Written By Unknown on Kamis, 18 Desember 2014 | 14.44
A £5bn project to guarantee mobile phone voice and text coverage to 90% of the UK geographical area by 2017 will go ahead.
The deal means the four mobile networks - EE, O2, Three and Vodafone - have all agreed to tackle poor coverage in so-called partial "not spots".
These are areas that may have coverage from some but not all of the four networks.
This will halve the number of areas where there is patchy mobile coverage.
In addition, the operators will increase full coverage from 69% to 85% - allowing phone users to download data.
Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said: "Too many parts of the UK regularly suffer from poor mobile coverage leaving them unable to make calls or send texts.
"Government and businesses have been clear about the importance of mobile connectivity, and improved coverage, so this legally binding agreement will give the UK the world-class mobile phone coverage it needs and deserves."
A Vodafone UK spokesman said: "We support the Government's objective of delivering better coverage to rural areas including partial not-spots.
"It is a great result for UK consumers and businesses and it will make the UK a leader across Europe in terms of the reach of mobile coverage."
A police force has apologised for letting prolific sex offender Jimmy Savile slip through their net by not properly investigating him while he was alive.
North Yorkshire Police has admitted it missed opportunities to act and let down people who reported abuse by the disgraced entertainer and another man in Scarborough.
Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy apologised to 35 people who say they were abused in Scarborough between 1958 and 1998 by Savile or his friend Peter Jaconelli, a former mayor of the town.
Two of the alleged victims say both men attacked them.
"On behalf of North Yorkshire Police I am sorry, I am truly sorry we did not respond more effectively, we did not investigate those allegations early on," he said.
Savile's headstone was removed after his abuses were revealed
ACC Kennedy said if Savile and Jaconelli were alive they would be arrested on suspicion of child sex offences ranging from indecent assault to rape.
Savile died in 2011 before being exposed as a prolific offender who abused at least 500 children and Jaconelli died in 1999.
After Savile's crimes were made public campaigners and bloggers on the Yorkshire coast pressured the police over their claims that they had no knowledge of complaints against either Savile or Jaconelli when they were alive.
When several men came forward in March 2014 to say they had been abused by Jaconelli the force referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and began an investigation.
Nigel Ward from the North Yorks Enquirer website welcomed the apology but said more needs to be done.
"The only way to get to the bottom of this now is to have a full scale public inquiry and I would welcome that because I think there are a lot of people who have been culpable in terms of covering up and making it possible for these terrible people to get away with these offences," he said.
The IPCC has recently quizzed an unnamed serving detective sergeant from North Yorkshire Police as part of an ongoing investigation into potential misconduct over how information about Savile and Jaconelli was handled.
Both men are buried in Scarborough's Woodlands Cemetery, where Savile's grave is unmarked after his headstone was removed in 2012 while Jaconelli's prominent headstone records him as Alderman Peter Jaconelli.
Scarborough Council, which is led by Tom Fox, a former Scarborough police commander, stripped Jaconelli of his civic honours when the extent of the complaints against him were acknowledged earlier this year.
Written By Unknown on Rabu, 17 Desember 2014 | 14.44
Boxer Anthony Crolla is being treated for a head injury and a broken ankle after tackling a pair of burglars.
The 28-year-old, known as "Million Dollar", is due to undergo CT scans.
His trainer Joe Gallagher said before going in to see the fighter in hospital: "I tried talking to him before but he's concussed.
"The next door neighbours were being burgled, and the burglars came into his garden.
"He gave chase, and apprehended one of them, and the other one lifted a slab of concrete and hit him with it, and he fell and broke his ankle."
Crolla was due to face Richar Abril from Cuba for the WBA world lightweight title in Manchester on January 23 - but his promoter Eddie Hearn tweeted: "Anthony is in a stable condition in Oldham hospital.
"Unfortunately the Jan 23rd fight is off but concerns right now are with Ant and family."
He added: "You ask anyone in boxing doubt you could find a nicer kid than Crolla, absolutely gutted for him."
Crolla has fought in the super featherweight and lightweight divisions and is the current holder of the WBO inter-continental lightweight title after beating Gavin Rees.
Petrol prices could soon fall below £1 per litre - the lowest level since the end of May 2009.
The RAC said the recent fall in the price of oil - now below the $60-a-barrel - would keep dropping.
