Thatcher's Ironclad Funeral Plans Revealed

Baroness Thatcher left instructions that the current prime minister should give a reading at her funeral, it has been reported.

Britain's first and only female PM will be given a ceremonial funeral with full military honours at St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday, which will be attended by the Queen.

It is the same status as that accorded to the Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales, although some Tories want a full state ceremony.

Her friends and family indicated that Lady Thatcher said she did not want such treatment; she did not want to lie in state and thought a fly-past would be a waste of money.

But there were far more details left by Lady Thatcher on how she thought her memorial service should be carried out, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Mark Thatcher greets his sister Carol as she arrives at their mother's home

They were said to include the choice of hymns - among them the patriotic I Vow to Thee, My Country - and readings from the Bible.

She specified that the prime minister at the time of her death should read a lesson from the Gospels.

Her choice of reading was John 14.1, which says: "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.

"I go to prepare a place for you."

Another lesson will be read by Lady Thatcher's 19-year-old granddaughter Amanda, the Telegraph said.

The service will also include readings from the Book of Common Prayer, including the burial prayer that begins: "Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live and is full of misery. He cometh up and is cut down like a flower."

The service will be held at St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday

There will be the traditional reading for meeting the body arriving at a church, which begins: "I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord. He that believeth in me, yea, though he were dead, yet shall he live."

Among the other hymns selected by Lady Thatcher are John Bunyan's To Be A Pilgrim and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.

It has also been announced that MPs and peers will be able to pay their respects to Lady Thatcher in Parliament's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft on the eve of her funeral.

The chapel will be open on Tuesday evening so members and staff from both Houses can visit the former prime minister's coffin.

Around 100 people, mainly family members and MPs, will also be invited to a short service led by the Dean of Westminster welcoming Lady Thatcher's body.

A painting of Lady Thatcher in the Downing Street study

Downing Street said she requested her body rested overnight in the historic chapel, and the Queen had given her consent.

Meanwhile, on Friday evening, Lady Thatcher's daughter Carol arrived at her mother's home ahead of the funeral.

Miss Thatcher flew in from overseas and was driven to the Belgravia townhouse in central London, where she was greeted outside by her brother Sir Mark.

Earlier Sir Mark said his family has been overwhelmed by the messages of support, as well-wishers continued to leave floral tributes throughout the day outside the Chester Square property.

He said his mother would have been very proud to know the Queen would attend her funeral.

She will be accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, and other heads of state and foreign dignitaries from around the world are attending.

The Queen will attend Lady Thatcher's funeral

The Queen also went to Sir Winston Churchill's state ceremony in 1965.

The funeral plans were revealed as Downing Street released two collections of photographs on the Flickr website documenting Lady Thatcher's time in office and her lasting influence inside Number 10.

The photos show renovations she ordered during her time in power, while her third general election victory is featured with her giving a three-fingered salute outside Number 10.

Lady Thatcher died at The Ritz in central London on Monday morning after suffering a stroke. She had battled ill health for a number of years.

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Weather Turns As Spring Finally Starts

Spring is at last set to begin in earnest this weekend, with forecasters predicting temperatures of up to 20C (68F).

Sunday is expected to be the warmest day of the year so far after what has been a dismal and extended winter dogged by snow and freezing conditions.

Sunshine in the South East and East Anglia will deliver the highest temperatures, with weather in the North and West due to remain wet and cloudy.

But even there, temperatures will still be in double figures after months struggling to rise above freezing - with highs of 14C (57F).

Temperatures in most of England and Wales are not forecast to drop below 10C (50F) on Saturday night.

Supermarkets are bracing themselves for an increased demand for ice cream and barbecue meats, with Asda predicting a 50% surge in sales of sunglasses.

March was one of the coldest on record

Sky weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said SAturday would see some unsettled conditions that it would still feel warmer.

"Despite the rain and the strong winds, temperatures should be in double figures for most places today so feeling milder than recently," she said.

Looking ahead to Sunday, she added: "It is likely to stay dry and warm across parts of south-east England and East Anglia, ahead of the rain.

"Temperatures will be in double figures for most and across East Anglia and the London area we could see highs of 18-20C."

However, next week is set to bring an unsettled spell of spring weather, with bands of rain and showers moving across the UK.

The change in the weather is due to the jet stream, the narrow band of strong wind that moves weather systems around the globe, finally moving north.

It had been diverted south in recent weeks, making March one of the coldest on record and extending the winter for Britain.

Temperatures for last month were an average of 2.5C (36.5F), according to the Met Office, which makes it the coldest March since 1962.

It would also make it the fourth coldest March since records began in 1910.

Hundreds of farmers lost livestock in the snow, which hit just as spring lambs were being born across the country.

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Thatcher: Daughter Carol's Personal Tribute

Baroness Thatcher's daughter Carol has spoken of the "tough and tearful week" ahead as she prepares for the former prime minister's funeral.

Ms Thatcher spoke publicly about her mother's death for the first time as she appeared outside the ex-leader's home in London.

With her brother Mark standing behind her, she thanked those who had sent messages which she said had given her strength.

But she admitted that the days ahead and the funeral on Wednesday would be difficult "even for the daughter of the Iron Lady".

Ms Thatcher wore a black shawl and black trousers and clutched a pair of sunglasses as she delivered the statement.

Mark Thatcher, wife Sarah, Carol Thatcher and her boyfriend Marco Grass

She said: "I would just like to say that I feel like anyone else who has just lost a second parent. It's a deeply sad and rather thought-provoking moment in life.

"My mother once said to me: 'Carol, I think my place in history is assured'.

"The magnificent tributes this week, the wonderful words of President Obama, and others of colleagues who once worked alongside her, have proved her right."

She thanked those who had sent messages of "sympathy and support", adding: "These have given me strength.

However, she admitted: "But I know this is going to be a tough and tearful week, even for the daughter of the Iron Lady."

Carol Thatcher with her mother at Wimbledon ladies' singles finals in 2006

Lady Thatcher died at The Ritz last Monday after suffering a stroke. She had been staying at the hotel since January.

Ms Thatcher flew in from Switzerland with her boyfriend ski instructor Marco Grass on Friday night after spending some days grieving privately.

Her brother Mark arrived earlier in the week and spoke of how his mother would have been "humbled" that the Queen would be at her funeral.

Police, ministers and family representatives have been meeting regularly to finalise arrangements for the ceremony.

Operation True Blue, as it has been dubbed, will see a huge security presence amid fears of anti-Thatcher protests.

Lady Thatcher with her husband Denis and their children in 1976

It has emerged that the former politician left very specific instructions for the service, to which more than 2,000 people have been invited.

She chose the hymns - including I Vow To Thee My Country - and selected the Bible readings, according to the Daily Telegraph.

She reportedly also made clear that she wanted the current prime minister to read a lesson from the Gospels. Another lesson will be read by her granddaughter Amanda.

It is officially a ceremonial funeral but the Queen's presence effectively elevates it to a state ceremony.

She has broken with protocol by deciding to attend.

The last former prime minister's funeral the monarch went to was Sir Winston Churchill's in 1965 which was a state event.

Other guests will include Lady Thatcher's old Cabinet foes, former prime ministers, TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson and singer Dame Shirley Bassey.

Some key players - including former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan's wife Nancy - cannot attend.

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Five Dead In Crash Between Lorry And Car

Police have confirmed that five people who died in a head-on crash between a car and a lorry were from the same family.

The victims, who included a baby, were all from the Durham area, according to Humberside Police who are investigating.

Three of the family died at the scene after the smash on the A18 near Grimbsy on Friday lunchtime.

Two were taken to the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital but died later.

They had been on their way to a Butlins in Skegness with friends to take part in a dance competition.

Three ambulances and an air ambulance rushed to the spot in Laceby, which was then closed until late on Friday night.

The driver of the lorry - a light goods vehicle - is thought to have sustained minor injuries.

The accident happened on the A18 near Grimsby

A Humberside Police spokesman said: "Police officers investigating the serious collision which happened on the A18 near Laceby on Friday 12 April 2013 are now able to confirm that all five people who tragically died were from the same family who were from the Durham area.

"The family, which included a baby, are thought to have been driving to Skegness with friends when the collision happened."

Operations Superintendent Tracy Bradley said: "Our deepest thoughts go out to the family and friends of those who were tragically killed in this collision.

"We are working closely with relatives of those who lost their lives and are supporting them through what will be a very difficult time.

"Roads policing officers are working closely with our collision investigation team to piece together the evidence we have gathered in order to try and determine what led to this tragic incident taking place and took the lives of those travelling in the Nissan at the time.

