Sir Cliff Richard Quizzed By Detectives

Sir Cliff Richard: MP Hits Out At Police

Updated: 3:53pm UK, Sunday 24 August 2014

By Sean Dilley, Sky News Reporter

Former Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans has called for an open and thorough investigation into police handling of Sir Cliff Richard's case.

The Ribble Valley MP, who was cleared of sexual offence charges earlier this year, told Sky News serious questions need to be asked about the processes employed by the South Yorkshire force.

"Ten days after Sir Cliff's house was searched and his name plastered around the world, he is finally given the opportunity to respond to allegations in a police interview," said Mr Evans.

"He denies any wrongdoing, and he has not been arrested. He also hasn't been charged with any offence.

"Call me old fashioned but I believe in innocent 'til proven guilty, not innocent 'til proven a celebrity."

Mr Evans will not have long to wait for the thorough probe he is demanding.

The influential Commons Home Affairs Select Committee has launched an inquiry in to the processes that led to BBC journalists having advance notice of where and when officers would be executing a search warrant.

David Crompton, Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police, has written to Committee chairman Keith Vaz confirming his attendance, while rigorously defending his officers.

"The (BBC) journalist made reference to the investigation of the allegations and he named the suspect and indicated that the information was from a source outside South Yorkshire Police," he wrote.

Referring to the journalist's "privileged information about the circumstances of the allegation", he said the decision was made to cooperate with the journalist to protect the integrity of the investigation.

The BBC's Director General has backed the Corporation's journalists. In a letter to Mr Vaz, he said: "I believe that BBC journalists have acted appropriately in pursuing this story.

"As you rightly say, the media has a right to report on matters of public interest.

"Sir Cliff Richard is one of the most successful British entertainers of all time and has been a prominent public figure for several decades.

"Investigations into historic sex abuse cases have - and will continue to have - a profound impact on the lives of well-known individuals and the standing of public institutions.

"The disclosure of a sex abuse allegation against Sir Cliff Richard and the police search of his property was clearly a significant story and the BBC was not alone in providing extensive coverage."

But whatever the rights and wrongs of this case, Mr Evans is keen to stress that Sir Cliff, in common with any other private citizen, is not guilty merely because an allegation has been made.

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Burglary Suspects Identified From Bus Ticket

Two burglary suspects have been identified after leaving a bus ticket at the scene of the crime.

The 61-year-old victim confronted the intruders at his home in Greater Manchester and managed to pull off one of their jackets during a scuffle.

In the pocket was a bus stub which police used to track down CCTV of the bus they had been on.

Images of the two suspects have now been released to the public.

The men escaped with valuable jewellery from the home in Churchstone Walk in Baguley on May 17.

PC Rob Crossley said: "The victim, a man in his 60s, was obviously taken aback to find two men rummaging through his bedroom.

"In the melee following the initial shock he has been able to remove a jacket from one offender and this has given us some positive lines of inquiry.

"From the jacket we recovered a ticket and from the ticket we identified a bus used by the offenders.

"Now we are releasing CCTV images of two suspects we would like to trace.

"We have made numerous efforts to identify the pair and we are now keen for any further help from the public."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 4882, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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House Lifted 1.5m To Avoid More Flood Misery

By Joe Tidy, Sky News Reporter

A family from Berkshire who were devastated by floods in February have jacked their entire house up by 1.5 metres to avoid future floods.

The Ivry family home in Wraysbury on the River Thames was devastated by water during the winter floods and they've spent six months in temporary housing.

During that time Yaron Ivry has taken extreme measures to prevent a repeat of the ordeal, spending £70,000 to lift the entire structure off the ground.

The Ivry family's home before it was raised off the ground...

 "It was a lot of stress but it's all over and it's worth it - the project is now a success," Mr Ivry said.

"We are safe from the worst floods in 100 years so we're very happy."

...and after

It took three months to prepare the house, installing a steel girder framework near the base of the house before cutting through the brick and woodwork.

A specialist company, more commonly used to lift large bridges, was employed to carry out the rare lift which they say was very challenging.

Sean Davies, of Hydra-Capsule, said: "We're used to doing structures that are much larger and heavier, but this lift is very technical.

A total of 28 jacks were used to lift the house

"We installed 28 jacks to lift the house when just one would have been able to lift the building.

"We over-designed it deliberately because of the delicate house that's obviously so precious to the owners."

