright as her in a school for children with special needs.

"And I know what setting children up to fail looks like."

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Protests Grip Sao Paulo Ahead Of World Cup

Police in Brazil have used tear gas and batons to break up protests in the city that will host the first game of the World Cup in less than a week.

A strike by subway workers in Sao Paulo affected millions of commuters and caused massive traffic jams on the night of the national team's final warm-up match before their opening game against Croatia on Thursday.

Across town there was a separate anti-government demonstration in which protesters blocked the street in front of the Central Bank in a protest against the economic policies of President Dilma Rousseff.

Picketing strikers inside one of the subway stations

Police pushed back picketing strikers inside a central station after commuters tried to enter.

Three of the city's five lines were disrupted, causing bumper-to-bumper traffic to stretch as far as 155 miles (251km) as commuters turned to cars or buses.

The strike is set to continue today after the workers' union and their employers failed to reach an agreement on a pay rise.

Union leader Paulo Pereira da Silva said: "Our problem is not with the national team.

The subway strike is set to run for a third day on Saturday

"We will cheer for them. But on October 5 (the date of a presidential election), we will send Dilma Rousseff to hell."

Bus drivers, teachers and police have staged walkouts in other cities recently to demand better pay.

The subway strike caused problems for fans going to Brazil's game against Serbia at the city's Morumbi stadium, which finished 1-0 to the hosts.

There have been numerous protests recently to demand better pay

Parts of the crowd jeered the team as they laboured to victory on the eve of a tournament they are expected to win.

The first game will be played at the city's new Corinthians Arena, which is awaiting safety clearance. 

The subway will be the main link to the stadium for fans, meaning officials are hard-pressed to resolve the strike.

Fifa's executive committee will meet in Sao Paulo today to discuss the unrest, the prospect of several unfinished stadiums and renewed allegations of corruption surrounding Qatar's successful bid for the 2022 tournament.

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Madeleine Police Identify New Search Area

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

The renewed search for clues into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is to move to a new area outside of Praia Da Luz, Sky News has learned.

Portuguese police have told Sky News a new dig will begin on land somewhere between Praia Da Luz and the town of Lagos on Wednesday.

The development comes as search teams appear to have discounted parts of the site in Praia Da Luz where digging has been taking place all week.

Several areas of scrubland have been filled in

Officers used shovels and wheelie bins to fill in some of the holes they dug on scrubland as the search entered its sixth day on Saturday.

Some of the small yellow flags that were placed on areas of interest within the site earlier this week were removed.

Sniffer dogs from South Wales Police are again on site with their handlers working in different sections of the scrubland.

The search, not far from the holiday complex where the McCanns were staying in 2007, will continue throughout the weekend.

The search resumed in Praia da Luz on Saturday

Meanwhile, the family of missing Ben Needham have told Sky News their "thoughts and prayers" are with the McCanns as the investigation steps up in Portugal.

Some of the experts involved in the renewed search were also deployed to the island of Kos in Greece in 2012 when South Yorkshire Police led a review into Ben's disappearance.

Ben vanished in 1991 when he was 21 months old, after his mother and grandparents moved there from Sheffield.

Speaking to Sky News, the Needham family said: "Our thoughts are with the McCanns in this search for Madeleine.

Ben Needham (left) and Madeleine McCann (right)

"We ourselves know that this sort of investigation will be a very difficult time for the family.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with them."

Officers have been allowed to continue their work through the weekend in Praia da Luz after the Portuguese authorities granted them extra time.

The resort of Praia da Luz in Portugal

Forensic archaeologists, anthropologists, dog search teams and various specialist police officers from several UK forces have been working on the site.

The Metropolitan Police has not revealed why it has chosen to search the area of scrubland or any details of what it has found so far.

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Seattle Campus Shooter Caught By Student

A suspect is in custody after a shooting at a Seattle university campus that left one person dead and three others injured.

The attacker, armed with shotgun and a knife, opened fire on students at Seattle Pacific University.

The gunman shot four students in the foyer of Otto Miller Hall before he was disarmed by a student security guard.

Police said the student used pepper spray as he paused to reload. Other students then held him until police arrived.

A police officer stands at the scene of the shooting

The man detained by police has been named as 26-year-old Aaron Ybarra.

Several students were rushed to the hospital with gunshot wounds.

One, a 19-year-old man, died a short time later.

Aid workers stand by

A 20-year-old woman who was seriously wounded is still in a critical condition after five hours of surgery. Another man is in a "satisfactory" condition, while a fourth person has been released from hospital.

Police had initially reported that they were searching for a second suspect, but later said no one else was involved. 

The shooting came a week before the end of the academic year.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said: "Today should have been a day of celebration at the end of the school year. Instead it's a day of tragedy and of loss.

Students have been left traumatised by the attack

"Once again, the epidemic of gun violence has come to Seattle, the epidemic of gun violence that's haunting this nation."

People packed into the First Free Methodist Church on campus for a service in the aftermath of the shooting.