"We have spoken to a number of key witnesses already, however, if anyone saw the incident but has not come forward I would ask them to do so."

The Grimsby stretch of the A18 featured in a BBC television programme, Britain's Most Dangerous Roads, in 2011.

The show, which aired two years ago, claimed the stretch of road was 25 times more dangerous than the average British motorway, with 20 crashes in the previous three years.

It was also found to be the UK's highest-risk stretch of road for car drivers in a nationwide survey conducted by the Road Safety Foundation in 2010.

After the crash, Jason Abrams, a golfer at the nearby Laceby Manor Golf Club, told ITV News: "All we know is that there's been four adults and one baby killed in the accident.

"It's a bendy road but people do go at a great lick along it. It's 60mph at the moment but the council are looking at changing it to 50 and hopefully this will make a difference.

"A car went into an articulated lorry. All we know is what the police have said - that the car tried to overtake something or the car hit a kerb which has sent it spinning out of control and obviously gone head-on into a lorry."

Chris Baron, resort director at Butlin's Skegness, said: "We are all shocked and stunned by this tragedy and our thoughts go out to the extended families of the victims.

"Our team at Skegness is offering support and assistance to the other competitors and their families. We are working closely with the dance competition organisers."

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Woman And Two Children Found Dead In Ruislip

Police are investigating after a woman and two children were found dead at a house in west London.

The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and two girls, aged nine and four, were discovered at a property in Midcroft, Ruislip, at 6.40pm on Friday.

Detectives from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command at Scotland Yard are investigating.

The deaths are currently being treated as unexplained.

Next of kin have been informed but the three have not yet been formally named.

The three were found dead in a house in Ruislip

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Baby P: Man Jailed Over Death Back In Prison

One of the three people jailed over the death of Baby Peter has been returned to prison two years after being released.

Jason Owen was sentenced to six years' jail for causing or allowing the death of 17-month-old Peter Connelly, but he was released halfway through his term in 2011.

The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that Owen has since been returned to custody, following reports he breached conditions of his parole.

A spokesperson told Sky News: "Public protection is our priority. Offenders released on licence are subject to a strict set of conditions and controls.

"If they fail to comply with their licence conditions, they are liable to be returned to custody."

Peter - known as Baby P during the trial over his death - died in 2007 after sustaining more than 50 injuries, including fractured ribs and a broken back at his home in north London.

Owen, of Bromley, Kent, was jailed along with Peter's mother Tracey Connelly and her boyfriend Steven Barker over the abuse.

Tracey Connelly and Steven Barker were also jailed over Baby Peter's death

Connelly and Barker remain in prison for their role in the toddler's death.

Owen - who is Barker's brother but changed his name after Peter died - had been staying at the boy's home with his 15-year-old girlfriend.

Peter suffered fatal injuries despite being on the at-risk register of Haringey Council and receiving 60 visits from social workers, police and health professionals during the final eight months of his life.

A series of reviews have identified missed opportunities when officials could have saved him if they had acted properly on the warning signs.

Owen was originally given an indeterminate punishment to protect the public, with a minimum term of three years, at the Old Bailey in May 2009.

But the Court of Appeal later ruled Owen should have an exact prison term and he was sentenced to six years.

In May 2009, Baby Peter's mother was also given an indefinite sentence with a minimum term of five years after pleading guilty to causing or allowing her son's death.

Barker, who Peter called "Dad", was sentenced to 12 years behind bars for playing what a judge described as a "major role" in the toddler's death.

He was also jailed for life with a minimum term of 10 years for raping a two-year-old girl.

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Shoppers 'Misled' By Copycat Packaging

Retailers are misleading shoppers into buying own-brand products which "borrow" elements from the packaging of well-known competitors, according to a watchdog.

A fifth of Which? members said they had accidentally bought a supermarket version of a favourite brand at least once with 60% of those saying the mistake left them feeling annoyed or misled.

The consumer group found more than 150 own-label products had mimicked the packaging of products such as McVitie's digestives, Kellogg's coco pops, Simple cleanser and wipes, Radox bath gel and Jacob's cream crackers.

Lurpak butter seemed to have "a recognisable own-label imitator" in most major supermarkets, Which? said.

Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Boots, Superdrug and Tesco were named for stocking such items.

Own-label products, which tend to be cheaper than brands, are becoming more popular among shoppers struggling with tightened finances and rising food prices, according to separate research from the group.

Its survey on own-brand packaging found 18% of members had deliberately bought an own-label product because it resembled the branded equivalent, with 60% of these shoppers doing so because it was cheaper and 59% wanting to see if it was as good.

But consumers looked upon own-brand products less favourably when they were confused by the packaging, with 38% of those who bought such a product by mistake saying it annoyed them and 30% reporting that they felt misled.

British Brands Group director John Noble said: "Our research shows that consumers are more likely to buy own-label products if they look like brands.

"Brands survive by being distinctive and standing out, and retailers are free-riding on brands' reputations.

"Currently in the UK there is little to stop a competitor packaging its product to look like a familiar brand, whether or not the product's performance is in any way similar.

"That can't be good if we want a market in which shoppers can make informed decisions at speed."

Boots said that colours could be synonymous with certain active ingredients and helped consumers find the right product, while Morrisons, Superdrug and Aldi all said retailers used the same colours as branded products to help customers find products quickly.

A Which? spokeswoman said: "Own-brand products can provide good value and several have topped our tests to become best buys.

"But retailers should make sure that people are under no illusions about what they are buying and not leave so many consumers feeling that they have been misled."

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Ex-Apprentice Winner Loses Sugar Job Case

Former Apprentice winner Stella English has lost her claim of constructive dismissal against millionaire businessman Lord Sugar.

Ms English, 34, sued the Labour peer after resigning from the £100,000-a-year job that was her prize for winning series six of the BBC1 show in 2010.

She had complained her role at Lord Sugar's Viglen division was that of an "overpaid lackey", which her former boss strongly denied.

Ms English also claimed the job was "a sham" and a "PR construct", a tribunal heard last month.

The businessman insisted he had no case to answer and that Ms English was a "chancer" and a "money-grabber" who brought the case with the intention of settling out of court.

"I'm afraid she underestimated me and her reputation is now in tatters," Lord Sugar said.

In a written judgment, tribunal judge John Warren said: "This was a claim which should never have been brought."

Ms English and Lord Sugar pictured after she won The Apprentice

Lord Sugar has now vowed to take on the so-called claim culture as a "personal crusade".

He said: "She picked on the wrong person here and I do hope that, apart from it being a victory for me, that other business people will start to realise they shouldn't succumb to this type of blackmail and they should fight it."

After winning the TV series, Ms English was given a job at Viglen, supplying IT equipment to academy schools.

But she claimed that when the business mogul told her he would not be renewing her contract she was given no choice but to resign.

Ms English, who quit Viglen in May 2011, said she had no real role there and was not taken seriously by her colleagues.

She said she did not feel like Lord Sugar's "apprentice" as she only saw him five times during her 13-month employment.

Ms English had fought back tears in court as she said she was given no guidance about what she was meant to be doing, and was "ostracised" by her colleagues.

She claimed her employment was a "sham" and that she had been relegated to administrative tasks.

Lord Sugar said Ms English tried to 'extract money' from him

Ms English, of Whitstable, Kent, also said she felt pressurised into taking up a new position at Lord Sugar's internet set-top box company YouView, but the tribunal panel said this was unfounded.

In September 2011, Ms English was told that her contract was not being renewed and she then quit.

However, the peer said at the time there was no long-term position available at YouView and that she had already made it clear she did not want to work at Viglen.

Lord Sugar said during the case that Ms English wrongly believed he was "scared" of articles about him or The Apprentice appearing in the press and that he would pay her off to avoid a hearing.

The tribunal judgment said it was made "abundantly clear" to Ms English that she would not be working directly under Lord Sugar.

It said she had the wrong idea about how glamorous, or otherwise, the role would be and that she had stated in her evidence that she believed previous winners of The Apprentice "had accompanied Lord Sugar in his private jet".

Lord Sugar said afterwards: "There was never a case for us to answer but her need for money and fame meant that the whole system was subjected to this charade.

"I have been cleared of a derisory attempt to smear my name and extract money from me.

"The allegations were without substance, and I believe this case was brought with one intention in mind - the presumption that I would not attend the tribunal, that I would not testify and that I would settle out of court, sending Ms English on her way with a tidy settlement."

He added: "This case was a sham and a total abuse of a tribunal system, which is there to protect employees who have been mistreated.

"It is not there to aid those chancing their arm at landing a big payday. I hope that other companies will learn from this example and also fight off derisory claims."

