Jihadis Felt A 'Moral Duty' To Fight In Syria

Hostages Killed By Captors During Rescue

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 06 Desember 2014 | 22.56

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

The pair were murdered by their Al Qaeda captors - 10 of whom were also killed - during the raid in the Shabwah region of Yemen, the US said.

There are reports the South African hostage was due to be released tomorrow - but President Barack Obama authorised the raid because information "indicated that Luke's life was in imminent danger".

"Based on this assessment, and as soon as there was reliable intelligence and an operational plan, I authorised a rescue attempt," Mr Obama said.

"I also authorised the rescue of any other hostages held in the same location as Luke."

Yemen's national security chief, Ali al-Ahmadi, said the militants planned to "execute" Mr Somers - who was born in Britain - on Saturday.

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

"The psychological and emotional devastation to [his wife] Yolande and her family will be compounded by the knowledge that Pierre was to be released by Al Qaeda tomorrow," the organisation said.

"It is even more tragic that the words we used in a conversation with Yolande at 5.59 this morning was 'the wait is almost over'.

"Three days ago we told her Pierre will be home for Christmas."

Mr and Mrs Korkie were taken hostage by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in May 2013 - though Yolande 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.

Following the rescue attempt US troops took Mr Somers to a naval ship but he was reportedly dead upon arrival.

His sister, Lucy Somers, has asked that "all of Luke's family members be allowed to mourn in peace".

Ms Somers had posted a YouTube video pleading for her brother's release just hours before his death.

The raid was the second attempt to free Mr Somers.

Mr Obama condemned his murder as "barbaric".

"Luke was a photojournalist who sought through his images to convey the lives of Yemenis to the outside world," he said.

"The callous disregard for Luke's life is more proof of the depths of AQAP's depravity, and further reason why the world must never cease in seeking to defeat their evil ideology."

News of the failed rescue comes after a suspected US drone strike killed nine alleged Al Qaeda militants in Shabwah overnight.

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Stag Do Disappearance: Hunt For British Man

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent

The family and friends of a British man who went missing on a stag weekend in Prague have promised to keep searching the streets of the Czech capital until they get news "good or bad".

Builder Karl Law, 35, vanished after getting separated from his friends on a pub crawl three weeks ago.

There have been several potential sightings of him, but none confirmed and he has not contacted anyone who knows him.

His brother Craig Law, 30, said: "No news is good news, so we are thinking positively. We don't want to think of the worst and believe that Karl is alive and out there somewhere.

"Some of us will stay here for as long as it takes to get the answer to what has happened to Karl, good or bad."

A small rotating group of family and friends from Fareham, Hampshire, are taking turns to fly to Prague, travelling around the city and putting up thousands of posters with Karl's photograph and numbers to call for anyone who spots him.

Karl's employer is still paying some of his wages and friends are rallying round to fund the appeal campaign.

The last person to see Karl was his cousin Steve Stock, wandering near Maxim's bar close to the centre of Prague's lively old town.

"We had split into two groups and I thought he was going off to another club or to get something to eat. Of course, we had all been drinking, but it was our second night and everybody seemed fine."

Sky News joined Karl's family and friends as they travelled the length of one metro line, hopping on and off at each station to stick up posters.

The next day they handed out more appeal notices among tourists in the packed Christmas market.

They also visited several homeless people living in makeshift shelters along the banks of the Vltava River.

Craig said: "It could be he has had an accident or banged his head somewhere and got disorientated. He could be confused and be sleeping rough."

The group has also been making regular checks at hospitals and homeless shelters.

On the night he disappeared Karl did not have his mobile phone or passport with him.

The searchers believe he is still in Prague, a feeling fuelled by possible sightings of him in a cafe, getting off a number 14 tram, or even walking close to Maxim's.

Prague police said they were doing all they could to find him, but released a statement suggesting his family had not disclosed that he had "consumed both alcohol and narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances extensively during the few days before he disappeared".

Anyone who sees Karl Law or knows his whereabouts is urged to call police or his family on +44 7584 035036 or +44 7807 759981.

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US Flight In Emergency Stop After Crew Fall Ill

A US Airways flight has made an emergency landing in Rome after 11 members of the crew and two passengers fell ill, reports say.

The plane, which set off from Tel Aviv for Philadelphia, landed at the Fiumicino airport after requesting medical assistance, local media reported.

