Mobile Spending 'Could Be Worth £23bn' By 2018

By Poppy Trowbridge, Business and Economics Correspondent

This year has been dubbed 'The Mobile Christmas' and with 48% growth in mobile shopping, retailers are increasingly targeting shoppers through digital devices.

British retailers will spend nearly £400m on advertising during the last three months of 2013 and consumer spending via mobiles and tablets is worth about nearly £8bn a year, according to research firm Verdict.

But over the next five years, the spread of smartphones and tablets will see our spending on these devices triple to £23bn.

Spending via mobiles and tablets is expected to triple over five years

Two thirds of that shopping is done at home, as buyers often wait until they are logged in to a secure network before purchasing items.

Matthew Rubin, retail analyst with Verdict Research, said: "While we are expecting growth in successive years, we are expecting this year to be the highest level of growth. Retailers really need to invest in their mobile websites now."

John Lewis announced its £7m Christmas television advertising campaign on Friday. The ad is set to a cover of Keane's 2004 hit Somewhere Only We Know sung by Lily Allen.

Supermarket chain Morrisons launched its Christmas TV advertising campaign during the prime-time slot of ITV's Coronation Street.

Some 20% of home shopping business at Asda is done via mobile or tablet

Asda says 20% of its home shopping business is done via a mobile or tablet, and that figure is growing by 1% each month.

The living room is becoming a key location for retailers to target consumers, as 67.2% of all online shoppers making a purchase from their home do so in their living room.

Wealthy young shoppers currently dominate mobile and tablet expenditure, but with increased access to cheaper, high-specification devices, older shoppers will have a much bigger impact over the next five years, Verdict research shows.

Still, window shopping hasn't entirely given way to digital methods yet.

Around 38% of online shoppers still research goods by viewing them in a store before purchasing them online.

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Super Typhoon Haiyan: 'At Least 100 Dead'

At least 100 people may have died in the Philippines from the impact of super typhoon Haiyan, according to government officials.

An aviation officer in the central city of Tacloban reported bodies lying in the streets, said Captain John Andrews, deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

Captain Andrews said the Tacloban airport manager had radioed the head office in Manila to report "100-plus dead, lying on the streets, with 100 plus injured".

The death toll is expected to rise (pic: Lowell Estepa Coron)

"This report was relayed to us by our station manager so it is considered very reliable information," he told ABS-CBN television.

"According to the station manager the airport is completely ruined."

Tacloban is the capital of Leyte, a large island of about two million people that was hit by Haiyan on Friday morning when the storm was at its strongest, knocking out all its communication facilities.

Families who survived the onslaught wait for relief supplies from the army

Local television GMA network reported that storm surges had hit Tacloban and nearby Palo town on its east coast.

Its reporter said he counted at least 31 bodies, including 20 at the Palo church. Philippine authorities are now rushing rescuers and communication equipment to the island.

Volunteers in Manila pack relief goods for devastated provinces

Five other people have been confirmed killed elsewhere in the central Philippines and as emergency workers reach the worst affected areas, many which remain cut off, the death toll is expected to rise.

Minnie Portales, a spokesman for the aid agency World Vision, said: "As we wait for early reports from some of the hardest-hit provinces, we fear for the worst. This could be very bad."

The typhoon is believed to be the strongest ever to have made landfall

Anna Lindenfors, Save the Children's director for the Philippines, added: "We expect the level of destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan to be extensive and devastating, and sadly we fear that many lives will be lost."

Haiyan, now thought to be the strongest storm ever to hit land, was barrelling out of the Philippines after having flattened houses, triggered landslides and floods and knocked out power and communications across a number of islands.

The category five storm whipped-up winds of 195mph and waves as high as 5 metres as well as brought down power lines, knocked out communications, caused landslides and left streets flooded.

Haiyan could now pick up speed again as it sweeps towards Vietnam

Hundreds of thousands of people had to be evacuated and thousands more fled their homes as Haiyan tore apart buildings.

The previous strongest tropical cylcone, Hurricane Camille, brought 190mph winds to the Gulf of Mexico in 1969.

Meteorologists say Haiyan could pick up strength again as it sweeps across the South China Sea toward Vietnam.

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Andy Murray Fans Arrested After 'Gun Scare'

Police arrested four men suspected of brandishing a gun at tennis star Andy Murray - but later realised they were autograph hunters with a tennis racket.

The mix-up happened in north London on Wednesday at around 5pm when the Wimbledon champion was in a car with his agent.

Two men apparently got out of another car and knocked on the window of Murray's vehicle to ask him to sign the racket before he drove off, but a member of the public thought the racket was a gun and contacted police.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said they received a report of a man with a firearm in a Mercedes car in Swiss Cottage and the vehicle was stopped in Chelsea, west London.

The four men, aged between 21 and 31, were arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm and taken into custody, but were later bailed until late January pending further inquiries.

The spokesman added: "A search of the car was conducted and no trace of a firearm was found."

Murray is currently recovering from back surgery he had in September.

In July, he became the first British man to win Wimbledon for 77 years, although he missed the latter part of the season after undergoing the surgery.