Dozens who could not get into the packed church gathered on a lawn nearby and formed their own groups as the sun set.

Local pastor Tim Gaydos, left, prays with former student Chris Holt

One student told a local television channel, KIRO 7 TV, that he heard a loud bang from a nearby classroom which his teacher initially thought was a science experiment.

The student, identified as Blake, said someone went out and came back and said: "I think someone's been shot."

"I was scared for about a minute," he said, adding he heard shouting and someone running past the door.

A bouquet of flowers rests near the scene

Then "cops come in through another classroom which was connected to ours and they escorted us out".

He added: "I just saw piles of blood on the ground, just scattered throughout the lobby.

"And I actually stepped in a puddle ... I saw someone was on the ground. Someone was on top of them, their hands behind their head."

Students pray together outside the campus church

Another student, Jillian Smith, was taking a maths test when a lockdown was ordered.

After being locked in the classroom for around 45 minutes, police officers came to lead them out of the building.

Ms Smith said that on the way out she saw bullet casings and what appeared to be blood on the lobby carpet.

Classes at the university have been cancelled for Friday

"Seeing blood made it real," she said.

Around 4,000 students attend the Christian university, which is about 10 minutes from downtown Seattle.

Friday's classes and other activities have been cancelled.

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D-Day: World Leaders Join Commemorations

David Cameron has said world leaders should set aside their differences on the "incredibly moving" 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

As veterans, politicians and members of the Royal Family gathered in Normandy, the Prime Minister told Sky News that amid ongoing tensions with Russia, the events of June 6, 1944, "show the importance of standing up together ... for freedom and security".

Mr Cameron and Russian President Vladimir Putin have both travelled to northern France to remember an event that changed the course of the Second World War.

Soldiers landing on Juno Beach in Bernieres-sur-Mer on June 6, 1944

They will join the Queen and a host of other world leaders for a service at Sword Beach in Ouistreham, where the moment 150,000 Allied troops came ashore will be re-enacted.

Mr Cameron said: "Yes, we have our disagreements with Russia but we should never forget the Soviet Union was an ally of the forces that liberated this continent from the tyranny of Nazism and enabled generations to come to live in democracy, freedom and prosperity," he said.

"Today is all about the magnificent feat of arms that saw young men ... do incredibly brave things to liberate this continent and to give us a chance of peace and democracy. We did that together."

War veterans arrive for the service at Bayeux Cathedral

Described by wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill as "undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult (operation) that has ever taken place", D-Day proved to be a pivotal moment of the Second World War.

It marked the start of an 80-day campaign to liberate Normandy, a daunting task that involved three million troops and cost some 250,000 lives.

Services marking their sacrifice are being held at beaches and war cemeteries across the region.

In Colleville-sur-Mer, Barack Obama joined his French counterpart Francois Hollande for a service at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, where more than 9,000 soldiers are buried.

The Queen will join world leaders to mark the 70th anniversary

"These men waged war so that we might know peace, they sacrificed so that we may be free, they fought in hope of a day that we would no longer need to fight and we are grateful to them," the US President said.

"We don't just commemorate victory, as proud of victory as we are. We don't just honour sacrifice, as grateful as the world is. We come to remember why America and our allies gave so much ... and remember the stories of the men and women of the war."

In nearby Bayeux, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery, where 4,144 soldiers, 338 of them unidentified, are buried.

Cemeteries along the French coast are a focal point for the commemorations

An earlier service at the town's cathedral heard from Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch, the national chaplain of the Royal British Legion, who told the congregation: "We come to remember those who, from the air, in the water and on the beaches, made the supreme sacrifice."

Further along the coast in Arromanches, the Normandy Veterans' Association has organised a day of events.

This anniversary will be the group's last as it plans to disband later this year.

Commemorations began at midnight when Mr Cameron attended a memorial at Pegasus Bridge, the first strategic landmark to be captured.

D-Day veteran Jock Hutton is met by Prince Charles after his parachute jump

At the exact time the first gliders landed, a champagne toast was raised at Cafe Gondree, the restaurant next to the bridge, which became the first house to be liberated in France.

American veterans gathered at dawn on Omaha Beach, where a statue of two soldiers was unveiled.

On Thursday, a commemorative parachute jump honoured the soldiers who dropped into France in the early hours of June 6 as part of the crucial airborne invasion.

D-Day veteran Jock Hutton, aged 89, jumped with The Red Devils, the Paratroop Regiment's free-fall display team.

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IMF Sees Housing Market Threat To Recovery

The International Monetary Fund's annual report on the UK economy has warned of threats to the recovery from soaring house prices and risky mortgages.

The report - outlined at a news conference by the body's managing director Christine Lagarde - touched on the potential for a housing bubble and recommended the Bank of England clamp down on high debt mortgages.

