Weather: Spring Sunshine As Temperatures Rise

Parts of the UK are set to bask in unseasonably warm temperatures this week - with the mercury expected to break the 20C mark.

The South East, East Anglia and the South West will receive a blast of spring sunshine on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

But while temperatures are forecast to soar well above the April average of 13C in the south, the rest of the UK will be stuck with colder weather and patchy rain.

Meteorologists say the north-south split is down to a frontal system.

Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson said: "There will be some spring warmth this week, but it will be limited to southeast England and looks to be fairly short-lived too.

"Mild air will extend across southeast England allowing temperatures to reach about 21C by Wednesday. There will be a fair amount of cloud around, but sunny spells are likely.

"Elsewhere it will be cooler and more unsettled, with rain stalling over northern England, north Wales and the Republic of Ireland by the middle of the week."

She added that those in the warmer parts of the country should make the most of the midweek weather.

"Unfortunately it doesn't look like the warmth in the South East will last into the weekend, with rain on Friday allowing cooler air to set in," she said. 

"Saturday looks to be fairly cold nationwide, with temperatures reaching a high of just 10 or 11C in the South East.

"Scotland and Northern Ireland will see temperatures around 8C, but a strengthening northerly wind there will make it feel even colder.

"A patchy overnight frost can be expected too. 

"Spring is a changeable season so it's not unusual to see spells of warmth along with cold snaps."

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Luis Suarez: 'Anger Management' After Bite

Liverpool's Luis Suarez has been offered counselling after he apologised for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovich during a Premier League clash.

The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) said on Monday the Uruguayan will be approached over anger management counselling following the incident during the 2-2 draw at Anfield on Sunday.

The striker, 26, revealed on his personal Twitter account that the club has fined him for the altercation.

He wrote: "For my unacceptable behaviour yesterday the club has fined me today, I have asked the club to donate money to the Hillsborough Family Support Group for the inconvenience I have created to the Liverpool fans and to Ivanovich."

The striker also used Twitter to apologise around three hours after the final whistle blew on the game.

He wrote: "I'm sad for what happened this afternoon, I apologise Ivanovic and all football world for my inexcusable behaviour. I'm so sorry about it!!"

Suarez revealed on his Twitter page he had been fined by Liverpool

In a statement issued through his club, he added: "I have issued an apology and have tried to contact Branislav Ivanovic to speak to him personally.

"I apologise also to my manager, playing colleagues and everyone at Liverpool Football Club for letting them down."

The FA says it will review match footage - seen by millions of television viewers - that shows Suarez biting the Chelsea defender on the arm.

A spokesman told Sky News: "We will speak to match officials today and review any report in relation to the matter and decide on an appropriate course of action."

The spokesman added that the FA "governance team" were looking at the incident and any video footage would be "very important" to that process.

Merseyside Police confirmed officers had spoken to Ivanovich after the game and he did not wish to make a complaint.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers told Suarez the bite was 'unacceptable'

Cameras captured the striker appearing to sink his teeth into his opponent's upper arm during the second half.

Ivanovic remonstrated with referee Kevin Friend following the incident and the match official briefly spoke to Suarez before allowing the game to continue.

The match ended 2-2, with Liverpool's controversial star - who is a contender for this year's player of the season awards - scoring an equaliser in the dying seconds.

In a later Twitter message, Suarez said he had spoken to Ivanovic and his apology had been accepted.

He wrote: "I've just spoken to Ivanovic on the phone and I could apologise directly to him. Thanks for accepting."

A Chelsea spokesman said: "Luis Suarez called Branislav Ivanovic this evening. Branislav appreciated the call and his apology."

Liverpool's managing director Ian Ayre, who cancelled a trip to Australia to deal with the fallout from the incident, said on Monday the incident would have no bearing on his future at the club.

He told liverpoolfc.com: "It affects his future in the sense that we have to work with him on his discipline - but Luis is a very important player to the club.

Suarez said he spoke directly to Branislav Ivanovic after the incident

"As we keep saying, he signed a new four-year contract last summer and we'd all love to see him here throughout that contract.

"He's a fantastic player, top scorer and everything we'd want in a striker, so there's no change there.

"This is more about getting him back on the right track and it's largely down to (manager) Brendan (Rodgers) now to work with him on that side of his character."

