Solar Eclipse: Cheers As The Clouds Parted

IS Runaways' Parents Must Share Blame - Top Cop

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 21 Maret 2015 | 22.55

One of Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officers has said the families of those who travel to Iraq and Syria to fight should take "prime responsibility" for their welfare.

The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Sir Peter Fahy said it was "ill-advised" for relatives of youngsters who had gone to join Islamic State extremists to blame the police or other authorities.

His comments come after the families of London schoolgirls Kadiza Sultana, Amira Abase and Shamima Begum, who are feared to have joined Islamic State, claimed police had "failed to act appropriately".

But Sir Peter said: "What is ill-advised is to just blame the police, blame the authorities, blame the school, when the absolute prime responsibility for the welfare of children lies with the parents.

"I'm not saying that is easy. But it creates the conditions for a backlash, which again is not positive."

He tells The Times: "I think there's a real danger that we put this into a box labelled Muslim and say it is just about Muslim parents. No. From what we see, all parents are absolutely struggling with this.

"How do you get a balance between allowing your youngster some freedom, knowing all this material is being streamed into their bedroom, (and) at the time trying to safeguard them."

Meanwhile, a 21-year-old British woman has been detained in Turkey on suspicion of trying to travel to Syria to join the IS terror group.

The woman was detained at a bus station in the capital Ankara on Monday and is being held pending deportation hearings.

Five teenage girls who are said to have shown an interest in going to Syria have also been barred by a High Court judge from travelling abroad.

The developments come as footage emerged of three British teenagers suspected of planning to join IS militants in Syria.

The CCTV video of the young men was taken at an airport in Istanbul just before they were stopped allegedly heading to the border with Syria.

The teenagers, two aged 17 and one aged 19, were arrested and flown back to the UK but have since been released on bail.

Their arrests came amid heightened tensions between UK police and Turkish officials following the disappearance of the three girls who attended Bethnal Green Academy in east London.

The trio are believed to be staying at a house in al Raqqa.

Security services estimate 600 Britons have gone to Syria or Iraq to join militant groups, including Mohammed Emwazi, also known as "Jihadi John", who has appeared in several IS beheading videos.

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Cameron And Miliband TV Battle Confirmed

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

Britain's political leaders will take part in televised election programmes, including a seven-way debate, after agreement was finally reached following months of wrangling.

David Cameron and Ed Miliband will both take part in the first event in London this Thursday, to be aired on Sky News and Channel 4 and hosted jointly by Kay Burley and Jeremy Paxman.

The Prime Minister and Labour leader will face an interview and questions from a studio audience – but they will not go head to head as originally proposed by the broadcasters.

The event that will most closely resemble the 2010 election debates will then be held on 2 April, and aired on ITV.

But instead of including just three leaders it will have seven including the Lib Dems Nick Clegg, UKIP's Nigel Farage, the Greens' Natalie Bennett, SNP's Nicola Sturgeon and Leanne Wood from Plaid Cymru.

:: Be part of the studio audience

There will then be two further programmes hosted by the BBC – an opposition debate with all the leaders apart from Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg and then a question time session one week before the election in which the leaders of the three biggest Westminster parties – the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems, will be grilled separately by a studio audience.

The final agreement contains concessions for a number of the leaders. Mr Cameron was the most hostile to the original proposals from broadcasters, saying he just wanted to take part in a single multi-party debate ahead of the short campaign.

Mr Miliband was determined for a head-to-head debate.

The final sticking point was over a proposal from the broadcasters for an event involving all the parties except for Labour and the Conservatives. Mr Miliband was determined to take part – resulting in the opposition event instead.

A spokesperson for the broadcasters said: "We're delighted that there will be a debate with all the party leaders during the election campaign. The debate on 2nd April will build on the success of the 2010 TV debates which were so highly valued by viewers.

"We're very pleased to be able to offer viewers an extensive range of programmes, across the four channels, featuring the party leaders interacting directly with voters during the campaign."

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Shia Volunteers Lead Fightback Against IS

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent, in Iraq

Ansar Marjaiyeh, or Soldiers Of The Religious Leadership, is a group of Shia volunteers leading the fightback against Islamic State militants near Fallujah.

IS snipers are just 200m away, and they return fire hard and fast. The volunteers are slowly pushing the militants back, but holding the territory they retake is their main challenge.