The findings were seen as piling pressure on Bank governor Mark Carney ahead of its latest report on financial stability due later this month while Sky's Economics Editor Ed Conway said the warnings flagged a big risk to the Chancellor George Osborne's legacy.

The IMF said: "House price inflation is particularly high in London, and is becoming more widespread.

Christine Lagarde is broadly supportive of UK economic strategy

"So far, there are few of the typical signs of a credit-led bubble. Nonetheless, a steady increase in the size of new mortgages compared with borrower incomes suggests that households are gradually becoming more vulnerable to income and interest rate shocks.

"Limits on the proportion of high Loan-To-Income (LTI) mortgages any lender can issue would help to contain directly the currently most pressing risks to financial stability".

The report also suggested the controversial Help to Buy schemes, offering mortgage guarantees and loans for those struggling to find a deposit, may need to be cancelled early.

In his reply to the findings, Mr Osborne said the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee had the tools it needed to tackle risks.

The IMF's economic health check also provided a boost to the Chancellor, as it abandoned criticism of his austerity measures and said his plans to strengthen public finances would not "put an undue drag on growth".

"The economy has rebounded strongly and growth is becoming more balanced. Growth has accelerated since the second half of 2013, and leading indicators suggest that the recovery has momentum", the report stated.

Ms Lagarde told reporters at the Treasury briefing that the news coming out of the UK recently had been "pretty much all good".

But she added: "We have recommended that some macro-prudential measures be considered by the UK authorities and that this be done with a view to addressing not so much house prices but financial risk.

"We also believe it should be done in a gradual, flexible way because the authorities need to assess whether those measures work, how they work.

"Clearly it is something that needs to be watched and depending on circumstances, on pricing levels, those macro-prudential measures should be further activated if necessary."

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Newborn Dies As NHS Drips 'Poison 15 Babies'

An investigation is under way after a baby being treated in intensive care died from blood poisoning through an infection caught from a suspected contaminated drip.

Public Health England (PHE) said it is examining 14 other cases of septicaemia in babies at a total of six hospitals in England.

The infant who died was being treated at St Thomas' Hospital in central London.

The baby died on June 1 and the other two children who fell ill at the same neonatal unit are "responding well" to antibiotics, a spokeswoman for the hospital said.

"All babies on the unit are being screened for the bacterium as a precaution and enhanced infection control measures have been put in place to prevent any further cases," she said.

Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, where four children suffered infections

PHE said the 15 cases have been "strongly linked" with a number of batches of a liquid called parenteral nutrition, which was fed to the babies through intravenous drips.

The bacteria that caused the infection is called bacillus cereus, which is found widely in the environment in dust, soil and vegetation.

As well as St Thomas' Hospital, babies have fallen ill in neonatal intensive care units at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust (four cases), Whittington Hospital (one case), Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (three cases), CUH Addenbrookes (two cases) and Luton and Dunstable University Hospital (two cases).

Professor Mike Catchpole, PHE's incident director, said: "We have acted quickly to investigate this issue ... and we have taken action to ensure that the affected batches and any remaining stock of this medicine is not being used in hospitals."

Parenteral nutrition is usually produced under sterilised conditions to cut the risk of the use of the product resulting in infections.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a Class 1 Drug Alert over the suspected batch of contaminated liquid.

Class 1 is the most critical alert and requires immediate recall.

PHE said London-based ITH Pharma Limited, which makes the batch in question, had already issued a recall notice.

Two babies fell ill at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital

The company's managing director, Karen Hamling, said the firm was "very saddened" by the baby's death and is co-operating fully with the investigation.

Sky's Health Correspondent Thomas Moore said premature and seriously sick children were particularly vulnerable to infections.

He said: "(Officials) believe there's probably nothing left of these batches in the supply chain.

"There's been a precautionary note to doctors and nurses asking them to check batch numbers.

"They believe this has been contained, that it's been identified swiftly, although sadly not swiftly enough for this one baby."

PHE said investigations with the company had identified an incident that might have caused the contamination. 

It said most surfaces would test positive for the presence of the bacteria, which produces hardy spores that, in the right conditions, produce a toxin which causes illness.

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Freed US Hostage's Homecoming Party Cancelled

Six Things To Know On Bowe Bergdahl

Updated: 11:11pm UK, Wednesday 04 June 2014

Everything you need to know about Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, the US prisoner of war released by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Bowe Bergdahl had a variety of hobbies including ballet and fencing

The 28-year-old grew up in the small mountain town of Hailey, Idaho, where he was home-schooled with his older sister, Sky.

His devout Calvinist parents, Bob and Jani, taught their children about ethics and religious thinkers.

By all accounts, Sgt Bergdahl was a bookish teenager with a number of pursuits from skiing to shooting. He performed ballet, took up fencing and studied foreign languages.

He also became interested in Buddhism and tarot cards.

Sgt Bergdahl once tried unsuccessfully to join the French Foreign Legion, according to his father. He worked as a barista in Idaho before joining the US Army in June 2008.