The crew and passengers were said to be suffering from red eyes and vomiting.

Those affected were checked by doctors at the airport before being taken to a hospital near the Italian capital.

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Typhoon Hagupit Slams Into Philippines

A powerful typhoon has slammed into eastern Philippines, where 650,000 people have fled to safety.

Gusts of 130mph have been recorded alongside sustained winds of 109mph.

The typhoon made landfall on Saturday night in central Eastern Samar province - but the centre of the storm remains several hours away.

The winds, as well as pounding rain, has knocked out power lines and toppled trees in the town of Dolores.

Senior Inspector Alex Robin said: "We are totally in the dark here. The only light comes from flashlights."

The Philippines' 120,000-strong military is on alert to respond to a possible catastrophe.

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Gallery: Philippines Braces For Huge Typhoon

People take shelter inside a church after evacuating their homes due to super-typhoon Hagupit in Tacloban city, central Philippines

Ports are shut, leaving thousands of travelers stranded, and some local authorities ordered forced evacuations as super-typhoon Hagupit swept towards eastern coasts of the island nation

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Jihadis Felt A 'Moral Duty' To Fight In Syria

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 05 Desember 2014 | 22.56

Jihadis Felt A 'Moral Duty' To Fight In Syria

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By Adele Robinson, Midlands Correspondent

Ex-Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg has told Sky News that two Birmingham men jailed for terrorism offences told him they felt a "moral duty" to go to Syria for "benign reasons".

Mr Begg spent time with Yusuf Zubair Sarwar and Mohammed Nahin Ahmed, both 22, in Belmarsh prison earlier this year before his release without charge in October.

He describes them behind bars as being "very young" and "quite bewildered by their situation, especially Yusuf."

Sarwar and Ahmed pleaded guilty in July to one count each of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorism acts contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.

The pair spent eight months in Syria last year after contacting Islamist extremists from the UK.

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Gallery: Terror Pair Left Trail On Computer

Two British men who travelled to Syria to fight alongside rebels have pleaded guilty to terrorism offences. All photos from West Midlands Police.

Mohammed Nahin Ahmed and Yusuf Zubair Sarwar spent eight months in Syria last year after contacting Islamist extremists from the UK. This email was sent to Ahmed by a Danish extremist.

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Nahin and Sarwar leaving the Heathrow Premier Inn for the airport terminal.

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Mr Begg , who is now Outreach Director for advocacy group CAGE, said that the young men "might have felt it was a bit of an adventure" and "never thought for one moment that what they were doing was a crime against the United Kingdom".

When Sarwar and Ahmed, childhood friends from Handsworth in Birmingham, returned to the UK in January they were arrested and put in Belmarsh prison.

Mr Begg said: "That would put them alongside, or in the same category as, people who have killed police officers, or gangland murderers, and it's that level that they were at."

"The reason why they went to Syria, like most of the young kids, was a time when they saw the Assad regime carrying out brutal policies of using chemical weapons, and using bombs against the civilian population.

"So they thought it was a moral duty, an Islamic duty, to go and help. They came back, crucially, because of the infighting because of the rise of IS, because they didn't want to be involved."

Mr Begg said he believes that the British government stance towards Syria returnees is too "black and white":

"These people could have been an asset ... they could have spoken to other people and said that 'we returned because of the infighting, we saw what was happening with IS, we didn't want a part of it.

"'Whatever the utopian dream people have of what's happening over there, here's the reality.' That voice has now been totally closed down."

Mr Begg also believes, from his conversations with the young men, that neither were radicalised in Syria but "what may radicalise them is going to be the experience of what Britain did to them when they came back".

He also criticised government anti-extremism programmes such as Channel and particularly Prevent which he describes as "counter productive and alienating".

"It makes the assumption that you're a threat when you're not," he said.

"These are the things I think that are patronising to the community and also begin from the premise that if you're a Muslim that must have been what caused your radicalisation in the first place."

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Written By Unknown on Kamis, 04 Desember 2014 | 22.56

Former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe - whose career ended in disgrace as he stood trial for conspiracy to murder - has died, aged 85.

Mr Thorpe led the party in the 1960s and 1970s, but died after battling Parkinson's Disease for more than three decades.

Lord Steel of Aikwood, who succeeded him as party leader, paid tribute.

