Abuse Victims Snub Inquiry Amid Crunch Meeting

LAPD Investigate Bill Cosby Sex Assault Claims

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 06 Desember 2014 | 18.25

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

Police in the US have begun an investigation into claims the comedian Bill Cosby molested a woman when she was 15 years old.

The investigation was opened after Judy Huth, who is suing Cosby for sexual battery, met Los Angeles police detectives for 90 minutes.

LAPD officer Jane Kim confirmed the department had opened its investigation after the meeting.

Ms Huth's civil suit claims Cosby forced her to perform a sex act on him in a bedroom of the Playboy Mansion in LA in 1974.

His lawyers have dismissed the claim as "patently false".

Celebrity women's rights lawyer Gloria Allred said Ms Huth met two special victim unit detectives on Friday, three days after her lawsuit was filed.

"We are going to provide any and all evidence that she has," Ms Allred said.

Police did not give any additional details about the investigation.

Cosby's lawyer, Martin Singer, has accused Ms Huth and another lawyer of extortion and said she attempted to sell her story to a tabloid newspaper a decade earlier.

Mr Singer's filing states the other lawyer, Marc Strecker, first demanded $100,000 for Ms Huth to remain silent, then raised the demand to $250,000 as more women came forward accusing Cosby of sexual misconduct.

Cosby, 77, has been accused by more than 15 women in recent weeks of sexual misconduct, ranging from incidents of groping to incidents of drugging and raping.

He has never been charged with a crime, and his lawyers have denied many of the allegations, calling them discredited and defamatory.

On Thursday, Los Angeles police chief Charlie Beck said the force would be willing to investigate sexual abuse allegations against Cosby if someone files a complaint.

He said: "We don't turn people away because things are out of statute. You come to us, especially with a sexual allegation, and we will work with you.

"The remedies may be limited but it's important to recognise that in many cases going through the process for a victim is very therapeutic so we address these things seriously and it's not just because it's Mr Cosby."

Cosby has yet to respond himself to the allegations but has cancelled a number of public appearances in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, vandals have daubed the word "rapist" on the star dedicated to Cosby on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

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Gallery: A Profile Of Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby was born in Philadelphia in 1937, one of four children

He followed his father into the US Navy before securing an athletics scholarship to Temple University in Philadelphia

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Britain Beefs Up Military Might In Bahrain

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Britain is to build a new military base in Bahrain in a landmark deal which will enable the UK send more and larger warships to bolster security in the Gulf, amid the growing threat from Islamic State.

The move signals a marked expansion of the Royal Navy presence in the region.

The UK already has four minehunters permanently based at the Mina Salman Port, but the plans will see the existing facilities improved and extended.

These will provide a forward operating base, with a place to plan, store equipment for naval operations, and accommodate personnel.

While the deal is understood to have been in the pipeline for around two years, the rapid gains made by the IS extremist group and resulting instability, underlines its strategic importance.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond signed the agreement with Bahrain's foreign minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed al Khalifa.

Mr Hammond said: "This will guarantee the presence of the Royal Navy in Bahrain well into the future.

"The expansion of Britain's footprint builds upon our 30-year track record of Gulf patrols and is just one example of our growing partnership with Gulf partners to tackle shared strategic and regional threats."

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: "This new base is a permanent expansion of the Royal Navy's footprint and will enable Britain to send more and larger ships to reinforce stability in the Gulf.

"We will now be based again in the Gulf for the long term."

The move reaffirms the UK's strategic alliance with Bahrain, despite concerns over security in the Gulf Kingdom.

The Foreign Office's own travel advice warns of the potential for violent protests and demonstrations and advises travellers in the region to be "especially vigilant" to terrorist attacks.

Despite this, the agreement will result in more British service personnel based in the country.

The US 5th Fleet is also based in Bahrain. From there, it allows American and British warships to patrol and carry out exercises in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.

Sheikh Khalid said: "It reaffirms our joint determination to maintain regional security and stability in the face of challenging circumstances, and gives further strength to our multifaceted partnership.

"Bahrain looks forward to the early implementation of today's arrangement and to continuing to work with the UK and other partners to address threats to regional security."

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Hostages Killed By Captors During Rescue

US photojournalist Luke Somers and South Africa teacher Pierre Korkie have been killed during a rescue attempt by US and Yemeni forces.

Mr Somers, who was born in Britain, was shot by his captors during the raid in the Shabwah region of Yemen, US defence secretary Chuck Hagel confirmed.

Mr Hagel said the operation was mounted because there were "compelling reasons to believe Somers' life was in imminent danger".

US troops took him to a naval ship but he was reportedly dead upon arrival.

President Barack Obama condemned it as a "barbaric murder".

The death of Mr Korkie was confirmed by the disaster relief group Gift of the Givers.

"We received with sadness the news that Pierre was killed in an attempt by American Special Forces, in the early hours of this morning, to free hostages in Yemen," the organisation said.

The South African and his wife Yolande were taken hostage by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in May 2013 - though Mrs Korkie was released at the start of this year.

Mr Somers, meanwhile, was captured in September last year.