The soldier reportedly became disillusioned with the US role in Afghanistan

According to a report in a Rolling Stone magazine profile, Sgt Bergdahl wrote an email to his parents saying he was "ashamed" to be an American.

He wrote: "The horror that is America is disgusting."

Members of his unit said Sgt Bergdahl kept mainly to himself. The New York Times cites platoon members as saying he wrote Jason Bourne-type novels in which he made himself the lead character.

He is said to have learned Dari and Pashto in his spare time and was reportedly traumatised after seeing an Afghan child run over and killed by an American armoured vehicle.

Members of his platoon say he sent all his belongings, including a laptop, home before vanishing.

Members of his unit have accused him of desertion

According to soldiers in his platoon, Sgt Bergdahl abandoned his post while on guard duty, with only a compass, a knife, water, a digital camera, a diary and possibly also a phone.

The New York Times reports that he left a note in his tent saying he did not support the American mission in Afghanistan and was leaving to start a new life.

The Pentagon concluded in 2010 that Sgt Bergdahl had walked away from his unit before he was captured by the Taliban.

Sgt Bergdahl may have attempted to escape during his captivity

The Taliban released propaganda videos during Bergdahl's time in captivity in which the prisoner, looking under-fed, denounced US foreign policy.

In one clip, a bald and bearded Bergdahl said he was "scared" he would not be able to return home. In others, he was seen eating and exercising.

In one video, he shouted at the camera: "Release me, please! I'm begging you, bring me home!"

In 2011, he is thought to have escaped briefly. When he was recaptured, it reportedly took five militants to overpower him.

"He fought like a boxer," a Taliban fighter told Newsweek.

There are claims US soldiers were killed as a result of having to look for him

Former members of Sgt Bergdahl's battalion and military officials have claimed between six and 14 soldiers died in the search for him.

But the facts seem murky, as so often in the fog of war.

Two of the soldiers whose deaths have been blamed on Bergdahl's disappearance died inside a US military outpost that was under Taliban attack, not while out searching for him.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has said: "I don't know of any circumstances or details of US soldiers dying as a result of efforts to get Bergdahl."

He will likely face a court martial for desertion

Some have called for Sgt Bergdahl, who is said to be in stable condition at a military hospital in Germany, to be shot for desertion.

But that will not happen, according to Yale Law School professor Eugene Fidell, a specialist in military legal affairs.

He told Sky News the last US soldier to be killed for desertion, Eddie Slovik, was tied to a post and shot in 1945.

Prof Fidell thinks it more likely Sgt Bergdahl will face a court martial, a short sentence of confinement and a punitive discharge.

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Firefighters Investigating Smoke At The Shard

About 900 people have been evacuated from London skyscraper The Shard as firefighters investigate reports of smoke.

A tweet from @TheShardLondon said: "Emergency services are responding to a fire alarm at The Shard.

"Evacuation procedures have been followed & we are ready to assist as needed."

The London Fire Brigade said there was no evidence of a fire in the building.

The Shard, near London Bridge, is the tallest building in Western Europe at 1,004ft.

A fire brigade spokesman said: "Firefighters are investigating reports of smoke in the basement of the Shard. There is no suggestion at this stage that there is a fire.

"As a precaution the building is being evacuated.

A fire engine outside The Shard

"No injuries have been reported."

In a statement the Metropolitan Police said: "Police were called at 11:09hrs on Thursday 5 June to The Shard, St Thomas Street, SE1 after London Fire Brigade were called to reports of a fire at the premises.

"Police, London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service attended the fire which is beleived to be in the basement of The Shard.

"A full evacuation is now underway.

"No reported injuries at this time. No arrests. Enquries re cause of fire are ongoing."

Sam Bradley, who works for the Foresight Group on the 17th floor, said workers were told to evacuate the building by a message over the tannoy system.

He said: "It was all really well organised. We had four or five marshals who made sure everyone was calmly removed from the building.

"We have been told and trained how to get out of the building and so everyone was very calm.

"Everyone knew what was going on and what to do."

Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, the 87-storey skyscraper was begun in 2009 and topped out in 2012.

It replaced the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt as the tallest building in the EU and replaced Canary Wharf as the tallest in the UK.

More follows...

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Queen's Speech: 16 Things You Need To Know

Amid cries of a "zombie Government", the coalition has laid out what it claims are "bold measures" in the Queen's Speech.

Sky News looks at the some of the key points from the annual address:

Pensioners can buy a Lamborghini with their savings if they choose

1) Pensioners can buy Lamborghinis - pensioners will no longer be forced to buy an annuity but will be able to spend their retirement savings as they wish. They will get free financial advice. Pensions minister Steve Webb said they should be free to buy Lamborghinis if they wanted to.

2) Change the EU - Britain will fight for reform in Europe and a "stronger role for member states".

3) Benefits cap - a limit on the amounts the Government can pay out in benefits is another of the key measures.

