Status Quo Debut Fiji-Based Action Movie

Status Quo stars Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi have shown off their big screen debut - an action film set in Fiji.

The band, famous for hits such as Rockin' All Over the World, star in Bula Quo! where they go on the run with their manager after accidentally getting on the wrong side of a shady gangster.

Rossi, 64, said he was surprised that the film had got a cinema release.

"Normally bands just make documentaries but it's a real movie and that's what it had to be for us. And it's in 200 cinemas, we thought it would go straight to DVD," he said.

However, it is thought some cinemas will only play the film for one night.

Parfitt and Rossi, original members of the Quo five-piece, previously tried acting during a cameo on Coronation Street in 2005 when the band performed at Les Battersby's wedding.

"If I'm honest with you, I thought we were appalling," admitted Parfitt.

Rossi in a scene from the Fiji-based adventure

"But the stunt co-ordinator said we'd like to do a movie with you and we were highly surprised and highly delighted. And especially the fact we've now pulled it off."

The band have also recorded nine new songs especially for the film, as well as a "Fiji Style" version of their track Living On An Island.

Status Quo have not forgotten their on-stage roots, and will be embarking on a Bula Quo! arena tour in December.

Bula Quo! takes its name from the Fijian islanders' traditional greeting.

The film, which is on general release on July 5, also stars Lemon La Vida Loca actress Laura Aikman, US comedian John Lovitz and ex-EastEnder Craig Fairbrass.

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Sex Offenders To Face Lie Detector Tests

Compulsory lie detector tests are set be introduced to monitor convicted sex offenders under a change to the law due to be approved later.

MPs will debate the relevant legislation in the House of Commons and are expected to approve routine use of polygraph screening for the most serious offenders across England and Wales from next year.

If convicted rapists or other dangerous sex attackers are found to have lied about crucial matters or breached the terms of their licence after being released from jail they could be sent back to prison.

Justice Minister Jeremy Wright issued a statement saying: "Introducing lie detector tests, alongside the sex offenders register and close monitoring in the community, will give us one of the toughest approaches in the world to managing this group.

"We recently announced the creation of a new National Probation Service tasked with protecting the public from the most high-risk offenders.

"They will be able to call on this technology to help stop sex offenders from reoffending and leaving more innocent victims in their wake."

The Government aims to roll out the tests next spring, subject to the parliamentary timetable.

The move follows a successful pilot scheme in the Midlands. Trials in two areas found the tests made sex criminals more open with probation officers.

Polygraph tests measure blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and levels of perspiration.

These vital signs display subtle changes when someone is deliberately evasive and polygraph experts can usually determine if that person is lying.

Studies have shown that polygraphs are accurate around 85% of the time.

The method is widely used in the US, with 19 states using lie detector tests in criminal cases, including during court testimonies.

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Nightingale: SAS Sniper 'Put Public At Risk'

By David Bowden, Defence Correspondent

SAS sniper Danny Nightingale "put the public at risk" by keeping a working 9mm pistol and more than 300 rounds of ammunition in the bedroom of his shared house, a trial has been told.

Those dangers "were particularly acute in this case given the quantity of 9mm rounds (172) that were stored in the same bedroom as the gun," said prosecutors.

They claim that Sgt Nightingale also had many rounds of other ammunition, including bullets for a sniper rifle, a smoke grenade and signal flares.

Prosecutor Timothy Cray told the court martial there was "no excuse" for what the defendant did.

Sgt Nightingale: 'Stored bullets, a grenade and a flare in his house'

"No matter how he tries to deny it, the gun and the ammunition were in his bedroom because he put them there and kept them there. These are the plain facts which he will not face up to," said Mr Cray.

The prosecution says that Danny Nightingale told police interviewers that he had brought the gun back from Iraq in 2007 and had intended to have it decommissioned and handed over to his unit as a trophy.

Nightingale has pleaded not guilty to both charges of possessing the gun and ammunition illegally.

Prosecutors say the defence will claim that someone else put the weapon and ammunition into the sniper's room and that he couldn't remember because of a brain injury sustained during a jungle marathon in Brazil in 2009.

The prosecutor told the hearing that "no one is saying that Sgt Nightingale was a bad soldier, in fact his service career is deserving of high praise", but added "even good soldiers can make bad mistakes".

The court has also heard that despite defence claims that Nightingale was mentally impaired after his collapse in the jungle, he was passed fit for deployment to Afghanistan a year later.