The family is just one of hundreds still rebuilding after the floods of last winter which were caused by the heaviest rainfall in almost 250 years.

Around 1,000 homes were badly damaged in Somerset and along the Thames Valley.

Craig Woodhouse, from the Environment Agency, says these sorts of private flood prevention projects are key to reducing risk.

He said: "We're very keen that people take ownership of their own flood risk and the first way is to assess whether or not they are at risk on the Environment Agency website.

Wraysbury was one of the worst hit areas in the floods

"Then you can start thinking about how you can protect your property if a community level scheme is not in the offing."

The Ivry family hope to move in next month and are planning a house warming for the New Year when they predict things will be back to normal.

:: Watch a Sky News special report on flood proofing Britain at 10.30am, 2.30pm, 4.30pm, and 8.30pm.

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Call For More Ethnic Diversity In Kids' Books

By Richard Suchet, Sky News Reporter

Authors and novelists are calling for more black and mixed ethnicity characters in children's literature.

Children's Laureate Malorie Blackman believes a lack of diversity in books stops children from reading and pursuing the arts.

She told Sky News that it could lead non-white readers to feel excluded from society, because they are not represented in the literature.  

"That's not to say that children and young adults only want to read about themselves," Ms Blackman said.

"Of course not - you want to escape into fiction as well and read about other people, other cultures, other lives, other planets and so on.

Malorie Blackman wants more black commissioning editors

"But I think there is a very significant message that goes out when you cannot see yourself at all in the books you are reading.

"I think it is saying 'well, you may be here, but do you really belong?'"

Ms Blackman believes responsibility for change does not lie solely at the feet of authors.

She says publishers, illustrators, stockists and parents all have a part to play if there is to be a significant shift in the ethnicities and minorities represented.

"I think what we need, especially in publishing, is more commissioning editors, and editors who are people of colour.

"We need more people working in the publishing industry itself who are people of colour," she said.

On a visit to Archway Library in North London, novelist Nikita Lalwani (Gifted, The Village) echoed the sentiment.

"Any anxieties publishers have about putting a child on the front cover of a book who isn't white is very old fashioned," she said.

"The children reading the books are not going to be having that anxiety or thinking about being alienated."

She added: "I'm worried about the pattern that we are creating in this country, in terms of the kind of society we are showing in books.

"If everyone is white or Caucasian, it is just not accurate and it's a very odd thing to do when we live in a multi-cultural society.

"The knock on effect could be huge."

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Two Men Remanded After Tilbury Docks Death

Two lorry drivers have been remanded in custody after appearing in court in connection with the death of a migrant found in a shipping container at Tilbury Docks.

Essex Police said Stephen McLaughlin, 34, and Timothy Murphy, 33, both from County Londonderry, were charged with people smuggling.

The charge sheet said that the pair "together with other persons unknown" jointly conspired between August 1 and 17 "to do an act, namely clandestinely convey 35 Afghan nationals by sea in to an English port, which facilitated the commission of a breach of immigration law".

Thirty-five people were discovered in a container at the Port of Tilbury, south Essex, on August 16.

Meet Singh Kapoor, 40, from Afghanistan, was found dead inside the airtight container on a ship that had arrived from Zeebrugge in Belgium.

Murphy, from Derry, appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court in Essex where he spoke only to confirm his name and personal details.

He was remanded in custody and told he must appear at Basildon Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing on a date to be set during the week beginning November 17.

McLaughlin, of Limavady, also spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and personal details from the dock.

He was also remanded to next appear by video-link for a hearing at the same place and at a time to be determined in the same week.

A post-mortem examination on Mr Kapoor had failed to establish the cause of his death and inquiries are continuing.

The rest of the group of Afghan Sikhs from Kabul, including 13 children, survived the ordeal.

They are believed to have fled Afghanistan after suffering persecution and are in the process of claiming asylum in the UK.

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Independent Scotland 'Would Have To Join Euro'

Alex Salmond's "only realistic plan B" for the currency of an independent Scotland is the euro, according to shadow chancellor Ed Balls.

Mr Balls reiterated his warning that the Scottish National Party's preference for keeping the pound in a formal currency union with the rest of the UK is "off the table".

The Labour MP, who was against UK entry to the euro when he worked for Gordon Brown, has previously ruled out a currency union if his party wins the next election.

The current Conservative chancellor, George Osborne, and Scottish Liberal Democrat Treasury Secretary Danny Alexander have also dismissed the prospect.