"He had a genuine sympathy for the underprivileged - whether in his beloved North Devon where his first campaign was for 'mains, drains and a little bit of light' or in Africa, where he was a resolute fighter against apartheid and became a respected friend of people like President Kaunda of Zambia," he said.

Mr Thorpe was forced to resign as party leader in 1976 after an acquaintance, Norman Scott, claimed to have had an affair with him in the early 1960s - when homosexual acts were illegal in Britain.

He was subsequently accused of conspiracy and incitement to murder Scott, a former male model, and was rarely seen in public following his acquittal in 1979.

He led a quiet life at his Devon home, but briefly took part in Paddy Ashdown's campaign in the south west of England during the 1992 general election campaign.

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Tulisa Case: 'Fake Sheikh' Convictions Probed

Twenty-five criminal convictions linked to undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood are being re-examined, the CPS has said.

It follows the collapse of the case against pop singer and former X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos.

The CPS says it will now contact defendants or their representatives in 25 past cases in which Mr Mahmood has been involved. They will hand over "disclosure packs" with material that may undermine those convictions.

A CPS spokesperson said: "We are providing this information to defence representatives to allow them to consider whether there is any basis for their client's case to be referred to the Court of Appeal or to the Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC)."

Mr Mahmood, also known as 'The Fake Sheikh' because of an identity he assumed during several of his investigations, was suspended from The Sun On Sunday after the Contostavlos trial collapsed.

The judge in the trial said there were grounds for believing that Mr Mahmood had perjured himself.

Three live cases in which he was involved have also been dropped.

Details of the 25 historical cases that are being re-examined have not been released by the CPS, but Mr Mahmood was involved in the following cases which resulted in convictions...

:: Cricket spot-fixing. Mr Mahmood posed as an Indian businessman to expose certain members of Pakistan's cricket team taking bribes from a bookmaker.

:: John Alford drugs case. The London's Burning actor was convicted of supplying drugs to Mr Mahmood who was posing undercover.

:: Earl of Hardwicke drugs case. Joseph Yorke received a suspended two-year prison sentence for supplying cocaine after a 'Fake Sheikh' operation.

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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.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said public spending would have to fall to 35.2% of GDP by 2019/20 if Mr Osborne is to eliminate the deficit by the end of the next parliament.

OBR chairman Robert Chote said a "very tight further squeeze" on public services would be needed - including the loss of a further one million public sector jobs - driving down public spending to an 80-year low.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has said the plans laid out in the Autumn Statement will require "spending cuts on a colossal scale" after next year's general election.

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

He 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.

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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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Body Of Baby Girl Found In Bristol Gorge

The body of a baby girl has been found in Bristol close to where the body of missing new mother Charlotte Bevan was discovered.

Police say they have reason to believe it is Ms Bevan's five-day-old daughter Zaani Tiana Bevan Malbrouck.

Charlotte, whose body was identified on Thursday afternoon, was filmed on CCTV walking out of Bristol Maternity Hospital on Tuesday night.

Police said in a statement: "We can confirm that the body of a baby girl has been found at the search site at the Avon Gorge.

"Although formal identification has not yet taken place, we are confident this is the body of five-day-old Zaani Tiana Bevan Malbrouck.

"The body of Zaani's mother Charlotte Bevan was formally identified earlier today having been found at the same site last night.

"Our thoughts are with Charlotte's family and partner Pascal at this very sad time."

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

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UK And World Set For Hottest Year On Record

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 03 Desember 2014 | 22.56

By Isobel Lang, Sky News Weather Presenter

This year is on course to be the hottest on record both for the UK and globally, with human impact the likely cause, say experts.

The UK's mean temperature from the beginning of January to late November is 1.6C above the long-term average, making it the warmest in records dating back to 1910, according to the Met Office, although a cold December could change this.

This year is also set to be one of the warmest on record in the Central England Temperature series, which stretches back to 1659 and is the longest instrumental temperature series in the world.

Around the world, the year is set to be one of the hottest, with global temperatures around 0.57C above the long-term average of 14C from January to October, just ahead of the previous record set in 2010 of 0.56C.

If November and December follow suit, 2014 is likely to be the hottest year on record, ahead of 2010, 2005 and 1998, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has said.

The Met Office has cautioned against placing too much emphasis on a single record temperature and long-term climate change.

