England Fan In Coma After Italy Bar Fight

A 65-year-old man is in a coma in Italy after a brawl between England fans ahead of the World Cup qualifier against San Marino.

The victim was injured after he was punched in the face and hit his head against the pavement when he fell.

Police called to the scene have arrested another Briton, Matthew Mabey, 21, who is being held on suspicion of serious wounding.

The incident happened outside the Bounty pub in Bologna, where dozens of England fans had gathered ahead of the journey to nearby San Marino for the match.

Violence erupted between a group of seven fans who were drinking in the pub.

Paramedics were quickly on the scene and the victim - who reportedly tried to defend himself with a bar stool - was taken to Bologna's Maggiore Hospital for emergency surgery.

Doctors said he was put into an induced coma and described his condition as ''very serious".

A police spokeswoman in Bologna said: "We were called by staff at the pub and by passers by to a fight that had broken out between a group of England fans who had been drinking heavily.

England players training ahead of the match in San Marino

"From what witnesses have told us a group of men surrounded the victim and as they attacked him he picked up a bar stool to defend himself but was then punched once in the face and fell to the ground hitting his head on the pavement.

"He suffered serious injuries and is now in hospital."

The spokesman said that a 48-year-old man also held in connection with the incident has been released.

An employee at the bar said: "They had been in the bar drinking all day, then all of a sudden all hell broke loose and there was shouting and fighting amongst themselves.

"The next minute one man was on the floor - he looked in a bad way and then the ambulance and police arrived."

A UK Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the arrest of a British national in Italy on 21 March. We are providing consular assistance."

Extra police have been drafted in for the match with around 2,500 England fans expected to attend the game - outnumbering San Marino supporters.

Some were delayed or had to abandon travel plans because of the appalling weather conditions in the UK.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Weather: Snow And Rain Continues To Batter UK

Britain is continuing to endure extreme winter storms as snow, rain, high winds and freezing temperatures affect large swathes of the country.

The severe weather, which has already claimed the life of one woman, has been extending south, affecting London and parts of Kent.

The Met Office has issued two amber warnings for snow, with Northern Ireland and Wales, parts of northwest and northeast England and the Midlands expecting to see up to 15cm of snowfall over the course of the day.

Tens of thousands of homes in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Cumbria remain without power, while many roads are impassable and runways have been forced to close.

Two amber warnings have been issued

Birmingham Airport has suspended all arrivals and departures due to heavy snowfall, while Leeds Bradford is experiencing heavy delays.

The AA has warned motorists that even short journeys may be difficult, and there could be a repeat of the scenes in southern England last week when hundreds of drivers were stranded in their cars overnight.

In stark contrast to yesterday, there are only two flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, in place in Britain. Both warnings are for southwest England.

A further 91 flood alerts, where flooding is possible, remain in place across the South East, Anglia, the Midlands and Wales.

The rain has been a particular problem in Cornwall, where a landslide, thought to have been triggered by torrential rain, smashed through a block of flats, partially collapsing the building.

Emergency crews found a woman's body after picking through debris at the Veronica flats in Looe on Friday night.

The body is believed to be that of Susan Norman, who was in her 60s and had been unaccounted for, according to the police.

Sky weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "Saturday will see snow over central parts slowly fading, but there'll be a raw wind and it will stay near freezing away from the South West.

A woman died when this house in Looe collapsed

"The average temperature for the month so far, combining day and night, has been around 3C, well below the long-term average of 6C.

"It's highly unlikely to be record breaking (the coldest March on record was in 1962, at 1.9C), but it could well be the coldest for over 25 years."

Meanwhile, Electricity North West said about 1,500 properties in Cumbria remain without power but repair work was being held back by road closures, preventing access to some communities.

The company said it was considering using a helicopter to transport engineers to the areas to which power could not immediately be restored.

A complete blackout was reported for between 15 and 30 minutes across Belfast on Friday evening.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Immigration: Lib Dems Call For Security Bonds

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is to call for a bail-like system of security bonds to tackle visa abuse.

The bonds would be paid as a cash guarantee from visa applicants coming from high-risk countries and would be repaid once the visitor leaves Britain.