Keeping the pound without a currency union would accelerate "the movement of financial services out of Scotland", Mr Balls told the Observer newspaper.

Meanwhile, new currency would be "very expensive, very risky" and people would "pay a big price in terms of higher interest rates for mortgages", Mr Balls claimed.

Ed Balls ruled out a formal currency union in the newspaper interview

He said: "I fear that an independent Scotland would end up finding that joining the euro would be the least worst of all the bad options.

"It's not what I would choose for Scotland. And I am not surprised at all that Alex Salmond doesn't want to admit it now, but joining the euro would likely be his only realistic plan B."

Mr Balls added: "Given the size of the UK relative to Scotland, given that Scotland would be leaving the UK, the size of the Scottish financial sector and given the risk, therefore, to UK taxpayers, a sterling currency area would be off the table."

Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling will stage another debate on Monday

He urged Mr Salmond "to tell people what plan B is" at his next debate with Better Together leader Alistair Darling, which will be shown on Sky News on Monday.

A spokesman for Mr Salmond told The Observer: "An independent Scotland will keep the pound because it's our currency too, and pensions and public services will be more sustainable after a yes vote because Scotland's economy is stronger than the UK's."

A Better Together spokesman said: "Alex Salmond wants us to vote for independence on the basis of his blind faith and guesswork alone.

"We should say no thanks to taking on so much risk."

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Two Bikers Killed In Manx GP Qualifying Sessions

A motorcyclist has been killed during a qualifying session for the 2014 Manx Grand Prix - the second death in just four days.

Tim Moorhead crashed just before the Black Hut on the Mountain section of the Isle of Man course at around 8.05pm on Friday.

On Tuesday, experienced racer Stephen Mcllvenna, 39, died in another qualifying session in an incident at the Mountain Mile.

Mr Moorhead, 50, from Whitstable, Kent, was married and made his Manx Grand Prix debut in 2012, a statement from the Manx Motor Cycle Club said.

It said: "The Manx Motor Cycle Club wish to pass their deepest sympathy to Tim's family and friends.

Stephen Mcllvenna lost his life on Tuesday

"The coroner of inquests has been informed and an investigation into the circumstances of the accident is under way."

Mr Mcllvenna, from Randalstown, Northern Ireland, first competed in the grand prix in 2005 and won the Junior Manx Grand Prix in 2009.

He also competed in the TT Races a year later.

A statement said: "The Manx Motor Cycle Club wish to pass on their deepest sympathy to Stephen's family and friends."

There is also an investigation into his death.

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British Man With Ebola On Flight Back To UK

Nigeria Confirms First 'Secondary' Ebola Cases

Updated: 8:47am UK, Sunday 24 August 2014

Ebola fears in Nigeria have heightened after two more people tested positive, despite having no contact with the man who brought the virus into the country.

The infected people are the spouses of a man and woman who had contact with Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who died in July after flying into Abuja and infecting 11 others.

It comes as blood tests confirmed an Irish engineer who died on Thursday did not have ebola.

Dessie Quinn, 43, had been working in Sierra Leone, one of the countries struggling with the current outbreak.

Nigerian officials now have more than 200 potential ebola cases under "surveillance" after the discovery of the secondary infections.

"They were quarantined two days ago," said Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu.

"But the other ones that were quarantined along with them have been released.

"Those on treatment (in isolation) currently are four - two primary contacts, two secondary contacts. Presently altogether we have 213 on surveillance."

Patrick Sawyer, 40, died from ebola after becoming sick during a flight to Nigeria from the Liberian capital, Monrovia.

Two doctors, two nurses, and a man who picked him up from Abuja airport also died.

The World Health Organisation said earlier this week it was hopeful over the situation in Nigeria because all the cases there had come from a single chain of transmission.

The country now has 14 confirmed cases, including five deaths.

Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have suffered the worst from the outbreak, accounting for most of the 1,350 fatalities.

Liberian capital Monrovia, in particular, has seen chaotic scenes in recent days as ebola cases increase.

The local crematorium is struggling to burn the infected bodies and is having to send some back to the hospital, according to the Red Cross.

Troops have also fired tear gas to enforce a quarantine zone and prevent looting in the city's huge West Point slum.

A teenage boy, Shakie Kamara, has died after being shot by security forces earlier this week, Information Minister Lewis Brown said on Friday.