But a new research technique indicated breaking the record is much more likely to occur as a result of human greenhouse gas emissions.

Peter Stott, head of climate attribution at the Met Office, said: "Our research shows current global average temperatures are highly unlikely in a world without human influence on the climate.

"Human influence has also made breaking the UK temperature record about 10 times more likely."

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said: "More record warm temperatures in the UK and across the world are yet more evidence that we need to act urgently to prevent dangerous climate change.

"UK actions such as our doubling of renewable electricity and our stretching targets for cutting carbon are a good start but we must be frank and acknowledge there is more to do."

It has also been one of the wettest year's for the UK on record, with 1162 mm of rain between 1 January and 25 November.

Average rainfall in December would make 2014 the fourth wettest year in records dating back to 1910.

But a very wet month could still break the UK record set in 2000 of 1337 mm.

Experts say world temperatures show there is "no standstill in global warming".

WMO secretary-general Michel Jarraud said: "What we saw in 2014 is consistent with what we expect from a changing climate - record-breaking heat combined with torrential rainfall and floods destroyed livelihoods and ruined lives."

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Tech Giants Targeted To Pay More In Tax

By Tom Cheshire, Technology Correspondent

Chancellor George Osborne singled out the low taxes being paid by tech giants in his Autumn Statement and vowed to tax them.

The "diverted profits tax" will target those companies that use elaborate off-shore mechanisms to pay minimum UK tax and apply a 25% rate.

"Some of the largest companies in the world, including those in the tech sector, use elaborate structures to avoid paying taxes," Mr Osborne said.

"That's not fair to other British firms. It's not fair to British people either. Today we're putting a stop to it.

"My message is consistent and clear: 'Low taxes, but low taxes that will be paid'."

Tech firms have come under criticism for the meagre tax they paid to the UK Treasury.

Facebook paid just £3,169 in 2013. Amazon paid £10m, Apple paid £11m and Google paid £11.6m.

The cumulative revenues of these four companies in the UK is more than £17bn.

However, it does not appear that the tax will claim a significant portion of those figures.

The Treasury said the tax would raise only £360m per year by 2016-2017, and said: "A behavioural adjustment is also made to reflect groups that attempt to mitigate the tax impact."

Stella Amiss, corporate tax partner at PwC, said: "The diverted profits tax on multinationals appears narrowly focused as it will raise about £300m a year."

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Autumn Statement: The Key Points At A Glance

The main measures and forecasts as outlined by the Chancellor George Osborne in his Autumn Statement:

TAX

:: Stamp Duty rates overhauled. Top rate now 12% on properties worth more than £1.5m effective from midnight Wednesday. There will be no duty on properties worth up to £125,000 then 2% rate on the portion up to £250,000 then 5% up to £925,000, then 10% up to £1.5m.

:: Higher rate income tax threshold to rise to £42,385 next year.

:: Income tax-free personal allowance to rise to £10,600 rather than the planned £10,500 next year, giving wage boost of £825 a year.

:: ISAs can be inherited tax free.

:: Fuel duty remains frozen.

:: People who die under 75 to be able to pass on annuities, tax free.

CORPORATE TAX

:: A so-called 'Google Tax' will introduce a levy of 25% on profits shifted abroad by multi-national firms. The Diverted Profits Tax aims to raise more than £1bn over five years.

:: Banks to pay almost £4bn more in tax over next five years, with profits which can be offset by losses for tax purposes to be limited to 50%.

:: Inflation-linked increase in business rates capped at 2% and discount for shops, pubs and cafes increased by 50% to £1,500.

SAVINGS

:: Limit on saving in New ISAs to rise to £15,240

DEVOLUTION & 'NORTHERN POWERHOUSE'

:: Business rates for Wales to be devolved to Welsh Government.

:: Plans law to devolve corporation tax to Northern Ireland if the Northern Ireland executive shows it can manage the financial implications.

:: Investment of £250m in new advanced material science institute in Manchester with branches in Leeds, Sheffield and Liverpool. Tendering for new franchises for Northern Rail and Trans-Pennine Express to ensure modern trains.

EDUCATION

:: Government-backed student loans of up to £10,000 are to be made available for postgraduates.

TRAVEL

:: Air Passenger Duty for under-12s abolished from May 2015. Scrapped from 2016 for under-16s.