Militants released a video on Wednesday threatening to kill him within three days if their demands were not met.

The 33-year-old appeared in the footage saying he feared for his life.

This week, the Pentagon confirmed it had launched an earlier raid to rescue him.

They claimed this mission led to the rescue of several hostages but that Mr Somers was not present at the location.

News of his death today came just hours after his sister Lucy released a YouTube video pleading for his release.

Following his killing, she asked that "all of Luke's family members be allowed to mourn in peace".

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Scots Cut Drink-Drive Limit North Of Border

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 05 Desember 2014 | 18.25

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

Scotland has lowered its drink-driving limit.

The legal alcohol limit has been reduced from 80mg of alcohol to 50mg in every 100ml of blood.

It equates, roughly, to a reduction in permissible alcohol from two pints of standard-strength beer to one pint, or from one-and-a-half glasses of wine to one glass.

However, the way in which a person processes alcohol varies according to the individual and a range of circumstances.

Therefore, people travelling in Scotland are being urged not to drink any alcohol at all before getting behind the wheel.

Scotland's Justice Secretary Michael Matheson told Sky News: "It's very important that we take action to improve safety on our roads.

"We know that alcohol is a factor in one in 10 of road traffic deaths in Scotland, and by reducing the limit we can make sure we get the message to people that drink-driving is unacceptable."

The limit reduction brings Scotland into line with most EU countries.

There are proposals in Northern Ireland to follow suit, but there is no such thirst for change south of the Scottish border.

Asked whether this might cause cross-border confusion for motorists, Mr Matheson replied: "People have a responsibility as drivers to make themselves aware of the regulations and rules of the country in which they're driving.

"We have different laws in Scotland over a range of different matters so it's important that anyone visiting Scotland is made aware of that."

There has been an information campaign to alert drivers to the change, using public information films and roadside signs.

The limit is not being reduced to zero because some people have alcohol in their system because of some medicines and even mouthwash.

The lowering of the limit has been broadly endorsed by road safety campaigners and motorists' groups, although the Institute of Advanced Motorists has given a qualified welcome.

It would have preferred a sliding scale of punishments, in line with the practice on the continent.

Spokesman Neil Greig told Sky News: "We've got two main concerns.

"The first one is that if the police are catching people at this lower limit, then some of the people who actually cause crashes, who are two or three times the limit, they might be getting away with it.

"The second concern is that, in Europe, there are actually sliding penalties.

"It's like a speeding ticket at the lower limit.

"We don't have that in Scotland, we've got these stringent penalties and we might start to see a fall in support as people start to realise how important these penalties are and how difficult it's going to be, even if you are caught at the lower limit."

Road safety organisation Brake welcomed the reduction, but called for a limit of just 20mg to be introduced.

Deputy chief executive Julie Townsend said: "We are calling on the UK Government to take action on drink-driving.

"We have the highest drink-drive limit in Europe, sending out the dreadful message that a drink or two before driving is acceptable. The evidence shows that a tough approach helps prevent casualties."

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UK Slavery Exposed: I Didn't Want To Die

By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs and Education Editor

A woman forced to have sex with up to nine men a day while being held captive has revealed the horror of modern slavery in Britain - as the Home Secretary vowed to combat the issue.

Speaking exclusively to Sky News on the eve of a major international anti-slavery conference, Theresa May said more must be done to bring the perpetrators of people-trafficking and modern-day slavery to justice

"There haven't been sufficient prosecutions for trafficking in the past," she said.

"Partly I think that's because of complex legislation, legislation that is in different acts of parliament.

"One of the key things we are doing is clarifying the legislation, bringing it into this single bill."

The Government's modern slavery bill is one of the issues being discussed at an international conference in London, intended to increase cooperation in tackling human trafficking.

And Sky News met one former sex slave who was trapped in a house in west London for five years.

Known as "Blessing", she paid a woman £4,000 to travel from Nigeria to the UK on the promise of a job in nursing.

She and 10 other women made the journey by ship, arriving at Tilbury Docks in Essex before being transferred to the house in Ealing that would be her prison for the next five years.

Ruled by her "agent" - known to the girls as Mama G - those kept in the house were guarded by security men, day and night.

"When our customers came, I would hear Mama G start describing us: the sizes of our breasts, the size of our private parts, how tall we are," Blessing said.

"She would then call your room number and say you have customer ... "

When she tried to question why she was there, Mama G would beat her and burn her legs and chest with an iron - while security guards would warn her of the consequences if she tried to leave.

"They will tell you if you dare do anything, they will shoot you," she said.

"I didn't want to die."

She and six others eventually escaped when a door was left open and the group ran to Ealing Broadway Tube Station and jumped the barriers before boarding a train.

"We just made up our minds: 'If we are going to die, let us die'," she said.

"I came into this country to come and look for a better life. I'm a well brought up woman from a good home. I'm married. I've got my children. I never thought 'I'm going to do prostitution'. It's shameful for me."

Blessing is now being cared for in a safe house run by charity The Medialle Trust.

But critics of the Government's modern slavery bill say not enough is being done to support survivors of trafficking.

