Raft Of Tax Reforms Come Into Effect In UK

Two million people could be removed from paying income tax altogether from today as a raft of reforms come into effect.

Among the changes are a rise in the personal allowance which will mean no one pays any tax until they earn more than £9,440.

The threshold for the higher rate of tax - above which people pay tax at 40% - will also drop from £34,370 to £32,010, excluding the personal allowance.

At the same time the top rate of income tax falls in 2013/14 from 50% to 45% for those whose taxable income exceeds £150,000.

And the start of the new financial year also signals a rise in basic state pension to £110.15 per week, an increase of 2.5%.

But there will be a freeze on the level of income pensioners can receive before they have to pay tax - the so-called "granny tax".

The tax allowance for people aged 65 and older is set at £10,500.

Last week, housing benefit was cut for council house tenants with more bedrooms than they need - dubbed the "bedroom tax".

Council tenants have money cut if they have more bedrooms than they need

The annual increase in tax credits and other working-age benefits will also be cut to just 1%, well below the rate of inflation.

But Labour claims UK households will be worse off.

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said: "The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies shows very clearly that, since 2010, the average family is £890 worse off, a one-earner family where the mum or dad stays at home with children is £3,900 worse off.

"The reason is that the increase in the personal allowance over the last couple of years was completely outweighed by higher VAT, the freeze on child benefit and the cuts to tax credits.

"Is this the day to cut taxes for millionaires, for the richest people in our society when everyone else is worse off and struggling? It's completely the wrong priorities. It suggests that David Cameron and George Osborne are completely out of touch with the realities of the lives of families in our country."

Unite union's General Secretary Len McCluskey was equally scathing about the changes. He said: "Millionaires will be raising a glass of champagne to George Osborne this weekend as he slashes the incomes of people struggling to get by to give handouts to the rich.

"This is not the way to recover our failing economy. Creating real jobs and paying decent wages, including a one pound increase on the minimum wage, will bring down the benefits bill and get people spending again."

The Prime Minister took to Twitter to highlight the increase in the personal tax allowance. He wrote: "From today 24 million people will be paying £600 less income tax than in 2010."

Mr Cameron also included a link to a new Conservative poster outlining the change with the headline "Help for Hardworking People".

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Man Dies Making Documentary About Homeless

Police are investigating the death of a young documentary maker who was sleeping rough in freezing temperatures to highlight the plight of the homeless.

Lee Halpin, 26, had planned to spend a week living on the streets in his home city of Newcastle.

He began the project on Sunday but was found dead three days later in a derelict building in the West End of the city.

How he died has not yet been confirmed but it is believed he may have died from hypothermia.

Speaking on a YouTube video the night before his week of sleeping rough began, Mr Halpin said the project was part of an application for a Channel 4 investigative journalism scheme, to give an example of fearless reporting.

He said he had spoken to a homeless charity about the rise in the number of people on the streets and the effect of changes to Britain's welfare system this month.

"I'm about to go and spend a week being homeless in the West End of Newcastle. I will sleep rough for a week, scrounge for my food, access the services that other homeless individuals use," he said.

"I will interact with as many homeless people as possible and immerse myself in that lifestyle as deeply as I can."

He concluded the video by saying he hoped it showed his willingness to get to the heart of a story.

A Channel 4 spokesperson said: "We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of this aspiring young journalist. Our thoughts are with his family."

Mr Halpin's friend of 10 years, Daniel Lake, said: "I was just talking to Lee on Saturday, having some banter talking about football and how excited he was about going out filming.

"Lee was a great guy, a character and was well known. His big things were creative writing and poetry ... He made the ultimate sacrifice trying to raise awareness about what was happening to other people."

Friends and supporters have left tributes on the Save Newcastle Libraries website, to which he was a contributor.

One said: "He was a credit to the North East and all he did was give."

Northumbria Police have arrested two men in connection with the death.

The men, aged 26 and 30, were arrested on suspicion of supplying a controlled drug and have since been bailed pending further inquiries.

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Grand National: Hopes For A Positive Story

On the one day the world tunes in to jump racing, the sport itself is holding its breath.

Worldwide, 600 million people watch the Grand National on the year's biggest day for betting in Britain. But all at Aintree know any further equine deaths this afternoon, to add to four in the last two Nationals, would raise serious questions about its future.

It comes after a horse died in the run up to this year's event on Friday.

They have made changes here.

Most fences now have more horse-friendly plastic inner cores.

The start has been moved 90 yards away from the noisy grandstands, in the hope of a calmer atmosphere. That also means a shorter run to the first fence, giving less time to build up foolhardy early speed.

The authorities have talked to senior jockeys, urging them not to set a breakneck pace from the start.

But as even Jamie Stier from the British Horseracing Authority acknowledged on Sky News on Friday, it is unreasonable to expect a jockey not to be wound-up at the start of "this iconic race".

It always delivers a storyline, even if last year's – the closest-ever finish – was partly buried by headlines about fatalities.

This year's story could be the first female winning jockey. Katie Walsh on Seabass – third 12 months ago – could start favourite on the horse trained by her father Ted.

So could Ted's other horse Colbert Station, in the hands of champion jockey Tony McCoy. And so could Katie's brother Ruby on On His Own, bidding for his third National victory.

And if the siblings should be fighting out the finish, it'll be dog-eat-dog with no quarter given.

There's also another possible line for the fairer sex. Much-fancied Teaforthree is trained by Rebecca Curtis, 30 years after the first success for Jenny Pitman – the only other woman to train the winner of the world's greatest steeplechase.

Teaforthree likes his own bed and is travelling today from Pembrokeshire. There hasn't been a Welsh winner since 1905.

Then again, it's only four years since Mon Mome won at 100-1. Might Tarquinius, for example, or Major Malarkey, triumph at a similar price today? Stranger things have happened – and something strange always does happen.

That's why we always watch, and that's why all will hope that all 40 horses are safely in their beds – in Wales or wherever – tonight.

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London Shooting: Two Men Charged With Murder

Two men have appeared in court accused of shooting a teenager dead.

Natnael Tesfay, 20, and Christopher Aluma, 18, appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in London charged with the murder of Mohammed Hussein, 19.

They are accused of shooting Mr Hussein in Edmonton, north London around 9.45pm on Easter Monday.

Paramedics fought to save him but he was pronounced dead at the scene in Bounces Road.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Hussein died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Tesfay and Aluma, both of no fixed abode, spoke only to confirm their personal details during the short court appearance.

They were both remanded in custody before a bail hearing at the Old Bailey on April 9.

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Devon House Fire: Teens Die, Boy In Hospital

Two teenagers have died and a young boy is in a serious condition in hospital following a house fire in Devon.

Police said the 17-year-old girl and 18-year-old man died from injuries sustained in the blaze at a property in Lee Close in Honiton.

The boy, aged three, remains in the specialist Frenchay Hospital.

Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Next of kin have been informed.

"Our thoughts are with family at this time and the investigation to establish the cause of the fire is ongoing. At this time the police are not treating the matter as suspicious."

Emergency services were alerted at around 7.50am on Friday.

A total of eight people were in the house when the fire broke out - seven members of a family and another person.

Five were taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, including a six-year-old boy and a man in his 30s, who were treated for smoke inhalation.

Three - the two teenagers and three-year-old - were flown by air ambulance to the hospital for treatment.

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Teen Girl 'Set Up' Footballer's Stab Death

A 14-year-old "set up" her boyfriend to stab a teenage footballer she thought had "disrespected" her leaving him bleeding to death on a makeshift soccer pitch.

Cherelle McKenzie-Jackson called in her 17-year-old boyfriend Marc Anthony Tulloch to "punish" Junior Nkwelle for a slight she perceived he had done her as he played football with friends.

A court heard that she spent an hour on the phone persuading Tulloch to come and teach 15-year-old Junior a lesson.

Tulloch arrived at the grassy area at the Loughborough Estate in Brixton, south London, where the boys were playing and stabbed Junior through the heart.

He bled to death on the pitch before his mother, who lived nearby, arrived.

Old Bailey Judge Richard Hone ordered that McKenzie-Jackson should be detained for eight years, Tulloch, was ordered to be detained for 10 years.

The judge lifted an order banning identification of the defendants in the hope that their sentencing would be a deterrent to knife crime.

He said the pair were cleared of Junior's murder after the jury found they had not intended for him to be seriously harmed.

Judge Hone told McKenzie-Jackson that it was only her age which saved her from the same sentence as Tulloch.

Junior's mother Stella said in a statement that she still could not come to terms with his death.

She said: "I didn't even know what was going on and I had no chance to help, or see him and say goodbye and tell him how much I love him.

"By the time I got to him my poor child had bled to death."

She said that her son was a kind, friendly boy, a fantastic footballer and a role model to his younger brothers.

Jonathan Turner, QC, prosecuting, said it was likely Junior and his killer did not know each other and there was no quarrel between them.