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Super Typhoon Haiyan Hits The Philippines

Four people have been killed after Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded in the world, hit the Philippines.

The victims are reported to be a mother and child who drowned in South Cotabato, and a boy who was struck by lightning in Zamboanga City.

Thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes in villages in Haiyan's path amid fears the storm damage could be the worst in the Philippines' history.

Communications have been cut and roads blocked by fallen trees

President Benigno Aquino III assured those living in high-risk areas, including 100 coastal communities, of war-like preparations with three C-130 air force cargo planes and 32 military helicopters and planes on standby, along with 20 navy ships.

People were warned they would be made to abandon their homes at gunpoint if necessary.

"No typhoon can bring Filipinos to their knees if we'll be united," Mr Aquino said in a televised address.

Those who did not leave have begun the clear-up operation

The US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre in Hawaii said Haiyan's maximum sustained winds were 195mph (314kmph), with gusts up to 235mph (379kmph).

Local journalist Mike Cohen told Sky News: "We're seeing a lot of strong winds but not a lot of rain.

Residents of Legazpi city in Albay province, south of Manila

"There are already reports of some landslides and very strong storm surge entering towns and villages in the path of the storm.

"Trees are falling and there is lots of damage reported across the region."

Nearly 200 flights have been suspended at Ninoy Aquino airport

According to Mr Cohen, power has been cut to the worst-affected areas, mainly as a preventative measure to avoid electrocution, but this was making communications difficult.

Jeff Masters, a former hurricane meteorologist who is a director at the private firm Weather Underground, warned residents to prepare for "catastrophic damage".

Children sheltering in Cebu. Picture: Red Cross

He said: "195mph winds; there aren't too many buildings constructed that can withstand that kind of wind. The wind damage should be the most extreme in Philippines' history."

The strength of the wind made it one of the four most powerful typhoons ever recorded in the world, and the most powerful to have made landfall, he added.

The calm before the storm: Fisherman's outrigger anchored off Manila bay

But other meteorologists forecast lower readings, saying the storm's speed at landfall had sustained winds at 145mph (234kmph) with gusts of 170mph ( 275kmph).

Haiyan is expected to sweep through the Philippines' central region before moving toward the South China Sea over the weekend, heading towards Vietnam.

A closer look reveals the eye of the storm over the Philippines

The head of the government's main disaster response agency in the capital Manila said people are still being moved from communities prone to landslides and flooding.

These include residents of Bohol, many of whom are still living in tents after being made homeless following an earthquake last month.

But there is hope that, as Haiyan is a fast-moving storm, flooding from heavy rain - which usually causes the most deaths from typhoons in the Philippines - may not be as bad.

Haiyan is the 24th tropical storm to hit the Philippines this year.

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Alcohol Testing 'Should Take Place At Work'

By James Matthews, Sky News Correspondent

An organisation set up to tackle alcohol misuse has called for workplace testing to seek out problem drinkers.

The Alcohol Health Network wants employees to take a standardised test which identifies whether or not they are misusing alcohol.

The body's director and founder, Don Shenker, wrote in the British Medical Journal that if problems were identified, employers could provide advice to help prevent problem drinking at an early stage.

He stated that introducing such a measure could "prevent alcohol-related harm and sickness costs".

Mr Shenker wrote: "Offering staff confidential use of the 'alcohol use disorders identification test' and brief advice as a self-awareness initiative at work, whether through face to face interactions or leaflets, may well help prevent problems with alcohol at an earlier stage.

"In this way, staff who may be concerned about their drinking or whose level of drinking is not yet apparent to them, can assess the risks their drinking poses to their health and take appropriate action.

"Reducing hazardous drinking also reduces the risk of dependent drinking occurring."

He added: "Employers need also to be convinced of the business case for prevention rather than cure - that is, that it is ultimately more cost effective to prevent and reduce harmful drinking in the general working population, compared with the costs of managing dependent drinking among a minority of staff."

The NHS estimates that in the UK around 9% of men and 4% of women show signs of alcohol dependence.

In 2011, 167,764 prescriptions for drugs to treat alcohol dependency were prescribed.

In 2010, 6,669 deaths were directly related to alcohol.

The Government advises that people should not regularly drink more than the daily unit guidelines of three to four units of alcohol for men (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer) and two to three units of alcohol for women (equivalent to a 175ml glass of wine).

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Thames Water 8% Price Hike Stopped By Ofwat

Britain's biggest water company has been stopped from imposing a price hike of 8% on its customers for 2014-15.

Ofwat, the water regulator, said the Thames Water price rise of £29 was not justified, despite the company saying the extra money was needed to fund the construction a "super sewer" under London.

The watchdog's chief regulation officer Sonia Brown said: "We said we would challenge Thames' application, in the interests of customers.

"We did just that and on the evidence provided we are not convinced that an extra bill increase is justified."

This announcement is Ofwat's final decision on the application.

Thames Water now has the right to trigger an appeal to the Competition Commission. The company told Sky News it was reviewing the decision by Ofwat.