Government figures say 2,744 people were trafficked to the UK last year, of which 41%, or 1,128, are known to have been trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

The Metropolitan Police told Sky News that they rely on members of the public to help identify victims of trafficking, and that in some cases men who paid for sex with prostitutes were so alarmed at the apparent slavery of some that they themselves alerted the police.

Phil Brewer, who leads the Met's Trafficking and Kidnap Unit, said: "One of the biggest problems that we have is that [trafficking] is hidden. It's a hidden crime just because of the way these offences are committed.

"We really don't know the size of the issue."

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Abuse Victims Snub Inquiry Amid Crunch Meeting

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Victims of alleged historical sex abuse say they will snub an inquiry led by the Home Office - as Theresa May hosts a crunch meeting about the investigation.

Yesterday, Sky News learned that 24 individuals have signed a letter to the Home Secretary saying they have lost confidence in the inquiry.

Today, a further five people - understood to be one survivor and four professionals - have added their names to the letter.

The letter states three reasons for withdrawing. First, the signatories are unhappy that the terms of reference of the inquiry do not go far enough.

They want the inquiry to investigate the government and the establishment over cover-ups of paedophiles in their ranks.

Second, they say that while two successive heads of the inquiry have stood down, there are other conflicts of interest among members of the panel.

Third, they feel the investigation should look further back than 1970 - going back to 1945.

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Gallery: Westminster "Paedophile Ring" Allegations

Nov 1983: Geoffrey Dickens MP sends dossier to Home Secretary Leon Brittan naming Cyril Smith and others

March 1984: Mr Brittan writes to Mr Dickens, says dossier assessed by prosecutors, handed to police

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May 1995: Mr Dickens dies before any arrests or prosecutions are brought

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Sep 2010: Rochdale MP Smith dies without ever being formally charged over abuse claims

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Sep 2012: Jimmy Savile child abuse scandal breaks, spawns litany of historical sex abuse allegations

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The letter states: "As survivors and associated professionals, we were very much hoping to take up the invitations to engage with your Ministerial Officers to discuss the Child Sex Abuse Inquiry, but we regret to say we have to decline.

"We, alongside many survivors, have made numerous representations to you regarding our view that the inquiry as it stands is not fit for purpose."

The letter to Mrs May came ahead of her planned meeting later today with representatives of abuse victims.

It is understood some victims and representatives will go ahead with the meeting, while others will use the opportunity to formally withdraw from the process.

Mrs May told Sky News she was aware of the letter and re-iterated that failings of parts of government and institutions must be investigated.

"The issues in the letter have been spoken about before," she said.

"But I am clear we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to the bottom of this issue."

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Gallery: Timeline Of Inquiry Into Westminster Abuse Claims

1 July - Leon Brittan called on to say what he knew about paedophile allegations passed to him in 1980s

7 July - Theresa May announces inquiry into how child sex abuse claims were investigated

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The inquiry into historical child sex abuse allegations has suffered a series of setbacks and controversies in recent months.

The first chair of the inquiry, Lady Butler-Sloss, was forced to step down due to her late brother, Lord Havers, being an attorney general during much of the period under review.

City lawyer Fiona Woolf was then appointed in September to chair the panel.

But she soon faced criticism over her social links to former Home Secretary Lord Brittan and his wife.

Her connection with Lord Brittan came under scrutiny as he is likely to be called to give evidence to the inquiry about his handling of child abuse allegations.

He denies failing to act on a dossier of paedophilia allegations he received while in office in the 1980s.

In late October, Mrs Woolf announced that she would resign from the role after victims said they did not have confidence in her.

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Written By Unknown on Kamis, 04 Desember 2014 | 18.26

The body of a woman has been found by police searching for a missing mother and her newborn daughter.

The body was found in Avon Gorge and police have said the family of Charlotte Bevan has been informed.

A police spokesman said: "The police helicopter remains in the area to assist the continuing searches by police officers on the ground."

Formal identification will take place later.

The 30-year-old left Bristol Maternity Hospital between 8.30pm and 9pm on Tuesday night with her four-day-old baby girl, Zarnee Teanna.

CCTV footage showed her wearing hospital slippers and with her baby in her arms wrapped only in blankets.

The baby's father Pascal Malbrouck told a news conference on Wednesday that he was very concerned about her as she had suffered from mental health problems.

:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 08457 90 90 90 or email jo@samaritans.org mailto:jo@samaritans.org

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Osborne Defends Plans Amid Fears Over Cuts

George Osborne has defended his economic plans amid claims that he is set to plunge Britain into a period of austerity not seen since the 1930s.

The Chancellor grabbed headlines with the historic stamp duty reforms he announced, but cuts of £60bn to non-protected areas like police, local government and justice will be required in the coming years if he is to meet his targets, the government spending watchdog said.

He told Sky News his plan to clear the deficit by 2020 was "balanced".

Mr Osborne said: "We're taking a number of years because I think that's the right pace. The path we're on has given Britain not just the fastest growing economy in the world, but it means...you've got real world evidence that we've got the right long-term plan."