He said that Tulloch had been "set up" by McKenzie-Jackson, who was described as "troubled", to stab Junior.

Detective Chief Inspector Charles King said: "This death illustrates the terrible consequences of the casual acceptance that knives have a part to play in minor disputes between young people."

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Five Arrested In Triple Murder Inquiry

Police are linking the suspected murders of two men found at the side of a country road with that of a man found stabbed to death in a ditch last weekend.

The pair were discovered by a member of the public close to the Cambridgeshire village of Thorney on Wednesday morning.

They have been named as John Chapman, 56, and Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, both from Peterborough.

The other two bodies were found by a member of the public at Thorney Dyke

The men were found four days after Kevin Lee, 48, was discovered with stab wounds in a ditch six miles away by the A16 at Newborough, north of Peterborough.

Mr Lee was last seen at 2pm on Good Friday and reported missing at 10.40pm after his Ford Mondeo was found burnt out near a farm in Yaxley, south of Peterborough, that night. His body was found on Saturday morning.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire police said the men found on Wednesday were in their 30s and 50s and that their deaths were being treated as murder.

Officers have arrested a 36-year-old man who has since been charged with perverting the course of justice, and a 47-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman are also in custody after being arrested in Hereford.

Meanwhile a 32-year-old man and a 23-year-old man who were arrested in connection with the murder of Mr Lee have now been released on bail.

In a statement to the public posted on YouTube, Detective Superintendent Jeff Hill said: "This inquiry is a priority for the force and we have a large team of detectives working on it.

"There will also be extra police officers out on patrol in the areas where the bodies were discovered. These events are naturally very concerning and local people are understandably shocked by what has happened.

The body of Mr Lee was found near Newborough, six miles from Thorney

"However, the deaths are being linked and treated as part of the same isolated incident over the Easter weekend.

"I would like to stress there is no on-going risk to the public."

A statement released by Mr Lee's family said: "We are devastated by Kevin's death. He was a wonderful husband, father, loving brother and son.

"His naturally infectious personality touched everyone who knew him. He will be hugely missed by all his friends and family. We are struggling to come to terms with our tragic loss and we ask that we are left alone to grieve in private."

Cambridgeshire police investigating Mr Lee's death have confirmed they are liaising with West Mercia detectives investigating the attempted murder of two people found with stab wounds in Hereford on Tuesday.

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Children's Heart Unit Could Reopen Next Week

Children's heart surgery could resume at Leeds General Infirmary as early as next week.

Operations were suspended last week because of claims the children's cardiac unit had a death rate double the average.

But medical bodies and doctors have questioned the accuracy of the data, which they say was unverified and not fit to base the decision on.

Sir Bruce Keogh said the priority must be the safety of children

This weekend five health agencies will work together with a view to restarting surgery as soon as possible - on condition concerns about patient safety can be alleviated.

In a statement, Leeds NHS Trust said: "Following a meeting to review the decision to suspend surgery at Leeds, agreement was reached to work together to restart surgery on the site early next week subject to independent assurance of concerns raised.

"The meeting involved NHS England, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the NHS Trust Development Authority, and the Care Quality Commission.

"Over the course of the weekend all agencies will work together to provide sufficient assurance to all interested parties that this service is safe and can therefore re-open next week.

After the closure a week ago, Sir Bruce Keogh, the medical director of NHS England, said: "The trust has taken a highly responsible precautionary step.

"It is absolutely right not to take any risks while these matters are being looked into. The priority must be the safety of children."

Following the decision to work towards early opening next week, Maggie Boyle, chief executive of the Trust, said: "I am extremely confident that this service is safe and effective and should recommence at the earliest opportunity.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he supported the decision to restart children's heart surgery at the infirmary, though he added it should be "safe and sustainable".

A Department of Health spokesperson said in a statement: "The key consideration must always be patient safety. We support NHS England and the Trust in their decision to suspend surgery last week on the basis that there were serious concerns that needed to be investigated.

"If the Trust and the regulators are content that these concerns can now be explained or addressed then we would support a joint decision to resume surgery."

Parents had criticised the timing of the unit's suspension, which came 24 hours after a High Court judge ruled that a decision to close it as part of a reorganisation of services was "legally flawed".

But they also expressed relief that the unit was to reopen.

Jon Arnold's daughter Zoe had life-saving surgery at the unit when she was three weeks old.

He said: "There's been massive support from the parents and families for the unit, and this decision confirms what we thought about the quality of care all along.

"My daughter had fantastic care at the unit.

"It was difficult to understand as a parent how they could have shut the ward so swiftly on the basis of unverified data. It left parents feeling very confused about what to believe and what was best for their child."

But Anne Keatley-Clarke, chief executive of the Children's Heart Federation, said it was right to suspend surgery until doubts about safety could be addressed.

"There are a lot of families that are very worried there about what is going to happen with their children," she said.

She added that people were frightened about raising concerns about hospitals in the area while their children were still receiving care as they feared repercussions from the Trust and on social media.

"Once the unit is reopened then a lot of the families will have a lot of questions that need to be answered about the manner in which it closed," she said.

"The main thing is that babies and families that need urgent treatment can now get it on the unit without having to be shipped across the country to any available bed space."

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HMV Rescue Saves 141 Stores And 2,500 Jobs

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

HMV's future as a high street retailer has been salvaged in a £50m deal that secures 2,500 jobs on Britain's beleaguered high streets.

Hilco, a restructuring firm, confirmed on Friday morning that it had struck an agreement with Deloitte, the administrator to HMV, to rescue the retailer.

The deal, which was revealed exclusively by Sky News on Thursday night, will keep 141 shops open, including 25 which had already been earmarked for closure by Deloitte. All nine of the Fopp-branded shops are included in the transaction.

While that represents little more than half of HMV's UK stores that were open before it called in administrators in January, it represents a more optimistic outcome for the chain than many analysts had predicted.

Hilco acquired HMV's Canadian operations two years ago, since when the performance of the business has surpassed expectations.

Paul McGowan, Hilco chief executive, said the deal had the backing of key HMV suppliers and landlords.

He said: "We hope to replicate some of the success we have had in the Canadian market with the HMV Canada business which we acquired almost two years ago and which is now trading strongly.

"The structural differences in the markets and the higher level of competition in the UK will prove additional challenges for the UK business but we believe it has a successful future ahead of it."

Mr McGowan will become chairman of HMV, with two other Hilco executives taking key roles with the retailer.

HMV had been weighed down by a mountain of debt, allied to a combination of waning consumer confidence and intense pressure from supermarkets encroaching on its entertainment retailing turf, as well as the rapid rise of low-cost digital rivals.

Hilco said it would abandon a recently-introduced practice of selling tablets and other digital devices, using the space instead for an expanded music and visual entertainment range.

Ian Topping, one of the Hilco executives who will be involved in running HMV, said: "The reaction of the British public to the administration of HMV shows a strong desire for the business to continue to trade and we hope to play a constructive part in delivering that."

Hilco also confirmed that it would seek to re-establish a presence for HMV in Ireland.

Nick Edwards, joint administrator at Deloitte, said the deal "provides a solid financial footing on which the business can be taken forward".

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Ed Balls Admits Speeding On Motorway

Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls has admitted speeding - and that he was caught "bang to rights".

He said he was travelling 56mph in a 50mph zone on the M62 motorway in his West Yorkshire constituency when he triggered a trap.

The MP for Morley and Outwood was fined and chose to attend a speed awareness class this week rather than accept penalty points on his licence.

Joking that he had been going "too far, too fast" - a favourite attack line against the coalition Government's austerity measures - Mr Balls owned up to the offence while raising the issue of speed awareness on his blog.

"Like many local people, I was caught out by the never-ending roadworks on the M62. Pulling on to the motorway at Morley I realised too late that the speed restrictions were still in place," the Labour MP wrote.

"I was caught and bang to rights - doing 56 in a 50 mile restriction zone. Going too far, too fast, you might say.

"I paid my fine and chose to attend a speed awareness course. I currently have no points on my licence and would like to keep it that way. Which is why, this week, I ended up in the Holiday Inn with 39 others.

"The course was very professional and actually really worthwhile. What hit home were the statistics which link speed to car deaths. At 20mph, less than 10% of people will lose their lives if hit by a car. But the probability rises exponentially, going above 40% at 40mph.

"Our course instructors explained that casualty rates have fallen over the past decade, as drivers have become more aware and car design has improved. The worrying thing is that this trend has started to reverse in recent years."

Mr Balls insisted the experience had reinforced his determination to get more 20mph zones on busy roads in the area.

Last month, he told Sky News "the law is the law" when asked about the conviction of former Cabinet minister Chris Huhne, who was jailed for eight months after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice by asking his wife to take speeding points for him in 2003.