In his first speech on immigration as deputy prime minister, Mr Clegg will unveil the radical proposal at the liberal think-tank, the Centre Forum.

He will pledge to "lay the foundations for an immigration system that embodies this nation's instincts and its values" as he attacks the previous Labour government for "grossly" mismanaging the issue.

Earlier this month, Labour leader Ed Miliband  admitted his party failed on immigration.

Mr Miliband again said his party was wrong to relax controls - a move that allowed hundreds of thousands of foreigners to move to the UK.

Mr Clegg will say: "We are grappling with the difficult challenges in our immigration system.

"Brick by brick, we are rebuilding it. Day by day we are making sure, quite simply, that it works.

Mr Miliband said Labour failed on immigration

"All the British people ask is for a system they can have confidence in. We hear that, and we are delivering it.

"I'm determined we lay the foundations for an immigration system that embodies this nation's instincts and its values - our openness and tolerance on one hand, our sense of fair play, on the other."

The Deputy Prime Minister will say that visa "overstayers" are one of the biggest challenges faced by the immigration system and the UK Border Agency (UKBA).

"The challenge isn't just stopping people coming into Britain illegally, it's about dealing with individuals who come over legitimately, but then become illegal once they're already here," he will say.

To tackle this issue, Mr Clegg has asked the Home Office to run a pilot of so-called security bonds, which echoes an Australian system applied to family visas.

It is understood the cost of the bonds would vary but are likely to be in the region of four figures.

Mr Clegg will be seeking views on the proposal, including from the Home Affairs Select Committee.

"The bonds would need to be well targeted - so that they don't unfairly discriminate against particular groups," he says.

"The amounts would need to be proportionate - we mustn't penalise legitimate visa applicants who will struggle to get hold of the money."

Mr Clegg will also reveal plans to increase cash penalties for "unscrupulous" employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants because they are cheaper.

The maximum fine is £10,000 per illegal worker - Mr Clegg will call for the penalty to "double" and has asked the Home Secretary to "look into the right amount".

Mr Clegg says Labour left the immigration system in "disarray"

But the deputy prime minister will also seek to reassure British businesses that the Coalition continues to prioritise "growth and building a stronger economy" with immigration a "key part of that".

He says: "The majority of people who come here work hard and make a contribution. Many have served - and still serve - in our armed forces.

"And if every member of an immigrant community suddenly downed tools, countless businesses and services would suffer.

"The NHS would fall over."

And Mr Clegg will hit out at the Labour party for leaving the immigration system in "disarray".

"The problem is that the system has not been well managed. It has been grossly mismanaged. I cannot stress enough just how chaotic it was."

The speech comes as the Government toughens its stance on immigration with a range of new measures aimed at bringing down net migration to the tens of thousands.

UKBA officials will conduct interviews with more than 100,000 student visa applicants from "high-risk" countries outside the EU to crack down on bogus students.

And a "genuine entrepreneur" test has been introduced to tackle the rising number of foreign nationals attempting to enter Britain by fudging their bank accounts.

But in the wake of criticism from politicians and the higher education sector, some immigration rules were recently loosened in a bid to give additional flexibility to businesses and allow top international students to pursue careers in Britain.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Child Smokers: Thousands More Take Up Habit

The number of children who have taken up smoking has risen by 50,000 in just one year - the equivalent of 567 a day.

About 207,000 children aged 11 to 15 started to smoke in 2011, a sharp rise from 157,000 in 2010, Cancer Research UK said.

Almost one in three (27%) of under-16s have tried smoking at least once, a study by the charity found.

It urged the Government to commit to having all cigarettes put in plain standardised packs.

Sarah Woolnough, executive director of policy and information at Cancer Research UK, said: "With such a large number of youngsters starting to smoke every year, urgent action is needed to tackle the devastation caused by tobacco.

"Replacing slick, brightly-coloured packs that appeal to children with standard packs displaying prominent health warnings is a vital part of efforts to protect health.

"Reducing the appeal of cigarettes with plain, standardised packs will give millions of children one less reason to start smoking."

Last April, the Government launched a consultation on plans to introduce mandatory standardised packaging for tobacco products.