The court martial has been told that Sgt Nightingale's housemate, who also worked as a firing range instructor for the SAS and known only as soldier N, has already been convicted of similar charges to Nightingale and is serving a prison sentence.

Concluding his opening statement, the prosecutor posed three questions to the panel:

"Did the defendant put the gun and the ammunition in his bedroom, or did somebody else put it there?

"If the gun and ammunition belonged to somebody else, how did the defendant miss it?

"Is this claim of memory loss in respect of specific and detailed confessions the truth or a lie told to try and avoid the consequences of the truth?"

The trial is expected to last into next week and evidence will be heard from serving Special Forces soldiers, including some who will speak to the court martial via videolink from Afghanistan where they are currently on operations.

The judge has already ruled that none of the SAS witnesses can be identified.

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Shrien Dewani Hearing: Suspect 'Hopeless'

A man accused of orchestrating the honeymoon murder of his wife was overcome by hopelessness and despair during his time in mental health hospitals, a court has heard.

Shrien Dewani is alleged to have arranged the death of his 28-year-old wife Anni, who was shot as the couple travelled in a taxi on the outskirts of Cape Town in November 2010.

The 33-year-old is wanted for trial in South Africa, but his extradition has been delayed due to his ongoing depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

At an extradition hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court, psychiatrist Dr Alan Cumming described Dewani's time being treated at clinics in Bristol where he "cried all day" as he sank into despair.

He also said that in one incident he reacted to a room search by pulling down his trousers and saying: "If you treat me like a dog I'll bark like one."

Dewani pictured with his late wife

But he also pointed to signs that his condition is now improving.

In a report after visiting him in hospital in March this year, Dr Cumming said he had "no qualms about the quality of care".

Dewani tried to take an overdose in 2011 but since then he has not spoken directly about self-harm or suicide, the court heard.

He has been allowed to use his laptop to access the internet, and to walk home - accompanied by a member of staff - every day for visits.

Dewani was also given permission to buy a camper van, which he set up in the grounds of the hospital and would spend large periods of time in.

Xolile Mngeni (L) and Mziwamadoda Qwaba

During a four-hour interview which took place in 2012, Dr Cumming said Dewani became tearful when talking about his late wife and the topic was "emotionally charged".

The court also heard that South African authorities would make "an exception" for Dewani by allowing him mainstream mental health treatment instead of sending him to a forensic unit.

Members of both Dewani and his wife's families were at court again for the second day of a five-day extradition hearing. Dewani himself has been excused from attending.

Newlywed Mrs Dewani was shot when a taxi in which the couple were travelling was hijacked in the Gugulethu township.

Shrien Dewani and driver Zola Tongo were ejected from the car before Mrs Dewani was driven away and killed.

She was found dead in the back of the abandoned vehicle with a bullet wound to her neck.

Last year South African Xolile Mngeni was convicted of premeditated murder for shooting Mrs Dewani.

Prosecutors claimed he was a hitman hired by Shrien Dewani to kill his new wife, something that Dewani has consistently denied.

Tongo was jailed for 18 years after he admitted his part in the crime, and another accomplice, Mziwamadoda Qwabe, also pleaded guilty to charges over the murder and was handed a 25-year prison sentence.

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Stop-And-Search Police Powers To Be Reviewed

The Home Secretary has launched a public consultation into controversial police stop-and-search powers.

Theresa May, in a Commons statement, warned the way the powers were being used was harming community relations as well as wasting police time.

MPs heard people from black or ethnic minority backgrounds were seven times more likely to be stopped by officers than white people.

Mrs May said more than one million stops were recorded every year but on average only around 9% led to an arrest.

This conversion rate and how long each took to process - around 16 minutes - caused a "dreadful waste of police time", she added.

Last year this took up 312,000 hours - equal to 145 full-time officers doing nothing else, Mrs May told the House.

Theresa May speaking to MPs in the Commons

She stressed that the procedure would not be scrapped but announced a six-week public consultation into its fairness.

She said: "Everybody involved in policing has a duty to ensure nobody is ever stopped just on the basis of their skin colour or ethnicity.

"The law is clear that in normal circumstances stop and search should only ever be used where there is a reasonable suspicion of criminality and that is how it should be."

She added: "Firstly, it must be applied fairly and in a way that builds community confidence in the police, rather than undermining it.