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Hate Crime: Goths, Punks And Emos Recognised

Emo, Goth And Punk Explained

Updated: 1:15pm UK, Thursday 04 April 2013

A look at what defines goths, emos and punks as Greater Manchester Police becomes the first force in the country to officially recognise hate crimes against such sub-cultures.

GMP says it recognises alternative sub-culture as a broad term to define a strong sense of collective identity and a set of group-specific values and tastes. This typically centres on distinctive style, clothing, make up, body art and music preference. Those involved usually stand out to both fellow participants and to those outside the group.

According to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, cultures such as goths, emos, and punks are largely peaceful by definition, and are more interested in music, alternative fashion and niche media than intimidation.

:: EMO

Described as the "new goth" when it started to become a trend in the early 2000s, emo is a youth movement based around dark music, dark clothing and a sometimes darker view of the world. Emos are typically perceived to be angsty or depressed but this is not always the case, according to the Emo Rawr website, which says: "Emo is a meshing of the punk and goth cultures with a twist, gathering its music influences more from the punk side of things and the fashion style more from the gothic side of things."

Emo fashion is characterised by skinny jeans, tight t-shirts, studded belts, canvas sneakers, thick glasses and dark zip-hoodies. They wear less black than goths and often have a long fringe.

Emo music, described as "punk with emotion", has been made popular by bands such as My Chemical Romance, whose album The Black Parade topped the charts, Bullet for My Valentine and Jimmy Eat World.

:: GOTH

Many stereotypes exist of dark, depressed and even evil teenagers who are all about death, pretension and angst. They typically always wear black clothing, or white but never other colours, and have dyed black hair, black nails, white face make-up and black lipstick and eyeliner.

However, Goth.net says: "There is no specific thing that defines what you need to do or be to fit into the goth scene (except, of course, the implied black clothing).

"People in the goth scene all have different musical tastes, follow different religions, have different occupations, hobbies, and fashion sense."

The modern goth movement started in the early 1980s as part of the punk subculture.

:: PUNK

Punk evolved from the 1970s music phenomenon. The sub-culture is made up of those considered to have rejected things considered part of society's 'norms' and those thought to often hold anarchist political views.

The look is characterised by piercings, tattoos, Dr Marten boots and multi-coloured Mohawks.

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Stockton House Fire: Investigation As Two Die

An elderly couple have been killed in a house fire in Carlton near Stockton-on-Tees, emergency workers have said.

The man and woman, understood to be 90 and 88-years-old respectively, died when the fire ripped through a property on Thorpe Road. The road was closed off and an investigation is under way.

The woman is said to have been bed-bound but the man, who virtually acted as her carer, was quite active. They were well-known in the village and the man was often seen by locals on his bicycle.

The house faces The Smiths Arms pub. The landlord, Mike Davis, told Sky News he was woken up at about 5 o'clock this morning by "huge numbers" of fire engines, police and noise and smoke from the blaze.

He added: "Because it's a small village it was something that was extremely powerful. I never realised at that time that two elderly people perished.

" ... This is a really tight-knit community ... it's a lovely village with great people, they are extremely close to each other. These two people will be a loss."  

The fire caused the guttering on the house to melt

Cleveland Fire Service group manager Steve Walton described it as "a very severe fire".

"There has been significant damage to the property," he said, adding that the damage was particularly bad in the top right hand side of the house, where they believe the fire may have started.

Fire engines from Stockton, Thornaby and Middlesbrough stations attended the scene with 20 firefighters in total. Some 12 crew members went inside the house to tackle the blaze and retrieve the couple from an upstairs room.

It is thought one of the pair may initially have been alive but was unable to be resuscitated by ambulance crews. Results of their post-mortems are not yet known.

The fire brigade is conducting a joint investigation with the police into the fire.

But the blaze was so severe that the authorities have not yet been able to go back into the building because of concerns over its structural stability.

Further damage from the fire

The fire was reported to police just after 5am and fire crews did not leave the scene until about 8.45am.

Cleveland Police said their investigation was in its very early stages but at the moment officers do not believe the fire was started under suspicious circumstances.

Pensioner Joan Richardson, who lives near the property, said the community would pull together.

She said: "Everybody is quite shocked.

"You don't expect this in a small rural village. It is a very friendly village, everybody speaks to everybody, it is a good community.

"Everbody will pull together whatever the circumstances.

"People are very caring, it's a very good young community, there is a good cross section.

"I am amazed I didn't hear it it."

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Fire Deaths: Philpotts And Friend Jailed

Mick Philpott has been described in court as "the driving force" behind a fire that killed six of his children, as he was sentenced to life in prison.

"Shameless Mick", as he was known on his estate, was told by the trial judge at Nottingham Crown Court that he must serve a minimum of 15 years behind bars for the deaths.

Mrs Justice Kate Thirlwall also said he was a "disturbingly dangerous man" with "no moral compass", adding: "Your guiding principle is what Mick Philpott wants, Mick Philpott gets."

The 56-year-old defendant looked down at the floor as the judge handed down the life term.

He did not show any emotion until his wife Mairead, 32, was also sentenced over their children's deaths.

He started wiping tears from his eyes and she wept as she was jailed for 17 years and was told she would serve half of that.

Their friend Paul Mosley, 46, received the same sentence as Mairead. He showed no emotion.

Back (L-R) Duwayne and John, Front (L-R) Jack, Jessie, Jade and Jayden

After sentencing, family members in the public gallery applauded. One shouted: "Die, Mick, die", while another said: "See you, Mairead. Hope you enjoy life on your own". A third person called out: "Your own babies".

In response, Mick Philpott smiled and made an obscene hand gesture - sticking two fingers up - as he was led from the dock.

The trio were found guilty of six counts of manslaughter - one for each of the victims - on Tuesday.

The defendants were convicted of killing Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, Jayden, five, and Duwayne, 13, in the blaze at the family home in Derby last May.

Mrs Justice Thirlwall told the trio they were all responsible for the deaths and she had "not the slightest doubt" that Mick Philpott was "the driving force" behind the plot.

He shook his head as the judge outlined his previous violent relationships, including when he stabbed a former girlfriend 13 times.

The blackened bathroom of the Philpott's house after the fire. (Pic: CPS)

She said he used that attempted murder conviction as a way of controlling other women.

Philpott treated women as his "chattels", the judge told him, adding: "You barked orders and they would obey. You were the kingpin, No-one else mattered."

Dawn Bestwick, his sister, told reporters outside court that justice had been done for the children. She said: "Victory to them. They've gone down. That's it."

Mick Philpott lived in a council house, claimed thousands of pounds in benefit and refused to get a job.

Chancellor George Osborne said the case highlighted the need for reform of the benefits system, as he questioned why taxpayers were funding "lifestyles like that".

Mr Osborne said Philpott was responsible for his "absolutely horrendous" crimes, but said there was a "question for government and for society" about the benefits that allowed Philpott to live the way he did.

Philpott and Mairead started the fire in the early hours of May 11, pouring petrol in the hallway of the property.

Together with Mosley, they planned that Philpott should break in by the back door and rescue the children.

But the plot went wrong as fire ripped through the three-bedroom council house in Victoria Road with temperatures reaching 500C.

The judge described the plot as "a wicked and dangerous plan" that was "outside the comprehension of any right-thinking person".

The three defendants had devised the plan to frame Lisa Willis, Philpott's former girlfriend.

Philpott was fighting a custody battle with Miss Willis, 29, who had lived with the couple and slept with Philpott on alternate nights while living at the house.

The Philpotts gave a news conference following the blaze

Both women were said to have lived happily with one another for a decade but Miss Willis left Philpott three months before the deadly fire taking her five children, four of whom were fathered by him.

Philpott had become "obsessed" with Miss Willis and, after she left, did everything to get her back, said Mrs Justice Thirlwall.

She told him: "You could not stand the fact that she had crossed you. You were determined to make sure she came back and you began to put together your plan."

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Kate Meynell from Derbyshire Police said: "Six innocent children died as a result of the actions of their parents, the very people who should have protected them against danger. 

"The Philpotts and Paul Mosley showed no regard for the safety of the children and since the fire have shown no remorse for their actions.

"They have lied throughout the investigation and court case.  There were plenty of opportunities to admit their guilt but they never did and persisted with their denials.

The aftermath of the house fire

"This has been an incredibly tragic case to investigate and today's sentences bring this difficult inquiry to a close."

The judge was expected to sentence the trio on Wednesday but wanted more time to reflect after mitigation on behalf of the defendants. There were extra police officers on duty outside court.

On Wednesday, Philpott made obscene hand gestures from the dock as he was heckled by members of Mairead's family following his defence team's plea for leniency.

The taunting came after lawyers argued he was a "very good father" who had been "unable to grieve".

His barrister, Mr Anthony Orchard QC, urged the judge to pass the minimum sentence on him, saying the father of 17 children by five different women would "have to live with the hatred and hostility of the press and the public for the rest of his life".

He added that Philpott "faces hostility from other prisoners on a daily basis".