The decision by Ofwat means the maximum that Thames Water can add to customers' bills for 2014-15 is capped at 1.4% above inflation, as set in the 2009 price review.

 Thames Water had submitted the application to Ofwat for an interim adjustment to prices over the current five-year price period.

The firm, which is privately owned by a global consortium led by Australia's Macquarie group, said it has spent £273m on acquiring land needed for the construction of the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

It also said bad debt as a result of the economic slowdown had prompted the application.

Ofwat criticised Thames Water over delays to a sewage treatment programme

In September, Ofwat criticised Thames Water over the application, saying it had made "substantial savings" by doing less than expected to tackle sewer flooding.

A major investment programme in sewage treatment has also dragged on too long, it added, despite customers being charged for the improvements.

Last week, Ofwat chairman Jonson Cox wrote to all water companies asking them to consider whether they needed to increase their bills for 2014-15 by the full amounts set in the last price review.

On 2 December, companies will submit their business plans for the next price review, which will cover the period from 2015 to 2020.

Ofwat has called on these plans to reflect their customers' priorities, and believes there is scope for reductions in bills from 2015.

If companies do not propose reductions, they will need to fully explain to their customers why.

Mr Cox told the firms that Ofwat will set 2015-20 prices using an independent, rigorous process, ahead of a final decision is due on these prices by January 2015.

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Food Waste: Six Meals A Week Thrown Away

The average UK household throws away the equivalent of six meals every week, costing almost £60 a month, a study has found.

The waste costs £12.5bn a year despite a significant drive to reduce the problem, a report by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) said.

The equivalent of 24 million slices of bread, 5.8 million potatoes and 5.9 million glasses of milk are thrown away every day, while 86 million whole chickens are discarded every year.

Recent research by the watchdog Which? found that 70% of consumers are worried about rising food prices.

But Wrap's Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK 2012 report suggested a lack of clarity around storage and labelling, over-estimating portions and buying more than is needed were some of the reasons consumers discarded edible food.

Households have cut avoidable food waste by 21% since 2007, saving consumers almost £13bn, but the rate of reduction has slowed in recent years and 4.2 million tons which could have been eaten is still thrown out.

Almost half of this food goes straight from fridges or cupboards to the bin without making it to the dinner plate.

Wrap chief executive Dr Liz Goodwin is calling for a "major combined effort" with retailers, brands, the Government and consumers to cut avoidable household food waste by a further 1.7 million tons a year by 2025.

Tesco recently announced it is dropping some promotions for bagged salads after revealing it generated almost 30,000 tons of food waste in the first six months of 2013.

Dr Goodwin said: "Consumers are seriously worried about the cost of food and how it has increased over recent years.

"Yet as Wrap's research shows, we are still wasting millions of tons and billions of pounds.

"The UK is leading the way in tackling food waste and the 21% cut is a terrific achievement by millions of people who have taken action, saved money and helped safeguard our natural resources."

Resource management minister Dan Rogerson said: "Cutting avoidable household food waste by 21% is great news but there is still more to do.

"Cutting waste and driving business innovation will help to build a stronger economy.

"We will continue to work closely with food retailers and manufacturers to achieve this goal."

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Intelligence Agency Heads Face MPs' Questions

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

The three heads of Britain's intelligence agencies will be questioned at a historic televised Parliamentary committee later.

It will be the first time they have appeared in public together and the first time the head of one of the agencies, GCHQ, has been seen in public.

The hearings come as the agencies are under fire following revelations by the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden that the UK is monitoring communications on a vast scale.

The three intelligence chiefs are Sir Iain Lobban, director of GCHQ; Andrew Parker, director general of Security Service (MI5) and Sir John Sawers, chief of Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).

They were originally scheduled to appear earlier this year but the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) workload did not allow for it.

Members of the committee were then too busy talking to the agencies following the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich.

The MI6 building on next to Vauxhall Bridge on the River Thames

Anyone who follows intelligence affairs knew that modern agencies have the capability to monitor vast amounts of communications traffic, but Snowden gave details of how, and revealed that GCHQ was running a programme called Tempora.

This called into question whether the agencies were "overstretching" in their surveillance capabilities and intentions.

An inquiry found that Tempora falls within the UK laws governing monitoring, but the disquiet remains over "who guards the guards".

That is the framework for the ISC hearings.

Sir John Sawers will appear at the committee

In the UK, Parliament makes the laws the agencies should abide by and the newly empowered ISC tries to ensure they do just that.

This year it was given greater powers and a bigger budget.

Members are proposed by all major political parties and are then approved by the Prime Minister.

In the unlikely event he/she was to turn someone down, the ISC reserves the right to make this public.

The ISC also now has powers to go into the headquarters of the agencies, look at documents and question officers.

It and the agencies are also overseen by two commissioners who are senior judges. They hold similar powers to the ISC.

The intelligence community is concerned that the UK public has the impression that millions of emails and phone calls are being listened to.

This is physically impossible, but what they are doing is monitoring vast amounts of digital traffic and using computers to try and track people they are already interested in, or to find patterns of interest.