The Government's Help to Buy housing scheme will continue

4) Housing bubble? What housing bubble? - despite warnings Help to Buy could be potentially damaging to the housing market, there is a commitment for ministers to continue to promote the scheme.

5) Sack your MP - voters will be given the power to effectively sack their MPs if they are found to have broken the rules.

6) More academies and free schools - Education Secretary Michael Gove's drive for more state-funded schools that operate independently of the local authority will continue.

England will follow the rest of the UK's lead in charging for plastic bags

7) 5p plastic bags - charges on supermarket carrier bags will be introduced from October 2015.

8) Free school meals - every infant will get free school meals under Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's long-championed scheme.

9) Modern slavery - people traffickers will be given tougher sentences under moves championed by Home Secretary Theresa May.

A tax-free childcare scheme will be worth up to £2,000 per child

10) Childcare changes - working parents will get up to £2,000 of tax-free childcare vouchers. An extension of free nursery hours for more disadvantaged two-year-olds has also been outlined.

11) "Cinderella law" - parents could be jailed for up to 10 years for subjecting their children to emotional cruelty, including withholding affection.

12) Acts of heroism - do-gooders who step in to help others in trouble will be offered protection from prosecution.

Fracking projects have sparked protests in some parts of the country

13) Frack away - shale gas firms will be able to drill under private property without permission.

14) Forces complaints - a new ombudsman will be created to oversee complaints in the Armed Forces.

15) Workers' rights - measures to combat unfairness of zero hours contracts, higher penalties for those who fail to pay the minimum wage and moves to tackle employment tribunal delays are all included.

16) Golden goodbyes in the public sector - excessive redundancy payouts of public sector workers who then take up other posts within the public sector will be limited.

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The Queen's Speech: Live Reaction

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12:11pm UK, Wednesday 04 June 2014

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The Queen Delivers Her Speech To Parliament

Pensions reform, powers for voters to sack their MPs, and a commitment to reform the EU have all been put on the agenda for the coalition in its last year.

The Prime Minister and his Deputy Nick Clegg claimed the measures laid out in the Queen's Speech were "unashamedly pro-work, pro-business and pro-aspiration".

Just 11 new bills were introduced by the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament, which will bolster Labour's claims the coalition is now a "zombie government" which has run out of steam. In last year's speech there were 19 new bills.

The speech puts the economic recovery at its centre, opening with a pledge to continue bringing down the deficit and cutting taxes "to increase people's financial security".

David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband

With the threat that the Bank of England will increase the base rate before the General Election, there is also a pledge to keep mortgage and interest rates low.

The much-heralded centrepiece of the Government's legislative programme is the pension reforms set out in George Osborne's Budget.

New legislation will mean pensioners will no longer be forced to buy annunities with their savings but can spend them as they like.

Black Rod

However, they will be given advice, which may include death estimates, to help them decide how best to invest that money.

Pensions minister Steve Webb sparked controversy after saying pensioners should be free to buy Lamborghinis if they wanted to following criticism that people could fritter their money away on retirement.

Another key measure is the Recall Bill, a 2010 coalition manifesto pledge championed by the Liberal Democrats, which will see voters given the power to sack MPs guilty of "serious misconduct".

In the wake of disastrous results in the European elections for the two parties, the coalition pledged to continue to fight for reform of the EU and a better deal for member states.

Despite warnings tht the Help to Buy scheme is causing a potentially damaging housing bubble, there is a pledge that ministers will continue to promote it.

The Queen delivers her speech

Mr Cameron had suggested he could amend the scheme after Bank of England Governor Mark Carney warned in an interview with Sky News that rising house prices were the biggest threat to economic recovery in the UK.

Other measures include:

:: 5p charge for plastic bags

:: Powers to allow fracking firms to dig under private property without asking

:: Parents to face jail for emotional cruelty to children in new Cinderella Law

:: Pledge to fight to keep Scotland in the union

:: Limit to excessive redundancy payouts for public sector workers

:: Tougher sentences for people traffickers

:: Free school meals for infants

:: Fines for employers who don't pay the minimum wage

:: £2,000 childcare vouchers for working parents

Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "We need action, we need answers, we need a programme for government equal to the scale of the challenge our country faces.

"We would have (had) a Queen's Speech with legislation which would make work pay, reform our banks, freeze energy bills and build homes again in Britain. A Queen's Speech which signals a new direction for Britain, not one which offers more of the same."

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School Bus Crash: Boy Airlifted To Hospital

A 12-year-old boy suffered severe facial injuries when two school buses collided in Stanley, County Durham.

The boy was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle, an air ambulance spokesman said.

Fifty children and two adults were on board the buses at the time of the accident.

Another child was taken to the RVI with injuries, Durham Police said, while others were treated for shock at the scene.

A spokesman for the Great North Air Ambulance Service said: "The doctor-led trauma team triaged the injured persons and a 12-year-old child was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary with serious facial injuries."

The accident happened at 8.20am on the A693 at the junction with Shield Row Lane close to the Oxhill Youth Centre in Stanley.