"What's currently happening at the pumps with falling fuel prices is something many motorists will not remember seeing before," said RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said.
"Talk of prices going up like a rocket and falling like a feather could not be further from the truth as retailers have been quick to pass on savings at the forecourt since we forecast on December 6 that prices were due to come down by 7p a litre for petrol and 6p for diesel."
The RAC added that it was hopeful drivers would benefit from the fall in prices in the first few months of the new year.
Video:What's Causing Falling Oil Prices?
The group's monitoring of fuel prices shows the average price of a litre of petrol is 116.9p - nearly 14p a litre cheaper than at the start of the year.
Diesel is nearly 16p cheaper - 122.33p a litre now compared to 138.24p in January.
The average supermarket price of fuel is 114.26p a litre for petrol and 120.18p for diesel.
Video:Petrol Prices
Mr Williams added: "Current forecasts are for average petrol prices to fall to below 110p a litre in the next fortnight and diesel to drop to under 116p.
"At these average prices across the country the cheapest retailers will almost certainly be selling petrol for around 105p a litre, or even lower."
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 16 Desember 2014 | 14.44
A Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen-designed Christmas experience is closing early, just weeks after it was widely criticised.
The Magical Journey experience at the Belfry Hotel, near Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, had originally closed just a day after it was originally launched in late November but later reopened after a series of "improvements".
On Monday it closed for good after a major financial backer pulled out with nine opening days left.
The organisers said they had been "left in the lurch" and could not find a replacement backer.
The celebrity interior designer told the Press Association he was "extremely surprised" after finding out on Twitter his experience had been shut down.
Mr Llewelyn-Bowen, who shot to fame on BBC's Changing Rooms, said he had not given any financial support to the project and was unaware who the backer was.
He said: "It's absolutely shocking. We found out by Twitter. Everybody was in bed feeling Christmassy and now we are not feeling very Christmassy at all.
"I was really impressed with the way they addressed all the issues the first time around and the energy and resources that went into it so I'm extremely surprised the towel's been thrown in at this stage.
A photo taken from the Instagram account of the Magical Journey
"I feel appalling it is not the happy experience I really want it to be. I feel extremely sorry for everybody let down in the next nine days and also for the staff who worked on the front-line. I'm hoping they will get their money back.
"On a personal level I was so excited by the idea of designing Christmas."
He said in hindsight the group he worked with to deliver the project was not experienced enough for the type of event.
"I was just commissioned to create some design concepts for the experience," he said. "There was no financial backing from my point of view and no involvement in the management.
"I feel very much I was the designer and I'm a very public face so people are cross with me."
Another photo taken from the Instagram account of the Magical Journey
The presenter added he would be donating his fee, the amount of which he would not confirm, to a Birmingham children's hospice and said: "I do not want to make any money at all out of this experience."
A statement on the Magical Journey's website said: "We are really sorry to have to tell you this, but as of tomorrow (Tuesday 16 December 2014) The Magical Journey, based at The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, will no longer be in operation.
"We are truly sorry. After all we've been through having to shutdown in the final week is devastating. Although we had quite the time of it in the press and on social media, feedback was great with over 600 four and five star reviews."
The website said that anyone who has bought tickets and wants their money back should use the Chargeback scheme.
The experience is the latest in a series of Christmas-themed attractions to suffer criticism over the last couple of years for providing poor value for money.
Four teenage boys have been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of the murder of a 52-year-old man in London.
The 52-year-old victim was attacked apparently during an argument with a group of youngsters as he tried to get into a block of flats where he lived in Edmonton on Sunday night.
Police say the victim - who was with a woman - continued into the block but was followed by two of the boys and he was then stabbed.
The youngsters did not know the man, who died at the scene shortly before 8.40pm.
Three 14-year-olds and one 13-year-old arrested on suspicion of murder must return to an east London police station on a date in late January pending further enquiries, Scotland Yard said.
Video:Locals On Edmonton Murder
A second 13-year-old, also held on on suspicion of murder, remains in custody at an east London police station.
A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as a stab wound to the chest.
Detective Chief Inspector Neale Baldock said: "Our initial enquiries have established that there was a supervised party taking place at another address within the block and the group of males were trying to gain access to this.
"The victim and this group were not known to each other - what started as a minor verbal altercation has escalated into a shocking act of violence."