The GCHQ building in Cheltenham

Within that they may well come across an ordinary person's communications, but in law actually reading or listening to that requires another step.

When an agency wants to tap a phone, or read an email, it needs to apply to a secretary of state.

In the case of GCHQ and MI6 that is the Foreign Secretary, while the Home Secretary oversees MI5.

A judge may be required to approve the request for monitoring.

Part of the job of the commissioners is to ask the agency chiefs to justify their applications.

There are more revelations to come from Snowden, and more public debate, which is part of the reason why the spies are emerging from the shadows and into the 21st century.

:: For live coverage of the Intelligence and Security Committee watch Sky News from 2pm on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 82, Skynews.com and Sky News for iPad.

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Gosport Girls' Road Deaths: Man Charged

A 20-year-old man has been charged with the manslaughter of two teenage girls who died after they were hit by a car.

Samuel Etherington, from Gosport, Hampshire, will appear at Portsmouth Magistrates Court later.

Police were called to Ann's Hill Road in Gosport at 4.15am on Sunday following reports that a green Honda Civic collided with two girls.

Jasmine Allsop, 14, died at the scene, while Olivia Lewry, 16, died later after being taken to hospital.

Jasmine's mother, Rosemary, has described how she kissed her daughter goodbye after she was awoken by the emergency services attending the accident which happened outside her home.

Ms Allsop, 37, said she had enjoyed a night in with the two girls before the accident.

She said: "I went out and then a neighbour covered me in a blanket.

"I kissed her - it was four hours before they took her body away because I did not want to let her go.

"I told her she was my angel and I'd loved her since the day she was born. I can remember her big blue eyes staring."

The housewife, who is also the mother of a four-year-old, said the death left her numb.

She said: "I'm empty inside and lost. I keep expecting her to come through the door."

She added: "Jasmine was a gorgeous, lovely, bubbly character. They (Jasmine and Olivia) were best friends."

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Dublin Police Identify Mystery Street Woman

Police have identified a woman who was found wandering the centre of Dublin nearly a month ago - just hours after releasing a photograph of her.

Officers said that with the assistance of the public they were now "following a definite line of enquiry" and were "liaising closely with the Australian Police and the Health Service Executive to finalise the matter".

The woman, who was thought to be as young as 14 and from eastern Europe, is now understood to be an Australian aged 19-20 who appears to have travelled voluntarily, according to Sky sources.

"Police no longer believe there was any criminal involvement in the case of the girl found on O'Connell Street," a source said.

They hope to reunite her with her family soon, but for now she remains in the care of the HSE.

She was found in a dazed state in the Irish capital on October 10, but has yet to speak to the police.

It was thought the woman, now thought to be Australian, was eastern Europe

Interpol had been called in to try to identify the woman.

The woman, 5ft 6in tall, of slim build, with long blonde hair, was found wearing a purple hooded top, tight dark coloured jeans, flat black shoes and a grey woollen jumper.

It is believed her clothes were bought in major retailers in Ireland, but detectives could not determine when they were purchased.

The woman also has a brace, but paediatric orthodontists contacted in Ireland were unable to shed any light on her identity through their records.

A major investigation was launched into the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the woman.

The probe has so far involved more than 2,000 man hours and more than 115 lines of enquiry.

These include door-to-door enquires, vehicle and pedestrian checks in the area where the woman was discovered, and the seizure and viewing of CCTV from the city centre.

Police also showed her picture to specialised child interviewers throughout the country.

Officers sought High Court approval to release the picture of the woman, who is under an interim care order, after their early enquiries drew a blank.

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Dog Attack: Young Girl Dies After Being Bitten

Dangerous Dogs: The Victims

Updated: 8:49am UK, Wednesday 06 November 2013

Some 17 people have now been killed by dogs in the UK since 2005. Here is a list of the cases...

October 2013: Lexi Hudson, 4, killed in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire. Breed of dog responsible is not yet confirmed.

May 2013: Clifford Clarke, 79, was outside his home in Clubmoor, Liverpool. Breed of the dog, belonging to a neighbour, was believed to have been a bull masitff crossed with either a Presa Canario or a bandog.

March 2013: Jade Lomas-Anderson, 14, from Wigan, Greater Manchester. Attacked by four or five dogs at a friend's house. Two were believed to have been bull mastiffs, two were Staffordshire bull terriers.

November 2012: Harry Harper, eight days old, from Ketley, Shropshire. Attacked by a Jack Russell in his cot.

October 2012: Gloria Knowles, 71, from Morden, south London. Suffered a heart attack when savaged by her daughter's dogs when she went to feed them. Two were Bordeaux bulldogs, two were American bulldogs and one was a mongrel.

January 2012: Leslie Trotman, 83, of Brentford, west London. He was in his garden when a neighbour's Pitbull-type dog escaped and attacked him.

December 2010: Barbara Williams, 52, Wallington, Surrey. Attacked by a Belgian mastiff in a garden.

April 2010: Zumer Ahmed, 18 months, from Crawley, West Sussex. Killed when her uncle's American bulldog got into the house.