Their weapons are not impressive, but their resolve is. Dozens of these fighters have been killed so far. This is just one of several open fronts with the Islamic State group in Iraq.

More than 20,000 Shia militiamen from different groups, many backed by Iran, are involved in the fight against IS. They make up what is known as the Popular Mobilisation Force. Around 5,000 Iraqi officers and soldiers are working with them.

The men proudly show off their weapons and what they have picked up during battle.

One militia leader showed us what he said was a receipt, bearing the stamp of the Islamic State group, invoicing the Syrian government for crude oil worth thousands of dollars. The receipt said the oil was to be transferred from Mosul to Syria.

We met up with hundreds of fighters on their way to the frontline in Tikrit - the birthplace of former president Saddam Hussein, which was taken over by IS last summer.

The military operation In Tikrit is in its third week, but the militias still only control parts of the city.

Hadi al Amiri heads up the Badr Brigade, one of Iraq's most effective fighting forces.

Seen by many as Iran's man on the ground, he told Sky News that dozens of Iranian advisors are helping take back territory from IS, and that Tikrit would be retaken within days.

But he insists co-ordination with local Sunni forces has been key, and is confident his men will soon take back Anbar before recapturing the country's second city, Mosul.

He said: "We were victorious in Diyala, and we're using the same strategy here, as a result of a high degree of co-ordination between the army, the popular mobilisation forces and the police."

In Diyala, though, Sunni families returning have found their homes burned and looted. Rights groups say dozens of villages were destroyed not just by IS, but also Shia militias carrying out revenge attacks.

We spoke to people in Diyala who told us they heard about those attacks from their neighbours and friends, but did not see anything themselves.

Militia leaders insist they have strict orders not to harm locals under their control, and near Tikrit, we found Shia fighters helping hundreds of families going home.

There are also some areas where the battle was too fierce, meaning there is nothing left to come back to. Islamic State flags still litter the walls along the streets as mangled metal and charred buildings replace what used to be a vibrant neighbourhood.

For now, the momentum is with the militias and the Iraqi army.

Tikrit will be a strategic and symbolic victory before the push northwards, but that will entail Shia militias controlling Sunni and mixed villages - putting Iraq's delicate sectarian balance to the ultimate test.

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Police Concerns For Missing 12-Year-Old

A young girl has gone missing from her Sussex home, prompting a police appeal to find her.

Jasmine Coleman, 12, was last seen in her bedroom at her home in Lancing, West Sussex, around 11.30pm, possibly talking to someone on FaceTime.

A further check at 2am found she had vanished.

Jasmine is described as white, 5ft 8in, slim, with long blonde hair and blue eyes and is said to look older than her 12 years.

She may be carrying a large black handbag, wearing black riding trousers and a polo-neck top or a Paisley-pattern backless dress.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "It is thought Jasmine may have gone off in a car with an older man, travelling towards London on the A24, or may have travelled somewhere by train.

"Sussex Police officers are working with colleagues from Surrey Police, British Transport Police and the Metropolitan Police in an urgent effort to trace Jasmine."

Police say their latest inquiries suggest Jasmine may be in the Croydon area but they appealed for any information on her whereabouts.

Anyone who can help should email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or phone 101, quoting serial 145 of 21/3.

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'Eerie' Solar Eclipse Casts Shadow Across Europe

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 20 Maret 2015 | 22.55

Millions of people across Europe have defied gloomy weather forecasts to watch a solar eclipse cast its shadow across the continent.

Some lucky observers in Britain got to experience the full extent of the event as the moon crossed in front of the sun, covering up to 97% of its face.

One of the best vantage points was in South Gloucestershire, where amateur astronomer Ralph Wilkins described the "eerie" feeling as a chilly gloom descended and shadows sharpened.

Elsewhere there were reports of birds "going crazy" and flocking to trees, confused by the fading light.

Skywatchers in Newquay, Cornwall, got a clear view of first contact as the moon cut across the Sun at 8.20am, shortly after observers in Spain saw the eclipse begin.

As the spectacle began, astronomer Tom Kerss told Sky News: "You're seeing the Moon's rugged mountainous and valleyed surface starting to cut into the face of the Sun. That will just grow and cut more of the Sun away."