SAVINGS

:: A further £10bn of Whitehall efficiencies is planned while £5bn more is sought from crackdown on tax evasion and avoidance.

:: Public service pension reforms will be completed, saving £1.3bn annually.

SPENDING

:: NHS gets additional £2bn every year for frontline services. A £1.2bn investment in GP services will be paid for from foreign exchange fines.

:: Government spending £10bn less than forecast this year but warns the coming years will require "very substantial savings in public spending."

PUBLIC FINANCES

:: Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR): Forecast 2014 GDP growth upgraded to 3% from 2.7%. 2015 forecast raised to 2.4%.

:: "Deficit is falling this year and every year." Deficit now cut in half. OBR forecasts borrowing to fall from £97.5bn in 2013/14 to £91.3bn in 2014/15 (£5bn above annual target). Budget surplus of £23bn predicted for 2019/20.

:: Osborne says deficit reduction better than some predicted as welfare spending is lower and interest paid on national debt is considerably lower.

:: OBR predicts wage growth above inflation for the next five years.

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Osborne Announces Historic Stamp Duty Reform

Historic changes to one of the UK's "most damaging" taxes have formed the centrepiece of George Osborne's Autumn Statement.

The Chancellor said he was abolishing 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 to the part of the property in each band, 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.

Mr Osborne said the changes - effective from midnight - would save £4,500 on the cost of an average home and cut stamp duty for 98% of house-buyers.

He said: "It is a fair, workable, lasting reform to the taxation of housing."

The Chancellor also announced a plan to cut the cost of air travel for millions of families by abolishing air passenger duty for children under the age of 16 over the next two years.

He also pledged to freeze fuel duty.

Mr Osborne said some death taxes would be abolished - allowing savers to pass on pensions and ISAs to loved-ones tax fee.

And he promised to "revolutionise" support for post-graduate students with the introduction of government-backed student loans of up to £10,000.

The Chancellor used the statement to trumpet the Conservative-led Government's economic credentials, telling Parliament: "Our long-term economic plan is working."

He said the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had revised up the British economy's growth forecast to 3% and told MPs the UK was now enjoying "more balanced" growth.

On the controversial issue of the deficit, Mr Osborne was cheered by his own MPs and jeered by the opposition as he revealed better-than-expected figures.

He said the OBR's forecasts show borrowing is falling and would continue to fall until a budget surplus is achieved in 2018/19.

Labour Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said the Chancellor's policies had left workers £1,600-a-year worse off.

He said: "For working people there is a cost-of-living crisis and that squeeze on living standards is not only hitting family budgets - it has also led to a shortfall in tax revenues."

He accused Mr Osborne of missing his targets on clearing the deficit and reducing the national debt, but not telling MPs by how much.

The Chancellor warned that in the coming years there would have to be "very substantial" spending cuts.

He vowed to claw back money from those who pay "paid too little" tax - including multinational firms, who will face a 25% tax on profits generated in the UK, which are then shifted overseas.

He claimed the tax would raise £1bn over the next five years, while changes to tax rules for banks would raise another £4bn over the same period.

He said the Government's policies would mean the richest 20% paying more tax than the remaining 80% put together - which he claimed proved the Tory slogan: "We're all in this together."

There was a promise of help for small businesses - with a doubling of Small Business Rate Relief and a review of the structure of business rates.

Many of the measures announced had been trailed ahead of the speech - such as a plan to repay the national debt incurred to fight the First World War, road building schemes, flood defences and investment in the NHS.

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UK Households Spend More Than They Earn

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 02 Desember 2014 | 22.56

Households with a single bread-winner spent more than they earned last year, as the typical outgoings of families increased, official figures show.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said its Family Spending report found that households spent £517.30 per week in 2013, a rise of more than £16 on the previous year when adjusted for inflation but below 2006 levels.

Income data had previously shown average weekly earnings at £517 per person during the period.

Housing, fuel and power costs overtook transport to become the biggest area of spending at a record £74.40 per week.

And it seemed people put a higher price on having a good time ahead of debt worries as recreation and culture was the third largest spending category, with an average £63.90.

It includes spending on TVs, computers, newspapers, books, leisure activities and package holidays.

The ONS said average weekly expenditure on food and non-alcoholic drinks in 2013 was £58.80 - with £15.60 of this being spent on meat and fish, £4.30 on fresh vegetables and £3.30 on fresh fruit.