Sky Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "There is a good deal of police activity at the scene, much of it focused on talking to people that live in this block of flats.
"They're trying to establish how what appears to have been an altercation turned into such a drama."
Written By Unknown on Senin, 15 Desember 2014 | 14.44
UKIP Candidate Quits Over Offensive Remarks
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Mr Smith was to fight South Basildon and East Thurrock for UKIP next May
A high-profile UKIP Westminster hopeful has quit as the party's candidate in a top target seat after making offensive comments.
In recordings of phone calls obtained by the Mail on Sunday, Kerry Smith is said to have mocked gay party members as "poofters", and referred to someone as a "chinky bird".
Neil Hamilton stepped aside after Mr Smith was reinstated
He also joked about shooting people from Chigwell in a "peasant hunt".
In a statement released on Sunday evening, he said: "I have this evening offered my resignation as UKIP PPC for South Basildon and East Thurrock.
1/16
Gallery: The UKIP History In Pictures
1993: UKIP is founded by Alan Sked in response to the Maastricht Treaty, which set out the modern day EU and paved the way for the Euro. He left the party in 1997 saying it had become a "racist party for the far-right". He is now the leader of New Deal, which has been called UKIP of the Left.
1999: The party takes its first three seats in the European Parliament, under the leadership of the millionaire businessman Michael Holmes. Nigel Farage is one of those MEPs.
]]>
2000: Michael Holmes resigns and Jeffrey Titford takes over as leader of UKIP. He leads the party to field 420 candidates at the 2001 General Election and secure 1.5% of the vote.
]]>
2002: Former Conservative Roger Knapman takes over at the helm.
]]>
2004: The party wins 12 seats at the European Elections, among the UKIP MEPs is the chat show host Robert Kilroy Silk.
]]>
"I want the best for South Basildon and East Thurrock and I want to see the real issues discussed that touch the lives of people.
"Therefore I have chosen to resign so that Ukip can win this seat next May."
Mr Smith's resignation comes just days after he was reinstated as the party's election candidate in South Basildon and East Thurrock.
Mr Smith, a member of both Essex County Council and Basildon District Council, initially apologised and said he had been under great stress and taking strong painkillers for a back injury when he made the comments.
Mr Kerry also accepted claims he made in the calls about party leader Nigel Farage and other senior figures were "completely wrong" and "fuelled by frustrations at the time".
Mr Smith was deselected as the candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock in October - with Neil Hamilton, the former Tory minister who is now UKIP's deputy chairman, in the running to win the nomination.
But Mr Hamilton ended up endorsing the Essex county councillor in his hustings speech after Mr Smith was reinstated.
It led the ex-Conservative to hit out at party insiders over a "dirty tricks" campaign being run against him.
A party spokesman was unable to say when the selection process would be run again, and Mr Hamilton declined to comment on Mr Smith's resignation or his own plans.
UKIP MEP Patrick O'Flynn said of Mr Smith's comments before he announced his resignation: "He needs to learn to express himself more respectfully about minorities of all kinds now he is off the prescription drugs and he is our candidate."
But he added: "He is very popular... He is a young man, he is learning politics.
"We don't want to become so anodyne and speaking in such non-colloquial language that we lose touch and I think some of the other parties risk doing that.
"But clearly what he said there is unacceptable. He has apologised unreservedly. There are big mitigating circumstances.
"It is from some time ago and we are willing now to judge him on his performance going forward from now."
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David Cameron To Launch Home Discount Scheme
UKIP Candidate Quits Over Offensive Remarks
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Mr Smith was to fight South Basildon and East Thurrock for UKIP next May
A high-profile UKIP Westminster hopeful has quit as the party's candidate in a top target seat after making offensive comments.
In recordings of phone calls obtained by the Mail on Sunday, Kerry Smith is said to have mocked gay party members as "poofters", and referred to someone as a "chinky bird".
Neil Hamilton stepped aside after Mr Smith was reinstated
He also joked about shooting people from Chigwell in a "peasant hunt".
In a statement released on Sunday evening, he said: "I have this evening offered my resignation as UKIP PPC for South Basildon and East Thurrock.