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'Hounslow Slasher' Jailed For Knife Attacks

By Siobhan Robbins, Sky News Reporter

A man dubbed the "Hounslow Slasher" after he knifed two women in random attacks in London has been jailed for 18 years.

Sasha Masamba, 21, from Hounslow, grabbed both women from behind before cutting them in random attacks 10 days apart last August.

He was sentenced at the Old Bailey for two offences of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm following the attacks on Kaja Zablocka, 19, and Deserilyn Aurelio, 26.

He had previously pleaded not guilty to attempted murder.

The knife wounds were near arteries and the victims could easily have died

Speaking in court, Bobby Cheema QC said Masamba was "every woman's nightmare, a man that arms himself with a knife, prowls around in public places waiting for a lone female to attack".

One reason for the length of the sentence was the apparent lack of motive behind the attacks.

On sentencing, Recorder of London Judge Brian Barker said: "This is a most disturbing case. Noticeably, there was no request for money or sexual intent. The deep concern is a lack of any rational explanation for these acts.

"The victims could easily have died because the knife wounds were near arteries."

After the sentencing, DCI Amanda Hargreaves said: "This lengthy sentence reflects the nature of the offences.

"Masamba was caught before he potentially killed someone, which I believe was only a matter of time."

Police later released a statement from one of the victims, in which Ms Aurelio said: "The night I was attacked it just felt like a small cut to my chin at first, but the next day I realised how serious it was and became more and more scared.

"I have lost my confidence and avoid being outside alone at night.

"I have an awful scar on my face, it is very visible on my chin, this is a constant reminder of the attack and how close I came to being killed.

"I am still waiting for plastic surgery on the scar so I can then hopefully begin to look at myself as normal again.

"I am still very self-conscious of the scar. People stare at it and often ask what happened. This always upsets me as it reminds me of that horrible night."

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Thatcher: Policeman Quits Over Tweets

A police officer who reportedly posted a series of offensive messages online following the death of Baroness Thatcher has resigned from the Met.

Sergeant Jeremy Scott, who worked in a back-office role for the Metropolitan Police, is understood to have written on Twitter that he hoped Lady Thatcher's death was "painful and degrading".

Scotland Yard confirmed Sergeant Scott had submitted his resignation and it was accepted with immediate effect.

Commander Allan Gibson added: "This officer's behaviour was completely unacceptable and it is right that he has resigned."

Under the Twitter handle @thinbluespeck, which has since been taken down, Sgt Scott said Baroness Thatcher's death was "87 years too late" and added that the world was a "better place".

He had also greeted "death parties" held after she died with the tweet: "Marvellous stuff! Margaret Thatcher's death greeted with street parties in Brixton and Glasgow."

Before resigning on Friday, Sgt Scott reported the matter to the Directorate of Professional Standards, which is responsible for investigating complaints against officers' professional conduct.

An example of one of the police officer's anti-Thatcher tweets

According to Sky News' Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt the 52-year-old officer was about to be suspended but quit his post instead. By doing so, he will keep his police pension.

His resignation comes after figures from Scotland Yard revealed that three police officers have been sacked for misusing social media over the past five years.

Allegations linked to the use of sites including Facebook and Twitter have been recorded against 75 Metropolitan Police officers since 2009, with 38 of the claims substantiated.

Prime Minister David Cameron has already branded some reaction to the death of Baroness Thatcher as "pretty distasteful".

As well as "death parties", an online anti-Thatcher campaign has driven sales of the Wizard of Oz song Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead to number four in the official chart.

Asked if he was disappointed about animosity towards the former prime minister, Mr Cameron said: "I think the overwhelming sense across the country ... is that we are mourning the loss of someone who gave a huge amount to this country, that was an extraordinary leader."

Meanwhile, a council leader has joked that his authority should fly a flag bearing "a happy smiling face" to mark Baroness Thatcher's funeral.

The comment in an internal email to Labour colleagues was made by Coventry City Council's leader, John Mutton, as they debated whether to lower the Union Flag to half-mast on Wednesday.

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Emo Teen Is First Sub-Culture Hate Crime Victim

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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Schoolgirl Tells Of Rapist's Threat To Film Her

An 11-year-old, who was abducted and raped in a park on her way home from school, has told how her attacker threatened he would film her and send it to her school.

The girl told how she was snatched as she walked home after getting off her bus in Enfield, north London, and subjected to a three-hour sex ordeal.

In a police interview played to jurors at the Old Bailey, the girl said she had tried to run away from her attacker but that he had grabbed her and dragged her into the park, threatening to stab her.

She said: "He kept saying 'Stop moving or I will stab you'.

"I tried to run away but then he grabbed me when I got to the pavement of the park entrance.

"I kept on saying 'stop' because it was hurting me and he kept saying 'shut up' to me. He was just saying it every time I spoke.

"When I was on the floor, he said he would film me and send it into my school.

"I was saying 'Get off me, get off me, stop'."

The youngster was recorded by police a week after the attack, in Jubilee Park, which resulted in her undergoing an operation for an injury.

Opemipo Jaji, 18, of Edmonton, north London, denies raping the girl in November last year, claiming he is a victim of mistaken identity.

He was arrested for the attack a few days later after CCTV was viewed and his bedroom searched.

A book was found about a little girl being sexually assaulted, ads for childcare vacancies and a picture of a little girl in Australia marked FC – a possible reference to Facebook.

There was also an article about missing April Jones, "the little girl who was taken", said Rosina Cottage QC, prosecuting.

Miss Cottage said Jaji had "an interest in pre-pubescent girls".

The previous year, Jaji had pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting and robbing another girl dressed in her school uniform.

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Magpies Urged To Hold Off Fascist Salutes

Newcastle United fans have been warned not to make fascist salutes to taunt Paolo Di Canio, the manager of rivals Sunderland.

The North East Premier League clubs meet on Sunday at St James' Park, with supporters from both sides relishing the chance to mock one another.

But police have warned them against using racist or offensive gestures during the derby match.

"Offensive gestures, particularly those with a suggestion of racist connotations, are completely unacceptable and we will take positive action against anyone seen acting in an offensive or racist manner," said chief superintendent Steve Neill, operations commander on the day.

"While some individuals may see this sort of behaviour as a means of poking fun at opposing fans - it is not a joke.

Di Canio insists he is not a racist

"Offensive behaviour can constitute a criminal offence and such behaviour is taken seriously.

"Football matches are routinely monitored by CCTV and, even if action is not taken during the match, it can be checked retrospectively and we have demonstrated on numerous previous occasions our ability to trace offenders and put them before the courts, which can lead to a criminal record and possible football banning order.

"I would urge fans to act responsibly and reflect upon the impact any form of disorder or offensive behaviour has on others, themselves, the reputation of both clubs and the North East."

Di Canio, 44, was fined and handed bans for making right-arm salutes to fans in 2005 when he was a Lazio player.

Since he joined Sunderland as Martin O'Neill's replacement, he issued a statement denying he was a racist, adding: "I do not support the ideology of fascism."

Di Canio's controversial appointment led former Foreign Secretary David Miliband to step down from Sunderland's board because of the Rome-born manager's "past political statements".

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Angelina Jolie Joins Hague At G8 In London

By Alistair Bunkall, Sky News Correspondent

The G8 group of leading countries has pledged to end sexual violence and rape in conflict in an historic announcement.

William Hague confirmed the agreement at a meeting of the G8 foreign ministers at Lancaster House in London.

He was joined by the actress Angelina Jolie who is a Special Envoy for the UN Human Rights Council, and Zainab Bangura, the Special Representative for the UN on sexual violence in conflict.

Mr Hague likened the crimes to the slave trade, saying rape in war zones is "one of the greatest and most persistent injustices in the world".

He added: "It is almost one of the most neglected."

The agreement will result in money pledged to fight the crimes.

Britain is providing £10m from the budgets of the Foreign Office and Department for International Development.

The pledge will make up part of the £23m package pledged by the G8 nations at the London meeting.

William Hague and Angelina Jolie in the Congo last month

The G8 has also agreed that there should be no amnesty for sexual violence in peace agreements, and committed to developing an international protocol to investigate such crimes.

Soldiers, who are sometimes the first to come across victims in conflict zones, will receive dedicated training to deal with such scenarios.

Mr Hague and Jolie have worked together on the agreement over the past year.

Last month they travelled together to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country with one of the worst records of rape as a weapon on conflict.

Speaking alongside Mr Hague in London, Jolie said: "International political will has been sorely lacking. But today I believe that their (the victims') voices have been heard, and that we finally have some hope to offer them."