He justified the "giveaways" in his Autumn Statement, saying the country "can't afford not to" invest in areas like roads and flood defences.

He said: "It's precisely because we didn't invest in those things in the last decade that our country was not equipped for the modern economy.

"We've got to make sure our deficit is coming down but we shouldn't do that at the expense of the big long-term investments that secure jobs for generations to come."

The Chancellor was scathing about his Liberal Democrat coalition partners after Business Secretary Vince Cable said his plan to bring public spending down to 35% of GDP as "wholly unrealistic".

He said: "In private they sign up to these decisions but then in public they slag them off. But that's for them to explain to you."

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said Mr Osborne was being forced to accelerate spending cuts because he had failed to balance the budget.

He told Sky News: "He said he'd make people better off and that hasn't worked. People's wages are still falling compared to prices.

"And it's that cost of living crisis which means for the next few years the revenues aren't coming in and he's got a huge problem and he's saying he can somehow solve this with bigger spending cuts than before."

He said the Chancellor's promise of tax cuts worth £7bn in the next parliament were an "unfunded fantasy".

But he said Labour would keep the stamp duty reforms and abolition of air passenger duty for children, while making savings by measures including reversing top rate tax cuts and taking winter fuel allowance away from rich pensioners.

The stamp duty changes that could cut £4,500 off the cost of an average home have come into force - a move welcomed by thousands of buyers.

Detailed verdicts from leading financial experts will be delivered later on all the contents of George Osborne's Autumn Statement.

But the Chancellor's shake-up of stamp duty was the most eye-catching policy.

He has scrapped the "slab rate" of stamp duty - which means huge increases in tax when house values enter a new band.

In future, he said, the tax would apply progressively, like income tax.

The new rates will see house-buyers pay 0% on the first £125,000 then 2% on the portion up to £250,000, 5% up to £925,000, 10% up to £1.5m and 12% on anything above that.

First-time buyer Martin Gaine, from west London, said the change could save him as much as £4,000 on his prospective purchase.

"It's a lovely surprise because it wasn't trailed in any of the newspapers," he told Sky News as he viewed a two-bedroom flat in Chiswick, on the market for £600,000.

"Stamp duty is a big outlay and it's an up-front cost that you don't get back so this is brilliant news. Every little bit helps at the moment, so to save that money will be fantastic for me."

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Gallery: Stamp Duty: How Much Will You Save?

Homes bought for under £125,000, such as these terraced houses, are unchanged by the new rules and buyers still do not have to pay any Stamp Duty

Someone choosing a typical three-bedroom semi-detached costing £185,000 would pay £1,200 instead of £1,850 under the old rules - a £650 saving

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Pregnancy Drink Case: No Compensation For Child

A young child is not entitled to compensation over its mother's excessive drinking while pregnant, the Court Of Appeal has ruled.

Three appeal judges said the reason was that the mother had not broken the law by drinking far more than recommended.

The ruling was a blow to the local authority which had fought for an award on behalf of the child, known as CP.

CP, who is now aged seven, has learning, development, memory and behaviour problems.

In their unanimous ruling the judges said: "The central reason is that we have held that a mother who is pregnant and who drinks to excess despite knowledge of the potential harmful consequence to the child of doing so is not guilty of a criminal offence under our law if her child is subsequently born damaged as a result."

If the appeal had succeeded it could have paved the way for pregnant women's behaviour to be criminalised, according to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) and Birthrights.

However, lawyers for the child dismissed that view as "misplaced speculation".

Ann Furedi, chief executive of the BPAS, and Rebecca Schiller, co-chair of Birthrights, welcomed the court's decision, saying: "This is an extremely important ruling for women everywhere.

"The UK's highest courts have recognised that women must be able to make their own decisions about their pregnancies."

The appeal judges heard that a large number of similar claims for compensation by children allegedly harmed by alcohol in the womb were awaiting the outcome of CP's appeal, with solicitors already instructed in around 80 cases.

They were told that the mother was drinking "an enormous amount" while pregnant with CP, including a half-bottle of vodka and eight cans of strong lager a day, and the child was born with an alcohol-related disease.

John Foy QC, appearing for CP, said that was the equivalent of 40-57 units of alcohol a day. Guidelines issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) were that 7.5 units might damage a foetus.

Mr Foy was representing a council in the North West of England which now has responsibility for CP and was seeking an award on her behalf under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

He said the mother "was aware of the dangers to her baby of her excessive consumption during pregnancy".

He added: "She was reckless as to whether there would be harm to the foetus. She foresaw that harm might be caused but went on to take the risk."

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Phillip Hughes: Funeral Held For Cricket Star

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 03 Desember 2014 | 18.25

A funeral service for Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes has taken place in his hometown of Macksville, New South Wales.

The 25-year-old batsman died in hospital in Sydney last week after he was hit on the back of the neck by a cricket ball during New South Wales' first-class match against South Australia.

He had scored 63 runs when he was hit by a short ball from bowler Sean Abbott and was wearing a helmet at the time.

Around 1,000 people, mostly locals, packed into his former Macksville High School for the service, with hundreds more watching on big screens outside.