1/16
Gallery: The UKIP History In Pictures
1993: UKIP is founded by Alan Sked in response to the Maastricht Treaty, which set out the modern day EU and paved the way for the Euro. He left the party in 1997 saying it had become a "racist party for the far-right". He is now the leader of New Deal, which has been called UKIP of the Left.
1999: The party takes its first three seats in the European Parliament, under the leadership of the millionaire businessman Michael Holmes. Nigel Farage is one of those MEPs.
]]>
2000: Michael Holmes resigns and Jeffrey Titford takes over as leader of UKIP. He leads the party to field 420 candidates at the 2001 General Election and secure 1.5% of the vote.
]]>
2002: Former Conservative Roger Knapman takes over at the helm.
]]>
2004: The party wins 12 seats at the European Elections, among the UKIP MEPs is the chat show host Robert Kilroy Silk.
]]>
"I want the best for South Basildon and East Thurrock and I want to see the real issues discussed that touch the lives of people.
"Therefore I have chosen to resign so that Ukip can win this seat next May."
Mr Smith's resignation comes just days after he was reinstated as the party's election candidate in South Basildon and East Thurrock.
Mr Smith, a member of both Essex County Council and Basildon District Council, initially apologised and said he had been under great stress and taking strong painkillers for a back injury when he made the comments.
Mr Kerry also accepted claims he made in the calls about party leader Nigel Farage and other senior figures were "completely wrong" and "fuelled by frustrations at the time".
Mr Smith was deselected as the candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock in October - with Neil Hamilton, the former Tory minister who is now UKIP's deputy chairman, in the running to win the nomination.
But Mr Hamilton ended up endorsing the Essex county councillor in his hustings speech after Mr Smith was reinstated.
It led the ex-Conservative to hit out at party insiders over a "dirty tricks" campaign being run against him.
A party spokesman was unable to say when the selection process would be run again, and Mr Hamilton declined to comment on Mr Smith's resignation or his own plans.
UKIP MEP Patrick O'Flynn said of Mr Smith's comments before he announced his resignation: "He needs to learn to express himself more respectfully about minorities of all kinds now he is off the prescription drugs and he is our candidate."
But he added: "He is very popular... He is a young man, he is learning politics.
"We don't want to become so anodyne and speaking in such non-colloquial language that we lose touch and I think some of the other parties risk doing that.
"But clearly what he said there is unacceptable. He has apologised unreservedly. There are big mitigating circumstances.
"It is from some time ago and we are willing now to judge him on his performance going forward from now."
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A scheme offering 100,000 first-time buyers new homes with a discount of 20% as part of a drive to help people onto the property ladder will be launched by David Cameron later.
Those under 40 who have never owned their own home can register their interest in buying via the Starter Home Initiative from the start of 2015 - six months earlier than planned.
Because of a change to the planning system set to come into force, under-used or unviable brownfield land will be freed from certain costs in return for a below market value sale price on properties constructed on the site.
Developers and councils are being urged to ensure the changes unlock a variety of sites across the country.
Mr Cameron said: "Hard-working young people want to plan for the future and enjoy the security of being able to own their own home. I want to help them do just that.
Video:Stamp Duty: Good News For Buyers
"Under this scheme, first-time buyers will be offered the chance of a 20% discount, unlocking home ownership for a generation.
"This is all part of our long-term economic plan to secure a better future for Britain, making sure we are backing those who work hard and get on in life."
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: "The 2008 housing crash blocked millions of hard-working, creditworthy people from becoming home-owners, at a time in their lives when they should have been able to expect to get on the property ladder.
"We're turning that around with Help to Buy, but today's new Starter Homes scheme will offer a further boost, giving young people (under 40) the opportunity to buy low-cost, high-quality new homes for significantly less than they would normally expect."
Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, said the initiative is "another positive step" in tackling the shortage of housing.
At the moment, developers can face an average bill of £15,000 per home in Section 106 affordable housing contributions and tariffs.
But under the scheme, developers offering Starter Homes would not have to pay certain charges.
To ensure the savings are passed onto buyers, the homes will not be able to be re-sold at market value for a fixed period.
Video:July: Young Unable To Buy Homes
More than 30 house builders have already backed the plans, and say they would consider bringing forward land to be developed from next year.
A design panel will be set up to ensure the homes are not only cheap, but also high-quality.
Renowned architect Sir Terry Farrell, who is on the panel, said it could make a real difference.