Health campaigners have welcomed the proposal, although opponents claim it would lead to increased smuggling and job losses.

Information generated by the consultation, which closed in August, is still being analysed by health officials.

In December, Australia became the first country in the world to put all tobacco products in standardised packs.

Cigarette packets and other products are all sold in a standardised colour, with only the brand name and graphic warnings visible.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Truro: Woman Dies After Car Rolls Into River

An elderly woman has drowned after the car she was in slid into a river from a ferry slipway.

The vehicle plunged into the River Fal while waiting to board the King Harry Ferry across the River Fal near Truro, Cornwall, at around 4pm.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the male driver was not in the vehicle at the time of the car entering the water and escaped unharmed.

The body of the woman was recovered by emergency services two hours later. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police and divers were involved in the search and rescue, alongside fire crews, the Falmouth and Portscatho Coastguard, all-weather RNLI lifeboats and the Royal Navy search and rescue helicopter from Culdrose.

In a statement, the operators of the King Harry Ferry said the car went into the water when the ferry was at the Feock side of the river.

"Our heartfelt thoughts go out to the friends and family of everyone involved in this tragedy," the statement said.

Police are appealing for witnesses with any information to call them on 101 quoting log number 456 20/03/13.

The King Harry Ferry connects St Mawes and the Roseland Peninsula with Feock, Truro and Falmouth and is an alternative route to a 27-mile journey through Truro and Tresillian. It has been operating since 1888.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Archbishop Of Canterbury Due To Be Enthroned

The new Archbishop of Canterbury has revealed he is looking forward to meeting and working with Pope Francis as both religious leaders start their high-profile roles.

Speaking ahead of his inauguration at Canterbury Cathedral, The Most Rev Justin Welby told Sky News presenter Eamonn Holmes on Sunrise: "The papacy is a completely different thing to an Archbishop of Canterbury.

"I am one of almost 100 English bishops with a particular role, whereas he is the head of the Roman Catholic Church globally.

"I am greatly looking forward to meeting him. His story - his life story - is extraordinary. He is a great intellectual, but also an incredibly pastoral and simple, down-to-earth character.

"I am absolutely sure that we will be able to work together on a vast number of issues."

The Archbishop chose to visit West Sussex on Tuesday as part of a pilgrimage of his own around five English cities this month, instead of the Vatican for Pope Francis' inauguration.

He will lead 80 million Christians - in comparison to the Pope, who is leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

The Most Rev Justin Welby with his wife Caroline

However, they do have one thing in common. Like the newly-installed Pope, the Archbishop also likes to travel on the bus.

"I don't know what he will do, but I find it the easiest way of getting around," he said.

In the process of moving into Lambeth Palace, he conceded: "It is a very different life, it'll take a while to settle. We have a very close family. They tease relentlessly and keep my feet very firmly on the ground."

He faces many divisive issues within the Church, including women bishops, gay clergy and relations with the Catholic Church.

"I think reconciliation is about learning to be very different ... and continue to love and care for each other as we should within the Church, and within society to be able to hold very different views without being destructive," he said.

"One of the greatest challenges of my job is following Rowan Williams because he was such an extraordinary, exceptional, wonderful man, and such a wonderful Archbishop."

When he is not working, he likes to spend time with his family, reading and running. Asked what he likes to watch on TV, he confessed he has not owned one for the last two years.

"I love The West Wing. If I want to kick back I watch something like The West Wing - and I must start watching the new series of The Newsroom.

"We do now have a TV and I do watch a bit. The great thing I love about the telly is I like happy endings, simple stories and things that don't make me think too much. Though I do watch some more serious stuff, but not too much, because life is pretty serious on the whole and telly is great entertainment."

The Most Rev Welby was named as Dr Rowan Williams' successor in November and is due to be enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury in a service at Canterbury Cathedral later.

The father-of-five resigned as an oil executive in 1987 after 11 years in the industry to train for the Anglican priesthood.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Winchester Prison: HMIP Report Slams Conditions

Two severely disabled prisoners were locked up in a cell for nearly 24 hours a day and had not showered for months, an inspection has found.