The service was also broadcast live on national television and on big screens in Australia's major cities, including at the Sydney Cricket Ground where Hughes was fatally injured.

It began with the song Forever Young, and lasted around 75 minutes before finishing with Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me.

Hughes' siblings, Jason and Megan, paid tribute to their brother during the service on behalf of the family along with his cousin Nino Ramunno.

Megan said: "I'm sorry you cannot be here with us any longer, but I promise that all the dreams and thoughts we had about the future I will continue in your honour.

"There won't be a day that goes by that I won't think of you, I promise I will talk to you every day and keep you company up there."

An emotional Australian captain Michael Clarke struggled as he addressed the service.

He said: "He left a mark on our game that needs no embellishment. I don't know about you but I keep looking for him.

"Is this what we call the spirit? If so, then his spirit is still with me and I hope it never leaves.

"We must dig in... we must dig in and get through to tea. And we must play on. So rest in peace my little brother, I'll see you out in the middle."

The mourners included Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the Australia cricket team and Sean Abbott.

Former Australian players Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath and the Waugh brothers all attended, alongside Richard Hadlee, Brian Lara and India batsman Virat Kohli.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland also addressed mourners. He said: "Cricket's heart has been pierced with pain, but it will never stop beating. Phillip Hughes... forever unconquered on 63."

Clarke acted as a pallbearer for his close friend following the service as a funeral procession made its way along the main street in the town.

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Gallery: Australia Says Goodbye To Batsman Phillip Hughes

The order of service for the funeral of Australia cricketer Phillip Hughes, who died on 27 November after being struck by a bouncer during a game

Australian captain Michael Clarke arrives for the funeral with his wife Kyly

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Osborne To Admit Missing Borrowing Target

By Darren McCaffrey, Sky Political Reporter

Around a billion pounds of investment for small and medium sized businesses, relief on petrol prices and changes to business rates to help the High Street are among measures to be announced later in the Autumn Statement.

Plans to make stamp duty more progressive, easing the bill for people buying at the bottom end of the market but with possible heavier charges on more expensive homes, could also be unveiled by George Osborne later in what has been described as the "Government's last big economic event".

The Chancellor will say: "Our long-term economic plan is working. I say: we stay the course. We stay the course to prosperity.

"We support people who want to work hard and get on. And it is for their sakes that we resolve to stay on course to prosperity."

But Labour will accuse him of breaking his promises on the economy, claiming his missed pledge to balance the books and policies favouring the rich have left working people £1,600-a-year worse off under the Coalition.

The Treasury and the Bank of England have agreed to extend the Funding For Lending (FLS) scheme by another year to January 2016 - underwriting loans specifically for smaller firms.

Mr Osborne is also allocating an extra £400m to expand the state-owned British Business Bank's venture capital programme.

And it will be handed funding to guarantee up to £500m of new lending in 2015-16.

The Chancellor is also expected to scrap the Fair Fuel Stabiliser, which would have seen petrol prices increase by 1p next March.

Air Passenger Duty on children's flights is also due to be abolished, which could reduce the cost of long haul flights by hundreds of pounds for families.

And there could be help for the High Street, with a review of business rates and how it is calculated due to be completed by early 2016. Rising rates have in part been blamed for hitting traditional town centre shops.

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Gallery: See How The UK's Economy Is Doing

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Search For Missing Mother And Baby In Bristol

Police are urgently hunting for a mother and her newborn baby daughter who have gone missing from a maternity hospital.

Charlotte Bevan left Bristol Maternity Hospital between 8.30pm and 9pm last night with her four-day-old baby girl, Zarnee Teanna.

The 30-year-old did not have a coat or shoes, and is believed to have been wearing hospital slippers.

Her baby was wrapped only in blankets.

A friend has described her disappearance as "out of character". Writing on Avon and Somerset Police's Facebook page, Isaac Jack McCardle described searching for them in the night.

"I know her and her partner. This is out of character," he wrote.

"I was out on the streets with a friend for over three hours and searched almost every road, park, alleyway etc in the area as well as high streets and found nothing."

He added: "I really hope they are both safe and are all reunited soon. I do feel out of respect people should stop jumping to conclusions. They are a happy couple."

On her Facebook profile Ms Bevan describes herself as a "free spirit".

It says: "i am free open minded individual i love music, art, dancing and making clothes. I'm a free spirit open minded and individual I appriciate (sic) people for who they are kind or nasty they all need love."

The baby's father, Pascal Malbrouck, has written on Facebook: "My daughter has gone missing with her mum Charlotte Bevan please if any one has got any info or has seen her please contact me."

Ms Bevan is described as white, around 5ft 8in tall and of average build with dark wavy hair.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman has appealed for anyone who sees them to call 999 immediately.

"We are concerned for both Charlotte's welfare and that of her baby, and are urging Charlotte to let us know that she and her baby are alright," the spokesman said.

"Officers have been searching the city centre throughout the night and appeals have been put out to bus drivers and taxi drivers and those travelling into work on early shifts this morning to lookout for Charlotte and her daughter."

It is believed Ms Bevan was wearing a long black top and black trousers when she disappeared from the hospital on Southwell Street.