November 2009: John Paul Massey, aged four, from Wavertree, Liverpool. Killed at home by his uncle's pitbull-type dog.

May 2009: Andrew Walker, 21, Blackpool, Lancashire. Bitten more than 50 times by his flatmate's two Alsatians.

February 2009: Jaden Mack, three months old, from Caerphilly, South Wales. Stafforshire bull terrier and Jack Russell attacked him on a table at home after his grandmother fell asleep.

January 2009: Stephen Hudspeth, 33, Bishop Auckland, County Durham. Attacked by a Staffordshire bull terrier and died days later from blood poisoning.

January 2008: James Redhill, 78, Plaistow, east London. His own pet Rottweiler attacked him in the street.

December 2007: Archie-Lee Hirst, one year old, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Attacked by a Rottweiler at his grandparents' home.

January 2007: Ellie Lawrenson, five years old, St Helens, Merseyside, Attacked at her grandmother's home by her uncle's Pitbull-type dog.

September 2006: Cadey-Lee Deacon, five months, from Leicester. Taken from her Moses basket by two Rottweilers in the living area of her grandparents' pub.

November 2005: Liam Eames, one year old, from Leeds. Attacked at home by the family's American bulldog.

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Job Losses Feared At BAE Shipyards Amid Review

More than a thousand losses are to be announced by the defence giant BAE systems in a review of its shipyards, Sky sources have learned.

The announcement, which is expected as early as today, is part of a martime defence review, which BAE systems launched 18 months ago.

The firm has previously suggested it could close of one of its three yards at Govan, Scotstoun and Portsmouth.

The threat of closure of a yard is intensely political with the Scottish referendum looming in 2014.

There have been warnings that to close a shipyard in Scotland ahead of the vote on independence would hand Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond "a victory on a plate".

And there are fears that if BAE decides to close the Portsmouth yard, the UK would lose the ability to build its own warships if Scotland becomes independent.

Shadow Secretary of Defence Vernon Coaker told Sky News: "Obviously the MoD needs to make the decision on the basis of what is best for the UK's defence industry and what's best for UK ship-building.

"What's best for the defence industry, the security of this country, the defence of this country is extremely important and those are the criteria the government will use in order to determine where it will built its warships."

While BAE has benefited from the Government's massive £5.4bn contract to build two aircraft carrier, it has nothing on its books after that at two of the shipyards.

The MoD has yet to award the contract to built the Type 26 warship

The lack of work means the workforce will need to be reduced to around 60% of the current number. BAE employs 3,200 at Govan and Scotstoun and 1,200 at Portsmouth.

However, the Government has yet to announce which shipyard will win the contract to build the new Type 26 warship, and this could offset some of the job losses.

Scotland's Finance Secretary John Swinney said: "We have been in dialogue for some time with BAE Systems on the issues surrounding the future of the Clyde shipyards.

"We are awaiting the outcome of BAE's discussions with the Ministry of Defence and are very alert to the situation concerning both yards.

"We are seeking urgent clarity on the future for both Govan and Scotstoun."

A BAE spokeswoman said: "We continue to work closely with the Ministry of Defence to explore all possible options to determine how best to sustain the capability to deliver complex warships in the UK in the future.

"This work is on-going and we are committed to keeping our employees and trade unions informed as it progresses."

Hugh Scullion, Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions general secretary said: "We have secured talks with senior BAE systems executives early next week to examine the business case of the forthcoming announcement.

"Now is not the time for idle speculation or indeed party political point scoring.

"This is the future of an industry and we need to know from the company and the government directly what their plans for the future of UK shipbuilding are."

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Ariel Castro Victim Strung Up 'Like A Fish'

One of the three women held captive in a Cleveland man's home for nearly a decade has described being strung up "like a fish" in a TV interview.

Michelle Knight told the Dr Phil talk show she was punished after picking a lock in an attempt to escape and had her mouth taped up to prevent her from shouting for help.

She told TV host Phil McGraw: "I was tied up like a fish, an ornament on the wall. That's the only way I can describe it."

Ms Knight described how her kidnapper, Ariel Castro, used an orange extension cord to tie her neck, hands and feet before she was hung up.

During the show, she discussed the physical, mental and sexual abuse and torture she endured while in captivity, including spending weeks in chains.

She was kidnapped in August 2002 when she was 20 years old.

The three women managed to escape from the Cleveland house in May

Ms Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus escaped from Castro's house on May 6, 2012, when Ms Berry managed to get through a door and call for help.

Two of the women are planning to collaborate with a Pulitzer Prize-winning team of reporters for a book about their ordeal.

Castro, 53, pleaded guilty to kidnapping the three women, imprisoning them in his Cleveland home and repeatedly raping and beating them. He was sentenced to life in prison.

A month into his sentence, Castro was found dead in his cell. His death was initially ruled a suicide, but a prison report indicated he may have died accidentally as a result of auto-erotic asphyxiation.

Ms Knight was the only victim to appear at Castro's sentencing.

She told him: "You took 11 years of my life away, but I've got my life back. I spent 11 years in hell. Now your hell is just beginning."

