Syria Refugees: PM Cameron Urged To Act

Prime Minister David Cameron is being urged to substantially increase Britain's refugee intake from Syria.

The Refugee Council, Refugee Action and the Scottish and Welsh Refugee Councils have urged Mr Cameron to create a "substantial and coordinated resettlement programme".

Mr Cameron has committed £400m to the Syrian crisis and encouraged the international community to increase support.

But in an open letter to the Prime Minister, the campaigners say financial aid alone is no longer adequate.

Mr Cameron has committed £400m to the crisis

"We understand from the UNHCR that the crisis has escalated to such an extent that the countries bordering Syria are struggling to cope with the numbers of refugees, despite the financial support offered by the UK and others," they wrote.

"We now believe that additional practical support, in the form of practical responsibility sharing measures, must be provided to help those displaced by the Syrian conflict and to relieve some of the pressure on Syria's neighbours."

Britain is currently taking on a high rate of Syrians who arrive in the UK by their own means but the groups say more should be done to assist others over.

The refugee groups say Syrians "with a connection to the UK" should be helped to come to the country.

They have also called for "emergency humanitarian evacuations" of refugees judged most in need.

Germany has agreed to take on 5,000 Syrians in a comprehensive refugee programme that includes the right to work for up to two years.

Syrian refugees flee across the border into Iraq

The groups want the British Government to follow suit and set an example for other European nations.

Syria now has the highest number of displaced people anywhere in the world.

More than 2 million Syrians have fled the country, with another 4 million displaced within its borders, according to UN officials.

Of the refugees, more than 97% have fled to neighbouring countries and are being housed in huge camps that are struggling to cope.

The latest figures from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) show 124,373 Syrian refugees are in Egypt; 190,857 in Iraq; 519,676 in Jordan; 746,200 in Lebanon and 492,687 in Turkey.

Women and children make up three-quarters of the refugee population.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres has called the humanitarian crisis "the great tragedy of this century".

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Scottish Independence Vote One Year Away

Road To Scottish Independence Vote

Updated: 11:15am UK, Wednesday 18 September 2013

A timeline of the key events in the run-up to the referendum on Scottish independence, which is due on September 18 next year.

:: May 6 2011 - Scottish National Party (SNP) pulls off unprecedented majority victory in Scottish Parliament election, clearing the way for referendum on independence.

2012:: January 10 - Proposals for referendum published by UK Government. Scotland's Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, says vote should be held in autumn 2014.

:: January 15 - Prime Minister says he will meet First Minister to discuss referendum plans.

:: January 25 - Scottish Government launches consultation on referendum with international press conference in Edinburgh Castle. It unveils its preferred ballot paper question: Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?

:: February 16 - In a speech in Edinburgh, David Cameron says his "hope and wish" is that people will vote to stay in the UK and pledges to consider more devolution if independence is rejected.

:: May 25 - Pro-independence campaign group Yes Scotland launched at celebrity-endorsed event in Edinburgh. It brings SNP, Greens, socialists and other groups under one umbrella.

:: June 25 - Pro-Union campaign group Better Together launched by former chancellor Alistair Darling. Campaign led by Labour, Conservatives and LiberalDemocrats.

:: October 15 - First Minister Alex Salmond and Prime Minister David Cameron sign so-called Edinburgh agreement granting MSPs power to hold referendum.

2013:: January 30 - Electoral Commission says referendum question could be biased towards Yes vote. New question will be: Should Scotland be an independent country?

:: February 5 - Nicola Sturgeon announces "roadmap" to independence by March 2016, envisaging first elections to independent Scottish Parliament to be held in May that year and sets out plans for written constitution, to be devised by the first parliament and the public, possibly outlawing weapons of mass destruction in Scotland.

:: February 10 - UK Government publishes legal views that an independent Scotland would have to renegotiate relationship with world bodies while rest of UK would continue as before.

:: February 10 - The Scottish Government announces preference to retain sterling as currency following advice from economic advisers.

:: March 11 - Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Bill lodged at Holyrood with plans to lower voting age to 16 for the one-off poll.

:: March 21 - Ms Sturgeon lodges Scottish Independence Referendum Bill at Holyrood. It unveils referendum dates as September 18 2014.

:: June 27 - Franchise Bill on voting ages passed at final stage in Holyrood.

:: August 7 - Franchise Bill receives Royal Assent.