The spokesman added Ms Bevan "may appear confused and worried".

"Her baby is inappropriately wrapped for the cold weather in blue and white striped and coloured blankets," he said.

Police have confirmed they have received several reports of sightings of Ms Bevan, including around the hospital, where an area has been cordoned off.

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Islamic State Leader's Wife Held, Reports Say

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 02 Desember 2014 | 18.25

The wife of the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi and one of his children have been arrested at the Syrian border, according to Lebanese officials.

They were detained by Lebanese troops in co-ordination with "foreign intelligence apparatus" about 10 days ago, according to local media.

His wife is said to have been travelling with a fake passport and is being questioned at the headquarters of the Lebanese defence ministry.

Her name was not released but she is understood to be a Syrian citizen. Islamist social media websites have previously reported that Baghdadi is married but it is unclear whether he has more than one wife.

The country's security forces have launched a crackdown on IS sympathisers in Lebanon and the intelligence services have been extra vigilant at border crossings.

Over the past few months they have arrested a number of Islamic militants suspected of staging attacks to expand IS in the country neighbouring Syria.

Since taking the reins of the terror group in 2010, Baghdadi has transformed it from a local branch of al Qaeda into an independent transnational military force.

He has succeeded in exploiting the turmoil in Syria and Iraq's weak central authority after the US military withdrawal to seize control of vast areas of land.

In doing so he has positioned himself as a leading figure in the global jihadi community.

Baghdadi, who has a $10m (£5.9m) US bounty on his head, has called for "volcanoes of jihad" around the world.

According to the reward notice, he was born in the Iraqi town of Samarra in 1971.

A US-led coalition has been seeking to roll back IS territorial gains in Iraq and Syria by launching airstrikes.

President Barack Obama has pledged to "degrade and ultimately destroy" the group.

The strikes are part of an effort to give Iraqi forces the time and space to mount a more effective offensive.

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Heroin Misery Of The Trainspotting Generation

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent

The number of adults seeking treatment for heroin and crack cocaine addiction in England has more than doubled in 10 years, new figures have revealed.

While the total number of heroin and crack cocaine addicts has fallen below 300,000 for the first time since estimates began, there is a generation still hooked - the so-called Trainspotting Generation.

The disaffected, heroin-addicted young people immortalised in Irvine Welsh's bestselling novel are getting older.

More than a third of the total population of adults in treatment centres are aged 40 or over, according to Public Health England.

Many started using heroin in the epidemics of the 1980s and 1990s when good-quality, cheap opiate flooded the inner cities.

But as they enter old age there are warnings that dwindling health and dependence on heroin could place an increased burden on the National Health Service.

Meanwhile, new figures show the number of heroin-related deaths in England have risen sharply.

The number of people dying through heroin and morphine abuse increased by a around a third (32%) between 2012 and 13 from 579 to 765.

And the number of people admitted to hospital with drug poising has soared by 76% over the last decade.

On the ageing generation of addicts, Louise Ford, deputy manager at the Smithfield Detox Centre in Manchester, told Sky News: "For many people of this age group there is a sense of 'now or never' in finally getting the treatment they need.

"For the over-40s it could be redundancy, bereavement or failing health that finally prompts them to come in for help. The treatment is not easy and many relapse."

For those who have not sought treatment, life is a cycle of "scoring" heroin and finding the money to pay for it.

Homeless Paul, 42, has been taking heroin since he was 17-years-old.

His partner Jill, 39, was introduced to the drug at the age of 14. They take heroin in the back streets of Manchester's city centre.

He said: "I had a good life, what you'd call an average life, a car, a flat. I got laid off last year. I had never been out of work before.

"Now I wake up, go and score, go and take it, go and find a pitch and start raising money again to score again and that goes on and on.

"If I don't get help now I'll still be doing this into my 50s and 60s and I don't want that. Heroin just makes you feel bad when you don't have it. It doesn't make you feel good anymore."

But there is hope in the form of recovered addicts like Steve Cundell, who first dabbled in heroin so that he could come down from ecstasy fuelled raves in the 1980s.

He went from experimenting to dealing in a matter of weeks.

He said: "I thought it wouldn't grip me but it did and very, very fast.

"I decided the best way to get my supply was to start dealing in it. My every waking hour was consumed by heroin.

"It used to play on my mind so much that I was getting older and older and I had not achieved anything - that I was going to wake up one day 65 or 70-years-old still on heroin."

Mr Cundell is now a peer mentor on a rehabilitation course run by Turning Point and tries to help others.

He added: "I like to think I have something to give back and it helps my recovery - because I'm not out of the woods yet."

18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Flooding Fund: Â£2.3bn To Protect 300,000 Homes

Flooding Fund: £2.3bn To Protect 300,000 Homes

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More than 1,400 projects will receive a share of £2.3bn to protect against flooding for 300,000 homes.

But environmental group Friends of the Earth has suggested that figure is not high enough and there is still a £500m shortfall in the flood defences budget in the next parliament.

The spending includes major investment in areas including the Humber Estuary, with £80m set to be spent, and £196m for the Thames Estuary.