Britain has pushed the issue as part of its presidency of the G8 and the Foreign Secretary has said he intends to take it further when the UK assumes Presidency of the UN Security Council in June.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening said: "Britain will not stand on the sidelines while so many are denied the chance to reach their full potential and live safe, happy lives.

"We know that girls and women are at their most vulnerable at times of conflict or humanitarian disaster but we need to know what works best to tackle the terrible, often sexual, violence they face."

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Criminal Inquiry Into Stafford Hospital Death

The Health and Safety Executive has launched a criminal inquiry into the death of a diabetic woman at Stafford Hospital in 2007.

Gillian Astbury died after slipping into a diabetic coma at the scandal-hit hospital.

An inquest into her death found that the failure to administer insulin to the 66-year-old amounted to a gross failure to provide basic care.

A spokesman for the HSE said the decision on whether to pursue a criminal investigation had been deferred until the conclusion of a public inquiry chaired by Robert Francis.

"We can now confirm that our inspectors have today formally started an investigation," the spokesman said.

"Our focus will be on establishing whether there is evidence of the employer (the trust) or individuals failing to comply with their responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act."

The report by Mr Francis highlighted "appalling and unnecessary suffering of hundreds of people" at the trust between 2005 and 2009.

As many as 1,200 patients may have died needlessly after they were "routinely neglected" at the hospital.

Robert Francis issued a scathing report earlier this year

Mrs Astbury, from Hednesford, Staffordshire, died in the early hours of April 11, 2007, while being treated for fractures to her arm and pelvis.

Jurors at the September 2010 inquest found that a contributory factor in her death was a systemic failure to provide adequate nursing facilities and low staffing levels.

In its verdict, the 10-member jury said that "there were serious shortcomings in systems and in implementation, monitoring and management of the systems in place.

"Nursing facilities were poor, staff levels were too low, training was poor, and record keeping and communications systems were poor and inadequately managed."

The inquest heard that Mrs Astbury's blood sugar levels were not properly monitored and insulin was not administered on the day before her death, despite being prescribed by doctors.

In a statement issued by the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, its director of quality and patient experience, Julie Hendry, apologised for what she said was the "appalling" and "dreadful" care Mrs Astbury received at the hospital.

"Mrs Astbury's death was reported as a serious untoward incident at the time and a full investigation into her care and treatment was carried out.

"The recommendations from that investigation were implemented," including improving information among staff, she said.

Ms Hendry said a 2010 review of the case had led to disciplinary action and pledged full co-operation with the HSE investigation.

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Weather: Temp To Hit 20C As Spring Comes

Spring will bloom next week as the cold snap that is winter's last blast moves away, according to forecasters.

Temperatures will reach up to 20C on Sunday in parts of the south and east and will get up to double figures across all of Britain after one of the coldest recorded Marches in history.

Sky News meteorologist Chris England said temperatures are set to rise next week as the jet stream steers away from the Atlantic. The narrow band of very strong winds, which moves weather systems around the globe, has been blamed for the recent bad weather.

He said: "It's going to turn warmer as the weather system comes over from the south but the downside is that there'll be rain and wind before we get there."

Billy Payne, a forecaster for the Press Association, said: "We are seeing change on the way through today, with heavy rain pushing north and bringing temperatures up with milder air before things get warmer next week.

"By Sunday and into Monday temperatures should be driving towards 20C in the south east and East Anglia, and double digits in Scotland and the north of England."

A car travels through the snow near Allenheads in Northumberland

The unseasonable weather has caused chaos for farmers, the transport network and homeowners throughout March and the Easter holiday.

In some parts of Britain, the continuously low temperatures have formed rarely seen ice formations.

Hundreds of farmers have lost livestock and wildlife is said to have been hit hard by weather that has left many animals struggling to find food.

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

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

The coldest March in the UK was in 1962, at 1.9C (35.4F), followed by 1947, 2.2C (35.9F), 1937, 2.4C (36.3F), and 1916 and 1917, 2.5C (36.5F).

Geoff Lee at an ice wall which has formed on Durham Dales

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Thatcher Funeral: Police Search Web For Threats

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent

Police are braced for potential threats to the Thatcher funeral from far-Left groups, obsessive individuals and Irish dissident republicans.

Detectives are scouring internet chatrooms and social media networks for any hint of planned demonstrations and trying to identify individuals who may pose a threat.

In the past police have made pre-emptive arrests, but sources suggest that is unlikely unless there is strong evidence of crimes about to be committed.

A source said: "Someone simply talking about a desire to cause trouble would not be enough to justify an arrest."

The Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC), a small group of police and psychiatrists,  is monitoring known Thatcher obsessives.

Magaret Thatcher was a very divisive figure

They are concerned about those with mental health  issues who have fallen through the care net.

Scotland Yard's counter-terror chief warned recently that dissident  republicans active in Northern Ireland continue to harbour ambitions to launch attacks on the UK mainland.

On the day of the funeral, thousands of uniformed officers will line the route to protect the cortege from any disruption.

Operation True Blue will involve officers from the Metropolitan force, the City of London and British Transport Police.

Some people celebrated news of Thatcher's death

The security details are being discussed and updated at daily meetings, though the broad plan was formulated more than a year ago.

Within minutes of the announcement of Baroness Thatcher's death on Monday, all new police leave applications were turned down.

Teams of mobile reserves will be on standby for any outbreak of violence, but there are no plans to bring in colleagues from outside London.

One major, unrelated police operation planned for the day of the funeral has been postponed to ensure the maximum number of officers is available.

Forces around the country are also preparing for potential demonstrations, after a wave of "death parties" on Monday night in Bristol, Liverpool, Glasgow and Northern Ireland.

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Prestatyn Fire: 'Accused Made Threats To Kill'

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent

The woman accused of starting a fire that killed two adults and three small children had made death threats, a court has heard.

Melanie Smith, 42, denies five counts of murder following the fatal house fire in Prestatyn, north Wales, on October 19, last year.

On the first day of the trial at Mold Crown Court, the jury heard how Smith, who lived in the flat below the victims, had "demonstrated anger and hostility" towards her neighbour Lee-Anna Shiers, 20. 

Five died in the fire on October 19, 2012

Jurors were told she had threatened to set the house on fire following a series of rows with Ms Shiers.  

The court also heard that Smith had accused Ms Shiers of having an affair with her partner.

Prosecuting Stephen Murphy QC said: "The prosecution says that the fire was deliberately started by the defendant who had been drinking heavily on that day and who, over a period of about two months leading up to the 19th October, had demonstrated anger and hostility towards Lee-Anna and also jealousy.

"It is the prosecution's case that on a number of occasions... the defendant made threats to or about Lee-Anna that she would "set your house on fire with you and your kids inside."

Ms Shiers, her four-year-old nephew Bailey and two-year-old niece Skye died in the blaze at their home.

Firefighters managed to rescue Ms Shiers' 15-month-old son Charlie and his father, Liam Trimble, 23, from their first-floor flat, but they both died later in hospital.

A recording was played to the court of Mr Trimble's desperate call to the emergency services. 

Firefighters were unable to save the family

He was heard shouting: "Help, help. Someone has put it on purpose, we're inside the flat... Oh my god, oh my god, we're gonna die."

The prosecution said Ms Shiers, trapped in an upstairs bedroom with the children, called her father, saying: "Dad, there's a fire downstairs, I can't get out."

Some jurors wiped away tears as the tapes were played and some members of the public gallery wept. 

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Thatcher Football Silence Idea 'A Disgrace'

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent

Calls for a minute's silence at football matches to mark the death of Margaret Thatcher have been dismissed as "a disgrace" by the Hillsborough Family Support Group.

Two Premier League chairmen, Reading's John Madejski and Wigan's Dave Whelan, have called for the former prime minister's death to be commemorated this weekend.

But Margaret Aspinall, chair of the group that campaigned for more than 20 years for justice for the 96 Liverpool fans who died in 1989, said it would be wholly inappropriate.

Monday sees the 24th anniversary of the disaster, and the first since an independent inquiry revealed the extent of a cover-up by South Yorkshire police that sought to blame Liverpool fans for the deaths.

Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan also wanted a minute's silence

The Hillsborough Independent Panel report, published last autumn, also revealed Lady Thatcher's reluctance to endorse criticism of the police despite the government being aware of "damning" evidence of their role.

Adding to sensitivities around the issue, Liverpool play at Madjeski's Reading on Saturday, where a minute's silence for the victims of Hillsborough is already planned.

Mrs Aspinall, whose teenage son James died in the tragedy, told Sky News a silence at any fixtures would be "an insult".