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Wonga Chief Defends Company Practices

The chief operating officer of payday loan company Wonga has defended its practices as it released a film telling the stories of 12 of its customers.

Niall Wass told Sky News that Wonga decided to make 12 Portraits to dispel the "negative" image of the company, as MPs prepare to grill three payday loan companies as part of a crackdown on the short-term lending sector.

The film was made by an independent director who picked 12 customers from the company database and followed their decision to take a loan from Wonga.

He said: "We felt the need to release it because we felt that the voice of the customer, really the silent majority of people using our service, was not being heard.

Wonga will appear with two other lenders in front of MPs later on Tuesday

"Generally you hear a lot of criticism about our service out in the media and actually the super positive stories that we see every day from our customer feedback are not being heard, so we wanted to redress that balance and allow their voice to come out.

"We didn't think it was fair the characterisation of some of our customers, so we want people to reconsider, judge for themselves have a look at our site have a look at those videos and see what you think."

Representatives from Wonga, QuickQuid and Mr Lender - three of the largest payday lending firms - will appear before the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee on Tuesday.

MPs are expected to follow up on a damning report by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) that found "deep-rooted" problems in the way payday loans attract and treat customers.

Lenders have come under intense scrutiny from the Competition Commission and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) since the report was published in September.

New curbs proposed by the FCA in October will force lenders to place "risk warnings" on promotions and advertising, urging customers to "think" before taking out a payday loan.

Representatives from Which? and the Citizens Advice Bureau will also address the committee.

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Water Bills: Minister Urges Curb To Hikes

The Environment Secretary has urged water companies to "look closely" at whether price increases are necessary and urged them to introduce special tariffs for hard-pressed households.

In a letter to suppliers, Owen Paterson MP said they should recognise the financial strain that people were under.

The intervention came with Ofwat expected later this week to reject an application from Thames Water to increase bills by £29 in 2014-2015.

The regulator has questioned the profits being made by firms, and suggested its next Price Review could ease the upward pressure on bills by up to £750m after 2015.

Owen Paterson has urged water companies to reconsider price hikes

Mr Paterson said: "We know that household budgets are under pressure, and keeping water bills affordable is a crucial way we can help hardworking people.

"That is why we are pressing hard to make sure customers get a fair deal, by encouraging water companies to look closely at any price increases, introduce social tariffs for vulnerable customers and crack down on bad debt."

Water bills have risen by more than 60% in the last decade and the average household bill is now £388.

Since 2009, average increases in water and sewerage bills have been in line with inflation, but this has still outstripped increases in household income.

Water companies have blamed the price increases on the costs of environmental improvements including replacing ageing Victoria water pipes.

It comes after the cost of living has become increasingly important on the political agenda after Labour leader Ed Miliband pledged to freeze energy prices if his party wins the 2015 General Election.

Mr Miliband will accuse the coalition Government of "shrugging their shoulders" about low wages and rising prices this week and will challenge Conservative and Lib Dem MPs to back his policy of freezing energy bills in a Commons vote on Wednesday.

During a speech at Battersea Power Station, he will say: "The cost of living crisis isn't just an issue for the lowest paid, it affects the squeezed middle just as much.

"This is not just an issue facing Britain. It is the issue facing Britain. It is about who our country is run for."

Prime Minister David Cameron last week said he wanted to "roll back" environmental taxes that bump up energy bills, and promised more details in Chancellor George Osborne's Autumn Statement on December 4.

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Gosport 'Car Murder': Two Teenage Girls Named

A 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two teenage girls died when they were hit by a car.

Jasmine Allsop, 14, died at the scene in Ann's Hill Road in Gosport, while Olivia Lewry, 16, was taken to hospital but also died, Hampshire Police said.

Detective Superintendent Dick Pearson said: "This is an extremely tragic incident which has resulted in the death of two young girls.

"I currently have a team of detectives and other officers, including expert road collision investigators, working on this case to fully investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of these two teenage girls.

Forensic staff have been examining the scene.

"I would appeal to anyone who knows anything which could help this investigation to contact my team as soon as possible."

The girls were pedestrians and were involved in a collision with a green Honda Civic car which was being driven along the road at about 4.15am on Sunday.

The older girl was taken to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth with serious injuries but did not survive.

A man was originally taken into custody on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving but the offence was later changed to suspected murder, police said.

Mourners brought flowers to pay their respects to the girls.

He remains in custody.

A bouquet of flowers placed near the scene read: 'In loving memory of Olivia and Jaz, thinking of you lots of love.'

One local resident Aaron O'Sullivan told the Portsmouth News: "It's horrible – what a waste of life, especially coming up to Christmas, it's just shocking."

Sky News reporter Siobhan Robbins spoke to some of the girls' friends, saying they described them as 'outgoing and bubbly'.

One local resident Daniel Close said: "It's tragic. It's got to be the worst news you can get."

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Major Investigation Team at Fratton Police Station on 101, quoting Operation Barb.