Ministers will also commit to spending £15.5m on flood defences in Somerset in the next six years - including £4.2m on the Somerset Levels which were hit badly by flooding last winter.

The Government has come under fire over funding for flood defences.

Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said: "We all saw the destruction and heartache caused by flooding last year and that is why this investment is vital to build up Britain's defences for the future.

"The projects we are announcing today will protect some of the country's most at risk locations ensuring that we will be as prepared as possible for future severe weather."

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Gallery: Somerset Flooding - Before & After

Before: a farm in West Yeo, near Bridgewater on the Somerset Levels. Pic: Bing maps

After: The flooded farmland in West Yeo

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Before: The village of Moorland near Bridgewater on the Somerset Levels. Pic: Bing maps

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After: Flooded properties in Moorland

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Before: Walton-On-Thames, Surrey

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But he admitted it was not new money, telling Sky News: "This is an Autumn Statement that's not a giveaway, where everything that we are doing is paid for.

"These capital allocations on the flood defences the roads...we set that out last year and that's a choice we have made within the amount of money we have available."

Officials said the six-year programme, announced ahead of the Autumn Statement on Wednesday, would help prevent more than £30bn of economic damage.

Other projects which stand to benefit include more than £17m going to Tonbridge, Yalding and surrounding communities in Kent; £73m for a barrier at Boston, Lincolnshire; £42m for the Oxford western conveyance scheme and £47m for coastal defences in Rossall, Lancashire.

Friends of the Earth (FOE) said documents from regional flood and coastal committees showed there were £1.6bn of viable projects that were not getting the go-ahead.

FOE Campaigner Guy Shrubsole said: "A year after Britain's wettest winter ever, the Chancellor's leaked flood defence plans simply don't hold water.

"Faced with rising sea levels, the Government needs to be investing far more in flood defences to protect households and prevent climate change from the outset."

Shadow environment secretary Maria Eagle said: "Communities at risk of flooding won't buy Government spin on what is simply a re-announcement of capital funding confirmed a year ago.

"This is not new money - at the beginning of this Parliament David Cameron cut the flood protection budget by over £100m a year. As a result we are playing catch up on flood defences."

:: Watch Sky News for the Chancellor's Autumn Statement live on Wednesday, 3 December, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.

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Written By Unknown on Senin, 01 Desember 2014 | 18.25

Britain is slowly getting back on its feet, but the recovery is still doing little to heal the public finances.

In the space of a year, the jobless rate in the UK has reduced rapidly, from 7.6% a year ago, to just 6% now.

Unemployment is back to pre-crisis levels and more people in work should mean more taxes and national insurance flowing to the Exchequer.

The Chancellor had certainly been counting on that cash to reduce shortfall between its resources, and its spending commitments.

Even the Government's accountants had predicted a 7% rise in income tax receipts for this year.

Yet the current tally shows they are only up about 0.4%.

Still, the tax year isn't over yet and the Office For Budget Responsibility expects tax receipts to be what they call "end-loaded" in 2014-15.

That is partly due to the shifting tax band brackets and a glut of self-assessment payments they expect to pour in after the deadline in January.

However, over the past year alone, factors such as weaker-than-expected wage growth, lower-than-expected residential property transactions and lower oil and gas revenues make it unlikely that either the Chancellor's or his accountants' expectations will be met.

Especially if you then factor in the lasting effects of the past six years.

Over the course of the financial crisis many highly paid jobs, like banking, have been lost and not yet replaced.

Meanwhile, the newly created jobs have been low paid and more workers are classed as "self-employed" - with both these groups paying less tax.

You will have noticed your tax free allowance has risen - to £10,500.

And with wage growth virtually stagnant, fewer workers are moving into higher tax brackets.

That all eats into the Chancellor's take.

This leaves the Treasury with far less revenue than predicted - and forced to make cuts and borrow more.

That's just what we expect George Osborne to do in the Autumn Statement on 3 December.

:: Watch Sky News for the Chancellor's Autumn Statement live on Wednesday, 3 December, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.

18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

England's Road Network To Get Â£15bn Investment

More than 80 new road schemes have been unveiled as part of a £15bn Government drive on English motorway and trunk routes in the next five years.

The schemes include a tunnel at the notorious bottleneck on the A303 at Stonehenge, as well as £1.5bn on extra lanes on some motorways.

Improvements to M25 junctions, the A27 in Sussex, approaches to Liverpool and the A1 in the North East are also part of the Road Investment Strategy, which was revealed ahead of the Autumn Statement on Wednesday.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the schemes were "the biggest, boldest and most far-reaching roads programme for decades".

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Gallery: Road Map: Project Locations

Some 84 new road projects have been revealed. Blue arrows indicate motorways, yellow show A-roads. Pic: Department of Transport

A map showing some of the main routes that will be improved

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The projects include:

:: South West - £2bn dual carriageway for entire A303 and A358, including a tunnel at Stonehenge.

:: North East - £290m dual carriageway on A1 to Ellingham.

:: North West and Yorkshire - M62 from Manchester to Leeds will have lanes increased, and increased capacity on trans-Pennine routes between Manchester and Sheffield.