Brendan Rodgers added: "Having reviewed the video footage and spoken to Luis, his behaviour is unacceptable and I have made him aware of this."

Speaking on Sky Sports, former Liverpool manager Graeme Souness said the Uruguayan striker had "crossed a line".

He said: "I'm not sure what to make of it. Embarrassing. He's making it very difficult for himself to stay at Liverpool, that puts him in the last chance saloon.

"Most important is safeguarding the good name of the football club. Liverpool are world renowned. People will be talking about this for a long, long time, and it will show Liverpool in a very bad light.

Suarez's new Twitter follower: Tyson, who took chunk out of his challenger

"This is not the first time he has bitten someone in the football match. He is risking everything this great club stands for. I've never seen something like that in a football match before.

"There are lines you just can't cross, and he has crossed it today."

PFA chief Gordon Taylor said the union would offer the striker help to deal with his temper.

He said: "There is no doubting his football ability, that's why it is so disappointing and embarrassing when he lets himself down.

"We have to work hard on anger management now. We have trained counsellors in this field and we will be offering their services to Liverpool and the player to try and improve matters."

But Marseille's Joey Barton took to Twitter to urge Liverpool to back their player.

He wrote: "Suarez is a good as a player as there is in world football at the minute. Yes, he's messed up and shouldn't have bitten another player but a player like him has to play right on the edge.

"Without it he wouldn't be the talent he is. LFC would be mad not to back him IMO. If they don't I'm sure the queue of Champions League clubs would stretch round the block."

It is the second biting incident in Suarez's career. He served a seven-match ban in the Netherlands while at Ajax after biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal.

Meanwhile, Suarez has found a new brother in arms in former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, who famously bit the ear of opponent Evander Holyfield.

According to Tyson's profile page on Twitter, he made Suarez his 432nd and most recent follow.

Tyson took a chunk out of Holyfield's right ear in the third round of a bout in Las Vegas in June 1997, after which Holyfield, nicknamed the 'Real Deal', became known as the 'Meal Deal'.

Tyson was disqualified from the fight and fined $3m (£1.9m).

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Tube Woman's 'Racist' Rant Caught On Camera

A YouTube clip which appears to show a woman hurling racial abuse at a man on a Tube train is being investigated by police.

A fellow passenger filmed the foul-mouthed tirade, which is believed to have happened on an eastbound District Line train as it passed through Stepney Green and Mile End stations.

The woman can be heard shouting and swearing at the man throughout the three-minute clip.

A fellow passenger filmed the confrontation

At one point she gets up from her seat and makes obscene gestures towards him.

Detective Constable Lawrence Murphy, of British Transport Police, said: "We have isolated images of a woman we believe may be able to help us with our investigation.

"At this stage, we urge anyone who witnessed this incident, or who recognises the woman, to get in touch and help us build up a full picture of exactly what took place.

The woman gets up from her seat and leans over the man

"We treat all allegations of racism very seriously and urge anyone with information about this incident to contact us."

British Transport Police were alerted to the video when it was uploaded to the internet earlier this month.

However, detectives have been since been shown another version of the clip that was first shared in November 2010.

The investigation comes almost a year after Jacqueline Woodhouse, from Romford, Essex, was jailed for ranting at passengers on a Central Line train.

She pleaded guilty to racially aggravated assault and was sentenced to 21 weeks in prison.

:: Anyone with information should contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Chris Huhne Faces £108,000 Costs Bill

Disgraced former Cabinet minister Chris Huhne and his ex-wife Vicky Pryce are expected to be freed on electronic tags next month.

The pair could be free as early as May 3 after serving just a quarter of their eight-month prison sentences for perverting the course of justice over a speeding offence in 2003.

Their imminent release emerged as it was revealed Huhne is facing a claim to pay more than £100,000 in prosecution costs over the penalty points swap.

Prosecutors are demanding a total of £108,541.15 from the ex-energy secretary, who fought for months to have the case against him thrown out.

After his attempts failed, Huhne - on the day his trial was due to start - finally admitted giving penalty points to Pryce in a bid to avoid prosecution.

Pryce continued to protest her innocence but was eventually convicted after a retrial when a jury rejected her insistence she was coerced into taking the points.

Huhne's girlfrend Carina Trimingham was at the costs hearing (file pic)

During the first trial and then a second, it was revealed that she exposed the swap herself out of revenge after Huhne left her for another woman.