"I think if they have a minute's silence for her at any football ground it would be an insult to all fans. We all know that Margaret Thatcher was no friend of football, everyone knew her feelings," she said.

"I do not want to speak ill of the dead because we have to consider the feelings of her family, but she was part and parcel of what we [the bereaved families] have gone through.

"I think it is a disgrace that they would want to have a minute's silence for her, an absolute disgrace."

Margaret Aspinall (R) lost her son in the Hillsborough disaster

Despite Mr Madjeski and Mr Whelan's comments, the Premier League and the FA have said there will not be silences either at league fixtures or the two FA Cup semi-finals staged at Wembley.

An FA spokesman said there was "no precedent" for silences following the death of prime ministers and that it wanted the games to remain apolitical.

The FA and Premier League position has been endorsed by the Football Supporters' Federation.

Chairman Malcolm Clarke said: "We believe the football authorities have made the right decision in not holding minute's silences this weekend.

Margaret Thatcher's death has been recognised across the world

"I think that most fans will be more concerned with marking the Hillsborough anniversary than the passing of Margaret Thatcher."

Privately, the football authorities also doubt that any silence would be respected given the antipathy that existed between the Thatcher government and football during the 1980s.

She was in power when hooliganism was at its height but her attempts to curb it, most notably the football ID cards scheme, were deeply unpopular and eventually rejected.

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Teens Killed 85-Year-Old In Handbag Mugging

Two 15-year-olds have admitted killing an 85-year-old partially-sighted woman as they mugged her for her handbag.

Paula Castle, 85, fell to the ground after she was robbed in a west London alleyway for a handbag, which contained just a "small amount of money".

The teenagers used the cash to buy fast food and top up their mobile phones.

Mrs Castle, who was registered blind and lived alone, died in hospital from head injuries the following day, on November 20.

Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, told the Old Bailey: "This is a grave case. These two defendants accosted an 85-year-old woman, Paula Castle, in an alleyway in Greenford in order to rob her of what transpired to be a small amount of money and a bank card which was used in order to by some fast food and to charge mobile phones."

He said that Mrs Castle had been pushed from behind in the attack in Greenford and had fallen forwards and hit her face on the pavement.

The scene where Mrs Castle was mugged

The youths, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were due to go on trial charged with murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

They also admitted robbing Mrs Castle and a second woman, Rose Mohamed, 75, for her handbag, on November 20.

In explaining the decision to accept the pleas, Mr Edis said: "In reality this is a case it would appear whereby these two defendants have jointly used force against an 85-year-old woman who was entirely defenceless placing her further at risk of serious injury.

"But rather than intending to cause really serious injury, they simply did not care what happened to her, and in these circumstances we have taken the view to accept the pleas."

Mr Justice Fulford adjourned the case until sentencing on May 9.

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New Chocolate Recipe That Halves The Fat

Scientists have found a way to halve the fat content of chocolate without compromising the treat's silky texture.

New technology allows manufacturers to replace up to 50% of the fat with fruit juice, vitamin C, water or diet cola.

Stefan A. F. Bon, from the University of Warwick, said: "This approach maintains the things that make chocolate 'chocolatey', but with fruit juice instead of fat.

"Now we're hoping the food industry will take the next steps and use the technology to make tasty, lower-fat chocolate bars and other candy."

Lead scientists Stefan A. F. Bon (Credit: University of Warwick)

He said the juice is in the form of micro-bubbles - helping the chocolate to retain the velvety mouth-feel.

This process also prevents "sugar bloom", the white film that coats the surface of chocolate that has been on the shelf for a while.

A gelling agent called agar makes tiny "sponges" that displace fat.

The technology works with dark, milk and white chocolate, Dr Bon says.

His team at the University of Warwick has made chocolate infused with apple, orange and cranberry juice.

"Fruit juice-infused candy tastes like an exciting hybrid between traditional chocolate and a chocolate-juice confectionary," he said.

"Since the juice is spread out in the chocolate, it doesn't overpower the taste of the chocolate."

Dr Bon unveiled his research at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

Chocolate - an emulsion of cocoa butter and water or milk combined with cocoa powder - is generally seen as a healthy treat when enjoyed in moderation, but its high fat and sugar content is a downside.

A 60g serving of premium dark chocolate may contain 13 grams of fat - 20% of the total daily fat recommended for a person who eats 2,000 calories per day.

Scientists used apple, orange and cranberry juice

Much of that fat is saturated - the unhealthy variety.

Substituting fruit juice or cola also reduces the overall sugar content of the candy, Dr Bon said.

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Disability Benefits: New System Rolled Out

By Siobhan Robbins, Sky Reporter

A petition calling on Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith to live off £53 a week has been handed in to his office - as major changes to disability benefits are rolled out.

New claimants in parts of northern England will now receive Personal Independence Payments (PIP) in place of the old Disability Living Allowance (DLA), which critics say will leave many worse off.

The new system which includes face-to-face assessments and regular reviews will take at least two years to roll out across the country.

Iain Duncan Smith: Old system is "ridiculous"

Steven Sumpter from Worcestershire, who suffers from ME and diabetes so finds walking painful, told Sky News he was worried about the future.

Previously, to get disability benefit he had to prove he was unable to walk 50m, but that will be changed to 20m.

He said he fears in the future he will lose half of the money he receives and the subsidised car he relies on.

"It means every single trip to the shops and the doctor will turn into maybe three hours of effort and that will leave me in bed, exhausted and in pain for days afterwards," he said.

The Government insists DLA was outdated and the changes mean those who really need support will now receive it.

Mr Duncan Smith has described the previous system as "ridiculous".

"We've seen a rise in the run-up to PIP. And you know why? They know PIP has a health check. They want to get in early, get ahead of it. It's a case of 'get your claim in early'," he told the Daily Mail.

He added that rigorous new health checks for claimants were "common sense".

Some charities have already expressed concerns that it will mean 600,000 people miss out on support.

Chief Executive of Scope, Richard Hawkes, admitted changes were needed but claimed the Government was motivated by cost cutting.

"The Government has already announced how much the Disability Living Allowance budget is going to be reduced, they've already announced how many people are going to lose DLA and they're introducing a test which is going to provide them with the results they want to reduce those costs.

It'' not right, it's not fair," he told Sky News.

PIP will initially be introduced for new claimants in northwest England, Cumbria, Cheshire, northeast England and Merseyside.

Campaigners handing in the IDS petition at Caxton House, central London

Meanwhile, welfare reform campaigners have delivered a petition bearing 450,000 names to the Department of Work and Pensions.

Mr Duncan Smith was challenged to live on £53 a week after a market trader on a radio show said that was all he had to live on despite working 50 to 70 hours a week.

Asked whether he could live on £53 a week, the former army officer, who now earns around £1,600-a-week after tax replied: "If I had to I would."

The Cabinet minister has since dismissed the campaign as a "complete stunt".

Musician and part-time shop worker Dominic Aversano, who started the petition on campaigning website Change.org, said: "I don't think Mr Duncan Smith has a choice about whether to listen to the petition because so many people have signed it.

"I think it has changed the debate around welfare cuts. I was surprised because I didn't think we would have such a large response. I am delighted."

As well as the Personal Independence Payments, other reforms, including a below-inflation 1% cap on working-age benefits and tax credit rises for three years, have already come into force.

Around 660,000 social housing tenants deemed to have a spare room will lose an average of £14-a-week in what critics have dubbed a "bedroom tax".

Trials of a £500-a-week cap on household benefits are also due to begin in four London boroughs.

Chancellor George Osborne insisted on Sunday that the public was behind his changes to the benefits system.

Mr Osborne also said he felt "angry" that too much money was being "spent in the wrong way in our welfare system".

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Margaret Thatcher Dies: Tributes Pour In

How Thatcher Changed History

Updated: 3:51pm UK, Monday 08 April 2013

By Adam Boulton, Political Editor

Margaret Thatcher was Britain's first, and so far only, female Prime Minister. She was a transformative leader who reversed conventional wisdom that Great Britain's national decline was inevitable.

She will be remembered for curbing the trade unions, privatising state-owned industries, leading Britain to victory in the Falklands War, and as US President Ronald Reagan's staunch ally in confronting the Soviet Empire.

Mrs Thatcher is now ranked alongside Sir Winston Churchill (her hero) and Clement Attlee as one of Britain's most important 20th century prime ministers, but the "Iron Lady", as she was nicknamed, was a deeply divisive figure, openly hated by many, especially those from industrial heartlands, which she sent to the wall.

She ended her 11-year premiership quite literally in tears, thrown out not by the voters but by the very Conservative MPs she had led to three successive general election victories.