:: As It Happened: Countdown To The Solar Eclipse

First contact in London was visible at 8.47am, with a large crowd of enthusiasts choosing the Royal Observatory at Greenwich as the ideal spot to watch as the Sun was partially obscured.

Members of the public and commuters who might have caught sight of the eclipse on the way to work had been warned that looking directly at the Sun could seriously damage their eyesight.

Despite fears that cloud cover could ruin the event, there were good views in many areas, from the South West to London, Lincolnshire and the Isle of Lewis in Scotland.

But some were left disappointed, including in cloudy Eastbourne, Glasgow, Bristol and Sheffield.

Twitter user @RGGoldie wrote from Jersey: "So cloudy I can't even tell where the sun is right now."

Even in gloomy areas darker skies and a slight drop in temperature were experienced during the event that will not be seen again in the UK until 2026.

It was the deepest solar eclipse shadow to fall across Britain since 1999.

The Faroe Islands and the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard in the North Atlantic were the only places to get a total eclipse.

There were clouds in the Faroes, where Jill and Valerie Lucas, who travelled from Pennsylvania in the US to watch the eclipse, told Sky's Senior Correspondent Ian Woods: "This is a thrill in itself, to be this dark at nine o'clock in the morning - it's like nine o'clock at night."

But moments later there were gasps from the delighted crowd when the Sun broke through the darkness of total obscuration at 9.42am.

Around the UK, the proportion of the sun covered by the moon increased towards the north, ranging from 84% in London to 89% in Manchester, 93% in Edinburgh and 97% in Lerwick in the Shetland Isles.

:: London

The partial phase of the eclipse commenced at 8.25am. One hour and six minutes later at 9.31am the maximum eclipse occurred with 85% of the Sun blocked out. The event ended at 10.41am.

:: Manchester

Viewers in the northwest saw 90% of the Sun obscured. The event began at 8.27am, and reached maximum coverage at 9.32am. It lasted two hours and fifteen minutes finished at 10.42am.

:: Belfast

The event began a minute later than London at 8.26am and lasted two hours and 13 minutes, ending at 10.39am. The eclipse reached maximum coverage at 9.31am when 95% of the Sun was obscured.

:: Scotland

Further north, eclipse watchers enjoyed a slightly better show. Viewers in Edinburgh saw 93% of the Sun covered and from Lerwick in the Shetland Isles, the Moon obscured 97% of the solar disk.

:: Aberystwyth

Viewers watched the eclipse from 8.24am and the event lasted a total of two hours and 14 minutes. The event reached maximum at 9.29am when 90% of the Sun was obscured.

Despite the excitement, Robin Scagell, vice-president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, warned the event could become memorable for the wrong reasons if observers failed to heed warnings of the dangers.

"This one takes place right in the middle of the rush-hour," he said. "It's not the best time from a safety point of view.

"A partial eclipse is more risky by far than a total eclipse because people don't realise that even looking at a thin sliver of sun is dangerous. It's absolutely true that there is a serious risk to people's eyesight.

"If people can't find a way to view the eclipse correctly then they shouldn't look because they're likely to damage their eyes."

A tourist visiting Norway for the eclipse has described the terrifying moment a polar bear dragged him out of his tent as he slept.

:: Watch a Sky News special report on the solar eclipse today at 2.30pm, 4.30pm, 6.30pm and 9.30pm on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202. Also available on skynews.com, iPad, iPhone and Sky Go.

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Solar Eclipse: Cheers As The Clouds Parted

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Whoops of joy greeted the sun as the moon passed over it, delighting millions of skywatchers across northern Europe.

As the clouds parted over the Faroe Islands, turning total darkness to light again in seconds, thrilled crowds shouted in enchantment, with many yelling out: "Oh my God, Oh my God!"

The spectacular eclipse has been described as "amazing", "beautiful" and "eerie".

At one point, at around 9.40am, Sky News senior correspondent Ian Woods said: "We are standing in total darkness, I can hardly see the camera."

After the sun emerged again Woods said: "It was so grey and miserable, weather-wise, that we were preparing to give up on the whole thing.

