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Prince Andrew Under Pressure In Davos

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 22 Januari 2015 | 22.56

Prince Andrew has made his first public appearance since he was named in allegations by a woman who claimed she was made to have sex with him while underage.

The Duke of York, 54, is due to host a reception on entrepreneurship at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday.

The Prince is expected to publicly deny the allegations when he speaks to the forum at around 5.30pm.

It emerged on Thursday that the Duke has been formally asked to respond to the allegations.

A letter addressed to the Prince at Buckingham Palace has been filed by lawyers acting on behalf of Virginia Roberts.

Ms Roberts, who is referred to in court as Jane Doe No 3, claims when she was 17 she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew by his friend Jeffrey Epstein - a financier and now convicted sex offender.

She claims to have had sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions: once at a London townhouse after they had gone to a night club, once in a New York mansion and once on a private island in the US Virgin Islands.

The Duke, who is not a party to the proceedings, strenuously denies the claims.

The letter, dated 14 January, said: "This letter is a formal request ... to interview you, under oath, regarding interactions that you had with Jane Doe No 3 beginning in approximately early 2001. Jane Doe No 3 was then 17 years old.

"The interview could be conducted at a time and place of your choosing, and with your co-operation, I believe the interview could be completed in two hours or less."

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: "We would not comment on speculation about what the Duke might say."

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  1. Gallery: Profile Of Prince Andrew

    Born on 19 February 1960 at Buckingham Palace, Prince Andrew is the second son and the third child of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh

The Prince served in the Royal Navy for 22 years as a helicopter pilot - he took part in the Falklands campaign

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ECB Triggers On €1.1tn Quantitative Easing

The European Central Bank (ECB) has confirmed a €1.1tn stimulus scheme aimed at halting the eurozone's slide towards economic stagnation.

The monetary policy measure, announced at a news conference by ECB president Mario Draghi, was bolder than investors had expected - with European stock markets rising and the euro falling in value as the core details emerged.

Its current stimulus would be extended from March to include so-called quantitative easing, the Bank confirmed.

The ECB said it intended to spend a combined €60bn (£46bn) a month on sovereign and corporate bonds until September 2016, with individual central banks in the 19-member eurozone sharing some of the risks of the money-printing exercise.

The flood of money should bring borrowing costs down, boost bank lending and weaken the euro further to bolster its  competitiveness.

The aim of the QE programme is to prevent the euro area spiralling into deflation - an entrenched period of falling prices which puts consumers and businesses off spending.

Inflation is already running at -0.2% and Mr Draghi told reporters the outlook required a "forceful" policy response.

The ECB said countries under a bailout programme, such as Greece, would be included in the QE programme but with some additional criteria.

A political crisis in Greece risks plunging the euro area into further chaos, as a snap general election this Sunday could bring an anti-bailout party to power - a development which would potentially lead to the country's exit from the single currency.

The QE programme was announced two-and-a-half years after Mr Draghi pledged to "do whatever it takes" to save the euro amid fierce opposition to QE from Germany over fears it will stop national governments fixing their finances.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said any ECB decision could not replace government action on tackling debt.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos she said: "It should not obscure the fact that the real growth impulses must come from conditions set by the politicians.

"What's important for me is that (politicians) move even more decisively to address the issues, rather than thinking that the buying of time through other measures means we can forget about structural reforms."

The ECB did not need German permission for QE.

It said bonds would be bought on the secondary market in proportion to the ECB's capital key, meaning the largest economies from Germany down will see more of their debt purchased by the ECB than smaller peers.

The bonds will mature over periods of between two and 30 years.

The prospect of dramatic ECB action had already prompted the Swiss central bank to abandon its cap on the franc while
Denmark, whose currency is pegged to the euro, was forced to cut interest rates in anticipation of the flood of money.

The euro dropped 1.4 cents against the dollar following the QE announcement while bond yields in Italy and Spain hit historic lows, reducing the cost of servicing their debts.


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Former Home Secretary Leon Brittan Dies

Former Tory leader Michael Howard has said it is a "tragedy" Lord Brittan's "last days were dogged by unsubstantiated allegations" about a Westminster paedophile ring.

The former Home Secretary and Tory peer died in his sleep last night at the age of 75 after a long battle with cancer, his family said in a statement.

Lord Brittan, a key figure in Margaret Thatcher's government, last year became mired in the historical child sex abuse scandal after claims he was handed a dossier containing details of allegations of a paedophile ring operating in Westminster in the 1980s.