He added it would build on the recommendations of the Farrell Review, which raised the need for more proactive planning.
Sir Terry said: "Only by planning and designing our villages, towns and cities together with local communities can we create the kind of built environment we all aspire to and should be demanding."
Shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds said no-one would believe the PM's promises on the issue, and added: "The only way to restore the dream of home ownership is to build more homes and Labour has a plan to get at least 200,000 homes built a year by 2020.
"We are in favour of building starter homes but it is not clear how the Government is going to deliver these homes 20% cheaper than market price."
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 14 Desember 2014 | 14.44
By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent
The head of the UK's Intelligence and Security Committee is demanding to see material documenting any British links to the CIA's use of torture.
Sir Malcolm Rifkind, chair of the Commons committee, is seeking any intelligence relating to the UK that was redacted from the explosive Senate report into the CIA.
It concluded that the CIA lied over its torture and interrogation programme developed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Sir Malcolm told The Observer newspaper: "I am not going to go into the details of how we might try and achieve this, there are various ways we can try and advance it, but at the end of the day the actual decision on the American redacted material is for the Americans to take.
"One additional point is that the only issues we are going to be asking them about are issues relevant to the United Kingdom.
Video:Former CIA Officer Michael Scheuer
"We don't need to see the whole of their redacted report."
The British Government has admitted requesting the deletion of references to Britain's intelligence agencies for national security reasons.
UK Government representatives had 24 meetings with members of the US committee responsible for the findings.
Video:MI5 And MI6 Involvement Questioned
Some of the deletions are believed to relate to the British Overseas Territory of Diego Garcia.
There is escalating pressure on the British government not to extend an agreement allowing the US to use the territory in the Indian Ocean as a military base.
Andrew Tyrie, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on rendition, said any negotiations should address allegations that it was used by the CIA to render terror suspects around the world.
Video:UK Involvement in CIA Torture
"The negotiations on the lease can focus minds on establishing the scope and limits of Britain's involvement, direct or indirect, in extraordinary rendition," Mr Tyrie said.
"We are talking about kidnap and taking people to places where they may be maltreated or tortured."
The former Home Office minister, Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, who has taken a close interest in the atoll, said: "As it comes up for renewal, we need a full explanation of what happened in our name on that island."
The body in charge of Britain's air traffic control system was warned four months ago that it was ill equipped to deal any technical faults, it has been claimed.
A report in the Independent on Sunday says the Civil Aviation Authority told NATS officials in the summer that they needed to be better prepared to deal with IT problems.
A computer glitch at NATS control centre in Hampshire on Friday led more than 300 flights being cancelled or delayed and travel disruption for thousands of passengers.
The air traffic control organisation said on Saturday that the computer meltdown was sparked by an unprecedented systems failure.
It was the second major problem to hit the Swanwick centre in just over a year.
Video:Plane Chaos: Fault 'Unprecedented'
The Independent on Sunday also said that experts had warned NATS that a huge redundancy programme might deepen the problem, resulting in serious future meltdowns.
Meanwhile, an MP called for the top boss of NATS to lose his bonuses as a result of the failure.
Richard Deakin, NATS chief executive, said the software glitch was "buried" among millions of lines of code written a quarter of a century ago.
But Labour MP Paul Flynn told The Sunday Times that Mr Deakin earns more than £1m after receiving a 45% pay rise this year.
"I hope after the chaos, which was dreadful, though a rare event, he will have his bonuses stripped from him," he said.
NATS said operations were back to normal on Saturday with only minor delays and cancellations at some of the UK's airports as a result of a backlog.
Video:Flights Delayed In London Airspace
A statement from NATS said: "Swanwick controller workstations provide a number of tools and services to the controller to enable them to safely control a high volume of air traffic.
"In normal operations the number of workstations in use versus in standby fluctuates with the demands of the traffic being controlled.
"In this instance a transition between the two states caused a failure in the system which has not been seen before.
"The failure meant that the controllers were unable to access all of the data regarding individual flight plans which significantly increases their workload.
"We immediately took steps to reduce the traffic into and out of the UK network. At no time was safety compromised in any way."
Mr Deakin said NATS is investing a "huge amount" in new technology, with £575m set to be spent over the next five years to move towards more resilient, internet-based systems.