"And second, given the scale of recording requirements placed on the police, when stop-and-search is misapplied, it is a waste of police time."

The consultation comes a few weeks after the Government's equality watchdog said police forces were being fairer and more efficient in how the employed the powers.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found that five forces, including the Metropolitan Police, had reduced their use without compromising crime reduction.

Mrs May has also asked Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to look at the procedure and their report is due within a few weeks.

Under current laws, police need to have reasonable grounds to suspect that the subject is guilty of some form of criminal behaviour before they can conduct a search.

The Home Secretary said: "At its best stop-and-search is a vital power in the fight against crime. At its worst, it is a waste of police time and undermines public confidence in the police."

She promised a formal Government response would be issued by the end of the year.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights campaigners Liberty, said: "After years of bad and counter-productive practice, it is encouraging that the Home Secretary is waking up to concerns about stop and search.

"Lax powers have failed to increase public safety and only alienated the young. But whether it's snooping or stopping and searching, warm words and guidance are no substitute for tightening up the law."

Mark Hammond, chief executive of the EHRC, added: "Stop and search is a necessary and useful power.

"If it is used proportionally and intelligently the police can protect the public, reduce crime and disorder and improve relations with black and ethnic minority groups.

"There is no evidence to suggest that disproportionately targeting black and Asian people reduces crime."

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Payday Loan Firms Put In Spotlight At Summit

Payday loan companies have met ministers and regulators for talks to tackle "deep-rooted" problems in the industry.

The summit looked at whether more can be done to clamp down on issues in the £2bn sector, which has just been referred for investigation by the Competition Commission.

Debt charities have sharply criticised the companies, accusing lenders of being "out of control" and branding the market "toxic".

Ahead of the talks hosted by consumer affairs minister Jo Swinson, Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said the Government must take more action.

He said: "We want new rules banning excessive charges, a restriction on the number of times a payday loan can roll over and clearer advertising to help people struggling with spiralling debt."

Ms Swinson told Sky News the focus was consumers' problems, such as people being allowed to take out inappropriate loans.

"We know that nearly half of payday loans go to people who are already in financial stress and there needs to be much more robust affordability assessments so that people who are in that kind of situation get debt advice instead of more debt," she said.

The Competition Commission has the power to ban or limit products and shake up whole markets but its investigation could take up to 18 months.

The payday loan sector is now worth £2bn

The probe was sparked by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) which warned consumers who cannot afford to pay the money back on time are being trapped with one firm when the loans roll over.

It is also concerned that firms emphasise the speed of the loan over its cost, and that lenders are encouraged to "skimp" on affordability checks because of the pressure to hand out cash quickly.

Up to half of lenders' revenues were found by the OFT to come from the extra charges and interest coming from loans being rolled over.

The watchdog has written to 50 lenders, giving them 12 weeks to prove they are up to scratch or face being put out of business.

The companies insist they have taken steps to clean up their act, including a new code of practice to make sure loans are affordable and to help struggling borrowers.

From next April, they are also set to be overseen by new regulator the Financial Conduct Authority which could cap interest rates and limit or ban the number of rollovers offered.

The Government is also investing £38m in credit unions to help them offer a more low-cost alternative option.

Russell Hamblin-Boone, chief executive of the Consumer Finance Association, "We call for all payday lenders to step up and meet our standards. Those that don't need to either shape up or ship out."

Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, added: "We need to see tough action on advertising, with new rules brought in which would end wall-to-wall advertising on daytime TV and stop the use of glossy celebrity endorsements which conceal the misery of life in debt.

"Much more needs to be done to make the cost of loans and consequences of late repayments clear, and to end the focus on speed rather than affordability."

Labour has accused the Government of "consistently ducked clamping down on predatory pricing and extortionate interest charges" and is also calling for urgent action.

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Woolwich: Lee Rigby Funeral In Next Two Weeks

The funeral of Drummer Lee Rigby will be held in Bury in the next two weeks, according to Sky sources.

Drummer Rigby was attacked as he returned to base in Woolwich after working at the Tower of London in May.

He died from multiple cut and stab wounds, a post-mortem examination found.

Bury has strong links with Drummer Rigby's regiment, the 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

Michael Adebolajo is one of the men charged with Drummer Rigby's murder

The regiment traces its roots back to the famous Bury-based Lancashire Fusiliers. Drummer Rigby is from nearby Middleton.