He was accused of failing to act on the evidence passed to him by the Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens in 1983.

While he admitted he had met Mr Dickens and had been handed a file, he said he had passed it on to officials and was not contacted on this issue again.

However, the Home Office released a letter in which Lord Brittan, who was knighted in 1989, wrote to Mr Dickens saying the material had been assessed and "had been passed to the appropriate authorities".

Speaking on Sky News Mr Howard said it was a "tragedy his last days were dogged by unsubstantiated allegations" but said that the claims had not distressed Lord Brittan.

Former Cabinet colleague Lord Lamont said he had been very "brave and stoical" during his illness and added he was a kind man and one of the "brightest of his generation".

In a statement from Lord Brittan's family, they said: "It is with great regret that we announce the death of Leon Brittan.

"As a family, we should like to pay tribute to him as a beloved husband to Diana and brother to Samuel, and a supportive and loving stepfather to Katharine and Victoria, and step-grandfather to their children.

"We also salute his extraordinary commitment to British public life as a Member of Parliament, Minister, Cabinet Minister, European Commissioner and Peer - together with a distinguished career in law, and latterly in business.

"Leon passed away last night at his home in London after a long battle with cancer. We shall miss him enormously. There will be a private funeral service for family only, and a memorial service to be announced."

Leon Brittan was elected as MP for Cleveland and Whitby in 1974 and then for Richmond, Yorks in 1983 when he became the youngest Home Secretary since Winston Churchill.

He was as prominent in the Thatcher government for taking on the NUM during the miners' strike in 1984-85 as he was for his resignation over the Westland affair in 1986.

In 1984 he led the Government response to the shooting of police woman Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in London because both Mrs Thatcher and Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe were away.

He went on to become a European Commissioner, spending ten years in the role and rising to vice-president of the Commission between 1989 and 1993. Nick Clegg was a member of his office.

Lord Deben - who served alongside Lord Brittan in Margaret Thatcher's administration as John Gummer - said: "Very sad to see Leon Brittan has died. A good and honourable servant of his country. A decent and lasting friend. He will be sorely missed."

Lord Hestletine told Sky News Lord Brittan was a "talented and highly respected minister" and that they had in later years enjoyed a friendship despite the differences that emerged during the Westland affair.

Speaking in the House of Commons as the news was announced William Hague, who replaced Lord Brittan as MP for Richmond, paid tribute and gave his condolences to the family.


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TV Weatherman 'Had Naked Orgy' On School Trip

TV weatherman Fred Talbot staged a naked "orgy" involving 10 drunken schoolboys on a canal barge before going on to sexually abuse one of them, a jury has been told.

The 65-year-old former teacher allegedly asked some of the boys to pretend they were girls and lie on top of each other as photographs were taken.

The alleged incident is said to have happened during a weekend school trip in the 1970s organised by Talbot, who was a biology teacher at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys.

One of five alleged victims giving evidence at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court said Talbot got him to perform a sex act on him as they shared a double bed on the barge.

The jury heard the complainant - thought to have been aged 14 at the time - was "quite drunk" after Talbot, two adult friends and some older boys on the trip had returned from the pub and shared beer with the younger boys.

He said: "He (Talbot) then said, let's pretend we have got some girls back from the pub, and we had an orgy.

"He said we needed to take some photographs so you can pretend there is some girls here.

"We were very drunk. I think they turned the heat up and we took our clothes off.

"One boy would lie on another boy and would pretend the one underneath was a girl. They took a lot of photos.

"We were innocent. We didn't know anything. Basically it was his thing ... he decided when it started and finished."

The complainant said the "orgy" went on for up to two hours before they went to sleep, but that Talbot said he had to stay in his double bed because there were not enough bunk beds for all the schoolboys.

He then alleges that Talbot got him to perform a sex act on him.

The following morning he said that the teacher told him not to speak about the incident or the "orgy".

Talbot, of Bowdon, Greater Manchester, denies 10 counts of indecent assault on five under-age boys between the late 1960s and early 1980s.

The trial continues.


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Russians Held Over Alleged French Attack Plot

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 20 Januari 2015 | 22.55

Five Russians have been arrested in southern France on suspicion of planning an attack, local prosecutors have said.

Four of the suspects, all from the Caucasus region, were detained in Montpellier and a fifth was arrested around 40 miles away in Beziers on Monday.

Prosecutors said certain "products" were recovered during searches of addresses linked to the suspects. Midi Libre newspaper reported that a cache of explosives was found.