The pair were jailed in the cell at HMP Winchester - designed for just one person - and relied on other prisoners to take them their meals, HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) found.

Staff were unaware that the two older and disabled prisoners could not use the shower on their landing as it was not adapted accordingly.

The men had a small window in their cell that was painted over so they had to choose between keeping out the cold or shutting out the light, the report added.

Elsewhere, one third of the 680 prisoners told inspectors illegal drugs were "easily available", while one in 10 developed a drug habit within the jail walls.

The category B prison, partly built in the 19th century, has deteriorated sharply and is now of serious concern, Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick said.

"Until shortly before the inspection, HMP Winchester was neglected and drifting," Mr Hardwick said.

"There had been pockets of good practice and, although many staff did their best, their efforts were often haphazard, inconsistent and badly coordinated."

In a damning report, the inspectorate said that more than half of prisoners had felt unsafe at some time, while there was insufficient action to tackle violence.

Mr Hardwick said a new governor was appointed shortly before the inspection.

He said: "The new leadership was aware of many of the problems and we saw early signs of a determined effort to tackle them.

"But the prison is just at the start of the process of putting things right again, and it will be a long, hard task to do so."

National Offender Management Service chief executive Michael Spurr said: "As the chief inspector acknowledges, the new governor has begun to tackle the deficiencies and I am confident that these will be properly addressed and rectified."

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Budget: Osborne's Hopes Of Rescuing Economy

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

George Osborne will today unveil a Budget with the twin aims of attempting to rescue both the British economy and the political fortunes of the Conservative Party.

The Chancellor will announce a raft of measures he hopes will not only kick-start economic growth but also reverse a Tory slump that began with his Budget a year ago.

Many Conservative MPs blame last year's so-called "Omni-shambles" Budget - containing a series of blunders that required embarrassing U-turns - for the collapse in support for the party over the past 12 months.

This year Mr Osborne has already promised help for pensioners, working couples and homebuyers.

But to avoid another onslaught from critics he will also need to provide help for motorists on fuel duty and businesses with incentives to invest.

On tax, the Chancellor is tipped to help the low paid by accelerating raising the income tax threshold to £10,000, a move championed by the Tories' LibDem Coalition partners.

And after the furore in the Conservative Party over gay marriage, the Chancellor may boost the married couples' allowance to cheer up disgruntled Tory backbenchers. A cut in corporation tax from 21p to 20p would also delight business leaders.

Mr Osborne is also expected to agree to unlock £4.8bn in child trust funds and allow parents to transfer their investments into more generous Junior ISAs. This move could leave some children up to £34,000 richer.

He will also announce that thousands of elderly people who lost up to half of their life savings when Equitable Life came close to collapse a decade ago will receive compensation.

But in a bleak message to MPs and voters on the state of the economy, there will be no U-turn on spending cuts or unfunded tax cuts and some grim economic forecasts.

Speaking at the weekend, the Chancellor rejected calls from Lib Dem Cabinet colleague Vince Cable and former Tory defence secretary Liam Fox to change course and abandon his so-called "Plan A".

Warning that economic recovery would be a slow process, he said: "There is no easy answer to Britain's problems. There is no miracle cure, because of course if there was a miracle cure it would have been deployed.

"It is just a lot of hard work dealing with Britain's debts, helping businesses create jobs and helping families who work hard and want to get on."

It has been revealed the Chancellor will unveil another £2.5bn of cuts to fund capital spending, although health, schools, overseas aid and HM Revenue and Customs will be shielded from the latest round of savings.

Osborne warned there would be no U-turn on spending cuts

Mr Osborne told the Cabinet other departments would have to find 1% savings on day-to-day budgets for each of 2013/14 and 2014/15.

But the move was attacked by Labour. Shadow Treasury Minister Chris Leslie MP said: "An increase in capital spending of just £2.5bn compares to deep cuts of £12.8bn to infrastructure investment in the last three years on the plans George Osborne inherited.

"If this is the only additional investment in infrastructure in the Budget it will be a huge disappointment. Business groups, the IMF and even Vince Cable have all said now is the right time to invest, at record low interest rates, in building homes, road and schools to create jobs now and strengthen our economy for the future.