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Gallery: People Around The World In Awe As Skies Blacken

A pupil at St Vincent's Catholic Primary School in Altrincham looks through special glasses at the partial solar eclipse

Schoolchildren at Madrid's Planetarium react as the sun disappears

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Youngsters in London enjoy the moment

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Pupils from Saint Ursula's Covent Secondary School wearing protective glasses as they watch the eclipse at the Royal Observatory Greenwich

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School children look to the skies in Glasgow

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"But then suddenly we saw it - it was absolutely awe-inspiring. Just at the end, it went very, very dark and then we saw a glimpse of totality.

"We only got a few seconds of totality before the sun emerged again, but it was incredible."

Jill Lucas, who travelled to Faroe from Pennsylvania in the US, told Woods: "This is a thrill in itself, to be this dark at nine o'clock in the morning - it's like nine o'clock at night."

However, despite the excited reaction from some, not all of the 10,000 visitors turning up on Faroe were satisfied.

"It was overcast, there was rain and wind. You could see nothing. It was a disappointment for everybody," said Gabor Lantos, a Hungarian tourist.

"Some tourists were so irritated, they argued with tour operators, demanding their money back," he said, adding that would be impossible.

Elsewhere, the moon took its first nibble out of the right hand side of the sun at 8.28am in Skegness, on the east coast of Lincolnshire.

Security guard and amateur photographer Gary Martin, 45, took his camera to the seafront straight after a night shift.

"It's been brilliant," he said. "It was very important not to miss it and by taking photos - I can keep the memories for years to come."

Val Goll, 65, from the town described feeling an unusual "atmosphere" and a noticeable drop in temperature as the moon passed in front of the sun.

"I'm immensely pleased and excited to have seen it," she said. "It is beautiful."

Meanwhile, some of the best experiences were had in Newquay, Cornwall, where there was an 85% eclipse and some clear skies.

Sky's Isabel Webster chatted to children who wore special glasses to observe the spectacle.

One boy, Archie, said: "It's the first one I've seen and I saw it through the glasses, to avoid causing damage to my eyes. It's really good."

Another witness in Newquay said: "It was quite eerie, everything just went pretty dark and the birds seemed to go quiet."

On the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland, where there was a 95% eclipse, viewers turned out with makeshift cameras made from cardboard boxes.

One viewer, called Elliott, told Sky's James Matthews: "I'm quite impressed - what I can see is not very big - but the box has drawn attention to the eclipse."

Space journalist Sarah Cruddas told Sky News: "Not only was the solar eclipse amazing, but equally amazing is the fact that so many people, schools, news organisations, are so engaged in what's going on.

"This really is a once-in-a-lifetime event - you can tell it's a lot darker outside."

Despite the excitement some voiced their disappointment on Twitter after poor weather spoiled views.

Software engineer Amarjeet Rai (@sonu27), from London, wrote: "Solar eclipse this morning. Shame it's cloudy."

Fellow user @RGGoldie wrote from Jersey: "So cloudy I can't even tell where the sun is right now."

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Written By Unknown on Kamis, 19 Maret 2015 | 22.55

Police have released CCTV of a knife-wielding man wanted for forcing two teenage boys to have a fight, steal from a shop and perform a sex act on each other.

The suspect approached the pair of teenagers on a bus in Brixton, London, told them he had a knife and forced them to get off the route 133 service in the Elephant and Castle area.

There, he led them to a park in Newington Butts, where he made them fight each other and steal from a nearby shop.

He then led them to the stairwell of a block of flats, where he forced one of the boys to perform a sex act on the other, before walking off.

Trainee Detective Constable Amy Beautridge said: "This was a most unusual crime and distressing crime, during which the two young victims were terrified by threats made by the suspect, who intimated he was in possession of a knife.

"He used their fear to control them and force them to effectively do as he said.

"Despite their young age, the victims have been incredibly brave in coming forward and providing information to the police and I would praise them for this.

"I am very keen to identify and speak to the person in the CCTV image we have released today, and I would urge anyone who recognises him to call the police or Crimestoppers as soon as possible.

"I would also like to reassure anyone concerned about contacting the police that they will be treated with the utmost sensitivity."

:: Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 020 8721 4621, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or at www.crimestoppers-uk.org

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Anger As Lib Dems Deliver 'Yellow Budget'

Danny Alexander struggled to make himself heard in the House of Commons as he attempted to deliver the Liberal Democrats' "yellow budget".