The arrests came after three Islamists killed 17 people in attacks in Paris over three days.

It was not immediately clear if the latest arrests were connected to the investigation into the violence at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket. Reports claimed they may have been arrested in connection with organised crime.

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  1. Gallery: Chechnya: Huge Charlie Hebdo Demo

    People attend a rally to protest against satirical cartoons of prophet Mohammed, near the Heart of Chechnya mosque in Grozny

Hundreds of thousands of people staged the rally on Monday in Chechnya against French magazine Charlie Hebdo's cartoons of the prophet

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New Warning For Motorists As Snow Forecast

Motorists have been urged to drive with care as snow and freezing conditions continue to grip the UK.

Weather forecasters have warned of sleet and snow across Wales, the Midlands and southern parts of northern England.

They say the snow will fall on Tuesday evening, overnight and on Wednesday morning.

Sky News weather producer Rebecca Yussuf said: "With both the cold temperatures and the cold ground, snow is likely to accumulate easily.

"Accumulations of 3-8 cm (1-3ins) are likely in places, with perhaps 10-15cm (4-6ins) over the higher ground.

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  1. Gallery: Winter Weather Chills The UK

    Horses in the snow at Carrshield, Northumberland, as Britain froze on the coldest night of the winter so far

Deep snow near Buachaille Etive Mor in Glencoe, Scotland. The majority of the UK is set to experience freezing temperatures for the coming week

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Ex-MI6 Boss Warns West Not To Insult Islam

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

The former chief of MI6 has warned that anyone insulting Islam can expect to provoke a reaction and that "there will be another terrorist attack in this country."

Sir John Sawers was delivering his first speech since leaving office. He stepped down as 'C' in November 2014 after five years at the helm of the Secret Intelligence Service.

Sir John picked up on comments made by the Pope in reference to the provocative cartoons published in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, where 12 were killed in a terror attack. Al Qaeda said the attacks were revenge for the depiction of Mohammed.

Pope Francis told crowds in The Philippines that a friend who had cursed his mother could "expect a punch" in return.

Sir John said: "There is a requirement for restraint from those of us in the West.

"I rather agree with the Pope that, of course, the attacks in Paris were completely unacceptable and cannot be justified on any basis whatsoever, but I think respect for other people's religion is also an important part of this.

"If you show disrespect for others' core values then you are going to provoke an angry response. That doesn't justify anything, but I think we just need to bear it in mind."

Sir John praised the work of the intelligence and security agencies but reiterated the threat to the UK from terrorists: "If I was to sit here and say will the goalkeepers of the security services and the police keep every single attempt to get the ball into the net, out? No. At some point these threats will get through and there will be another terrorist attack in this country."

Sir John said there cannot be any "no-go areas" either in the physical or virtual world and said there cannot be a trade-off between security and privacy.

"If the technology companies allow to be developed, areas that are simply impenetrable, you're inviting problems," he warned.


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IS Demands $200m Ransom For Japan Hostages

Islamic State has issued a video threatening to kill two Japanese hostages unless a $200m (£133m) ransom is paid within 72 hours.

In the video, a black-clad militant brandishing a knife addresses the camera in English as he stands between two hostages wearing orange jumpsuits.

"You now have 72 hours to pressure your government into making a wise decision by paying the $200m to save the lives of your citizens," he says.

The footage, identified as being made by the militant group's al Furqan media arm and posted on militant websites, also sees the militant criticising the Japanese government's support for US-led airstrikes against IS.

But the Japanese government has said it will not bow to extremism.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a news conference in Jerusalem: "I strongly demand they not be harmed and that they be immediately released.

"I am extremely indignant at such an act."

The militant who appears in the video is apparently the same man involved in the beheadings of other IS captives.

Speaking in a British accent, he says: "To the prime minister of Japan: Although you are more than 8,000 and 500 kilometres (5,280 miles) from the Islamic State, you willingly have volunteered to take part in this crusade.

"You have proudly donated $100m to kill our women and children, to destroy the homes of the Muslims."

The two hostages are identified as Kenji Goto Jogo and Haruna Yukawa.

In August, a Japanese citizen believed to be Mr Yukawa - a private military company operator - was kidnapped in Syria.

Mr Goto is a freelance journalist who went to report on Syria's civil war last year.

IS has seized swathes of territory across Iraq and Syria to form an Islamic Caliphate.

Videos featuring a British-accented jihadi were published showing the murders of US hostages James Foley and Steven Sotloff and British hostages David Haines and Alan Henning.