:: September 12 - Scottish Independence Referendum Bill passes first of three parliamentary hurdles needed to become law.

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Nigel Evans' Sex Charges: MP In Court

Former deputy Commons speaker Nigel Evans has appeared in court for the first time after being charged with a string of sex offences.

Evans, 55, is accused of two counts of indecent assault, five of sexual assault and one of rape and appeared at Preston Magistrates' Court.

In a hearing that only lasted 10 minutes, the MP walked into the dock and confirmed his full name before the charges were read out.

Wearing a black suit and patterned tie, Evans confirmed he understood the allegations, some of which date back to 2002.

He was later granted bail on condition he does not approach any witnesses in the case directly or indirectly.

Mr Evans outside Preston Magistrates' Court after the hearing

District Judge Jane Goodwin adjourned the case until October 4, when Evans will appear for a preliminary hearing at Preston Crown Court.

When asked if he wanted to comment as he left court, he said: "I'm going back to Westminster to work now, thank you."

Evans, from Pendleton in Lancashire, had already stepped aside from his duties as deputy speaker after the first allegations were made in May this year.

He officially resigned the post last week after being charged.

A former Tory, he will now sit as an independent for Ribble Valley as he fights to clear his name.

In an emotional speech, he told MPs: "I now have the opportunity to robustly defend my innocence and seek acquittal."

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Grand Theft Auto V Robbery: Teens Arrested

Three teenagers have been arrested after a man was stabbed and robbed of his copy of the Grand Theft Auto V video game in north London.

The 23-year-old victim was attacked in the early hours of Tuesday after he left an Asda store in Colindale just an hour and 20 minutes after the notoriously violent game went on sale at midnight.

He was hit with a brick, stabbed and stripped of his mobile phone, watch and his copy of GTA V near the supermarket.

The three males - aged 15, 17 and 18 - are being held on suspicion of robbery at a north London police station.

The man bought the game from an Asda store moments after it went on sale

The victim is now recovering in hospital, where he is said to be in a stable condition.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "The motive for the attack is unclear at this stage.

"The victim had been shopping and was on his way home when he was hit with a brick.

"He was then stabbed and robbed."

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Police Back Private 'Drunk Tanks' For Revellers

By Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent

Police chiefs have backed privately-run drunk tanks where intoxicated revellers are kept overnight and made to pay for their stay.

Chief Constable Adrian Lee, the national policing lead on alcohol harm, said drunken individuals should be held in "welfare centres" run by a commercial company.

Mr Lee, head of Northamptonshire Police, told Sky News' Sunrise programme how the system might work.

He said: "The cost of policing for arresting and taking positive action for people who are drunk and disorderly and bringing them into custody cells is significant and not necessarily the best place for people who are drunk to be.

"We would arrest them, they would go to a welfare centre and when they were sober the police would return to deal with the criminality of their behaviour and there might well be a bill to pay.

"I think the impact of that would be a deterrent effect on people who choose to go out and get so drunk that they're incapable of looking after themselves."

He said the number of extra officers his own force used to police town centres on Friday and Saturday nights had increased from five to as many as 18 in the last 10 years because of binge drinking.

At the launch of a week-long campaign aimed at highlighting alcohol harm, Mr Lee also criticised the Government for failing to implement minimum pricing for a unit of alcohol in England and Wales.

Police officers have called for binge drinkers to be billed for their care

Sir Peter Fahy, vice president of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), said binge-drinking was putting a massive strain on police and health services.

"Cheap drink and later opening hours only adds to the problem," he said.

The drunk tank idea came as it emerged that bouncers in pubs and clubs across the UK will be trained to protect people who are too drunk to look after themselves.

The Home Office has told the Security Industry Authority to teach all 100,000 licensed door-staff how to prevent "vulnerable" people from coming to harm.

Bouncers, who must be trained by the SIA to work in licensed premises, will be given a checklist of actions.

These include reuniting people with friends, helping them get a taxi home and, as a last resort, calling the police.

On the streets of Newcastle, where the new training for bouncers was developed, late-night drinkers admitted they "pre-loaded" with cheap booze before coming out.

Marie Thompson (R) criticised high drink prices for people with children

At 11pm, 34-year-old Donna Davison showed Sky News a half-litre bottle of vodka she had brought from home to top up her glass during the night.