Margaret Hilda Roberts was born on October 13, 1925, the daughter of a grocer and alderman from Grantham in Lincolnshire. She idolised her father but seldom even mentioned her mother.

A clever and ambitious grammar school girl, she won a place at Oxford University to study chemistry, going on to work in industry as a research chemist - working in the team that invented Mr Whippy ice cream.

She had determined political ambitions as well, fighting Dartford for the Conservatives unsuccessfully in the 1950 and 1951 general elections.

Her consolation was to meet and marry Denis Thatcher, a prosperous businessman and Tory activist.

With typical efficiency, Mrs Thatcher gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, Mark and Carol. She did not enter parliament until 1959 as the member for Finchley, a North London constituency she held for 23 years until her retirement.

In 1967 Tory leader Edward Heath invited her to join his shadow cabinet and made her education secretary following his unexpected triumph over Harold Wilson in the 1970 general election.

The rising star told a television interviewer that she did not expect to see a woman prime minister in her lifetime but she attracted less favourable publicity when she cancelled free school milk, becoming known as Margaret Thatcher, Milk Snatcher.

Ted Heath lost the two elections in 1974 and was forced out as leader after a protracted period of party infighting.

Margaret Thatcher only stood against him after her mentor Sir Keith Joseph declined to run. An outsider in many ways, she was nonetheless elected Conservative Party Leader in 1975.

Prime Minister Callaghan took over from Wilson, but Labour's left-right tensions spilt over into protracted industrial unrest.

Mrs Thatcher stormed into Downing Street on May 4, 1979, following a Conservative election campaign which focused on the economic paralysis of the nation during the so-called Winter of Discontent.

On the steps of Number 10 she quoted St Francis and promised to bring unity. But the British economy plunged still further, unemployment trebled to more than three million. London and Liverpool suffered inner city riots.

After two years in office, Margaret Thatcher was one of the most unpopular Prime Ministers ever. She was rescued by Argentina's military junta in 1982.

Against the advice of her ministers and most military commanders she ordered a task force 3,000 miles into the South Atlantic to recapture the Falkland Islands from Argentine invaders. 

The Conservatives returned to power in the 1983 general election with an increased majority.

Mrs Thatcher moved on to confront what she called the "enemy within", eventually defeating a bitter and confrontational year-long miners' strike over pit closures, unwisely called by NUM leader Arthur Scargill without a ballot of his members.

Irish Republican terrorists murdered two of Mrs Thatcher's closest political colleagues Airey Neave and Ian Gow. And in October 1984 five friends and colleagues were killed when the IRA blew up the Grand Hotel in Brighton during the Conservative Party Conference.

Margaret, the wife of her close political ally Norman Tebbit, was among those victims crippled for life.

Yet a year later Mrs Thatcher and her counterpart Garret Fitzgerald signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which would ultimately provide the diplomatic basis for the end of The Troubles.

Mrs Thatcher also became a prominent and pugnacious figure on the world stage. She secured the rebate on Britain's contribution to the European Community and pressed for an open market.

Her decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Britain led to the Greenham Common protest but it was also part of the arms build-up which ultimately broke the Soviet Union and brought down the Iron Curtain.

Mrs Thatcher was quick to spot the new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev as "a man I can do business with". But for his two terms as American President Ronald Reagan was Mrs Thatcher's closest ally - on foreign affairs and on economic and social policy.

Her economic ideology was unswerving. She believed in a smaller state, lower taxes, self-reliance and people being left to spend "their own money".

Her government sold or "privatised" state-owned "nationalised" assets - first council houses then shares in gas, electricity, water and telecommunications and "the big bang" de-regulating banking and the City of London.

She won a third election in 1987 with another huge majority but like many long-serving successful leaders, she began to believe her own publicity, epitomised in her most famous quotation: "The Lady is not for turning".

Domineering and unwilling to listen, she alienated many of her ministers and MPs.

By now Michael Heseltine had resigned from government and established himself as a leader-in-waiting. He exploited growing discontent over two issues: the proposed Community Charge or Poll Tax, and hostility to Europe.

Anti-poll tax demonstrations brought some of the worst street violence in living memory.

Her stubborn opposition to further European integration provoked first the resignation of her chancellor Nigel Lawson, then, fatally, of her deputy prime minister Sir Geoffrey Howe.

She stood down in November 1990, after failing to secure the overwhelming support of MPs in yet another Heseltine-inspired leadership contest on the very night European leaders were celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall.

One of Prime Minister Thatcher's last achievements was persuading the new US President George Bush senior not to "go wobbly" following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.

Mr Heseltine failed to seize the crown and instead the Conservative party united around John Major, Thatcher's relatively obscure preferred successor.

In 1992, Mr Major led the Tories to victory over Neil Kinnock's Labour yet again.

In her retirement, the Queen made Mrs Thatcher a member of the Order of the Garter and appointed her Baroness in the House of Lords. Her husband Denis received a hereditary knighthood.

Sir John Major sometimes complained of "back seat driving" as the former PM relished the movie title "The Mummy Returns".

The next Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair never bothered to hide his admiration for her decisive style of leadership but there was widespread astonishment when the newly-elected Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown invited her back to Downing Street for tea in her honour.

More recently, Meryl Streep won an Oscar for a portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the Hollywood movie 'The Iron Lady'. But the film also depicted unflinchingly the politician's descent into senile dementia, hastened by the death of her beloved husband, Denis.

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Margaret Thatcher: Obituary Of 'Iron Lady'

By Adam Boulton, Political Editor

Margaret Thatcher was Britain's first, and so far only, female Prime Minister. She was a transformative leader who reversed conventional wisdom that Great Britain's national decline was inevitable.

She will be remembered for curbing the trade unions, privatising state-owned industries, leading Britain to victory in the Falklands War, and as US President Ronald Reagan's staunch ally in confronting the Soviet Empire.

Mrs Thatcher is now ranked alongside Sir Winston Churchill (her hero) and Clement Attlee as one of Britain's most important 20th century prime ministers, but the "Iron Lady", as she was nicknamed, was a deeply divisive figure, openly hated by many, especially those from industrial heartlands, which she sent to the wall.

She ended her 11-year premiership quite literally in tears, thrown out not by the voters but by the very Conservative MPs she had led to three successive general election victories.

Margaret Hilda Roberts was born on October 13, 1925, the daughter of a grocer and alderman from Grantham in Lincolnshire. She idolised her father but seldom even mentioned her mother.

A clever and ambitious grammar school girl, she won a place at Oxford University to study chemistry, going on to work in industry as a research chemist - working in the team that invented Mr Whippy ice cream.

She had determined political ambitions as well, fighting Dartford for the Conservatives unsuccessfully in the 1950 and 1951 general elections.

Her consolation was to meet and marry Denis Thatcher, a prosperous businessman and Tory activist.

With typical efficiency, Mrs Thatcher gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, Mark and Carol. She did not enter parliament until 1959 as the member for Finchley, a North London constituency she held for 23 years until her retirement.

In 1967 Tory leader Edward Heath invited her to join his shadow cabinet and made her education secretary following his unexpected triumph over Harold Wilson in the 1970 general election.

The rising star told a television interviewer that she did not expect to see a woman prime minister in her lifetime but she attracted less favourable publicity when she cancelled free school milk, becoming known as Margaret Thatcher, Milk Snatcher.

Ted Heath lost the two elections in 1974 and was forced out as leader after a protracted period of party infighting.

She became Conservative Party leader in 1975 and won the election in 1979

Margaret Thatcher only stood against him after her mentor Sir Keith Joseph declined to run. An outsider in many ways, she was nonetheless elected Conservative Party Leader in 1975.

Prime Minister Callaghan took over from Wilson, but Labour's left-right tensions spilt over into protracted industrial unrest.

Mrs Thatcher stormed into Downing Street on May 4, 1979, following a Conservative election campaign which focused on the economic paralysis of the nation during the so-called Winter of Discontent.

On the steps of Number 10 she quoted St Francis and promised to bring unity. But the British economy plunged still further, unemployment trebled to more than three million. London and Liverpool suffered inner city riots.

After two years in office, Margaret Thatcher was one of the most unpopular Prime Ministers ever. She was rescued by Argentina's military junta in 1982.

Against the advice of her ministers and most military commanders she ordered a task force 3,000 miles into the South Atlantic to recapture the Falkland Islands from Argentine invaders. 

The Conservatives returned to power in the 1983 general election with an increased majority.

Mrs Thatcher moved on to confront what she called the "enemy within", eventually defeating a bitter and confrontational year-long miners' strike over pit closures, unwisely called by NUM leader Arthur Scargill without a ballot of his members.