The Foreign Office said it was investigating the video and reports that the militant is British.

"We are aware of the video and we are studying the content," a spokeswoman said.

The Japanese Prime Minister is currently on a six-day visit to the Middle East.

Last week, he pledged around $200m in non-military assistance for countries battling IS.

Japan's foreign ministry said it was checking the video, but if it was genuine "such a threat by taking hostages is unacceptable and we are extremely resentful".

:: Ransom demands and the countries who pay up


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Ex-MI5 Boss: Terror Laws 'Not Fit For Purpose'

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 18 Januari 2015 | 22.55

The former head of MI5 has warned that Britain's anti-terror laws are "not fit for purpose".

Lord Evans' comments about the powers of intelligence and security agencies were reported as the Prime Minister said Britain is facing a "very severe threat" from Islamist extremists, including so-called "lone-wolf" terrorists.

Lord Evans told the Sunday Telegraph: "The ability of the police and security agencies to do this important work of protecting our society and its vulnerable people is under threat from changing technology.

"They can only do this if they have the tools to do so - and the tools at their disposal are no longer fit for purpose."

David Cameron is currently pushing for tougher requirements for internet firms to alert authorities to suspicious online exchanges, ban encrypted communications and store data.

Former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown hit out at the push for increased powers, telling Sky's Murnaghan programme: "The whole nation is made a suspect under these proposals."

He added that while he believed Mr Cameron's demand for increased powers was "sincere", it was "connected to the general election", and said the PM was "cavalier" about the protection of civil liberties.

When asked if the message from the US to allies would be to keep up with the changes to anti-terror laws implemented by Washington, the US ambassador to the UK, Matthew Barzun, told the same programme: "Sure, and we work very closely with the UK and other partners around the world to try to achieve that balance."

Mr Cameron earlier spoke to US TV network CBS about measures to tackle extremism at home.

He said: "In Britain's history, we've had some very intense times of terrorist threats.

"Certainly we face a very severe threat.

"That's what we're calling it: severe, because we believe an attack is highly likely. 

"But frankly, we've been in this struggle against extremist, Islamist terrorism now for well over a decade and a half, so we know what it takes to win, but it's going to take a lot of perseverance."

He said the terror threat "keeps morphing" over time, "but it's still based on the fundamental problem of a poisonous death cult narrative which is the perversion of one of the world's major religions".

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and his US counterpart John Kerry are set to host talks in London with ministers from around 20 countries, including Arab states, to discuss ways of tackling Islamic State.

Members of the coalition fighting IS extremists in Syria and Iraq will meet for the summit on Thursday.

On Friday Mr Cameron vowed to tackle what he called the "poisonous narrative of Islamist extremism that is turning too many young minds".

He was speaking following two days of talks with US President Barack Obama in Washington where they said a new group would be set up to exchange information and expertise to tackle the terror threat.

There are fears about the spread of terrorism after the Paris attacks that left 17 people dead and the arrest of more than two dozen people in anti-terror raids in Belgium, Germany and France.

On Saturday, an 18-year-old woman who was arrested at Stansted airport in Essex on suspicion of terrorist offences was released on bail.

Anti-terror officers arrested the teenager when she arrived on a flight at around 4pm on Friday.


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May: We Must Do More To Wipe Out Anti-Semitism

The Home Secretary has said more must be done to wipe out anti-Semitism in Britain.

Speaking at an event to commemorate Jewish people who died in the Paris terror attacks, Theresa May said "Britain would not be Britain" without Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and people of other faiths.

She added she "never thought I would see the day when members of the Jewish community in the United Kingdom would say they were fearful" of staying in this country.

Her comments come after police lobbied to strengthen the protection of Britain's police officers and Jewish communities after the attacks in France. 

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley has said there is "heightened concern" over the threat to Jewish people - with "continuing anti-Semitic rhetoric" from extremists.

Ms May said: "The dreadful events in Paris are a reminder of the serious terrorist threat that we face.

"The attack on a Jewish supermarket where four people were killed is a chilling reminder of anti-Semitism, not just in France but the recent anti-Semitic prejudice that we sadly have seen in this country.

"I know that many Jewish people in this country are feeling vulnerable and fearful and you're saying that you're anxious for your families, for your children and yourselves."

Speaking on Sky News' Murnaghan programme, former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks said Jews in Britain were scared to go the shops in the wake of the Paris attacks.

"After what happened in Paris you are beginning to get British Jews asking 'will I be safe going to synagogue or going to a Jewish shop?'" he said.