The defence teams of Mairead and Mosley also appealed for leniency as part of the mitigation process in the case.

Unemployed Philpott's criminal record was laid bare in court. It emerged he was on bail for a violent road rage incident at the time of the children's deaths.

A week before the fire he had appeared in court and admitted common assault but denied dangerous driving after punching another driver who he thought had pulled out in front of him at a roundabout.

The court was told the previous girlfriend he had stabbed 13 times was so badly hurt that she still has to take medication.

Mrs Justice Thirlwall heard how Philpott attacked Kim Hill in 1978, leaving her with a broken arm and finger.

He had also been given a police caution for slapping his wife and dragging her from their home by the hair.

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Ovenden Sex Case: Tate Removes Artist's Work

The Tate has removed several works by artist Graham Ovenden from the its online collection following his conviction for child sex offences.

The Tate owns 34 prints by the Cornish artist.

A spokeswoman for the gallery said: "Graham Ovenden is an artist of note, whose work has been widely shown over more than 40 years.

"However, following his conviction at Truro Crown Court, the Tate is seekng further information and is reviewing the online presentation of those editioned prints by him that are held in the national collection.

"Until this review is complete, the images will not be available online and the works will not be available to view by appointment."

The works were acquired in 1975, many from Mayfair art dealer the Waddington Galleries, which exhibited Ovenden's work in the early 1970s.

Many of the 34 works, dating from 1970-1975, depict children.

One of the prints that has been taken off the site is a screenprint that features an image of a young naked child.

Ovenden was found guilty of six charges of indecency with a child and one allegation of indecent assault by a jury on Tuesday.

He was acquitted of two indecent assaults and the jury earlier found Ovenden not guilty of three charges of indecent assault on the direction of the judge, Graham Cottle.

Ovenden had denied all the charges relating to four children between 1972 and 1985.

Sentencing was adjourned until a later date and Ovenden, who lives near Bodmin Moor, was released on bail.

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Prince William Kiss Too Much For Glasgow Girl

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

A four-year-old girl waited all day to ask Prince William, who is on a visit to Scotland, to give him a kiss - but as he offered one, she was too shy and turned away.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge began a two-day trip to Scotland with a visit to Glasgow, where they toured the Emirates Arena, one of the sites of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Outside, four-year-old Shona waited with her family to get a glimpse of the royal couple.

Her mother Karen Ritchie said Shona had waited all morning to ask William for a kiss.

"We've been here waiting since nine," Mrs Ritchie said.

"But when she finally plucked up the courage to ask him, she got really shy and pulled away.

As he leaned in to kiss her on the forehead she pulled away and got really shy."

William and Kate arrive in Glasgow

Kate, dressed in a tartan coat and nearly six months pregnant, chatted with Games mascot Clyde and its creator.

It emerged that the cheeky thistle mascot had earlier asked if he could pat Kate's bump.

The couple also visited the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, where they watched riders in a practice session.

Later, Prince William will make a Skype video web call to two homeless Scottish people in the Netherlands.

He will chat on-line to Dylan Howie and Lyn Buchan who are taking part in an exchange programme run by the Glasgow-based project for rough sleepers.

The royals look at 2014 Commonwealth Games mascot Clyde

"It's just amazing that I will get a chance to speak to the Duke of Cambridge. It's brilliant, I'm very excited," said Mr Howie, who first stayed at the Stopover project in 2011 when he was just 16.

"The past year has been really tough for me - but since coming to Quarriers' Stopover my life has been turned around."

The homeless pair from Glasgow are on a work experience placement in the Dutch town of Papendrecht as part of the charity's initiative run with Dutch partner Werkcenter.

The Duke has long had a keen interest in tackling homelessness and is patron of Centrepoint, a charity that has been providing support and care for rough sleepers for decades.

Kate is pregnant with the couple's first child

At the Donald Dewar Leisure Centre in Drumchapel the couple will launch a new Scottish pilot project for their foundation, which aims to inspire and train the next generation of young sports coaches.

The trip will also see William and Kate visit Dumfries House, where they will team up with Prince Charles, and BAE systems in Barrow-in-Furness.

When in Scotland William and Kate are known as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn, titles given to them by the Queen to mark their marriage.

North of the border Prince Charles is also known under a different title: the Duke of Rothesay.

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Iain Banks Announces He Has 'Months' To Live

Best-selling author Iain Banks has announced he has cancer and only several months to live.

In a statement posted on his website, the 59-year-old Scottish novelist revealed he is in the final stages of gall-bladder cancer and is unlikely to live "beyond a year".

"I am officially Very Poorly," he says. "After a couple of surgical procedures, I am gradually recovering from jaundice caused by a blocked bile duct, but that - it turns out - is the least of my problems.

Banks is considered to be among the 50 greatest British writers since 1945

"I have cancer. It started in my gall bladder, has infected both lobes of my liver and probably also my pancreas and some lymph nodes.

"The bottom line, now, I'm afraid, is that as a late stage gall bladder cancer patient, I'm expected to live for 'several months' and it's extremely unlikely I'll live beyond a year.

"So it looks like my latest novel, The Quarry, will be my last."

Mr Banks writes mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks, and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, which includes the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies.

Enthusiasts of his work took to Twitter to express their sadness and share memories of some of his best remembered novels.

In 2008, The Times said Mr Banks belonged in their list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.

Some of his best-known works include The Wasp Factory, published in 1984, and Complicity, published in 1993, which was later made into the film Retribution in 2000.

His statement announced he had withdrawn from all planned public engagements and that his publishers were doing all they could to bring the publication date of The Quarry forward.

He also announced his intention to marry.

"I've asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow (sorry - but we find ghoulish humour helps). By the time this goes out we'll be married and on a short honeymoon".

Mr Banks revealed he was weighing up the possibility of undergoing treatment in an attempt to prolong the time he has left to live.

"There is a possibility that it might be worth undergoing a course of chemotherapy to extend the amount of time available," he said.

"However, that is still something we're balancing the pros and cons of, and, anyway, it is out of the question until my jaundice has further and significantly, reduced."

A website is to be set up where friends, family and fans will be able to leave messages for the author.

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Derby Fire: Philpotts Face Jail Over Deaths

Mick Philpott, who killed six children by setting fire to his home, stabbed a previous girlfriend 13 times, injuring her so badly she still has to take medication, a court has heard.

Philpott's criminal record was laid out in front of a judge at Nottingham Crown Court, who will tomorow sentence him and his partner, Mairead, for the manslaughter of their six children.

Mrs Justice Kate Thirlwall heard how Philpott attacked Kim Hill in 1978 leaving her severely injured with a broken arm and finger.

He had also been given a police caution for slapping Mairead and dragging her from their home by her hair.

But his barrister, Mr Anthony Orchard QC urged that the judge should pass the minimum sentence on Philpott on the grounds that he was a "good father", who had lost his children.

Back (L-R) Duwayne and John, Front (L-R) Jack, Jessie, Jade and Jayden

He said that the father of 17 children by five different women would "have to live with the hatred and hostility of the press and the public for the rest of his life".

He added that Philpott "faces hostility from other prisoners on a daily basis".

Philpott and his partner Mairead, 32, started the blaze at their Derby home in the early hours of May 11, pouring petrol in the hallway of the property.

Mick Philpott tried to frame his former partner over the blaze

Together with their friend Paul Mosley, 46, who will also be sentenced tomorrow, they planned that Philpott should break in by the back door and rescue the children.

But the plot went wrong and fire ripped through the three-bedroom council house in Victoria Road, Derby, with temperatures reaching 500C.

Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, aged eight, Jesse, six, Jayden, five, and 13-year-old Duwayne, all died.

The three had devised the plan in a bid to frame Lisa Willis, Philpott's former girlfriend.

Philpott was fighting a custody battle with Miss Willis, 29, who had lived with the couple and slept with Philpott on alternate nights while living at the house.

Paul Mosley helped the Philpotts with their deadly plan

Both women were said to have lived happily with one another for a decade but Miss Willis left Philpott three months before the deadly fire taking her five children, four of whom were fathered by him.

In mitigation at court today, Mr Orchard said that the fire had gone "disastrously wrong" because it spread too quickly.

However, the judge countered that even if the children had been saved by Philpott, as intended, the experience would still have been terrifying.

She said: "If the plan had been successful the effect on the children would have been this, would it not - they would have been awoken in their beds with their house on fire and their father coming in to rescue them."

The judge said that she was troubled by Philpott's attitude to women and pointed out that there had been violence in every one of his relationships.

Mairead Philpott does not have a 'heart of stone', says barrister

She heard that Mairead had devoted her life to bringing up the children and that they were "happy children" despite their unusual living arrangements.

Her barrister, Sean Smith QC, told the court Mairead "is not a woman who has a heart of stone, her grief is overwhelming".

He said Mairead had spent 12-and-a-half of her 32 years with Philpott and realised it was "utter folly" to stay with him but that she "would do whatever he said, whatever he wanted".