The pupils involved are from St Bede's at Lanchester and Tanfield School Comprehensive. They are aged between 11 and 18.

Superintendent Colin Williamson, of Durham Police, said: "We are currently working closely with other agencies to respond to this incident.

"The safety of those injured in the collision is our primary concern along with supporting their families.

"There will be some disruption on the roads in this area for some time and I would ask the local community to be patient while we deal with this incident."

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'Muslim School Plot' Fears Were Raised In 1994

By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs And Education Editor

Fears that hardline Muslim governors have been infiltrating Birmingham schools go back at least two decades, and were raised with the government in 1994.

Sky News has learned that senior leaders at three schools in Birmingham were so concerned about the influence of Muslim extremists in the 1990s they took their fears to the top.

In a letter to education ministers, copied to then Prime Minister John Major, the heads said extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir was gaining an alarming influence over schools in the city.

Former chair of governors at Golden Hillock School, John Ray, met with then education minister Emily Blatch in Westminster.

He says that had the government acted then, the current trend - in which conservative Muslims have been able to dominate school leadership - could have been averted.

"(The Trojan Horse plot) reveals something, something that is true," said Mr Ray.

"It reveals a mess that the city council has not been able to check - the development of this whole infiltration of this ceding in of governors of one particular ideology. They are not people who have the welfare of these children at heart."

A letter sent to government ministers in 1994

Like many, Mr Ray believes the content of the so-called Trojan Horse letter, which alleges a plot to oust non-hardline Muslims from schools in Birmingham, is a fake. But he maintains the concerns themselves are very real.

He resigned after 25 years as a governor at Golden Hillock School - one of the schools at the centre of the alleged plot - last year when it was taken over by the Park View Educational Trust, the organisation headed by Tahir Alam, who is accused of exerting pressure on state-funded, secular schools to conform to conservative Islam.

Concerns about Mr Alam and the influence of the Park View Educational Trust have led to a spate of high-level investigations by Ofsted, the Department for Education and Birmingham City Council.

Golden Hillock is now expected to be placed in special measures following the results of an Ofsted inspection to be published next week.

The Department for Education says it has been tackling extremism in schools since 2010, and Birmingham City Council is conducting an investigation which will also look at retrospective evidence.

But details of claims going back two decades will place further pressure on the authorities to explain why it took so long to act.

"I think the city council but also central government and all parties were very reluctant to question the received wisdom that suggests it is fair enough that a separate Islamic identity should be stressed," said Mr Ray.

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Spain's King Juan Carlos Abdicates For His Son

Spain's King Juan Carlos is abdicating to allow his son Prince Felipe to take over, the country's Prime Minister has announced.

Mariano Rajoy addressed the nation to say there would be an amendment to the constitution so the 46-year-old Crown Prince could take the throne.

The 76-year-old king, who oversaw his country's transition from dictatorship to democracy, has had health problems in recent years.

In the last few years the monarchy has been hit by scandals including a furore over an elephant-hunting trip Juan Carlos took during the financial crisis.

Juan Carlos at Madrid's Zarzuela Palace in late May

In the last few months, his daughter, the Infanta Cristina, has appeared in court to face questions over financial allegations surrounding her husband.

His abdication comes a year after a similar move by the Dutch former Queen Beatrix, who stood aside to allow her son Crown Prince Willem-Alexander to take the throne.

The king in front of an elephant during a Botswana hunting trip

That abdication prompted speculation that Queen Elizabeth II may do something similar.

Mr Rajoy said that Juan Carlos, who has had a number of hip operations in recent years, is stepping down for personal reasons.

As he has aged, he has become increasingly unsteady on his feet.

The date that the abdication will take place has yet to be announced. Queen Beatrix's handover came about three months after the announcement was made.

Juan Carlos stumbles during an airport terminal opening in Malaga

The king came to power in 1975, two days after the death of the dictator Francisco Franco, who won a bloody civil war in the late 1930s.

Juan Carlos oversaw the maturing of Spain's democracy following the death of Franco, as it joined the EU and stayed united despite major separatist movements in Catalonia and the Basque region.

In last week's EU Parliamentary elections, Catalonia's separatist party won the biggest share of the vote in the autonomous community.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announces the abdication

Felipe de Borbon, a former Olympic yachtsman, will take the throne largely unscathed by scandals that have battered the royal family.

Frequently smiling but more reserved than his father, the 6ft 6ins Felipe has seen his approval rating soar in contrast to the public perception of the king.

Pollsters Sigma Dos, who carried out a survey in December 2013, found that the number of people who wanted the king to abdicate in favour of Felipe was 62%.

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Florida Woman In Horrific Shark Attack

A 22-year-old woman has suffered a severe injury to her leg after being bitten by a shark while tubing in Florida.

Jessica Vaughn was swimming to a boating tube in Fort Lauderdale when the shark tore into her leg.