"The test for the Budget is whether it delivers bold action to kickstart our flat-lining economy and significant tax cuts for middle and low income families, not a £3bn tax cut for the very richest and more of the same failing policies."

But only weeks after Britain lost its AAA credit rating and slipped into a double dip recession with the risk of a triple dip, Mr Osborne is expected to have to deliver more gloomy news about the country's finances.

The Office for Budget Responsibility is expected to raise borrowing forecasts and lower those for growth.

Confirmation of Mr Osborne's unpopularity comes in a survey suggesting that more than four out of 10 voters (44%) think he should be sacked as Chancellor.

Fewer than one in five (18%) of those questioned said Mr Osborne should keep his job, while 38% did not know.

Favourite to replace him is Mr Cable, favoured by 12%, followed by Foreign Secretary William Hague (5%) and Home Secretary Theresa May (3%).

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Medals For WWII Veterans After 67-Year Wait

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Veterans of two Second World War battles that cost thousands of troops their lives are to receive the new Arctic Star medal and Bomber Command clasp.

The first of up to 250,000 presentations will be made by Prime Minister David Cameron at a ceremony in Downing Street.

The awards were announced last year after a long campaign to recognise the extraordinary bravery of those who fought in the war.

The Arctic Star is given to those who served in Arctic Circle, delivering supplies to the Soviet Union, primarily through the ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk.

They are credited by many with keeping up Russian morale in the fight against Nazi Germany.

The convoys, which sailed under the name Operation Dervish, cost 3,000 seamen their lives.

Winston Churchill once described their passage through the Arctic at the mercy of German forces as the "worst journey in the world". Only about 400 veterans are thought to be still alive.

Bomber Command flew various aircraft, including the Lancaster bomber

Veterans of Bomber Command will also be recognised for their part in World War Two.

It has long been felt their exploits had been ignored compared to their compatriots in Fighter Command.

While Spitfires and Hurricanes provided valuable protection at home, Bomber Command attacked enemy sites abroad, flying dangerous sorties against munitions factories, ships and airbases.

Commanded by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris, they flew missions over Germany, France and Italy.

One of the most famous was 617 Squadron's "Dambusters" raid in May 1943, during which bombs were dropped on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams on the Ruhr in Germany.

Over 12,000 aircraft, including the famous Lancaster, were shot down during the war, with more than 50,000 airmen killed.

The Arctic Star medal and Bomber Command clasp

Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative MP for Gosport who campaigned for the medals, said: "The Arctic Convoy veterans endured unimaginable hardship to keep those vital supply chains open to Russia in the critical stages of WWII. They are all heroes in the truest sense of the word.

"After 10 years of campaigning, my delight to see justice finally being done is tinged with sadness that so many are no longer alive to receive the medals they richly deserved."

The Arctic Star and Bomber Command clasp were announced in December after a review by former diplomat Sir John Holmes.

The government moved quickly to design and manufacture the awards but critics say the recognition was due decades ago.

As well as veterans, the families of those who have died are able to apply to receive the awards on their behalf.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Roache: Abuse Victims 'Punished For Past Sins'

The actor who plays Coronation Street's Ken Barlow has seemingly claimed victims of sexual abuse are being punished for their behaviour in "previous lives".

Bill Roache made the comments in a television interview, during which he said famous men can be "caught in this trap" by young female fans who follow their movements.

Speaking to New Zealand's TVNZ, he said of the victims: "If you accept that you are pure love ... and therefore live that pure love, these things won't happen to you."

He was then pressed by reporter Garth Bray, who asked: "To some people that sounds perhaps like you're saying victims bring things on themselves. Is that what you're saying?"

Michael Le Vell arrives at court

The 80-year-old replied: "No, not quite, but then yes I am. Everything that happens to us is the result of what we have been in previous lives."

Roache's co-star of 30 years, Michael Le Vell, has been suspended from the ITV soap after he was charged with 19 child sex offences.

Le Vell, whose real name is Michael Turner, appeared in court last month and was bailed until his next appearance in the dock at Manchester Crown Court.