The mother-of-five, who has three children with the politician, admitted to a journalist that she wanted to "nail him" for walking out on their 26-year marriage.

Their identical prison sentences in March completed the drama started by the infidelity of a top Lib Dem once tipped as a future party leader.

Huhne was allowed out of prison for the costs hearing on Monday and was supported in the public gallery by his father and girlfriend Carina Trimingham.

Southwark Crown Court his legal team had offered to pay £25,000 towards the case but prosecutor Andrew Edis QC insisted the six-figure claim was "just and reasonable".

He said: "All of this occurred because Mr Huhne decided to do everything he could to try and get away with what he had done and gave in only at the last minute when defeat was inevitable.

Vicky Pryce outside court before she was jailed

"This was essentially predominantly caused by Mr Huhne's decision to make two applications - first to apply to dismiss on the grounds of insufficiency of evidence and secondly to apply to stay the proceedings as an abuse of process."

He said an "enormous amount of work" was done by the Crown Prosecution Service, counsel, and the police because of Huhne's assertions.

The former politician's barrister John Kelsey-Fry QC argued that it was "simply unjust and unreasonable" to expect him to pay "every single possible penny that anybody could think of".

"In our view, a reasonable, indeed arguably generous, but reasonable figure which we would have been prepared to offer had the door not been closed on the day of sentence, would be £25,000," he said.

Pryce, who was found guilty of perverting the course of justice at a re-trial and also given an eight-month jail sentence, was not in court for the costs hearing.

The CPS is seeking a total of £48,695.56 from the former top economist and her legal team are in the process of agreeing how much she should be liable to pay.

The amounts could increase slightly to include the cost of the latest hearing.

Mr Justice Sweeney is expected to make a ruling in the case next week.

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Paedophile Hunting Group Leads To Arrests

By Rhiannon Mills, Sky Reporter

A group of parents who aim to trap potential paedophiles by posing as teenagers online has told Sky News it is providing a valuable service.

The mothers and fathers from the Midlands have set up around 80 fake profiles on Facebook, chatrooms and dating websites pretending to be underage girls. 

They then collect information about possible sex offenders and arrange to meet them.

Instead of a teenage girl turning up, the target is confronted by a team of adults, a video camera and a dossier of the alleged offences.

Police have confirmed that four arrests have been made as a result of the video evidence gathered by the group.

They have confronted individuals in Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.

The leader of the group, known as 'Scumm Buster', told Sky News he had set up the group in January after finding out a friend had been abused as a child.

He said all the members had children and wanted to keep them safe.

He added that the group had approached police to make sure they were gathering the right kind of evidence to help prosecutions.

When asked whether their actions were counterproductive, Scumm Buster said: "We know we are ruining people's lives, but they don't seem to care that they are ruining children's lives."

But police forces have warned the activities could interfere with criminal proceedings.

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said: "The main focus of any paedophile investigation has to be the victim - protecting the victim, getting justice for the victim.

"Unfortunately, these kinds of public naming and shaming activities can actually have a negative effect on victims of child abuse.

"While we understand the strong feelings that motivate this kind of activity, it can seriously affect the chances of success in court, preventing victims from getting justice and increasing the chances of offenders walking free.

"The best thing people can do, if they have evidence of child abuse or paedophile activity, is report it to the police, Crimestoppers or the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) so that we can conduct a thorough investigation and make sure measures are put in place to ensure the safety of any potential victims."

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Waterloo Good, But Not UK's Greatest Battle

Waterloo and the D-Day landings have lost the title of Britain's greatest battle to a vital - but lesser known - clash against the Japanese in World War Two.

The Battle of Imphal and the simultaneous Battle of Kohima saw British Empire troops fight Japanese forces in horrendous jungle conditions in northeast India in 1944.

Imphal/Kohima was picked over the more celebrated land battles in a contest organised by the National Army Museum in London.

Rorke's Drift in the 1879 Zulu War and the Battle of Aliwal in the Anglo-Sikh War in Punjab in 1846 brought up the rear.

"Great things were at stake in a war with the toughest enemy any British army has had to fight," historian Robert Lyman said of Imphal/Kohima.

Gurkhas supported by an M3 Grant tank advance along the Imphal/Kohima road

If Lieutenant General William Slim's army of British, Indian, Gurkha and African troops had lost, the consequences for the Allies would have been catastrophic, he said.