Irish Republican terrorists murdered two of Mrs Thatcher's closest political colleagues Airey Neave and Ian Gow. And in October 1984 five friends and colleagues were killed when the IRA blew up the Grand Hotel in Brighton during the Conservative Party Conference.

Mrs Thatcher with US President Ronald Reagan at the White House in 1987

Margaret, the wife of her close political ally Norman Tebbit, was among those victims crippled for life.

Yet a year later Mrs Thatcher and her counterpart Garret Fitzgerald signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which would ultimately provide the diplomatic basis for the end of The Troubles.

Mrs Thatcher also became a prominent and pugnacious figure on the world stage. She secured the rebate on Britain's contribution to the European Community and pressed for an open market.

Her decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Britain led to the Greenham Common protest but it was also part of the arms build-up which ultimately broke the Soviet Union and brought down the Iron Curtain.

Mrs Thatcher was quick to spot the new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev as "a man I can do business with". But for his two terms as American President Ronald Reagan was Mrs Thatcher's closest ally - on foreign affairs and on economic and social policy.

Her economic ideology was unswerving. She believed in a smaller state, lower taxes, self-reliance and people being left to spend "their own money".

Her government sold or "privatised" state-owned "nationalised" assets - first council houses then shares in gas, electricity, water and telecommunications and "the big bang" de-regulating banking and the City of London.

She set BT on the road to privatisation

She won a third election in 1987 with another huge majority but like many long-serving successful leaders, she began to believe her own publicity, epitomised in her most famous quotation: "The Lady is not for turning".

Domineering and unwilling to listen, she alienated many of her ministers and MPs.

By now Michael Heseltine had resigned from government and established himself as a leader-in-waiting. He exploited growing discontent over two issues: the proposed Community Charge or Poll Tax, and hostility to Europe.

Anti-poll tax demonstrations brought some of the worst street violence in living memory.

Her stubborn opposition to further European integration provoked first the resignation of her chancellor Nigel Lawson, then, fatally, of her deputy prime minister Sir Geoffrey Howe.

She stood down in November 1990, after failing to secure the overwhelming support of MPs in yet another Heseltine-inspired leadership contest on the very night European leaders were celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall.

One of Prime Minister Thatcher's last achievements was persuading the new US President George Bush senior not to "go wobbly" following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.

Mr Heseltine failed to seize the crown and instead the Conservative party united around John Major, Thatcher's relatively obscure preferred successor.

Leaving Downing Street for the last time in 1990

In 1992, Mr Major led the Tories to victory over Neil Kinnock's Labour yet again.

In her retirement, the Queen made Mrs Thatcher a member of the Order of the Garter and appointed her Baroness in the House of Lords. Her husband Denis received a hereditary knighthood.

Sir John Major sometimes complained of "back seat driving" as the former PM relished the movie title "The Mummy Returns".

The next Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair never bothered to hide his admiration for her decisive style of leadership but there was widespread astonishment when the newly-elected Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown invited her back to Downing Street for tea in her honour.

More recently, Meryl Streep won an Oscar for a portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the Hollywood movie 'The Iron Lady'. But the film also depicted unflinchingly the politician's descent into senile dementia, hastened by the death of her beloved husband, Denis.

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Margaret Thatcher Dies After Stroke

How Thatcher Changed History

Updated: 3:51pm UK, Monday 08 April 2013

By Adam Boulton, Political Editor

Margaret Thatcher was Britain's first, and so far only, female Prime Minister. She was a transformative leader who reversed conventional wisdom that Great Britain's national decline was inevitable.

She will be remembered for curbing the trade unions, privatising state-owned industries, leading Britain to victory in the Falklands War, and as US President Ronald Reagan's staunch ally in confronting the Soviet Empire.

Mrs Thatcher is now ranked alongside Sir Winston Churchill (her hero) and Clement Attlee as one of Britain's most important 20th century prime ministers, but the "Iron Lady", as she was nicknamed, was a deeply divisive figure, openly hated by many, especially those from industrial heartlands, which she sent to the wall.

She ended her 11-year premiership quite literally in tears, thrown out not by the voters but by the very Conservative MPs she had led to three successive general election victories.

Margaret Hilda Roberts was born on October 13, 1925, the daughter of a grocer and alderman from Grantham in Lincolnshire. She idolised her father but seldom even mentioned her mother.

A clever and ambitious grammar school girl, she won a place at Oxford University to study chemistry, going on to work in industry as a research chemist - working in the team that invented Mr Whippy ice cream.

She had determined political ambitions as well, fighting Dartford for the Conservatives unsuccessfully in the 1950 and 1951 general elections.

Her consolation was to meet and marry Denis Thatcher, a prosperous businessman and Tory activist.

With typical efficiency, Mrs Thatcher gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, Mark and Carol. She did not enter parliament until 1959 as the member for Finchley, a North London constituency she held for 23 years until her retirement.

In 1967 Tory leader Edward Heath invited her to join his shadow cabinet and made her education secretary following his unexpected triumph over Harold Wilson in the 1970 general election.

The rising star told a television interviewer that she did not expect to see a woman prime minister in her lifetime but she attracted less favourable publicity when she cancelled free school milk, becoming known as Margaret Thatcher, Milk Snatcher.

Ted Heath lost the two elections in 1974 and was forced out as leader after a protracted period of party infighting.

Margaret Thatcher only stood against him after her mentor Sir Keith Joseph declined to run. An outsider in many ways, she was nonetheless elected Conservative Party Leader in 1975.

Prime Minister Callaghan took over from Wilson, but Labour's left-right tensions spilt over into protracted industrial unrest.

Mrs Thatcher stormed into Downing Street on May 4, 1979, following a Conservative election campaign which focused on the economic paralysis of the nation during the so-called Winter of Discontent.

On the steps of Number 10 she quoted St Francis and promised to bring unity. But the British economy plunged still further, unemployment trebled to more than three million. London and Liverpool suffered inner city riots.

After two years in office, Margaret Thatcher was one of the most unpopular Prime Ministers ever. She was rescued by Argentina's military junta in 1982.

Against the advice of her ministers and most military commanders she ordered a task force 3,000 miles into the South Atlantic to recapture the Falkland Islands from Argentine invaders. 

The Conservatives returned to power in the 1983 general election with an increased majority.

Mrs Thatcher moved on to confront what she called the "enemy within", eventually defeating a bitter and confrontational year-long miners' strike over pit closures, unwisely called by NUM leader Arthur Scargill without a ballot of his members.

Irish Republican terrorists murdered two of Mrs Thatcher's closest political colleagues Airey Neave and Ian Gow. And in October 1984 five friends and colleagues were killed when the IRA blew up the Grand Hotel in Brighton during the Conservative Party Conference.

Margaret, the wife of her close political ally Norman Tebbit, was among those victims crippled for life.

Yet a year later Mrs Thatcher and her counterpart Garret Fitzgerald signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which would ultimately provide the diplomatic basis for the end of The Troubles.

Mrs Thatcher also became a prominent and pugnacious figure on the world stage. She secured the rebate on Britain's contribution to the European Community and pressed for an open market.

Her decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Britain led to the Greenham Common protest but it was also part of the arms build-up which ultimately broke the Soviet Union and brought down the Iron Curtain.

Mrs Thatcher was quick to spot the new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev as "a man I can do business with". But for his two terms as American President Ronald Reagan was Mrs Thatcher's closest ally - on foreign affairs and on economic and social policy.

Her economic ideology was unswerving. She believed in a smaller state, lower taxes, self-reliance and people being left to spend "their own money".

Her government sold or "privatised" state-owned "nationalised" assets - first council houses then shares in gas, electricity, water and telecommunications and "the big bang" de-regulating banking and the City of London.

She won a third election in 1987 with another huge majority but like many long-serving successful leaders, she began to believe her own publicity, epitomised in her most famous quotation: "The Lady is not for turning".

Domineering and unwilling to listen, she alienated many of her ministers and MPs.

By now Michael Heseltine had resigned from government and established himself as a leader-in-waiting. He exploited growing discontent over two issues: the proposed Community Charge or Poll Tax, and hostility to Europe.

Anti-poll tax demonstrations brought some of the worst street violence in living memory.

Her stubborn opposition to further European integration provoked first the resignation of her chancellor Nigel Lawson, then, fatally, of her deputy prime minister Sir Geoffrey Howe.

She stood down in November 1990, after failing to secure the overwhelming support of MPs in yet another Heseltine-inspired leadership contest on the very night European leaders were celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall.

One of Prime Minister Thatcher's last achievements was persuading the new US President George Bush senior not to "go wobbly" following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.