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury was heckled by Labour MPs who accused him of using "ministerial privileges" for "purely party political purposes".

Amid heated exchanges, Mr Alexander was so badly heckled he was forced to accuse one Labour MP "ranting like a lunatic".

Labour MPs also jeered Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg as he left the Commons before Mr Alexander had finished speaking.

Mr Alexander said he was unveiling plans for the economy that would not return the country to the era of "Kathy Come Home" setting out the party's differences to the Conservatives.

He used an assessment from the Government's Office for Budget Responsibility to deliver Liberal Democrat fiscal policy, saying deficit reduction needed to happen more fairly than proposed by the Chancellor.

Following his House of Commons appearance, Mr Alexander posed outside the Treasury with a yellow box alternative to George Osborne's red box.

The briefcase, sporting the words Liberal Democrat Budget in gold letters, had been auctioned off - described as a "beautiful, historic, briefcase" - for £1,500 at the party conference last week.

Mr Alexander made his alternative Budget statement in the House of Commons ahead of a Government announcement to crack down on tax evaders.

The announcement of the measures had been left over from George Osborne's sixth Budget on Wednesday.

The plans will see banks and accountants who help people dodge tax facing fines equal to the amount owed.

It means the Government would get the money back from both the person who evaded the tax, and the firm that helped them to do so.

Mr Alexander told Sky News the Government wanted to send the message that "dodging and evading tax is simply unacceptable".

He said: "In future if a bank or an accountancy firm help you evade tax they will be liable for a financial penalty the same as the tax that they encourage you to evade.

"This is all part of the Liberal Democrat-led clampdown on avoidance and evasion that has gone on for the whole of the parliament."

Labour MP Chris Leslie accused Mr Alexander of orchestrating a "phoney exercise" to put forward a Liberal Democrat agenda.

He said the Chief Secretary had used a legitimate Government Budget statement on tax evasion measures to present Liberal Democrat plans and said he was guilty of delivering his alternatives under "false pretences".

He said the Liberal Democrats had backed the Tories for five years and now Mr Alexander must pay the "ultimate price".

Tory MP Adam Afriyie said the "yellow budget" was the "Westminster bubble at its worst".

Speaking on his LBC radio show ahead of the Mr Alexander's appearance, the Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg, said £6bn of the £27bn needed to balance the books should be found from an increase in tax - mainly for the richest in society.

He said: "Over the last five years, we have basically taken a mixture of tax increases and spending reductions, welfare reductions, action on tax avoidance, to start balancing the books. That's allowed us to halve the deficit as a proportion of our nation's wealth.

"The Conservatives announced last autumn that they are going to lurch away from that and only nobble the working-age poor and only the working-age poor will make additional sacrifices to balance the books.

"I don't think that's fair, I don't think it's right to ask for £1,500 off the eight million poorest families in this country, which is what the Conservatives want to do."

Mr Osborne, meanwhile, has defended plans for more cuts to spending on public services, saying it was "necessary if we are going to go on living within our means".

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Clarkson Faced Cereal Debacle At 'Fracas' Hotel

By Gerard Tubb, North of England Correspondent

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has narrowly avoided a second culinary disaster at the hotel where a "fracas" over cold food led to his suspension from the BBC.

Staff at Simonstone Hall Hotel in the Yorkshire Dales say Clarkson was lucky not to be served cold cereals for breakfast after sleeping in on the morning after the alleged row with a producer.

BBC staff pleaded with workers not to disconnect the hotel's electricity supply for planned maintenance so the presenter could have hot food when he finally appeared.

"I got a call to say Clarkson was still in his room and wouldn't be down 'til 10 o'clock," a member of the kitchen staff told Sky News.

"I said, 'Well in that case he'll have to have Weetabix' because a sign on reception said the electricity would be cut off at half past nine."

The staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said most of the BBC team had left for filming before Clarkson appeared downstairs.

Another worker at the hotel confirmed that Clarkson's assistant had to ask the electricity workers to leave the power connected for an extra hour until Clarkson had eaten his breakfast.

Last week, the Ward family from Leeds - the only members of public staying at the hotel on that Wednesday evening - told Sky News that Clarkson had threatened to have a colleague fired during the row.

Sue Ward, 54, described Clarkson's behaviour towards the unnamed employee as shocking.