She said: "I bought (a bigger bottle) at the corner shop, filled it up and brought it with us."

Her friend Marie Thompson, 40, who claimed to have drunk a litre of vodka before arriving in the city centre at 9pm, described drink prices in clubs as "extortionate".

She said: "People on poverty who've got kids, it's not fair really, because they charge £6 for one single drink.

"We like to go out and have a good night, that's why we bring our own, it's cheaper."

Acting Superintendent Bruce Storey, from Northumbria Police, said the new training for bouncers had helped reduce crime in Newcastle since being introduced earlier in the year.

He said: "If people have had too much to drink, quite clearly their inhibitions go, their ability to be aware of their surroundings tends to be diminished and the consequences of that are obvious."

Bouncer Chris Woodcock described the training as a form of customer service.

He said: "It's being aware of vulnerable people and making sure that everyone has a good night and they get to go home safely."

But his colleague Paul Faetz, 50, who has 32 years working on the doors in Newcastle, says binge drinkers have made the job unbearable and he is retiring.

He said: "It's been over the last five years (that) people have become more and more heavy drinkers.

"I don't really want to be around that. Now with drugs and drink, it's not a nice place to work."

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Mummified Boy Found In Cot: Mother On Trial

The mummified corpse of a four-year-old boy was found in a cot in his mother's bedroom almost two years after he starved to death, a jury has been told.

Hamzah Khan's body was still dressed in a babygro when police made the "dreadful discovery" at his house in Bradford, West Yorkshire, a court has heard.

Details of how the child's body was found in September 2011 were outlined at the trial of his mother, Amanda Hutton, at Bradford Crown Court.

Opening the case for the prosecution, Paul Greaney QC told the jury that the body of Hamzah, who died on December 15 2009, was found after police entered Hutton's home because of concerns about a smell.

"What they discovered disturbed even hardened officers," Mr Greaney said.

"Within a cot in the bedroom of Amanda Hutton, a police officer named Richard Dove made a dreadful discovery.

"Within that cot, beneath other items, he found the mummified corpse of a child."

Hutton, 43, denies her son's manslaughter.

Hamzah's remains fitted into clothing intended for a baby aged six to nine months because the boy's growth had been stunted, Mr Greaney said.

"It had been stunted because he was malnourished over a lengthy period and that state of affairs resulted in his death," he said.

"In short, he starved to death. How had a child starved to death in 21st century England?"

The trial is taking place at Bradford Crown Court. Pic: Betty Longbottom

The jury was told that Hutton, who the prosecutor said was an abuser of alcohol and cannabis, ordered pizza within hours of her son's death and continued to claim child benefit for him.

Mr Greaney said that in police interviews Hutton said she had gone to consult a pharmacist at a supermarket after her son had become particularly unwell on December 14, 2009.

"She explained that when she returned Hamzah was near to death. She sought to revive him but to no effect.

"She described placing Hamzah into his cot, making plain that she had treated his body with dignity, and it is right that we should observe that Hamzah's body was found, it was found with a teddy."

Hutton told police that things deteriorated after her son's death and she began to drink a bottle of vodka a day, Mr Greaney added.

"She made no call for assistance - for a doctor or an ambulance," he said.

The jury of four women and eight men were shown pictures of the inside of Hutton's home.

The lounge was filled with rubbish, including pizza boxes and empty bottles, which was so deep the carpet was not visible.

Mr Greaney pointed out to the jury how Hutton's bedroom was noticeably less cluttered and the blue travel cot where Hamzah's body was found was visible.

He told the jury that a police officer said to Hutton "you know what's been found, don't you Amanda?" as the defendant was being taken to the police station.

The prosecutor said she told the officer: "He died two years ago on the 15th December."

Hutton had worked as care assistant in the past and there was evidence that she had undergone some first-aid training, the prosecutor said.

The jury also heard that Hamzah's father, Aftab Khan, was separated from Hutton and lived elsewhere and there was evidence he had been violent towards the defendant.

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Shane Warne Liz Hurley Break-Up Denied

Shane Warne says rumours his three-year relationship with Liz Hurley is over are "absolute rubbish".

The pair, known for their affectionate messages on Twitter, has gone silent in recent weeks fuelling speculation of a break-up.

Hurley, 48, has also been photographed without her engagement ring and, notably, did not send Warne a Twitter message on his 44th birthday last week.