Mr Smith said that she "will be forever known as a child killer" and even when released from prison she would never be able to have children or be involved with children.

After the mitigation speeches for each defendant had finished there were obscene gestures made by relatives of Mairead Philpott towards Mick Philpott in the dock.

He responded by making hand gestures himself before being led away by a team of security guards ahead of sentencing at 3pm.

Temperatures inside the house reached 500C

Jurors at Nottingham Crown Court returned guilty verdicts on manslaughter charges for the pair and co-defendant Mosley, 46, on Tuesday after an eight-week trial.

Upon their conviction, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill, of Derbyshire Police, revealed how he suspected Philpott as he watched his reactions during a press conference.

He said that officers had been surprised when Philpott wanted to speak to the media five days after fire.

Mr Cotterill said his misgivings were betrayed in a single photograph, taken as he sat alongside Mick, and his wife Mairead.

He said: "In one particular photograph, what I saw there was a guy who was sat there pretending to cry and I've described it as a bit of a sham of a performance and I didn't believe that he was genuinely overcome by grief.

"I thought he was playing to the cameras."

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill's disbelief captured on camera

Philpott became known as Shameless Mick for a lifestyle, which saw him take charge of some £2,000 a month in benefits, and claim he needed a bigger council home in which to house his vast family.

His propensity for cashing in on the welfare state propelled him on to television screens in a documentary with Ann Widdecombe and on the Jeremy Kyle Show.

But the role he played in the devastating fire on May 11 that led to allegations he was "acting".

Brothers Jamie and Darren Butler, who live on the same road as the Philpotts, told Sky News how the Philpotts did nothing to help rescue their children and stood like "a couple of statues".

Jamie said: "You watch Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale all the time, and you can see people are acting, because they get paid to act. That's exactly what he was doing, he wasn't being paid for it, but he was acting. There was no emotion, he was motionless, there was nothing."

Even as Philpott went to see the bodies of the dead children at Derby Royal Hospital he attempted to keep up the act.

Mortuary manager Marie Smith described how Philpott had pretended to faint when he saw his children's bodies for the first time.

She said he also asked for alcohol and engaged in horseplay with a police liaison officer days after the tragedy while bemused staff looked on.

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Nobel Peace Prize Taken In Newcastle Burglary

A gold Nobel Peace Prize awarded in the 1930s has been stolen from the Lord Mayor's Mansion House in Newcastle.

The thieves who broke into the building's cellar also made off with a lock of hair from Admiral Lord Collingwood and antique silverware.

The items were valued at around £150,000, Northumbria Police said.

The Nobel prize was awarded in 1934 to former foreign secretary Arthur Henderson for his work on international disarmament.

Police appealed for help tracking down the items, which were stolen in Jesmond on Monday night.

Newcastle Temporary Superintendent Bruce Storey said: "The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 93 times to 124 Nobel Laureates between 1901 and 2012 and so the stolen item is extremely rare, recognisable and historically important."

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First Charges In Savile Sex Investigation

A man is to be charged as part of the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal - the first charges under Operation Yewtree.

Driver David Smith will be charged with five sex offences including two of indecent assault on a boy under 14 in 1984 and two of gross indecency on a boy under 14 at the same time. 

The CPS says he was a driver for a number of organisations but he was not Jimmy Savile's driver.

The BBC has acknowledged he was employed by them on occasions and would transport guests for the Corporation.

Alison Saunders, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London, said: "The CPS has carefully considered the evidence gathered as part of Operation Yewtree in relation to David Smith, who was employed as a driver at the time of the allegations.

"The CPS received a file of evidence on December 21 2012. Further enquiries were necessary and the result of those enquiries was received by the CPS on March 18.

"We have concluded, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, and that it is in the public interest for David Smith to be charged with five offences."

Smith, who was arrested in December last year, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on May 8.

Savile's record of abuse is thought to be unprecedented - with 28 alleged victims being boys and girls aged under 10. However, many of the TV star's accusers only came forward after his death.

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Joss Stone: Two Guilty Of Plot To Kill Singer

A jury has found two men guilty of plotting to rob and kill pop singer Joss Stone.

Kevin Liverpool, aged 35, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 10 years and eight months.

The sentencing of his co-accused, Junior Bradshaw, 32, was ajourned.

The pair, of St Stephen's Close, Longsight, in Manchester, harboured a deep hatred for the soul artist, the three-week trial at Exeter Crown Court heard.

They were convicted of conspiring to rob and kill the star before planning to dump her body in a river last summer.

The pair set off from their home in Manchester with a samurai sword, knives, bags and gloves crammed in their Fiat Punto, bound for Miss Stone's address in mid-Devon.

Some of the weapons found and presented as evidence in the trial

However, their plan to rob and kill Miss Stone - whose birth name is Jocelyn Stoker - was fraught with problems.

They became lost around seven miles from Miss Stone's home and stopped to ask postman Alex Greening for directions to  the property in Ashill, showing him a map with handwritten notes on it, as well as a picture of the 25-year-old celebrity.

The pair had earlier been stopped by police at the M5 Michaelwood services in Gloucestershire at 5am after their Punto crashed into metal railings and a digger.

Officers thought the car was too badly damaged to be driven and left - but the pair continued their journey south.

They were arrested on June 13, 2011, a few miles from Miss Stone's home when concerned local residents - spotting their crash-damaged car - called police.

The damaged Fiat Punto

The suspicious uniformed PCs discovered Bradshaw did not have a driving licence and arrested him.

They searched the Punto and found a stash of weapons, including a black-handled samurai sword, three knives, a section of garden hosepipe, two hammers, black gloves and balaclavas.

A further holdall contained a metal spike, black bags and black tape. There were also print outs of AA routefinder maps from Manchester to Devon.

Notes made by Liverpool - who was branded a fantasist by his own lawyer - found in the car and his flat in Manchester included references to robbing, killing and beheading the singer.

Rambling hand-written diaries were also discovered, in which he highlighted the need to buy a semi-automatic gun, a silencer, infra red sights and a "ninja" sword.

He called Miss Stone "princess" and other entries referred to "Jocelyn RIP - try to get info. Rob and kill". They also referred to her as a "She devil in flesh".

Giving evidence to the court, Miss Stone admitted there was lax security at her home, but said she only learned of the plot against her from police.

"I had an alarm but I did not really turn it on very much. I didn't really have a lock on my door ... But I do now."

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Teenager Shot Dead In North London Named

A 19-year-old man who died after he was shot in the chest in north London has been named.

Mohammed Hussein was found collapsed in Bounces Road, Edmonton at around 9.45pm on Monday.

Paramedics battled for half an hour to save him but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jordan Simbananiye, 18, said: "At first I thought it was a firework, but then, when I looked out of the window and saw all the police and paramedics, I realised someone had been shot.

"They spent about 20 or 30 minutes trying to resuscitate him but then after about half an hour they put a blanket over him. Blood was just pouring out of him - it was shocking."

A police tent at the scene

Another witness Alexandra Koohi, 21, said she heard shouting and then shots an hour later.

She said: "I heard lots of shouting outside the kebab shop, then an hour later I was in my bedroom and I heard two shots.

"I looked out of my window and the guy was lying on the floor and there was blood everywhere."

She ran with a neighbour to help and said she saw three men running away after the shooting.

A third resident, who did not want to be named, said: "Earlier in the night a group of guys chased after the victim, who was in a car with a mate, and smashed a window.

"He then came back later and that's when the shooting happened. He was with three of his friends and I think they ran off when he was shot."

Detective Chief Inspector John Sandlin said: "I am appealing for anyone who was in the vicinity of Bounces Road or Walbrook House at 9.45pm to help us with our investigation."

Scotland Yard said a post-mortem will take place later today.

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Graham Ovenden: Artist Guilty Of Sex Offences

An internationally famous artist has been convicted of sex offences against young children who modelled for him in the 1970s and 1980s.

Graham Ovenden, 70, was found guilty of six charges of indecency with a child and one of indecent assault, by a jury at Truro Crown Court in Cornwall.

He was acquitted of five other charges of indecent assault.

Ovenden, who was not in court for the verdicts due to illness, denied all the charges relating to four children between 1972 and 1985.

Christopher Quinlan QC, defending, told Judge Graham Cottle that Ovenden was resting at home having received treatment at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.

The incidents are said to have taken place at Ovenden's former and current addresses, in London and Cornwall, respectively.

Ovenden had been described in court by prosecutor Ramsay Quaife as "a paedophile", who abused children while they modelled for him.

The four victims contacted police long after the abuse is alleged to have taken place, and only when they realised exactly what had happened to them as girls, the court heard.

But Ovenden denied the abuse ever happened. He told the court he had taken pictures of children - including those in various states of undress - but said they were not indecent.

He described himself in court as a modest man, but told police he had a "major reputation" for creating "some of the best portraits of children in the last 200 years".