"He said he hadn't done his job properly, it was ridiculous that there was nothing to eat - obviously there was lots of expletives in between all this - and that he would be losing his job, he would see to it that he would lose his job," she said.

Top Gear, the BBC's biggest global brand and worth more than £50m a year, has been taken off air as the BBC conducts an internal investigation into the incident.

The BBC has declined to comment on the latest claim.

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British Woman Killed In 'Brutal' Tunisia Attack

A British woman was killed in the terror attack in Tunis that left 23 people dead, it has emerged.

Sally Adey was on holiday with her husband, who is receiving support from the firm that runs the cruise ship the pair were sailing on.

Terrorist group Islamic State has released an online audio recording in which it claims responsibility for the killings.

A statement released by Tunisia's presidency said nine people suspected of links with the gunmen had been arrested. It said the nine included four people directly linked to the operation and five suspected of having ties to the cell.

Prime Minister David Cameron described the killings as an "appalling and brutal outrage".

Describing it as "the latest example of extremist terror", he said: "We have to fight it with everything we have, whether that is taking the poison out of young minds here in Britain, whether it's working with intelligence, policing and security services in other countries around the world or whether it's dealing decisively with those areas of the world from which these problems come."

Witnesses say the gunmen behind the attack opened fire on tourists arriving at the capital's Bardo Museum, renowned for its collection of Roman mosaics, before chasing them inside.

The two attackers were among the 23 people left dead.

The victims, who also included Japanese, Italians, Colombians, Spaniards, Australians, Poles and French, were passengers on two cruise liners which had recently arrived in Tunis.

Julia Holden, a partner at Shakespeares Solicitors in Birmingham and a close friend of the Adey family, issued a statement on the family's behalf.

She said: "Sally Adey was a much-loved daughter, wife and mother. The family are devastated by her loss.

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Gallery: Police Secure Area After Terror In Museum

Police officers stand outside the parliament

A tourist injured after an attack by gunmen on Tunisia's national museum is wheeled on a stretcher

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Osborne's 'Political' Pitch For Old And Young

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 18 Maret 2015 | 22.55

The Chancellor has delivered an "intensely political" Budget with broad appeal, cutting tax for savers and offering more help for first-time buyers.

At the heart of his last Budget before the General Election, Mr Osborne put a Help To Buy ISA, which would see the Government contribute £50 for every £200 saved towards a deposit on a first home - a 25% top-up.

And he announced savers would not have to pay tax on the first £1,000 of their savings.

He also announced the level at which workers start paying the 40p tax rate would increase above inflation from £42,385 to £43,300 and raised the level at which people start to pay income tax on earnings to £11,000.

He promised that the changes on the 40p tax showed the Conservatives' commitment to raising that threshold to £50,000 by 2020, as pledged at the party's autumn conference.

However, the Chancellor tried to dodge any allegations of an electioneering Budget by insisting that his plans for the economy were responsible.

Announcing a £9bn windfall from bank sales, falling welfare bils and lower debt interest he said the extra money would be used to pay down the national debt and not splashed on giveaways.

As he opened his sixth Budget with just 50 days until the election, Mr Osborne confirmed the UK has grown faster than "any other major advanced economy in the world" and Britain was "walking tall again".

He said: "The hard work and sacrifice of the British people has paid off. The original debt target I set out in my first Budget has been met.

"We will end this Parliament with Britain's national debt share falling. The sun is starting to shine – and we are fixing the roof."

Sky's Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge said: "With just 50 days until the election, George Osborne's Budget was always going to be intensely political.

"Much of it was spent shooting down Labour attack lines – specifically on the claim that the Tories would reduce spending to 1930s levels. By some clever number crunching, the Conservatives can now claim that spending will be at the level seen in 2000."

However, she added: "But there was no big ticket policy announcement pulled out of the hat that could swing the election.

"In other words: George Osborne and David Cameron are keeping their real rabbits for the manifesto."

:: Updates and analysis with the Sky News team

Other measures contained in the Budget included a so-called "Google tax" of 25% for those multinationals which move their profits abroad and a increase of the bank levy to 0.21%, raising £900m a year.

There will also be investment in the regions, including the "northern powerhouse" and a tidal lagoon in Swansea.