Mr Heseltine failed to seize the crown and instead the Conservative party united around John Major, Thatcher's relatively obscure preferred successor.

In 1992, Mr Major led the Tories to victory over Neil Kinnock's Labour yet again.

In her retirement, the Queen made Mrs Thatcher a member of the Order of the Garter and appointed her Baroness in the House of Lords. Her husband Denis received a hereditary knighthood.

Sir John Major sometimes complained of "back seat driving" as the former PM relished the movie title "The Mummy Returns".

The next Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair never bothered to hide his admiration for her decisive style of leadership but there was widespread astonishment when the newly-elected Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown invited her back to Downing Street for tea in her honour.

More recently, Meryl Streep won an Oscar for a portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the Hollywood movie 'The Iron Lady'. But the film also depicted unflinchingly the politician's descent into senile dementia, hastened by the death of her beloved husband, Denis.

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Magic Mushroom Depression Trials Stalled

A trial that could lead to the use of magic mushroom treatments for depression has been stalled because of "absurd" regulations restricting the use of illegal drugs in research, it has been claimed.

Study leader Professor David Nutt, who was controversially sacked from his role as the Government's chief drug adviser in 2009, says "archaic" rules obstructing scientific progress should be abolished.

His team at Imperial College London has uncovered evidence that the hallucinogen psilocybin may combat severe depression which resists conventional treatment.

The problem is that psilocybin is the psychoactive ingredient in so-called "magic mushrooms" and is banned as a Class A drug.

Although the Medical Research Council has awarded a £550,000 grant for the trial, Professor Nutt said it has not yet been able to proceed.

Speaking ahead of the British Neuroscience Association's Festival of Neuroscience in London, he said: "We're not allowed to go and pick the mushrooms anymore and finding a company to provide this illegal drug in a way that can be prepared for trial use as yet has proved impossible.

Professor Nutt was the Government's chief drug adviser

"We are between a rock and a hard place, and that's very unfortunate because if this is an effective treatment, as it may well be for some people, then they are obviously being denied that possibility."

Under the law, academic researchers are not allowed to manufacture their own Class A drugs and must obtain them from external sources.

Companies that could supply the drugs have to go through "regulatory hoops" to obtain the necessary Home Office licence, Professor Nutt said.

This can take up to a year and triple the cost, he maintained.

Other major hurdles were the EU guidelines on Good Manufacturing Practice, which sets daunting standards for potential suppliers, and rules on storage.

Only four hospitals in the UK currently have a licence to hold psilocybin, making it difficult to roll the drug out as a prospective treatment.

Professor Nutt added: "We are the first people ever to have done a psilocybin study in the UK, but we are still hunting for a company that can manufacture the drug to GMP standards for the clinical trial, even though we've been trying for a year to find one.

"We live in a world of insanity in terms of regulating drugs at present. The whole field is so bogged down by these intransigent regulations, so that even if you have a good idea, you may never get it into the clinic."

Researchers discovered that when healthy volunteers are injected with the drug it shuts down a region of the brain known to be over-active in depression.

Professor Nutt was asked to step down from his role as chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in 2009 after claiming that alcohol and tobacco were more harmful than LSD, ecstasy and cannabis.

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Mick Philpott's Derby Home To Be Demolished

Derby City Council plans to demolish the home of Mick and Mairead Philpott, where six children were killed in a fire started by the couple.

Mick Philpott, 56, was jailed for life on Wednesday after being convicted of manslaughter over the deaths of the children in the blaze last May.

His wife Mairead, 32, and friend Paul Mosley received 17-year sentences.

The charred shelll of the Victory Road house has been empty since the fire

The council is attempting to take legal possession of the three-bedroomed semi-detached house, as well as of the adjoining one.

Council leader Paul Bayliss said: "Who would want to live in a house where six children have died and why would you want to live next door to a house where six children have died?"

The council wants residents in the area to decide what to do with the property, and an online petition has called for a memorial garden to be built on the site.

However, Sky's Frazer Maude said many neighbours are opposed to the idea of a memorial.

He said: "They've told me they just want to move on, and they fear a memorial garden could become a tourist attraction."

The case shocked Britain

CCTV footage has emerged showing the Philpotts at a local pub just days after the fire, drinking and enjoying a karaoke session.

Mick Philpott is seen singing Suspicious Minds, the Elvis Presley hit, as he dons Blues Brothers-style sunglasses.

The Philpotts hatched a plan to start the fire at their home in order to frame Lisa Willis, Mick Philpott's former girlfriend who had left the house taking their children with her.

They planned that he should break in by the back door and rescue the children.

In the early hours of May 11, they poured petrol in the hallway of the property to start the blaze.

But the plan went wrong as fire ripped through the council house in Victoria Road.

At one point 11 children lived in the house

Mick Philpott, described as the "driving force" behind the plan, has been ordered to serve a minimum of 15 years in prison.

The Philpotts and Mosley were found guilty of six counts of manslaughter, one for each of the victims: Jade Philpott, 10, John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, Jayden, five, and Duwayne, 13.

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Teen Crime Commissioner In Offensive Tweet Row

Britain's first youth police commissioner has refused to step down after it was revealed she had posted a string of offensive comments on Twitter.

Paris Brown, 17, who took up the post just days ago, wrote homophobic and racist comments on her Twitter account and boasted about getting drunk.

She also appeared to condone violence in a tweet in which she said she was pleased that her brother had thumped someone who "gave his tiny little friend a black eye".

The messages were all posted before she took up the one-year post - which has a £15,000 salary funded by the taxpayer - for Kent Police last week.

The disclosure of the tweets has prompted a Twitter backlash against Miss Brown, while Keith Vaz, Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, has led calls for her to step down from the post.

An emotional Miss Brown after giving interviews about her Twitter posts

Miss Brown said she "sincerely" apologised for the remarks and for any offence caused, but she told Sky News she would not be resigning and felt she could still do the job.

She said: "I don't want to be judged on tweets that were written a long time ago, before I found out I had the job.

"I don't think it should affect my future, my career. I still want to be the voice of young people. I still think I can be.In a way it shows I am - those tweets are horrible obviously - but I am just a normal teenager.

"Everybody's got a regret, maybe it's a tweet, maybe it's a status but out of 4,000 tweets, there's only a few that have been picked up upon."

In her tweets, the teenager, who turned 17 two days ago, refers to immigrants as "illegals" and gay people as "fags".

In one message she admits "Im (sic) either really fun, friendly and inclusive when Im drunk or Im an anti social, racist, sexist, embarrassing a*******. often its the latter."

Another said: "Been drinking since half 1 and riding baby walkers down the hall at work oh my god I have the best job ever haha!!"

In another she wrote: "I really wanna make a batch of hash brownies."

Miss Brown told Sky her tweets contained the language of youth and that "fag" was not a term of homophobic abuse, but actually meant silly or idiotic.

Kent police commissioner Ann Barnes with Miss Brown after the revelations

Speaking on Sky News' Boulton & Co after her appointment on Friday, Miss Brown had said: "Being a young person today you feel like you have got to sort of show that you are growing up, that you are a grown up, even when you are as young as maybe 13 or 14.

"You are growing up at a faster rate in today's time and people might feel I am being patronised or I am being intimidated and that's why the are acting like they are in certain situations."

Miss Brown, whose appointment was to be a trail blazer for other youth commissioners across the country, reports directly to the newly elected Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Ann Barnes.

The police and crime commissioners' roles, which command salaries of up to £100,000, have themselves been controversial, largely because they put inexperienced commissioners in charge of the budget, policing and choosing the chief constable.

Mrs Barnes has said Miss Brown's job was safe.

She said: "I absolutely do not condone the content and language of Paris' tweets. I suspect that many young people go through a phase during which they make silly, often offensive comments and show off on Facebook and Twitter.

"I think that if everyone's future was determined by what they wrote on social networking sites between the ages of 14 and 16 we'd live in a very odd world.

Miss Brown with her 'boss' Ann Barnes announcing her appointment

"I also suspect that thousands of parents would be at best surprised and at worst deeply shocked and ashamed if they looked into the social networking of their children."

Miss Brown, who lives with her parents in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, has a full-time apprenticeship role as an office junior at Kent's Swale Borough Council.

She said she had put off doing A-levels for a year while she undertakes the job as commissioner.

Miss Brown has removed her @vilulabelle account from Twitter following the revelations. She now tweets under an official account.

Reports of her deleted remarks have attracted criticism from many Twitter users, including Alex Cahill, who wrote: "Well Paris Brown (@vilulabelle) is a shining example of young people ..."

Paul Davies wrote: "God help us and our police!!!"

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