During his interview with TVNZ, Roache insisted: "Everyone's innocent until they're proven guilty."

He described paedophilia as "absolutely horrendous" but added: "There's a fringe here ... particularly pop stars who have these groupies, these girls, who are sexually active and sexually mature.

"They don't ask for their birth certificate and they don't know what age they may be.

"They're certainly not grooming them and exploiting them but they can be caught in this trap."

He added: "These people are instantly stigmatised. Some will be innocent and some will not, but until such time as (any offence) is proven, there should be anonymity for both.

"If someone has done something wrong, the law should take its course. But whether they're proven guilty or not, we should never be judgemental about anyone.

"We shouldn't go round condemning. We should be forgiving about everything."

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Child Porn Is Top Web Concern, Says Watchdog

Child porn is the number one concern among adults when considering a range of harmful content online, a watchdog has revealed.

A survey by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which was set up in 1996 as a UK hotline to report criminal content online, discovered that 4% of men and 2% of women have come into contact with images of child abuse.

However, the survey showed around 40% of Britons would not know how to report child porn if they were to encounter it.

IWF chief executive Susie Hargreaves said: "There is clear public concern over the availability of images and videos of children being sexually abused over the internet.

"What is concerning for us is that not enough people know how to report this or would rather ignore it, especially considering the survey tells us that around 1.5 million British adults have seen this sort of content online.

"Although we've seen record removal times in the UK, during 2012 we saw a higher proportion of images of children under 10 years old being sexually abused."

Around 77% of those surveyed were most concerned by child porn, while 73% were worried about terrorist websites and 68% were concerned by extreme and violent porn.

Just under two-thirds were concerned with hate sites, which display racist or homophobic material, 61% are worried about suicide content and around half of those surveyed were concerned by eating disorder sites.

In the whole of 2012, the IWF logged just 73 UK sites hosting child sexual abuse images or videos, compared with 9,477 hosted in other countries around the world.

Of the 73 UK web pages, 41 of them - 56% - were then removed within 60 minutes of the IWF notifying the host company or internet service provider.

But Ms Hargreaves added: "We are also very aware that there are internet hosting companies in the UK which could do more, and faster, who are not members of IWF.

"We have a responsibility to do all we can to help protect children - and adults who were abused as children - from having their abuse viewed time and time again.

"We need to prevent people from stumbling upon this content and assist other countries in creating a hostile environment for hosting it."

The ComRes poll surveyed a sample of 2,058 British adults.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Father And Son Killed In Alps Hiking Trip Named

A British father and his 12-year-old son who died while hiking in the Alps have been named by the Foreign Office.

Peter and Charlie Saunders were killed on a walking trip in the Chamonix valley in France after flying there for a short weekend adventure, the FCO said in a statement issued on behalf of their family.

Mr Saunders tumbled to his death as he tried to search for his son who had fallen 300 metres, French police believe.

"Charlie was always full of life, had a really happy temperament and loved spending time with his father. Peter was fantastic at making things happen, resourceful, with a positive approach to life. They will both be sorely missed by friends and family alike," it said.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank the French rescue services for all their efforts."

Rescue services in Chamonix were called by 48-year-old Mr Saunders at 2pm local time on Saturday.

He apparently said his son had fallen into a crevasse near Mont Blanc and that they were lost.

Captain Patrice Ribes, a French police officer, told Sky News that emergency services tried to trace the mobile phone call and launched a rescue mission.

But the rescuers lost contact and had to launch their search with little information about the pair's location.

The Saunders were said to be exploring a 'dangerous' mountain trail

A helicopter eventually spotted their bodies on Sunday morning at an altitude of 1,600m.

Capt Ribes said: "We think the father tried to find his son after he called us and asked for rescue. We believe he fell as he tried to find his son. Their bodies were found together this morning at 7.40am."

The father and son, reportedly from Buckinghamshire, had ventured into the Glacier des Bossons area of the Mont Blanc mountain range.

Capt Ribes said they had inadequate equipment and were exploring a "dangerous, deep, snowy" mountain trail.