:: Full list of the key measures in the 2015 Budget.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said Mr Osborne continued to deliver for the rich and was sharply critical of the lack of investment contained in the Budget for the NHS or public services.

He said: "Britain needs a better plan, a plan for working families. Britain needs a Labour government."

And added: "This is a Budget people won't believe from a Government that is not on their side - because of their record, because of their instinct, because of their plans for the future."

Mr Osborne delivered his plans for the recovery of the nation's economy against a backdrop of the most unpredictable election for a generation.

A Sky News projection, following analysis of the latest polls, suggests a hung parliament with the two parties virtually neck and neck.

It also comes after new figures showed the number of unemployed falling by more than 100,000 to 1.86m, which is the lowest since 2008.

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Missing Claudia: Detectives Chasing New Leads

Police searching for missing chef Claudia Lawrence are "actively pursuing new leads" and may make further arrests shortly.

Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn of North Yorkshire Police was speaking on the sixth anniversary of her disappearance.

He said his team had made "significant progress" since the force began reviewing the case in 2013.

Miss Lawrence was last seen on Wednesday 18 March 2009 and was reported missing by her father two days later.

He contacted police after she failed to turn up for her 6am shift at York University.

Officers believe the 35-year-old was murdered.

A number of fresh searches have been carried out since 2013, including a detailed re-examination of her house in the Heworth area of York and the alleyway at the rear.

A 60-year-old man, arrested last year in connection with her disappearance, was released without charge, while a 47-year-old man remains on bail on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

Det Supt Malyn said: "In the months since we started our review, we have made very significant progress.

"In the coming weeks and months we may make additional arrests as we continue to develop our lines of inquiry.

"In the light of information that has only recently come to the fore, we are actively pursuing what are rightly described as new leads."

Mr Malyn warned anyone withholding information about their relationship with Miss Lawrence or events in the days before her disappearance to come forward or risk being arrested.

He added: "Six years have passed since Claudia disappeared. For her loved ones, the pain caused by her absence and the circumstances of her disappearance has not faded.

"Ultimately, we may not be able to prove what happened to Claudia, or be able to find her. But that will not be for lack of determination, tenacity and meticulous detective work."

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Budget 2015: The Key Points You Need To Know

Chancellor George Osborne has delivered his pre-election budget. Here are the key points.

Taxes

:: Personal tax-free allowance will be increased to £10,800 in April 2016, and to £11,000 in April 2017.

:: Fuel duty increase scheduled for September is cancelled.

:: Class 2 National Insurance contributions for the self-employed to be abolished entirely in the next parliament.

:: Annual tax return to be abolished altogether.

:: Review on the use of deeds of variation to avoid inheritance tax to report by the autumn.

:: "More generous" tax credits for TV and film, expanded support for video games industry and new tax credit for orchestras, and a consultation on tax support for local newspapers.

:: Farmers will be allowed to average their incomes for tax purposes over five years.

Savings

:: A "Help to buy ISA" will be launched for first-time buyers. For every £200 saved for a deposit, the Government will top it up with £50.

:: A personal savings allowance to be launched, taking 95% of Britons out of savings tax altogether.

Pensions

:: Pension pot lifetime allowance to be reduced from £1.25m to £1m from next year.

Jobs

:: National Minimum Wage will rise by 20p an hour to £6.70 from October.

Business

:: Corporation tax to be cut to 20% in two weeks' time.

:: Legislation next week on diverted profits tax aimed at multinationals shifting profits offshore, with policy to take effect at the start of April.

:: Employers' National Insurance contributions for under-21s to be abolished from this April, and for young apprentices from April 2016.

:: Bank levy increased to 0.21%, raising an additional £900m a year.

Alcohol

:: Beer duty to be cut for the third year running, with 1p off the price of a pint. Cider duty to be cut by 2%. Duty on scotch whisky and other spirits to be cut by 2%. Wine duty to be frozen.

Spending and Welfare

:: Trebling in £15m fund for church roof appeals, and extension to £8,000 in automatic gift aid to benefit 6,500 small charities.

:: Charities for British servicemen and women to receive £75m, funded by Libor fines.

:: Up to £600m to clear new spectrum bands for further auctions, improving mobile phone coverage nationwide, including in remote communities.