Addressing the rumours, the former Australian cricketer said: "Some of the reports re EH & me are absolute rubbish. Yes we're sorting through some (private) issues. But we're not throwing the towel in yet."

Hurley and Warne are known for their affectionate Twitter messages

But a separate message from Hurley said: "Apologies to loyal followers for Twitter silence on recent events. Too raw & personal to share right now."

The couple was first spotted kissing in December 2010 and were engaged less than a year later.

Hurley was previously married to Indian businessman Arun Nayar and was in a long-term relationship with Hugh Grant.

Warne was married for 10 years to Simone Callahan and they have three children together.

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Diet Pill DNP: Sarah Houston Father Warns Users

By Thomas Moore, Health Correspondent

The father of a medical student who died a year ago after taking a diet drug has told Sky News he is devastated that lives are still being lost despite a promise of action from the Prime Minister.

Geoff Houston said three young people have been killed by the fat burner dinitrophenol, or DNP, since his daughter Sarah died last September at the age of 23.

Only last week an inquest heard how Chris Mapletoft, 18, a talented rugby player died after taking DNP to enhance his physique.

In April David Cameron vowed to "look carefully" at the problem.

But Sky News found the drug widely available online.

Keen horse rider Sarah Houston died at the age of 23 after taking DNP

Mr Houston said: "I think these are preventable cases and it's so sad another family has to go through the same grief we went through.

"I think it's so shocking that people can try and profit from this stuff - and if they have any sense of moral decency they should stop selling it.

"And I would also say to those people taking it - you are playing a game of roulette here."

DNP was originally developed as an obesity drug. But it was abandoned after it was found to cause the body to progressively overheat.

Chris Mapletoft died after taking the pills blamed for Sarah's death

Symptoms include a high temperature, rapid breathing, an irregular heartbeat and dizziness.

But it is still used by some overweight people, those with eating disorders and bodybuilders.

Sarah Houston suffered from anorexia and had been secretly taking DNP for up to two years. She had bought the yellow capsules online from a supplier in Argentina.

At least 66 people have died worldwide after taking the drug.

It is illegal to sell DNP for human consumption. But it can be distributed for use as a pesticide.

Sky News found DNP diet pills were widely available online

Mr Houston said capsules have no industrial use and should be banned.

"I would like to see a lot more done in the UK," he said.

"If it is banned as a capsule it will be so much more difficult for these young people to take it. It is morally repugnant for these people to sell it to these vulnerable people."

The Department of Health sent all GPs and A&E departments a letter earlier this month alerting them to the problem.

The Food Standards Agency said it is working with the police and local authorities to stamp out the sale of DNP to consumers.

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Leicester: Antoin Akpom Died From Stab Wound

A 20-year-old Leicester man killed in a street attack died from a single stab wound, an inquest has heard.

Antoin Akpom, 20, was assaulted in Kent Street, Leicester, at about 5.30pm last Thursday. He died in hospital later that evening.

An inquest into his death has opened at Leicester Town Hall.

Coroner Catherine Mason told Mr Akpom's family that his body would be returned as soon as possible so they could hold a funeral.

Earlier in the day, Abdul Hakim, 19, of Wood Hill, made a brief appearance in the Leicester Magistrates' Court charged with Mr Akpom's murder.

Four members of the Taufiq family died in the fire

Detectives are examining possible links between Mr Akpom's killing and a fatal arson attack in the city in which a mother and her three children were killed.

Shehnila Taufiq, who was in her 40s, her 19-year-old daughter Zainab and sons Bilal, 17, and Jamal, 15, died in the blaze in Wood Hill in the early hours of Friday.

There is no evidence so far to suggest the two incidents are related and those killed in the fire were not known to Mr Akpom, according to police.

Hakim, wearing a blue sweater and white T-shirt, made a five-minute appearance in court.

There was no application for bail and he was remanded in custody to appear at Leicester Crown Court via videolink on October 2.

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Clegg: Lib Dems Can Keep UK On Right Path

Good Week For Nick Clegg In Glasgow

Updated: 4:27pm UK, Wednesday 18 September 2013

By Adam Boulton, Political Editor

The Liberal Democrat's five days in Glasgow have gone Nick Clegg's way.

From keeping Trident to backing the coalition's austerity economic policy, conference votes have backed the leader.