Senegal has become the latest country to lock down its border with an ebola-affected neighbour, closing its land border with Guinea.

Decisions to bar widespread use of an experimental ebola drug have caused controversy.

Two Americans, Kent Brantly, 33, and Nancy Writebol, 60, recovered after taking ZMapp, but there are no plans to send it to the heart of the outbreak.

Specialists believe the pair, who were treated in Atlanta, now pose "no public health threat" and will probably be immune to the disease.

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UK Close To Identifying James Foley's Killer

The British ambassador to the US says the UK is close to identifying the Islamic State (IS) militant who murdered an American journalist.

The extremist, believed to be British, beheaded James Foley in a video released last week.

Ambassador Peter Westmacott told CNN that "we are not far away" from identifying the masked killer and "we are putting a lot into it".

He added "sophisticated" technology, including voice recognition software, was being used by authorities to track him down.

The security services MI5 and MI6 have reportedly worked out the identity of the insurgent, dubbed "Jihadi John", who had an English accent. But no details have been disclosed.

The jihadist claimed the killing was in retaliation for US airstrikes on IS positions in northern Iraq. The Islamist militant group has taken over large parts of the country and also areas of Syria in recent months.

A hunt is taking place for Mr Foley's murderer

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the beheading was "an utter betrayal of everything the British people stand for".

Writing in the Sunday Times, he said it was horrifying that the perpetrator "could have been brought up in Britain".

He said the Government was investing "significant resources" to tackle "a barbaric ideology", warning if the IS militants are not stopped in Iraq and Syria "sooner or later they will seek to strike us on British soil".

Mr Hammond said the threat from Iraq and Syria would last a generation, echoing comments made by Home Secretary Theresa May as she announced plans to bring in new laws to tackle the threat of British jihadists.

But former shadow home secretary David Davis dismissed suggestions the new laws, dubbed asbos for terrorists, would prevent Britons fighting for IS, also known as ISIS and ISIL.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has warned of the extremist threat

Instead, he said, the jihadists should be stopped from returning to the UK and stripped of their citizenship.

Mr Davis said the Government's response to the crisis in Iraq had been "tentative, uncertain, almost limp".

Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, also called for Britons fighting for IS in Iraq and Syria to lose their passports.

He wrote in the Mail on Sunday: "They should not have access to the privilege of travelling under a British passport... and they certainly should not be able to travel back with the barbaric and bloodthirsty skills they have gained."

The Home Office has insisted it would take the "strongest possible action" against people travelling to fight in Iraq and Syria.

A spokesman said: "The police, security services and Border Force are actively working to identify, detect and disrupt terrorist threats, including from British fighters attempting to return to the UK.

"They use a wide range of powers including those which allow them to detain and interview individuals at the UK border suspected of being involved in terrorism."

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Bank Holiday Weather Alert Over Rain And Wind

A weather alert has been issued as heavy rain and wind threaten travel problems for millions of Britons returning home from a weekend break.

The Met Office has issued a sweeping yellow weather alert for Bank Holiday Monday, predicting significant surface water on roads and gusts of up to 40mph (64kph). 

Monday's weather warning relates to parts of Wales, as well as London, the South East, East and South West of England, although most of the UK will see some rain.

Temperatures will struggle to get above 17C (62.6F) - well below average for August.

Winds of up to 40mph are expected in some areas

Scotland, where it is not a bank holiday, will enjoy the best of the weather on Monday.

The Met Office said: "Heavy rain is expected to affect many southern areas of Britain at times during Bank Holiday Monday, with strong winds a possible additional factor close to southern coasts.

"The public should be aware that there may be some impacts to holiday traffic and other outdoor activities.

"A complex area of low pressure looks like bringing an unpleasant day's weather to much of the south on Monday.

The first frost of the summer is expected to arrive in the north on Sunday

"Rainfall amounts look like exceeding 20mm quite widely, while a few places might see around 40mm, so there will be a lot of surface water and spray on roads.

"The spray will probably be made worse by strong winds across some southern areas; gusts to around 40mph may occur at some coastal locations although this will depend on the exact track of the low pressure."

More than five million people in the UK are planning an overnight holiday trip this weekend, VisitEngland said.

Around one million people are expected to be drawn to Notting Hill Carnival, one of Europe's biggest street carnival events, on Sunday and Monday.

Despite a cold start, Sunday's weather was largely fine across the UK with spells of sunshine and predicted highs of 18C (64.4F).

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