:: Funding for wifi in public libraries and new national plan for ultra-fast broadband to nearly all homes in the country.

:: New investment in transport and regeneration across London, and funding to address acute housing shortages in the capital.

:: Automotive industry to receive £100m in investment in the race to driverless technology.

:: South West to receive £7bn in transport investment.

:: Eight new enterprise zones across Britain – including Blackpool and Plymouth.

:: North Sea oil industry to receive £1.3bn in support through four new measures.

:: £1m to buy defibrillators for public places, including schools.

:: Sale of £13bn of mortgage assets held by the Government after the bailout of Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley to be launched. This will be used to pay down the national debt.

Growth

:: The Office for Budget Responsibility says Britain's economy grew by 2.6% last year.

:: Growth forecast for 2015 revised up by 0.1% to 2.5%, with unemployment set to fall by 0.1% from 5.4% to 5.3%.

:: OBR revises 2015 inflation forecast down to 0.2%.

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'Britons' Among Tourists Killed In Tunisia Attack

Nineteen people have been killed after militants attacked a museum in the Tunisia parliament building compound, the country's prime minister has said.

Unconfirmed reports on local media said those killed included nationals from Britain, but the Tunisian prime minister Habib Essid told national television the victims were Polish, Spanish, German, Italian and Tunisian.

Mohamed Ali Aroui, a spokesman for the interior ministry, originally said seven foreign tourists and one Tunisian were killed, and that other tourists were held hostage at the Bardo Museum.

That figure was later raised to 19 killed, with 17 tourists among the victims.

Security forces surrounded the museum, and two militants and one policeman were killed after they stormed the building.

The interior ministry said Tunisian troops freed all the hostages, but there were reports that security forces were hunting for as many as three gunmen believed to still be at large.

AFP news agency reported that at least two men armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles were involved in the attack.

Mr Aroui said that around 100 tourists were inside the museum when the attack began.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls confirmed that hostages had been taken during the attack.

Speaking in Brussels, he said: "I condemn this terrorist attack in the strongest terms. There has been a hostage-taking, without doubt tourists have been affected, killed."

The museum is a leading tourist attraction in the country, and houses one of the world's largest Roman mosaic collections.

Gavin Stoddart, a British tourist who left the museum 15 minutes before the attack, said he was made to return to his cruise ship after the tour guide got a phone call.

He told Sky News: "Tour guide didn't know reason. All coaches returned to ship very quickly.

"They're doing a ship-wide announcement about it all now. I don't think everyone is back on board.

"It just said there is extra security and we can see police boats around the ship now."

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Gallery: Eight Tourists Killed In Tunisia Militant Attack

Tunisian security forces attempt to secure the area after gunmen attacked Tunis' famed Bardo Museum

At least seven foreigners and a Tunisian were killed in an attack on the museum by two men armed with assault rifles, the interior ministry said

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Savile Scandal: Abuse Report Published In May

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 17 Maret 2015 | 22.55

A report into how Jimmy Savile and Stuart Hall carried out decades of abuse while at the BBC is to be published in May.

Dame Janet Smith said her review had contacted 775 people and had now finished taking evidence.

It interviewed 375 witnesses as part of the Savile inquiry, and more than 100 in the Hall investigation.

Dame Janet said she is "discussing a timeline for delivery and arrangements for publication of the report with the BBC," but expects it to be released "in the second half of May".

The report is expected to uncover hundreds of victims and reveal a BBC culture of ignorance which protected Savile.

The depraved BBC presenter, who received a knighthood in 1990, died in 2011 and so never faced justice for his crimes.

Another report, published last month, said NHS hospitals had still not fully learned the lessons of the Savile scandal.

It said he was given "endorsement from the very highest level of society" after then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher gave him an official fundraising role at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Savile raped or assaulted at least 63 patients, staff and visitors at the hospital. Some of them were desperately ill children.

Barrister Kate Lampard said the access he was given by the NHS offered him the "opportunity to commit sexual abuses on a grand scale for nearly 50 years".

Last year Hall, who hosted BBC show It's A Knockout, was jailed for two-and-a-half years for indecently assaulting a girl under the age of 16.

He was already serving a 30-month jail term after he pleaded guilty in 2013 to indecently assaulting 13 other young girls, aged between nine and 17, over a 20-year period.

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

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