The criteria of the contest included the battles' political and historical impact, the challenges the troops faced, and the strategy and tactics employed.

Waterloo had topped an online poll which produced a list of 20 land battles fought since the English Civil War. The top five were then debated at the museum before going to an audience vote.

The winner was something of a surprise given the enduring prominence of Waterloo and D-Day/Normandy in Britain.

The troops who fought in India and Burma in World War Two called themselves The Forgotten Army.

Rorke's Drift saw just over 150 troops fight off up to 4,000 Zulu warriors

The Battle of Imphal/Kohima took place in 1944 in Nagaland when Japanese troops poured over the Burmese border to strike at India.

Fought over a vast area of jungle and mountain, it was marked by vicious hand-to-hand fighting.

The successful British defence meant they were then able to push into Burma and roll back the Japanese from mainland Asia.

"The victory was of a profound significance because it demonstrated categorically to the Japanese that they were not invincible," said Mr Lyman.

"This was to be very important in preparing the entire Japanese nation to accept defeat."

Saving Private Ryan depicted the US view of the Normandy landings

He ranked it with Midway, El Alamein and Stalingrad as the main turning point battles of World War Two.

His adversary in the debate, former Parachute Regiment Colonel Stuart Tootal, argued a strong case for the D-Day landings and subsequent Battle for Normandy against Nazi Germany in 1944.

Although movies such as Saving Private Ryan have highlighted the US role in the campaign, the operation was under the command of Britain's Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.

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London Marathon: Tributes To Boston Victims

Thousands of runners at the London Marathon, including Olympic champion Mo Farah, observed 30 seconds of silence at the start of the race, which took place less than a week after the Boston attacks.

The poignant tribute was followed by applause as the runners gathered at the start line for the elite men's and mass race with large crowds lining the streets of the UK capital under heavy security.

Many of the 36,000 fun runners, athletes and fundraisers wore a black ribbon as a mark of respect to those affected by the attack.

Some had the name of the US city emblazoned on their vests, while some spectators held up banners saying "For Boston".

Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia won the men's race in , while Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya won the women's event.

The marathon has drawn thousands of people

Huge crowds turned out to watch the races on a glorious spring day in London despite concerns raised by the bomb attacks on the Boston Marathon.

"It was incredible, the amount of support, people coming out from everywhere, just cheering the whole way. Unbelievable," said a breathless Farah.

Prime Minister David Cameron wrote on Twitter : "Congratulations to the inspiring runners in the #LondonMarathon - a fantastic showcase for the city."

Prince Harry, who waited at the finish line on the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace to hand out medals to the winners, said the large turnout was "fantastic" and "typically British".

He also paid tribute to Boston, saying: "The way that Boston has dealt with it has been absolutely remarkable.

"It's never going to get anyone down here, the great thing about the marathon is no matter what colour you are, or religion, no matter what nationality you are, everyone comes together to run a certain distance to raise money for amazing causes.

"I think that you can never that take away from people," he told the BBC.

Virgin London Marathon has pledged to donate £2 for every finisher to The One Fund Boston, which was set up to raise money for the victims of the explosions.

Three people were killed in Boston, including an eight-year-old boy, and over 170 injured, some seriously.

Priscah Jeptoo posing for photographers after winning the women's race

Following the attacks, hundreds of extra police were deployed in London - a 40% increase in the usual number of officers.

Authorities stressed the increased security was aimed at reassuring the public and was not a response to a specific threat.

Despite the sombre tributes and the increased police presence, the mood was a festive one, with spectators cheering the runners on and some competitors showing up in fancy dress.

"It means that runners are stronger than bombers," said Valerie Bloomfield, a 40-year-old participant from France.

Among the runners was Stuart Singer, who ran the Boston Marathon on Monday but crossed the finish line ahead of the blasts. He said there was never any doubt he would run.

Mr Singer, whose wife had been standing on the spot the second bomb was detonated 15 minutes before the explosion, said: "I just didn't feel there was any risk on the streets at all."

Mo Farah says he overslept ahead of the race.

Barbara Stephenson, charge d'affaires at the US Embassy in London, told Sky News the show of respect by London Marathon runners for the Boston victims underlined the "special relationship" between the two countries.

"We've had responses from Her Majesty the Queen, all through Twitter from the British people, and now we have got tens of thousands of London Marathon runners wearing a black ribbon in solidarity with the people of Boston."