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Terror Suspect 'Escapes Mosque In Burka'

A suspect who escaped surveillance by changing into a burka on a visit to a mosque is being hunted by counter-terrorism officers.

Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed was last seen at a West London mosque on Friday afternoon.

He entered the building wearing Western-style clothes, but CCTV images issued by Scotland Yard later show him leaving with his face and body fully covered by the traditional Islamic garment.

The 27-year-old is subject to a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures notice (Tpim).

The Labour Party has said it plans to put down an urgent question in the Commons later.

Mr Mohamed is not considered a "direct threat", police said.

A court-imposed anonymity order banning the publication of Mr Mohamed's name has been lifted to allow police to make a public appeal, following an application from Home Secretary Theresa May.

Mr Mohamed is "not considered at this time to represent a direct threat to the public", Scotland Yard said, but anyone who sees him is urged to call 999 immediately.

Security Minister James Brokenshire said: "National security is the Government's top priority and the police are doing everything in their power to apprehend this man as quickly as possible.

"The police and security services do not believe that this man poses a direct threat to the public in the UK.

"The Home Secretary, on police advice, yesterday applied to the High Court for an order protecting anonymity to be lifted in order to assist with their investigation."

Somalia-born Mr Mohamed, who is 5ft 8in tall and of medium build, arrived at the An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre in Church Road, Acton, at 10am on Friday and was last seen there at 3.15pm that day.

He is the second person to breach a Tpim since they were introduced to replace control orders in early 2012.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The Counter Terrorism Command immediately launched inquiries to trace Mr Mohamed and these continue.

"Ports and borders were notified with his photograph and details circulated nationally. Public safety remains our priority."

Another CCTV image shows the burka-clad figure, believed to be Mr Mohamed

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper described the matter as "extremely serious".

She said: "Clearly police and security agencies will be doing everything possible to locate this terror suspect and ensure public safety.

"The Home Secretary also needs to provide information about the decisions made over Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed's Tpim, how he was able to abscond and what the risks to the public are."

Tpims, which include restrictions on overnight residence, travel and finance, are imposed by the Home Secretary who is given access to secret evidence that can not be placed before juries.

They do not allow for the relocation of suspects, as control orders did and unlike control orders, Tpims have a maximum time limit of two years.

Control orders could be extended year on year without limit, while Tpims can be extended after a year for another 12 months before they expire.

As of August 31, there were nine Tpims in force, including eight against British suspects, the latest written update to MPs showed.

Last December, Ibrahim Magag, who is understood to have attended terrorist training camps in Somalia, absconded from a Tpim notice after ripping off his electronic tag. The police search for him is continuing.

Police are still hunting Ibrahim Magag, who absconded in December 2012

The terrorism watchdog warned earlier this year that Tpims could allow those deemed potentially dangerous to be left "free and unconstrained" in the absence of prosecution or new evidence of terrorism-related activity.

David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said in his first report on Tpims, that the two-year limit was the "boldest" change from control orders made by the Government, adding that it was "tempting, in the most serious cases, to wish for longer".

Speaking in March, he said: "Some subjects who have been judged by the Home Secretary and by the courts to be potentially dangerous will then, absent prosecution or new evidence of terrorism-related activity, be free and unconstrained."

Mr Anderson said a longer time limit was tempting as allegations against some Tpim subjects were at the "highest end of seriousness, even by the standards of international terrorism".

However, he concluded that the two years of constraint now permitted were "a very strong power by international or indeed historic British standards".

Mr Brokenshire has defended the measures, describing them as providing a "robust mechanism" to manage suspects and reassure the public.

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Ryanair Moves To Fully Allocated Seating

Ryanair has announced a plan to move to fully allocated seating on all of its flights.

The budget carrier said the new system will be in force from February 1.

The move comes after numerous customer complaints about the frenzied rush by passengers to secure the best seats.

The company said in a statement: "This return to allocated seating is Ryanair's response to the enormous demand from our customers in recent weeks via Ryanair's 'Tell MOL' customer feedback initiative.

"Ryanair's decision to launch fully allocated seating is also part of the airline's commitment to listen to its customers."

The announcement comes as the company revealed a profit rise of just 1% to £510m, in the six months to September 30.

Two months after Ryanair issued its first profit warning in a decade, the Ireland-based firm has now cut its profit forecast further for the financial year ending in March, to £423m and £440m.

It had previously estimated the full-year profit at £487m.

Ryanair, Europe's largest carrier by seats sold, said traffic rose 2% to 49 million passengers in the period, but said intense competition was pushing down winter fares by around 10%.

Shares in Ryanair were down more than 11% in early Monday trading, as investors fled from airline stocks.

Easyjet and IAG, the parent company of BA, were also down as a result.

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'Plebgate' Officers Facing New Investigation

Three police officers accused of deceiving MPs over the so-called Plebgate scandal are to face a new investigation by the police watchdog.

The officers - police federation representatives - will also be called back before an influential committee of MPs over evidence they gave to it previously.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said there were "procedural irregularities" in an earlier probe.