"Will my children be safe in a Jewish school? And that kind of thing is absolutely inevitable. I hope it will dissipate soon but there can be no doubt that there is an anxiety now among British Jews which is pretty much at a record high within my lifetime."

Four Jewish men were killed at a kosher supermarket in Paris on the third day of the terror attacks in France.

In the wake of the violence, the rabbi of Paris' biggest synagogue told Sky News he believes thousands of Jews will flee France.

Describing it as a "big exodus," Moshe Sebbag, from the Grand Synagogue in the French capital, said: "It's a fact, you can't ignore it."

Ms May said that with "large numbers of Jewish people" emigrating from Europe and others "questioning their future," she wanted to reassure Jewish people they were "an important and integral part" of the UK.


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'Glad To Be Alive': Golfer Kidnapped And Beaten

Golfer Robert Allenby says he feels "glad to be alive" after being kidnapped, beaten, robbed and dumped in a park.

The 43-year-old Australian pro was in Hawaii for the Sony Open at Honolulu's Waialae Country Club, but missed the cut at the tournament.

Allenby said he was out on Friday night when he was taken from the Amuse Wine Bar in Waikiki, where he was drinking with his caddie and a friend, and robbed of his wallet, phone, cash and credit cards.

He later woke up groggy in a park around six miles (10km) away.

A photo posted on the channel's Twitter feed shows abrasions to his forehead and nose and his eye swollen.

"I should be OK, just in a lot of pain," Allenby said.

"I'm just glad to be alive.

"I'm still in a bit of shock. I've been checked out by a doctor, and I should be ok.

"I was separated from my friend in the bar after we had paid the tab.

"Next thing you know, I'm being dumped in a park miles away.

"A homeless woman found me and told me she saw a few guys pull up and throw me out of a car."

Allenby, who had been due to fly home on Saturday, said he could not remember what happened after that and says he was found outside the park by a man he described as "a retired military guy," who paid for a taxi back to his hotel.

"I called police from there," Allenby said.

Surveillance footage from the bar is being studied by police, the Golf Channel reported.

Television station KHON2 reports police were investigating the incident as a second-degree robbery.

Allenby missed the cut at the Sony Open after carding successive rounds of one-over-par 71.

He has won four tournaments on the US PGA Tour, the most recent of which was the 2001 Pennsylvania Classic.

Allenby turned professional in 1992 and has won 18 other tournaments around the world, 13 of them on the PGA Tour of Australasia.


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Fresh Travel Misery After Tunnel Closures

Fresh Travel Misery After Tunnel Closures

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Eleven Eurostar services have been cancelled due to separate "power supply problems" - meaning more headaches for stranded passengers.

Eurostar and the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle vehicle service have been hit by further delays a day after a lorry fire led to the closure of the Channel Tunnel.

Eurostar has said six trains that were due to leave from London between 2pm and just after 8pm, along with five leaving from Paris and Brussels, have been cancelled.

The company said that one of the two tunnels used by its trains will remain closed all day.

"In addition, Eurotunnel experienced new power supply problems this morning which meant that both tunnels were again closed for two hours," it said in a statement.

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  1. Gallery: Travel Chaos In London And Paris

    This was the scene at St Pancras International station in London as Eurostar services are cancelled in both directions on Saturday

The company said trains would not be running on that day

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Large queues of passengers formed - but they were told they would be unable to travel

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It was a similar scene at Gare du Nord station in Paris - this board shows all services were cancelled

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Passengers had to make alternative arrangements

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Fresh Travel Misery After Tunnel Closures

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Eleven Eurostar services have been cancelled due to separate "power supply problems" - meaning more headaches for stranded passengers.

Eurostar and the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle vehicle service have been hit by further delays a day after a lorry fire led to the closure of the Channel Tunnel.

Eurostar has said six trains that were due to leave from London between 2pm and just after 8pm, along with five leaving from Paris and Brussels, have been cancelled.

The company said that one of the two tunnels used by its trains will remain closed all day.

"In addition, Eurotunnel experienced new power supply problems this morning which meant that both tunnels were again closed for two hours," it said in a statement.

1/11

  1. Gallery: Travel Chaos In London And Paris

    This was the scene at St Pancras International station in London as Eurostar services are cancelled in both directions on Saturday

The company said trains would not be running on that day

]]>

Large queues of passengers formed - but they were told they would be unable to travel

]]>

It was a similar scene at Gare du Nord station in Paris - this board shows all services were cancelled

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Passengers had to make alternative arrangements

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