Kyle Branston, a friend who was tubing next to her, said Ms Vaughn first thought she had been cut by glass.

He said panic then spread when the group realised a shark was in the water.

"She said something bit her or cut her, and I first thought she was joking," Mr Branston said.

Ms Vaughn has had reconstructive surgery on her leg. Pic: @Ftlaudfire

"My instinct is: I'm in the water, she's bit by a shark and she's bleeding everywhere. There's nowhere for me to go, I'm next to her, I could be next."

The shark's teeth had cut deep into Ms Vaughn's leg, shredding muscle and exposing bone in a half-moon shaped wound.

Nick Russo, who was also tubing, said Ms Vaughn was also hit in the head during the attack.

Friends are asking people to donate towards surgery costs. Pictures: CBS

He said: "When the shark bit her down low, I guess the fin came up and hit her in the head."

After the attack friends pulled her on to the boat and rushed her to a nearby dock where paramedics met her and took her to hospital.

She has had to undergo constructive surgery to her shin and calf.

Her friends say she is uninsured and is unable to cover her medical bills with her job as a waitress.

They have set up a fundraising website and are appealing for donations.

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Madeleine Search: UK Cops Arrive At Scrubland

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 10:22am UK, Monday 02 June 2014

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: February 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: February 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: February 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

:: October 17 - Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Scotland Yard team, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, and Mr and Mrs McCann meet officers in Lisbon to be briefed on the Portuguese case.

:: October 23 - Britain's most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe defends the way the Portuguese dealt with the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, saying it would have been "very difficult" to immediately know if they were dealing with a serious crime.

:: October 24 - Detectives in Portugal reopen the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance after an internal review uncovers new lines of inquiry and witnesses who were never questioned during the original Portuguese investigation.

2014

:: January 3 - A family source says Kate and Gerry McCann have been denied permission to give evidence at a Portuguese libel trial over a book about the case by former local police chief Goncalo Amaral.

:: January 13 - British police investigate three burglars who were in the area when Madeleine disappeared, and whose phones were apparently "red hot" after she went missing. A letter is sent to Portuguese police asking for help to track them down.

:: January 29 - Scotland Yard officers, including the detective leading the case, fly to Portugal to meet police there and discuss the latest developments.

:: March 19 - Officers from Operation Grange launch a search for a man who sexually assaulted five British girls in the Algarve between 2004 and 2006.

:: April 23 - Detectives identify five new cases where a lone intruder abused young British girls in holiday apartments in the Algarve.

:: May 1 - Kate and Gerry McCann give an interview to Sky News where they are desperate to find out what happened to Madeleine, even if it is the "worst case scenario" as they back calls for a Child Rescue Alert service similar to the Amber Alert system in the US.

:: May 6 - Scotland Yard plans to dig for evidence in three locations in Praia da Luz are approved, with officers set to use ground penetrating radar.

:: May 8 - British Officers reportedly use a military helicopter to photograph potential excavation sites and hold a four-hour meeting with Portuguese colleagues to agree a timetable for new searches.

:: May 22 - Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley says the investigation will enter a "substantial phase of operational activity" in Portugal in the coming weeks. 

:: June 2 - Portuguese police seal off an area of scrubland to the west of Praia da Luz as they prepare to examine the potential excavation site.

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Jungle Hunt For Missing Briton Stepped Up

Search teams looking for a British man missing in the Malaysian jungle have been promised every available resource to help find him.

Gareth Huntley disappeared on Tuesday on a trek to a waterfall in the jungles of Tioman Island, off the peninsula's east coast.

His mother, who flew out to Malaysia on Saturday, said police had been "incredibly slow" to react.

Gareth Huntley and his mum, Janet Southwell, who has flown to Malaysia

However, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, who is also in Malaysia and has discussed the case with his counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein, has been told "all available search assets" will be used to hunt for the 34-year-old.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "He was assured the Malaysian authorities would do all they could to locate him."

Volunteers and local people have been into the jungle to search for Mr Huntley but have so far been unable to find him.

Mr Huntley's girlfriend, Kit Natariga, has appealed for extra help

A professional search team including a helicopter crew, 10 paramilitary commandos and eight firefighters has now been assembled.

Sniffer dogs and patrol boats will also be used to help trace the accountant, who lives in Hackney, east London.

Sky's Darren McCaffrey, outside the Foreign Office, said: "There has been talk of the British actively getting involved in the search too.

"There are specialist military personnel based in nearby Brunei but so far that hasn't been offered or indeed requested by the Malaysian authorities."

The stepped-up response comes after Mr Huntley's friends and family criticised the way authorities had responded to his disappearance.

His mother, Janet Southwell, wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister, urging him to intervene "before time runs out".

Friend Sophie Wilson added: "(The police) have been incredibly lethargic ... they're just not taking this seriously."

Gareth's brother Mark said "real action" was needed and called for "boots on the ground".