:: North West - links to Port of Liverpool improved.

:: South East - £350m improvement to A27 to tackle congestion at Arundel, Worthing and Lewes.

:: East - £300m to put in dual carriageway sections on A47 and improved connections to A1 and A11.

:: London and South East - A third of junctions on M25 to be improved.

:: Midlands - Improvements to M42 east of Birmingham, and improved connections to Birmingham airport, National Exhibition Centre, Enterprise Zone and High Speed 2 interchange station.

There would also be £100m of funding to improve cycling provision at 200 key locations, and a £300m environmental fund to combat carbon emission and reduce noise pollution.

Mr McLoughlin said: "Roads are key to our nation's prosperity. For too long they have suffered from under-investment.

"Better roads allow us to travel freely, creating jobs and opportunities, benefiting hardworking families across the country."

Labour dismissed the plan as a "re-announcement".

"The Government has 'announced' plans for road investment at least three times since 2013 and no additional money has been announced," said shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher.

"Ministers will be judged not on what they promise to deliver in the next Parliament, but on what they have actually delivered in this one - and the truth is barely a shovel has been used in anger on our nation's highways over the last four-and-a-half years."

There has also been an accusation that two-thirds of the improvements will come in Tory or Lib Dem areas.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg denied the locations had been selected for "short-term political reasons" and pointed to plans across Labour strongholds in the Pennines.

He told Sky News: "You don't make decisions like this based on a political map, you make these decisions based on the economic map and the geographic layout of our county to make sure that all parts of our country are properly linked.

"Many of these projects have been spoken about for years."

Motoring groups welcomed the proposals.

AA president Edmund King said: "We can no longer ignore the inadequate resources going into the mainstay of the UK transport system - our roads - which carry 86% of passenger journeys and more than 90% of freight.

"At long last the Government has recognised that we need a long-term coherent plan for our roads."

While welcoming the road plans, the RAC said the number of road users would leap from 36 million to 43 million over the next 20 years if current trends persist.

Its director, Professor Stephen Glaister, said the country faced "massive challenges in unclogging our urban areas".

Meanwhile, Mr Clegg reiterated a Government pledge not to increase fuel duty ahead of the Autumn Statement.

"We've been clear we're not going to put up fuel duty because we know filling up your car or van with fuel is one of the most expensive parts of a household budget," he said.

:: Watch Sky News for the Chancellor's Autumn Statement live on Wednesday, 3 December, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.

18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cancer Doctor Jailed For Child Sex Attacks

A children's doctor who sexually abused 18 boys in his care has been sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Dr Myles Bradbury carried out examinations on children "purely for his own sexual gratification" and with no medical justification, Cambridge Crown Court heard.

The cancer specialist admitted 25 offences in September involving 18 boys aged 10 to 16 whom he had treated while working as a paediatric haematologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital in the city.

The abuse included seven counts of sexual assault and 12 of engaging in sexual activity with a child.

Sentencing him, Judge Gareth Hawkesworth said: "For a doctor to attack children in this way is one of the worst forms of sexual abuse imaginable."

"These boys were all vulnerable and gravely ill. In all my years on the bench, I have never come across such a grotesque betrayal of your Hippocratic oath."

The judge said Bradbury's sentence would be reduced because of his early guilty pleas, although "some might observe" that the weight of evidence meant he had little option but to admit the offences.

Victims' lawyer Renu Daly said the families were "relieved" that Bradbury had been given a lengthy jail term as it meant he would be unable to harm more children.

His victims included children with haemophilia, leukaemia and other serious illnesses, some of whom have since died.

Bradbury, a married 41-year-old father-of-one from Herringswell, Suffolk, would abuse the boys on occasions when "the parent was a curtain away".

He would also secretly film them using a camera pen, and more than 16,000 images were found on a disc at his home.

Bradbury was described as "a man of great charm and persuasiveness" whom everybody trusted.

When one victim raised concerns with his mother, she said: "He's a doctor, it must be necessary."

Prosecutor John Farmer said Bradbury had a "longstanding, unlawful, sexual interest in boys" and abused them "for his own personal gratification".

The Crown Prosecution Service in the East of England said it was "one of the worst" cases of a breach of trust it had ever prosecuted.

Bradbury's barrister, Angela Rafferty, said in mitigation that his guilty pleas had spared his victims the ordeal of having to give evidence.

Bradbury accepts that what he did was "repugnant", Ms Rafferty told the court.

The offences were carried out over four-and-a-half years from 2008.

Bradbury's crimes came to light in November 2013 after an 11-year-old told his grandmother about what had happened during a visit and how he had been told to keep it a secret.

Bradbury was suspended by Addenbrooke's before being arrested the following month.

Dr Keith McNeil, chief executive of Cambridge University hospitals, said in a statement last week: "The actions taken by the Trust since Dr Bradbury's abuse came to light have been thorough and very time-consuming, involving staff at all levels.

"The impact of Dr Bradbury's abuse and deceit has been widespread and significant for our patients, their families and our staff and will resonate for years to come."

18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

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