He also described the "witch-hunt" against those who produce work involving naked children, accusing police of "falsifying" images recovered from his home computer.

Ovenden, of Barley Splatt, near Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, denied having a sexual interest in children.

The judge adjourned sentence on a date to be fixed but told counsel the hearing would take place at Plymouth Crown Court.

Ovenden was released on bail.

A former pupil of pop artist Sir Peter Blake, Ovenden graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1968.

He has had exhibitions at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

In 1975 he founded the artistic movement the Brotherhood of Ruralists - artists who had left the city to live in the countryside.

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Windermere Boat Deaths: Engine Investigated

A faulty boat generator may have been responsible for the deaths of a mother and her daughter from suspected gas poisoning.

Kelly Webster, 36, and her daughter Lauren Thornton, 10,  from Leyland in Lancashire, died after eating lunch on the 25ft cruiser during an Easter holiday trip.

Cumbria Police said that "all signs" indicated that carbon monoxide poisoning was responsible for the deaths and said they were looking at a potential fault with a generator fitted to the boat's engine.

The boat was moored at Bowness when the family suffered breathing problems

Mrs Webster and her daughter were regular visitors to the area along with her partner, Matthew Eteson, who owned the boat, and had arrived at the lake on Easter Sunday.

On Monday, the three took the boat out and moored at Bowness before going to get some lunch then returning to eat it and falling asleep.

Emergency services were called at 4pm and paramedics tried to save the mother and daughter, who were air lifted to Royal Lancaster Infirmary, but they died in the hospital.

Emergency services at the scene (Pic: Josh Kynaston)

Mr Eteson, 39, who is the director of Preston Energi, a heating and plumbing company, was also taken to hospital for treatment and has since been released.

Detective Inspector Mike Brown, of Cumbria Police, said they were investigating whether the generator, which was added to the boat after manufacture, was the cause of the tragedy.

He said: "We cannot fully establish with any degree of certainty that that is the cause of any gas leak but that certainly looks to be a possibility.

"So we are looking at that and how that has been fitted and looking at it with experts that know how these things work and what could potentially go wrong."

The family were airlifted to hospital (Pic: Josh Kynaston)

A number of floral tributes have been left outside Mrs Webster's Leyland home and messages have been posted on Facebook.

David Hampson posted: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Matt, Kelly and Lauren, what a tragedy, they had such happy plans for their future together.

"To think a £20.00 CO monitor would have saved their lives. I will buy one today."

The scene of the tragedy

Ross Bullough wrote: "God bless Kelly and Lauren, rest in peace such a shame. And Matt we are all hoping you get better soon."

Josh Kynaston, who witnessed the emergency response, said crews had spent some time trying to locate the boat on the jetty.

He said: "They were trying to find the problem boat. Once they had found it, all the medics were out, all the fire brigade, all the police and they were trying to get to them as soon as possible because they knew straight away what what up, that they knew there was a problem with some gas leakage."

Boat Safety Scheme, a public safety organisation, said: "Each year boaters die or are made seriously ill from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Boats are built to keep water out, but this also makes them good containers for gases and fumes."

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Benefits: Osborne Defends Welfare Shake-Up

George Osborne has robustly defended the Government's controversial benefits shake-up - insisting Britain can no longer afford to reward people who do the "wrong thing".

Speaking at a supermarket distribution centre in Kent, the Chancellor condemned the old system as "fundamentally broken" and warned Labour that they were out of step with public opinion on the issue.

Mr Osborne insisted that nine out of 10 working households will be better off as a result of the welfare and tax changes.

He said people in Britain understood that the welfare system needed to change.

"In 2010 alone, payments to working age families cost £90bn," he said.

"That means about one in every £6 of tax that working people like you pay was going on working age benefits. To put that into perspective - that's more than we spend on our schools."

He pledged to make sure people were better off in work than out, thereby making the system much "fairer". Changes, such as cutting housing benefit for social housing tenants deemed to have a spare bedroom, were simply asking people on welfare to take the same choices as working families, he said.

Mr Osborne: People will no longer be better off on the dole than in work

The Chancellor told the Morrisons workers: "For too long, we've had a system where people who did the right thing - who get up in the morning and work hard - felt penalised for it, while people who did the wrong thing got rewarded for it.

"That's wrong ... This month we will make work pay.

"What this Government is trying to do is to put things right. We're trying to make the system fair on people like you, who get up, go to work, and expect your taxes to be spent wisely.

"And we're trying to restore hope in those communities who have been let down by generations of politicians, by getting them back into work."

Wider welfare and tax changes coming into force this month will also see council tax benefit funding cut, and working-age benefits and tax credit rises pegged at 1% - well below inflation - for three years.

Disability living allowance is being replaced by the personal independence payment (Pip), while trials are due to begin in four London boroughs of a £500-a-week cap on household benefits, and of the new universal credit system.

Critics of the Government's housing benefit reforms call it a 'bedroom tax'

Mr Osborne dismissed "depressingly predictable outrage" about the reforms, claiming they would help the most vulnerable and "give people a ladder out of poverty".

He said: "Because defending every line item of welfare spending isn't credible in the current economic environment.

"Because defending benefits that trap people in poverty and penalise work is defending the indefensible.

"The benefit system is broken. It penalises those who try to do the right thing and the British people badly want it fixed.

"We agree - and those who don't are on the wrong side of the British public."

But shadow chancellor Ed Balls told Sky News that "the truth" was that households were losing out because of the reforms.

Citing an independent study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies showing the average family would be £891 worse off this year as a result of all the coalition's changes since 2010, he added: "Working families are worse off and now the Government is cutting the top rate of income tax only for the richest people.

"A millionaires' tax cut paid for by millions of working people. That's not fair, that's not right."

Mr Duncan Smith has been urged to prove a claim he could live on £53 a week

Changes that mean the rate for top-rate taxpayers has been reduced from 50% to 45% also come into effect this month.

Sky News Deputy Political Editor Joey Jones said Mr Osborne's speech was "combative" and "aggressive".

"He has not apologised for the stance he is taking," he said.

It came a day after Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, the architect of the reforms, was facing a a growing backlash after suggesting that he could get by on £53 a week, rather than his current after-tax income of £1,600 a week.

In the wake of the comment in a radio interview, tens of thousands of people have signed a petition on the change.org website, calling for the minister to try surviving on that money for a year.

During his speech on Tuesday Mr Osborne refused to be drawn on whether he could manage on £53 a week. In response to a question, he said: "I don't think it's sensible to reduce this debate to one individual's state of circumstances.

"We have a welfare system where there are lots of benefits available to people on very low incomes. 

"This debate is not about any individual, it's about creating a welfare system that rewards work."

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Mick And Mairead Philpott Guilty Over Fire Deaths

Mick Philpott and his wife Mairead have been found guilty of the manslaughter of six children in a fire at their house in Derby.

Their friend Paul Mosley was also convicted of manslaughter over the petrol-fuelled blaze that engulfed the semi-detached house at Allenton, Derby in May last year.

Shortly after the convictions were read out the court was cleared following an outburst.

Mick Philpott, 56, was attempting to frame his ex-mistress and win custody of his other offspring.

But as a jury at Nottingham Crown Court was told "the plan went horribly wrong".

Five youngsters died in their beds, another died in hospital three days later.

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Welfare Reforms 'Will Make Benefits Fairer'

The Government is beginning the biggest shake-up in the history of the Welfare State with the introduction of a raft of reforms which it says will make the benefits system "fairer".

Chancellor George Osborne and Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith have dismissed criticism that they say makes the shake-up sound like "the beginning of the end of the world".

From today, 660,000 social housing tenants with a spare room began to lose an average £14 a week in what critics have dubbed a "bedroom tax".

It is part of a package of welfare and tax changes coming into force this month which critics claim will hit poor families and the disabled particularly hard.

Mr Duncan Smith said the changes were about "getting some fairness in the system".

An overhaul to council tax benefit will see bills for an estimated 2.4 million households rise an average £138 a year, with two million paying for the first time, an anti-poverty group said. Administration of the benefit has been handed to town halls to operate, but with a 10% funding cut.

On April 6, working-age benefits and tax credits will be cut in real terms with the first of three years of maximum 1% rises - well below the present rate of inflation.

On April 8, disability living allowance begins to be replaced by the personal independence payment (Pip), which charities say will remove support from many in real need.

And later in the month, trials begin in four London boroughs of a £500-a-week cap on any household's benefits and of the new universal credit system.

George Osborne says the benefits system will now be 'fairer' for all

Pilots for the flagship scheme have been scaled back amid reports - denied by welfare officials - that IT problems have derailed preparations for its roll-out from October.

Labour claims the impact of the measures and other coalition policies have left the average family almost £900 a year worse off.

A coalition of churches has said vulnerable people are paying a "disproportionate price" for the Government's austerity drive and attacked its whole approach.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Osborne and Mr Duncan Smith said: "Our changes will ensure that the welfare state offers the right help to those who need it, and is fair to those who pay for it."