An inquest heard the soldier, who was 25, suffered such "extensive and serious" injuries that he had to be identified using his dental records.

Michael Adebolajo, 28, of Romford, Essex, and Michael Adebowale, 22, of Greenwich, London, are both charged with his murder.

They are accused of hacking the soldier to death, and will be asked to enter their pleas in September.

On Friday they spoke only to confirm their names as they appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from separate rooms at HMP Belmarsh.

The men were told a plea and case management hearing would take place on September 27. They are expected to stand trial on November 18.

They are also charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause others to believe that violence would be used.

Adebolajo faces further charges for the attempted murder of two police officers.

He appeared to still have his left arm in a bandage after being shot by armed officers at the scene of Drummer Rigby's death.

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Woman Trapped And Killed At Paintball Centre

A woman has died after becoming trapped by wooden barriers while working at a paintball centre.

The 45-year-old, who has not been named, was pronounced dead at the Delta Force Paintball centre in Sparkwell, Devon.

Police and ambulance staff were called to the centre, in Ledgate Lane, at 9.25pm on Friday.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "The woman, who was a member of staff, became trapped while unloading wooden barriers from a transit van.

"She was pronounced deceased at the scene.

"The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file is being prepared by HM Coroner. Next of kin have been informed."

South Hams District Council's environmental officers have been informed and will investigate the death, the spokesman added.

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Smethwick Fire: Massive Blaze At Recycling Plant

A blaze at a plastic recycling factory, described by firefighters as one of the biggest ever seen in the West Midlands, is believed to have been started by a single Chinese lantern.

At its height, some 200 firefighters were tackling the blaze at the site in Smethwick, on the outskirts of Birmingham.

An estimated 100,000 tonnes of recycling material and a factory unit were set alight, and crews battled to stop the flames spreading to neighbouring businesses.

The fire was described as one of the biggest ever seen in the West Midlands

Vij Randeniya, chief fire officer at West Midlands Fire Service, told Sky News: "We believe a Chinese lantern dropped onto some bales of plastic and, looking at CCTV, it would appear that was the cause.

"Chinese lanterns have been involved in a number of incidents and firefighters have been campaigning for there to be better controls.

Around 200 firefighters were called to the blaze in Smethwick

"They look really nice but they do pose a danger."

Two firefighters were taken to hospital and 11 more were treated at the scene by paramedics, although their injuries are thought to be minor.

Mr Randeniya said firefighters were tackling "one of the largest fires we've experienced", with intense heat released from the burning plastics.

"These are difficult fires to extinguish and we anticipate being here for a number of days," he said.

A spokesman for Birmingham International Airport said there was no disruption to flights, despite a plume of thick black smoke more than 1,800m high that could be seen from 30 miles away.

A number of roads around the recycling plant were closed but the nearby M5 motorway remained open.

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Hot July Across UK As Summer Finally Arrives

Summer could finally be around the corner with weather forecasters predicting that the UK could enjoy warm weather for the rest of July.

With parts of Britain on Sunday experiencing the hottest day of the year so far - 27.2 Celsius being recorded at London Heathrow - memories of one of the coldest springs on record could soon be banished.

Forecasters have said that a build-up of high pressure will lead to fine weather across the UK resulting in below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures.

Enjoying the sun after one of the coldest spring on record

A few outbreaks of rain are expected between now and Friday but then the warmer weather is expected to return and stay right through into August.

Sky News Weather Producer Joanna Robinson said: "There will be showers around today, but more prolonged rain will move in from the west tonight, which will extend slowly eastwards tomorrow. 

"The wind will pick up as well. Wednesday and Thursday will see showers or longer spells of rain, but by Friday high pressure will build from the south-west settling things down. 

"This coming weekend looks mainly fine and dry, with temperatures climbing across all areas, not just south-east England. England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland will see temperatures into the mid-20s, while Scotland and Northern Ireland will see the low-20s."

"It looks like high pressure will keep things settled and very warm for a good part of July too," she added.

"I'm sure there will be showers around at times and some coastal areas may be cooler, but overall the next few weeks currently look dry and very warm, with plenty of sunshine."  

This follows a particularly cold start to the year, with March being the coldest on record since 1962.

March was colder than the preceding winter months of December, January and February, which had not happened for almost 40 years.

June looks like it was fairly average in terms of temperature, with below-average rainfall for England, Wales and Scotland.

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