Richard Mansfield, a mountain guide who has worked in the area for 20 years and lives near the Bossons glacier, said: "I don't know exactly where the accident happened but all the trails on the north side of the valley are covered in snow at the moment.

"The footpaths usually don't get that many people out at this time of year because they are much more difficult to navigate, although yesterday was a beautiful sunny day."

Mr Mansfield described a "number of footpaths which weave in and out of indentures in the mountainside" and this "is where they may have slipped off".

The valley, which boasts five ski resorts, receives a lot of British tourists throughout the year, with many owning holiday homes in the area.

According to reports, no less than 10 off-piste skiers and mountaineers had already been killed in the area this month.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Budget: Osborne To Tackle Youth Jobs Crisis?

Osborne: 'More Tough Choices Ahead'

Updated: 7:16am UK, Sunday 17 March 2013

George Osborne has warned the country of "more tough choices" and says there are no "miracle cures" for the UK economy, as he prepares to deliver Wednesday's Budget.

The Chancellor is under mounting pressure to change course and kick start growth as the UK faces an increased risk of falling into a triple-dip recession.

An opinion poll suggests most voters - including more than a quarter of Conservative supporters - think his policies are failing.

But Mr Osborne dismissed calls for extra borrowing to cut taxes or finance a "spending spree" and insisted that abandoning his austerity programme would be a "disaster".

Writing in The Sun on Sunday, Mr Osborne hinted he would do more to help homebuyers, business start-ups, apprentices and people saving for retirement.

Helping create jobs would mean "cutting tax rates and red tape, backing scientific advance, building new roads and broadband" and making the UK an attractive investment option, he said.

However he warned of "more tough choices" to be made on further slashing public spending from 2015 - with the scale of the squeeze to be unveiled in his statement.

"It won't be easy," he warned, amid rows between ministers over where the axe should fall.

Hopes the economy could grow in this quarter and thus avoid returning to recession were dealt a blow this week by a 1.5% fall in manufacturing output in January.

Former cabinet minister Liam Fox is leading Tory calls for a change of course - suggesting Corporation Tax be reduced to zero and far bigger cuts to public spending, notably welfare.

Other prominent backbench demands include cancelling a fuel duty rise due in the autumn and scrapping the beer duty escalator that automatically ups the price of a pint.

Mr Osborne is tipped to announce extra investment in housebuilding and road projects - called for by leading business groups - and help for people to buy homes.

But he will not abandon "Plan A" by increasing borrowing to fund it - a move being mooted within the coalition by Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said he would welcome extra borrowing to fund a cut in the basic rate of income tax to put more money into people's pockets.

But Mr Osborne hit back: "I think the British people know there are no easy answers in today's world. They aren't fooled by the miracle cures peddled by the same snake oil politicians who got us into this mess.

"Labour's answer to Britain's borrowing problems is to borrow even more - that simply doesn't make sense. If there were easy options and miracle cures then of course I would take them, but sadly there aren't."

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police Arrest 60 Ahead Of Football Match

Police have arrested more than 60 people for alleged violent disorder in Nuneaton in the hours leading up to a football match against Lincoln City.

The disorder broke out in a number of pubs in the town centre ahead of the Conference National fixture on Saturday.

Officers from Warwickshire Police, West Mercia Police, West Midlands Police and British Transport Police were deployed in the town shortly before 10.30am in response to reports of disorder at a number of licensed premises.

The suspects, who were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder, were transported by coach to Nuneaton police station and held in custody for questioning.

Chief Inspector Adrian Knight, who was in charge of the response, said officers from all police units involved were "successful in containing the disorder and protecting the safety and well-being of the general public".

"This operation was a true collaboration utilising resources from across the region.

"I am extremely grateful to our regional colleagues from West Mercia, West Midlands and British Transport Police for their support in this operation. It has been a particularly challenging day.

"Warwickshire Police is committed to protecting people from harm, whether they live in the county or are visiting, and we will not tolerate any behaviour which puts them at risk.

"Anyone intent on causing trouble in Warwickshire should be aware that we will deal with them robustly."

He added: "The fact that 62 people have been arrested is testament to our commitment to tackle violence and disorder within the county."

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More