She went on to say that "it's moments like this when you know what the special relationship's really all about."

The winding route from Blackheath to Buckingham Palace took the runners past some of the capital's most famous landmarks.

Farah, the Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion, ran about half the race, stepping off the course at  the 13.1 mile mark near Tower Bridge.

He revealed before the event that he had overslept. "I'm late! I woke up late! I'm going to miss the bus!" he joked.

Paralympic star David Weir said he was disappointed with his fifth place in the men's wheelchair race.

The winners with Prince Harry and Richard Branson

Speaking near the finish line, the six-time London Marathon champion said: "It was a tough race, but I knew it was going to be tough after four months out.

"I just had to do my best, and that's what I did today."

Celebrities running this year included the drummer from the pop group McFly, Harry Judd, the shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, and the singer Katherine Jenkins. Speaking on the finish line, Mr Balls said that the Chancellor, George Osborne, had sponsored him.

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Youth Crime Commissioner: No Further Action

No further action is to be taken against Paris Brown, formerly Britain's first youth crime commissioner, Kent Police have said.

The 17-year-old had been accused of racism and homophobia after making comments about gay people and others on Twitter when she was between 14 and 16.

Miss Brown became Britain's first Police and Crime Youth Commissioner after being awarded the £15,000-a-year job by Kent's Police and Crime Commissioner Ann Barnes.

On April 9, only a few days after being appointed to the role, she was forced to resign when details of her earlier tweets emerged after an expose by the Mail on Sunday.

A spokeswoman for Kent Police said today: "We have spoken to the CPS about our findings, and given them our view that this case does not pass the evidential threshold for prosecution.

"We will make no recommendations to them for charges and will take no further police action having discharged our duty to investigate."

"Whilst some of the language used is offensive, particularly the comments which derogatorily refer to particular social groups, we do not believe that in the context they are grossly offensive on a reasonable objective assessment considering intent."

Miss Brown, from Sheerness in Kent, was forced to issue a grovelling apology for the offence she caused.

She denied being anti-gay or racist, and said she is against taking drugs, insisting that a reference on Twitter to making "hash brownies" was from a Scooby Doo film. The offensive tweets have now been deleted.

In tears as she made her statement, she told reporters: "I have fallen into the trap of behaving with bravado on social networking sites. I hope this may stand as a learning experience for many other young people."

Miss Brown was taken on by police to provide a young person's perspective on policing and to help prevent crime.

The teenager's Twitter account was not checked as part of the recruitment process.

On Saturday it emerged lawyers representing Miss Brown had written to the chief constable of Kent Police complaining of a "wholly disproportionate" response to the Twitter comments.

Her questioning by officers came after the force received more than 50 complaints from members of the public.

Her lawyers, Olswang, wrote to Chief Constable Ian Learmonth about the scope and nature of the investigation, including the decision to seize her phone and for Special Branch to quiz her.

As part of the investigation, Miss Brown was requested to attend an interview under caution on April 14.

In their letter, her lawyers said: "As we are sure that you will readily understand, being subject to a police investigation is highly distressing for any person, but especially so for a teenager, particularly one who has been recently subject to such adverse media coverage.

"In such circumstances, we believe that the police must weigh carefully the extent to which an investigation relating solely to social media activity is merited."

Olswang also referred to the interim guidelines from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Keir Starmer, regarding prosecutions relating to social media.

Another youth commissioner will be appointed later this year, but Mrs Barnes said there were "lessons to be learned" before that happens.

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Boston Murder Inquiry: Two Killed

Police have launched a murder inquiry after two people were killed during a disturbance in Boston, Lincs.

Three people were injured in the incident, a 26-year-old woman died at the scene and a 26-year-old man died of his injuries later in hospital.

A 24-year-old woman is being treated for less serious injuries at Boston Pilgrim Hospital. All of the victims were described as "local".

Police were called to a home in Boston at 5.07am after reports of a disturbance.

Officers will be carrying out house-to-house enquiries in the coming days to try to establish what happened in the hours leading up to the attacks.

A 41-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Police are appealing for anyone with information to get in touch with them on the non emergency number 101.

More follows...

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Luis Suarez 'Bite': Striker Faces FA Probe

The FA says it will review match footage that appears to show Liverpool's Luis Suarez biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

More follows...

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