The figures showed around £22.60 is spent on clothing and footwear.

There was a North-South divide when it came to the regional breakdown of the statistics.

Householders in South East England spent more than Londoners by an average £6 extra at £585.40, partly reflecting higher commuter costs.

The North East spent the least at £424.60 per week.

The figures were compiled at a time when inflation easily outstripped earnings growth, further eroding family spending power.

Rises in the cost of living are currently more evenly matched to wage increases.

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Did North Korea Hack Sony Over Kim Film?

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A hacking attack that crippled key systems at Sony Pictures and led to blockbuster movies being leaked online is increasingly being blamed on Pyongyang after the FBI said some of the software used was compiled in Korean.

The attack, by a group calling itself the Guardians Of Peace, left the firm's corporate email down for a week and enabled hackers to steal at least four movies, including Second World War drama Fury starring Brad Pitt, which is yet to be released on DVD.

It has since been downloaded more than one million times.

The Korean malware has led to increased speculation that Sony was targeted in revenge for its movie The Interview - a comedy about two journalists recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

The Pyongyang government had previously described the film as "undisguised sponsoring of terrorism" and an "act of war".

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Gallery: Kim Jong-Un Inspecting Things

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un makes regular public appearances across the country

The state media follows him as he enjoys visits to factories, military installations and construction sites. Continue through for more pictures

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The FBI has given US firms advice on spotting and handling the malware in a five-page report, but it did not confirm if it was a response to the incident at Sony.

Sky's Asia Correspondent Mark Stone, in Beijing, said that while North Korea is yet to comment on the cyber attack on Sony, it "takes any slight on its leader very, very seriously".

"When The Interview trailer came out the North Korean ambassador to the UN made representations to the UN saying that here would be a response," he said.

"It is only a few months ago that a hairdresser in Ealing was offering a Kim Jong-Un haircut and two senior diplomats from the North Korean embassy went there and told him he couldn't do that because it was very disrespectful."

He said it was a "plausible possibility" as Pyongyang had carried out previous hacking attacks, but he warned there is a lot of reporting about North Korea which is not correct because of the problems getting news out of the closed country.

Some reports suggest North Korea may have enlisted Chinese hackers to carry out the attack.

Last year, Sky News reported US security analysts had identified an anonymous-looking tower block in Shanghai as the possible headquarters of a global hacking operation allegedly run by the Chinese military - the People's Liberation Army Unit 61398.

In May, five members of China's People's Liberation Army were charged with hacking US companies for trade secrets.

Cybersecurity experts said the attack on Sony marked the first of its kind on a major US company.

"Sony Pictures continues to work through issues related to what was clearly a cyber attack last week," a company spokesperson said in a statement.

"The company has restored a number of important services to ensure ongoing business continuity and is working closely with law enforcement officials to investigate the matter."

Hackers have used malware similar to that described in the FBI report to launch attacks on businesses in South Korea and the Middle East, including one against oil producer Saudi Aramco that knocked out some 30,000 computers.

"I believe the coordinated cyberattack with destructive payloads against a corporation in the US represents a watershed event," Tom Kellermann, chief cybersecurity officer with security software maker Trend Micro Inc, said.

"Geopolitics now serve as harbingers for destructive cyberattacks."

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Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 06 Desember 2014 | 22.56

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Typhoon Hagupit Slams Into Philippines

Jihadis Felt A 'Moral Duty' To Fight In Syria

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 05 Desember 2014 | 22.56

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Cops Charged Over 'Paedophile' Mix-Up Killing

British Jihadis Jailed For Fighting In Syria

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Ex-DJ Ray Teret Guilty Of Rapes And Sex Attacks

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Former Liberal Party Leader Jeremy Thorpe Dies

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 04 Desember 2014 | 22.56

Tulisa Case: 'Fake Sheikh' Convictions Probed

Osborne Defends Plans Amid Fears Over Cuts

Body Of Baby Girl Found In Bristol Gorge

UK And World Set For Hottest Year On Record

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 03 Desember 2014 | 22.56

Tech Giants Targeted To Pay More In Tax

Autumn Statement: The Key Points At A Glance

Osborne Announces Historic Stamp Duty Reform

UK Households Spend More Than They Earn

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 02 Desember 2014 | 22.56

Did North Korea Hack Sony Over Kim Film?

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