Ending what ministers call a "spare room subsidy" will address the "scandal" of a million people living in overcrowded conditions and millions more on waiting lists, they said.

The three-year, real-terms cut was a hard but "necessary" decision to save the taxpayer £2bn a year as part of austerity deficit-reduction measures, they wrote.

And raising the personal income tax allowance to £10,000 in two phases starting at the start of the financial year on Saturday was "the biggest tax cut in a generation".

"What we're doing this coming week is making welfare fairer, helping to create jobs, and making sure you can keep more of what you earn."

Mr Duncan Smith has drawn some criticism for saying he could survive on £7.57 per day - the amount given to to one benefits claimant who was interviewed by the BBC. The Work and Pensions Secretary told BBC Radio Four's Today programme he could live on £53 a week if he "had to".

Mr Shapps has defended his plans for children to share bedrooms

It came after Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps faced scorn after using the fact that his own two sons shared a room in trying to justify the "common sense" spare room crackdown.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Shapps said: "It is wrong to leave people out in the cold with effectively no roof over their heads because the taxpayer is paying for rooms which aren't in use.

"It's just a common-sense reform which in the end will help house more people. People share rooms quite commonly - my boys share a room."

Sky's political correspondent Sophy Ridge said his comments provoked jibes and criticism from Labour MPs and others on Twitter.

"The problem is the debate over welfare has become so politically charged, emotional even, that some Labour MPs are saying it is not appropriate for Mr Shapps, who is a millionaire, to compare themselves with people on low paid jobs for instance," she said.

Labour said freedom of information responses showed local councils had sufficient one and two-bedroom properties to house only one in 20 of those families with spare rooms.

Responses from 37 authorities across Britain revealed 96,041 households faced losing benefit but there were only 3,688 smaller homes available.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said: "These shocking new figures reveal the big lie behind this Government's cruel bedroom tax.

"They say it's not a tax but 96% of people have nowhere to move to. In the same week that millionaires get a huge tax cut, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people will be hit by a vicious tax they can't escape.

"This wicked bedroom tax is going to rip neighbour from neighbour, force vulnerable people to food banks and loan sharks, and end up costing Britain more than it saves as tenants are forced to go homeless or move into the expensive private rented sector."

:: Changes to the way NHS budgets are controlled are also being introduced from April 1, with the controversial health reforms seeing responsibility for commissioning care transferred from primary care trusts to groups made up of doctors and other clinicians.

And the legal aid system is also being overhauled, with the number of people who qualify cut by 75% and areas including custody battles, divorce and employment law affected.

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Guildford Station Murder Probe: Tributes Paid

Tributes have been paid to a 22-year-old man who died when he was hit by a train after a confrontation at a railway station.

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the victim, named locally as Ryan Harrison, suffered fatal injuries at Guildford Station, in Surrey, on Saturday night.

A short time earlier Mr Harrison, from Woking, Surrey, was with a friend when he became involved in an altercation with a number of other men.

Paramedics were called but Mr Harrison was pronounced dead at the scene.

His death is being treated as suspicious, British Transport Police said.

Friend Jake Lund wrote on Facebook: "Cant believe this has happened to such a nice person, rip Ryan."

Sarah Tuffs wrote on Twitter: "R.i.p Ryan harrison, you will be missed by so many, life is too short."

Amir Ahmed also wrote on Twitter: "RIP Ryan Harrison. Still in shock. Gone, but never forgotten."

Two 19-year-old men, from Guildford, were arrested at the scene while a third man, from Cranleigh, Surrey, handed himself into a Guildford police station later.

They all remain in custody.

Detective Chief Inspector Iain Miller, the senior investigating officer, said: "Our thoughts are very much with the man's family at this acutely difficult time for them.

"They're trying to come to terms with what has happened and at this stage, quite understandably, they have asked to be left alone to grieve."

The station was sealed off until the early hours of Sunday while forensics officers examined the scene.

Officers are hoping to recover footage from CCTV cameras, but they also want to hear from any witnesses at the station.

Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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David Miliband Quits Sunderland Over Di Canio

Sunderland's Hero Or Fascist Zero?

Updated: 12:49pm UK, Monday 01 April 2013

By Matt Teale, Sports Presenter

So, Paolo Di Canio, not Martin O'Neill, is the man to steer Sunderland to safety, according to the club's owner Ellis Short.

The timing of O'Neill's departure has baffled many, with his experienced head discarded in place of a manager whose biggest achievement to date is guiding Swindon Town to the League Two title last season.

To be fair to Mr Short, the recent stats under O'Neill don't look good: eight games without a win, one point above the relegation zone and only seven games to turn things around. Things, clearly, weren't working and time is something managers just aren't given any more - the cost of relegation is too high.

But the controversy over Di Canio's appointment goes far beyond his relative inexperience as a manager.

The club's vice-chairman, David Miliband MP, resigned his post almost as soon as the news came out in protest at the new manager's "past political statements".

Di Canio has self-confessed fascist sympathies, having been fined and banned for a game in 2005 by the Italian football authorities after making raised-arm salutes while playing for Lazio.

There was more controversy after describing fascist Italian leader Benito Mussolini as "basically misunderstood" in his autobiography.

But what, if anything, will all that matter to fans?

Not a lot, if former Sunderland player Darren Williams is to be believed.

He told Sky News Sunrise that if Di Canio can save Sunderland, the fans will see him as a hero, regardless of any views he holds.

His leadership style has been described by his former chief-executive at Swindon as "management by hand grenade".

Sunderland will certainly need to find some fire power if their Premier League status is to be maintained.

For Mr Short, who's been marshalling recent events from a beach, the appointment of Di Canio could either turn out to be a stroke of genius or one of the worst examples of preemptive panic button pressing in recent memory.

If it's the former, Di Canio's fascist sympathies, which, presumably, were present while he was at Swindon, may well be forgotten again. If it's the latter, Mr Short might consider staying on holiday in Hawaii.

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Ditch Stabbing: Man Found In Roadside Named

A man whose body was discovered in a roadside ditch has been named by police investigating his murder.

Kevin Lee, 48, was found by officers beside the A16 at Newborough, near Peterborough, on Saturday morning after a call from a member of the public.

A post-mortem found he had been stabbed.

Police are appealing for witnesses in the Newborough area

A 23-year-old man from Peterborough, arrested on Sunday night on suspicion of murder, has been released on bail until May 24.

Mr Lee, from the Fletton area, was last seen at 2pm on Good Friday and reported missing at 10.40pm that day, just after his metallic, light blue Mondeo was discovered burned out near a farm in Yaxley at about 9pm.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Brunning said officers were treating his death as an "isolated incident".

Police are keen to hear from anyone who was in Newborough area on Saturday morning or who may have seen the Mondeo estate being driven in the Yaxley area on Good Friday.

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Weather: Jet Stream Blamed For UK Cold Snap

As Britain leaves behind what looks to have been the coldest March for more than 50 years, forecasters are warning it will stay cold for another week at least.

Meteorologists are blaming the bad weather on the position of the jet stream, a narrow band of very strong winds which tends to move from west to east across the Atlantic, bringing our weather systems with it.

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "The jet stream is currently displaced well to the south of its usual position across the north Atlantic and Europe, located across the Azores, Spain and the Mediterranean.

"So the UK will remain stuck in the cold air to the north and it's set to stay cold for at least another week.

"Daytime highs during this first week of April will remain well below average (9C to 11C for early April) and as the easterly wind strengthens again it will feel bitterly cold. Some snow is still likely, too."

The jet stream is a band of strong winds at around 30,000 feet

However, she said that next week temperatures will start to pick up by several degrees.

"It is still a way off yet in terms of detail but the trend is there for something a little warmer with highs around the average, or even a little above. This is no April fool..."

The position of a jet stream varies within the natural fluctuations of the environment. They are caused by the temperature difference between tropical air masses around the equator and and polar air masses.

Experts argue about why the jet stream is out of position, but it could be caused by a combination of the reduction in Arctic sea ice over the last few decades, climate change, solar activity and natural variability within the climate.

The Met Office says the average temperatures between March 1 and 26 were just 2.5C (36.5F), three degrees below the long-term average.

This would make it the coldest March since 1962 and also the fourth coldest in the UK since records began in 1910.

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Archbishop Welby Warns Against 'Hero Culture'

The Archbishop of Canterbury has launched an attack on society's belief that things can improve through change without God, in his first Easter message.

The Most Rev Justin Welby warned against 'vain human optimism' in change as it would lead to cynicism, and only joyfulness through faith in God would lead to 'radical expectation in the future'.

Taking on the issues of the present he said that a sense that hero leaders could bring about improvement showed people had failed to learn the lessons of the Easter story.

The Archbishop told a congregation at Canterbury Cathedral: "I wonder how many people ... think that the future will be better than the past and all problems can be solved if we put our minds to it?