Underlining that they have real power now to actually do things, ministers have had some headline-grabbing announcements on plastic bags and free primary-school meals.

There has been precious little dissent at a meeting where many pundits predicted a few months ago a panicked party would be moving to dump its leader.

Instead, Mr Clegg's rivals have looked less of a threat this week.

For all his leftist rhetoric about hating the Tories, Vince Cable overplayed his hand signalling disagreement on the economy and ended up voting in support of Mr Clegg.

The pugnacious Climate Secretary Ed Davey won the vote for nuclear power but seems to have become a bit of a figure of fun.

Party president Tim Farron has remained studiously loyal throughout.

And the disgraced Chris Huhne, Mr Clegg's one-time rival for the top job, is no longer even a member of the party.

Yet, for all this, Mr Clegg and his allies are more confident about an upturn in the UK economy than they are of an improvement in the Lib Dem's dismal opinion-poll ratings.

Aides have deliberately drawn attention to an internal poll which shows that only one voter in four now says they would consider voting for the party.

In most current polls, it is getting barely half that with around 10% support.

The slump in popularity dates from when the Lib Dems went into coalition with the Conservatives.

So Mr Clegg was far from triumphalist in his close of conference leader's speech.

Instead he wanted to cheer his activists up by reminding them what the Lib Dems have achieved in government, while trying to persuade the viewing public that it will be worth voting for them next time.

And all this in spite of the criticism which has come the Lib Dem's way.

"Every insult we have had to endure since we entered government, every snipe, every bad headline, every blow to our support - that was all worth it, because we are turning Britain around," he said.

Mr Clegg told his supporters they should be proud of government policies such as the pupil premium, the cap on the cost of social care, investment in railways, parental leave, the move to a £10,000 income tax threshold and free primary-school meals.

He also boasted about their negative contribution blocking the Conservatives, he claimed, on ID cards, detention of child immigrants and cuts in foreign aid.

All this, he said, would be threatened if the next general election does not deliver another coalition government.

"The absolute worst thing to do would be to give the keys to Number 10 to a single party government - Labour or the Conservatives," he declared.

"In 2015 the clapped-out politics of red, blue, blue, red threatens everything we have achieved.

"But back in government - and next time that will mean back in coalition government - the Liberal Democrats can keep the country on the right path."

Mr Clegg made clear the Lib Dems could form a coalition with either of the big two parties but insisted "we're no-one's little brother".

He mocked those who speculated he would be more "comfortable" with either Ed Miliband or David Cameron.

And he explicitly rejected the view of the late Roy Jenkins, a founder of the party, of "aligning with a modernising Labour Party". 

"We have out own values, our own liberal beliefs. We're not trying to get back into government to fold into one of the other parties," Mr Clegg said.

"We want to be there to anchor them to the liberal centre ground, right in the centre, bang in the middle."

As has become commonplace in leader's speeches, Mr Clegg talked about his own family background.

With a half-Russian father, a Dutch mother and a Spanish wife, it is certainly cosmopolitan.

He admitted: "My upbringing was privileged: home counties, private school, Cambridge University."

His main purpose seemed to be to say that he is not exceptional anymore, a parent of three children in ordinary state schools.

And rather than parade an adoring wife across the stage, like his political rivals, he deliberately stepped down into the audience to salute her.

Mr Clegg knows that neither the conference nor his big speech will turn around Lib Dem fortunes overnight.

He consoles himself that there are still nearly two years of government to go until the next election.

He believes that the coalition will survive that long, during which the UK economy will continue recovery.

But before then two big votes will take place in Britain next year: the European parliamentary and local elections in May and the Scottish independence referendum in September.

On present form those elections look like an uphill battle for the Lib Dems.

But Mr Clegg rightly noted that perhaps the most memorable thing about his conference speech in Glasgow was that it took place with exactly one year to go until Scotland's vote on breaking up the United Kingdom.

So crucial is the referendum that the Lib Dems have postponed their conference next year, which would have taken place the same week, and will now follow the Labour and Tory gatherings.

Mr Clegg - and earlier the Scottish Secretary Michael Moore - argued fiercely for no to independence.

The Lib Dems have always favoured devolution and federalism but they believe it should be possible to be English or Scottish and British.

If Scotland votes yes to independence, Mr Clegg knows only too well that all bets will be off about the coalition's alleged achievements and for the 2015 General Election.

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