Andrew Mitchell tried to take his bike through the Downing Street gates

Inspector Ken MacKaill, Detective Sergeant Stuart Hinton and Sergeant Chris Jones are accused of giving misleading accounts of a meeting with former chief whip Andrew Mitchell.

The Conservative MP met the officers last October to try to clear the air after an alleged foul-mouthed confrontation with police in Downing Street the previous month.

The trio were initially told they would face no action for misconduct over misleading press statements they made immediately after the meeting.

But the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has now said it will hold an investigation into their behaviour.

IPCC deputy chairwoman Deborah Glass said the watchdog was holding its inquiry to avoid damaging public confidence.

The confrontation was caught on CCTV and shown on Channel 4

She said: "Evidence given to the Home Affairs Select Committee on October 23 revealed a number of procedural irregularities between the production of the draft and final West Mercia reports."

The officers have also been recalled to the Home Affairs Select Committee to apologise for giving "misleading answers" on October 23.

Committee chairman Keith Vaz said: "We were appalled by the evidence given by DS Hinton, Sgt Jones and Inspector MacKaill. It is now clear that DS Hinton and Sgt Jones misled the committee, possibly deliberately.

"We have recalled them to correct the record and if they do not, they will be in prima facie contempt of Parliament."

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Maidstone Prison 'Riot' Brought Under Control

A "riot" at Maidstone Prison has been brought under control, the Prison Service has said.

Officers from special prison service riot units across the country were called in to deal with the Maidstone incident in a system known as Operation Tornado.

A prison officers union said it had been told the riot involved up to 180 prisoners, but the Prison Service said just 40 inmates took part in the "incident".

Riot units were called to the prison

Prison Officers Association vice chair Ralph Valerio told Sky News negotiators had been sent to the scene in Kent to try to contain the disturbance.

He said he had been told that at one point inmates were smashing up the Thanet Wing at the prison.

Mr Valerio said he had been led to believe that between 160 to 180 foreigners were involved - and some staff could have been assaulted.

Up to 180 foreigners are thought to have taken part in the disturbance

He said prison staff had been forced to retreat to safety. Thanet Wing, where the riot occurred, is separated from the other wings.

Jackie Hipwell, the landlady of a pub nearby, said the whole road in front of the prison was filled with fire engines and riot vans.

She said it started around 4pm and there were so many vehicles deployed she was unable to use the road.

The location of Thanet Wing at Maidstone Prison

A Prison Service spokesperson said later: "An incident involving around 40 prisoners at HMP Maidstone has been successfully resolved with no injuries to staff or prisoners.

"An investigation is under way and the perpetrators will be dealt with appropriately by the prison."

Mr Valerio believes staff shortages and the impact this has had on the prisoners is a possible reason behind the rioting.

Maidstone, with an inmate population of about 600, is a category C training prison that predominantly houses sex offenders from the Kent and Sussex areas.

Its website says it aims to "create a therapeutic environment that supports, embraces and empowers change with a primary focus on risk reduction and protection".

The prison also takes in foreign prisoners with more than 18 months to serve and provides forums with the UK Border Agency.

Kent Police confirmed it was aware of the incident, but a spokeswoman said prison services were dealing with the matter.

Meanwhile, a passive demonstration took place at G4S-run Rye Hill Prison, near Rugby,  involving 60 inmates. However, this was resolved peacefully and was not linked to the Maidstone riot.

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EBay: Nazi Holocaust Memorabilia Removed

Auction site eBay has apologised after Nazi Holocaust memorabilia, including clothes worn by concentration camp victims, were traded online.

Journalists claim to have found several items for sale, including a complete Auschwitz uniform worn by a Polish baker who died in the camp.

The Auschwitz uniform had reportedly been priced at £11,300 by the seller, a Ukrainian man in Canada, named as Viktor Kempf.

Survivors liberated from Auschwitz in 1945

He had apparently sold similar clothing for $18,000 (£11,491) last year.

It was claimed Mr Kempf had been criticised in the past for selling such items, but did so to "document" them and to fund history book projects.

Mr Kempf was quoted as saying: "I don't want people to think I'm just doing it for the money. These periods in history are horrific, nobody should ever forget them."

How Mr Kempf described the items on eBay

EBay has offered to donate £25,000 to charity after the items were discovered and admitted they breached the terms of use.

The online retailer said: "We are very sorry these items have been listed on eBay and we are removing them.

"We don't allow listings of this nature, and dedicate thousands of staff to policing our site and use the latest technology to detect items that shouldn't be for sale.

Schindler's list failed to sell on eBay when offered for sale for £3m

"We very much regret that we didn't live up to our own standards. We have made a donation to charity to reflect our concern."

Other items found on eBay, by journalists at the Mail On Sunday, included shoes and a toothbrush said to have belonged to concentration camp victims.

There were also yellow Star of David armbands used by the Nazis to identify Jews for persecution.

An original copy of Schindler's list of Jews saved from the Holocaust by Oskar Schindler went unsold on eBay in July.

The 14-page typewritten list - bearing the names of 801 men - originated from the German industrialist's right-hand man Itzhak Stern, and had a steep opening bid of $3m (£1.96m).

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