"It's a general sense, one in which most of our society works and it goes with the feeling that if that does not happen, then it ought to and if it doesn't happen, then someone must be doing something to stop it.

"Illusion is replaced by disappointment. And they are both equally wrong."

He said that the culture of the 'hero leader' was equally flawed.

The Most Rev Justin Welby arrives at Canterbury Cathedral

Mr Welby said: "A political party gets a new leader and three months later there is a comment about disappointment; an economy suffers the worst blow in generations with a debt crisis and economic downturn and the fact that not everything is perfect within five years is seen as total failure.

"Complexity and humanity are ignored. And we end up, at least in public perception, unreasonably disappointed with every institution, group and policy, from politicians to the NHS, from local government, education and the environment and the sense that there must be a conspiracy somewhere, if only we could spot it.

"Holy Week and Easter show us the reality of God and human beings. It is a reality that equips us for action in the world - action that is based on hope and realism, not on cynicism and fear.

"The disciples pinned all their hopes on Jesus as their leader and on Israel's leaders recognising him as such.

"They made a double mistake. As human beings we tend to live in the present. Societies that cling to the present, or some golden age in the past, fall prey to fear. And groups that cling to power, sink into oppression.

The Queen receives flowers from well-wishers after a service at Windsor

"As well as fear, a false view of people leads to hero leaders who always fail."

He said the solution was to: "Put not your trust in new leaders, better systems, new organisations or regulatory reorganisations. They may be good and well and necessary, but they will to some degree fail."

And that: "Assuming that any organisation is able to have such good systems that human failure will be eliminated is always naive. We have to know God as well as human beings or we are left with cynical despair."

Providing a possible sign of what his tenure as leader of the Anglican community will be like for the coming few years, he challenged media speculation that he could fix the Church's problems.

He said: "On Friday, a newspaper reported that only 40% of churchgoers ... are convinced that the new Archbishop of Canterbury can resolve the problems of the Church of England. Eat your heart out.

Princess Eugenie arrives for the Easter service at St George's Chapel

"I do hope that means that the other 60% thought the idea so barking mad that they didn't answer the question."

He said by disagreeing "gracefully", the Church could be beacon for others.

:: The Queen attended the traditional Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castle today with other members of the Royal Family.

She was joined by the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie for the Matins service at St George's Chapel, conducted by the Dean of Windsor, the Right Rev David Conner.

In Leicester, the day was especially memorable for a handful of people who were baptised outdoors as the UK was in the grip of one of the coldest Easters in living memory.

In all, seven men and women were fully submerged and baptised by the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens, today in a special service at the city's cathedral.

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Easter Sunday Is The Coldest On Record

This Easter Sunday was the coldest on record after temperatures fell to -12.5C in Braemar, central Scotland.

The previous coldest temperature for Easter Sunday was -9.8C recorded in 1986 after modern record-keeping began in 1960.

Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson said: "It looks like we've seen the coldest start to Easter Sunday on record, with an exceptional -12.5 Celsius recorded at Braemar.

"By some way, it beats the previous record which was set in 1986 at Lagganlia in Inverness-shire.

"In terms of the snowiest Easter, the greatest snow depth recorded stands at 33cm at Strathdearn in Inverness-shire on the April 3, 2010. At least this year, it was mainly dry."

However, snow remained on the ground in some areas as the cold weather kept it around.

Joanna Robinson added: "Further afield, the Mediterranean has seen a very unsettled Easter Weekend so far, with strong winds and heavy rain in places.

"On the whole, March has been very cold across a large part of Europe, and it's set to become the coldest in more than 50 years for the UK.

"As we move into April, below average temperatures are expected to continue across the UK for at least the first week. Most places will be dry though, with some sunshine."

Braemar is the third coldest low-lying place in the UK with an average temperature of 6.81C. The little village has broken UK weather records twice before, with lows of -27.2C recorded on two occasions.

But despite today's record, winter temperatures in Braemar are relatively warm when compared to places of the same latitude (such as Moscow) due to much of Britain's weather being controlled by the Gulf Stream.

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Belfast Pizza Delivery Shooting Victim Named

A pizza delivery man shot dead outside a Domino's takeaway in Belfast has been named as Kieran McManus, aged 26.

He is understood to have been hit twice during the attack at Kennedy Way in the west of the city on Saturday night.

DCI Karen Baxter from the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: "What we know is that at 11.20pm last night Kieran was with a number of friends when he was shot at short range by what we believe was a lone gunman.

"We are asking for anyone with information, who was in and around the pizza place last night to come forward.

Mr McManus was taken to hospital after the attack but died a short time later.

DCI Baxter added: "Kieran was known to police, however what I would say is that nothing justifies the brutal attack on Kieran and the death of a young man.

"Today we have, on Easter Sunday, a mother mourning the loss of her son and I think this is a very sad state of affairs."

Asked if the shooting could have been a sectarian attack, she said: "We haven't ruled out any motives at this stage, it is much too early."

Police have also appealed for information about a dark red Vauxhall Astra found near the scene.

Paul Maskey, Sinn Fein MP for West Belfast, condemned the perpetrators of the fatal shooting.

He said: "My thoughts are with the family of the young man murdered on Kennedy Way."

 Mr Maskey said: "Those who carried out this shooting should be ashamed of themselves.

"People are shocked that this is the Easter holiday period and people were in good form and someone last night was willing to go out and take the life of another individual."

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Glencoe Avalanche: Rescue Teams Find Body

Police searching for a skier missing after an avalanche struck near Glencoe in Scotland have found a body.

Daniel Maddox, from Clackmannanshire, was skiing in an off-piste area behind Glencoe Ski Centre with his friend when the avalanche struck at about 1pm yesterday.

The 41-year-old, who was said to be an experienced skier, was swept away and buried under the snow.

About 30 people from Glencoe and Lochaber mountain rescue teams, police, the mountain resort's ski patrol and a helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth all helped with the operation in the Etive Glades.

The avalanche was the second serious incident at Glencoe this year

John Grieve, leader of Glencoe Mountain Team, said the avalanche travelled about 1,000ft down the rocky face of the slope.

"The avalanche has actually gone into a gully, and in some places the snow is about 40ft deep," he said. "It's not like a normal ski slope where it is mainly smooth and straight. There are a lot of rocks around and it is more dangerous."

The missing skier's friend was not thought to have been hurt in the incident.

More follows...

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Policewoman Sues Man Who Called 999

A man who dialled 999 fearing a burglary at his petrol station is being sued by the policewoman who answered the call because she fell on the premises.

The officer, Kelly Jones, tripped over a kerbstone when she went to the station in Thetford, Norfolk, owned by Steve Jones last August.

Her lawyers say she was hurt and argue that he failed to keep her safe while she was investigating the possible break-in.

Mr Jones says the move raises bigger questions about Britain's culture of compensation.

"I think it's the compensation culture gone a little too far, this is one step too far. Something needs to be done.

"I feel we need a minister of the common sense in this country," he told Sky News.

Mr Jones said he felt "astounded, worried, slightly anxious" upon receiving notification of the lawsuit last week.

"It's implying that I virtually should have done her job for her, it's implying I didn't keep her safe on my premises," Mr Jones said.

"We really need the police to be on our side right now," he added, citing what he says is an increased numbers of shoplifters or people who drive off without paying after filling up the tank.

The kerb at the Norfolk petrol station where the incident occurred

Ms Jones could not immediately be reached.

But Norfolk Police said in a statement that they had been "wholly unaware of this litigation which appears to be instigated privately by the individual officer".

The statement added: "We have a duty of care to any officer injured whilst on duty, to support their continued health and well-being and fitness to return to work. Officers can, in addition, receive further support from their staff association, as well as pursuing private treatment."

Mr Jones was called out late at night in August 25 after an alarm went off at the petrol station. Fearing a burglary, he called the police for backup.

"We were walking around to see if there had been any signs of entry in the premises and she tripped over the kerb," Mr Jones recalled.

"She got up and we carried on," he said, adding that the officer did not mention anything at the time and that she seemed to be "more embarrassed than hurt".

There was no burglary so Mr Jones said he didn't think about the incident until receiving the letter months later.

The lawsuit said the policewoman had suffered wrist and leg injuries.

Mr Jones received the letter months after the incident

Her lawyers say the area was not properly lit. Mr Jones counters that some lights were on and some more light was coming from a back street.

If successful, the claim could put people off calling emergency services. But Mr Jones said this was an isolated incident.

"On the whole the police do a great job."

The Police Federation said in a statement that "the Constables Central Committee is funding this particular case and the decision making for this lies with them."

It said most officers have public protection rather than any potential risk to themselves as their top priority.

It added: "On occasion private prosecutions and civil claims are made by police officers - and they must be treated each on their own merits.

"However, we share the public view that policing is a job that carries with it a reasonable amount of risk, at times much higher than that."

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