The Briton's disappearance is described as out of character

"This was a man working out there as a wildlife volunteer - he deserves our assistance," he said.

Mr Huntley's family have since said they are "hugely grateful" to David Cameron and Mr Hammond for their intervention.

The Briton had been working for the Juara Turtle Project, a conservation charity on Tioman Island.

He told friends he would return from the jungle on Tuesday afternoon but has not been seen since setting off earlier in the day.

Ms Southwell described her son's disappearance as "totally out of character".

"He just would not do it," he said. "He knows there are too many people who care and love him."

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Scotland Rally Crashes: Three Spectators Killed

Three spectators have been killed and six others injured after two separate crashes during the Jim Clark Rally in Scotland.

Race organisers only abandoned the event following the second crash, which took place at Little Swinton, near Coldstream, raising questions over safety.

Police say one woman and two men died when a car came off the road and struck four spectators.

Emergency crews pronounced the three spectators dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred around 4pm on Saturday.

Sky sources understand two of the three people killed were from the same family, while the third was a photographer.

The sources added that the car was going over a hump at speed before it lost control.

The fourth spectator, a man, was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmity in a critical condition.

Police attend the crash scene in the Scottish Borders

Two hours earlier another rally car left the road near Crosshall Farm, striking five people.

Three men were initially taken to Borders General Hospital, however one was later transferred to an intensive care unit in Edinburgh.

The remaining two spectators were treated for minor injuries.

Police say the two drivers involved in the crashes were unhurt.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has expressed his condolences following the two accidents.

"This is desperately sad and difficult news from the Borders of the tragic circumstances that have occurred at the Jim Clark Rally," he said.

Alex Salmond: "This is desperately sad and difficult news"

"The police have confirmed three fatalities and my thoughts are with all of those involved and the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives.

"The government is in contact with Police Scotland and we await the outcome of their inquiries. The Jim Clark Rally is a long-standing event of over 40 years.

"It is much loved in the Borders and by the rally driving community who I know will share in our sadness at what is a black day for the Borders and for Scotland."

Spectator Tommy Tait was watching the race close to the location of one of the crashes.

He wrote on Facebook: "We must be like cats have nine lives never have we been so close to getting wiped out by a rally car our thoughts go out to the 4 who got hit (sic)."

The Jim Clark Rally takes place over three days on closed roads in the Duns and Kelso areas.

The rally course is described on the event's website as having "a reputation for being fast with big jumps, ditches and hedges".

The event is named after Scottish Formula One driver Jim Clark, who was raised in the area. Clark died in a motor racing accident in Hockenheim, Germany, in 1968.

The organisers of the race said in a statement: "The organisers of the Jim Clark Rally would like to extend their heartfelt condolences and sympathy to all of the families and their friends who have been affected by today's (Saturday's) tragic events.

"Our thoughts are especially with those who have lost family members and to the families of the injured spectators.

"All members of the organising team are in shock and are cooperating fully with Police Scotland to establish the facts."

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Ex-Fifa Official Accused Over $5m Qatar Bribe

A former senior Fifa official allegedly paid $5m (£2.98m) in bribes to secure support for Qatar's successful 2022 World Cup bid.

The Sunday Times has claimed Mohamed Bin Hammam, an ex-Fifa executive member for Qatar, made "dozens" of payments to top football bosses.

Mr Bin Hammam used 10 slush funds to pay cash to football officials in order to create a "groundswell" of support for Qatar's campaign, the paper claimed.

He also allegedly hosted lavish junkets for African officials at which he handed out almost $400,000 in cash.

People celebrate after Qatar's successful bid was announced in 2010

It is also alleged he paid $1.6m (£950,000) into bank accounts controlled by Jack Warner, the former vice-president of Fifa, some $450,000 (£268,000) of which was paid before the vote for the World Cup.

The allegations were made after the newspaper obtained millions of emails and other documents related to the payments.

The newspaper said Mr Bin Hammam declined to respond when asked about the claims.

Members of Qatar's bid committee have also denied any links with the former Fifa official.

Mr Bin Hammam with Fifa president Sepp Blatter

John Whittingdale, chairman of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport committee, told Sky News if the claims are proved to be true, Fifa president Sepp Blatter should resign.

"These are obviously very serious allegations and they need to be investigated very quickly," he said.

"The failure of Sepp Blatter over the past two years really to take this seriously ... does put his position into question.

"If these allegations are shown to be correct, then the contest of the 2022 host country does need to be looked at again."

Sports Minister Helen Grant added: "These appear to be very serious allegations.

An artist's impression of Qatar's planned Al-Shamal stadium

"It is essential that major sporting events are awarded in an open, fair and transparent manner."

Mr Bin Hammam is a controversial figure in world football. He was banned for life from football administration by Fifa's ethics committee shortly after a failed campaign for the presidency in 2011.

In 2010, he was among the 22 people who decided to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

The decision provoked widespread condemnation, and concerns about the safety of players, who will be forced to play in the nation's extreme heat.

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