Blustery Britain: First Autumn Storm Rolls In

Strong winds and heavy rain are expected to batter parts of Britain this weekend.

Gusts close to 70mph will hit areas of Scotland and Northern Ireland, while most of England and Wales will face blustery conditions, forecasters have said.

Heavy showers in the South East last night saw 27mm of rain fall in Northolt, northwest London, and 26mm at Heathrow, while East Anglia and the Midlands were hit by 10 to 15mm of rain.

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for gales in Scotland and Northern Ireland on Sunday, and warned of the possibility of travel disruption.

Chief Met Office forecaster Paul Gundersen said: "A spell of gale force westerly winds is expected later Sunday, peaking on Monday across much of Scotland, the north of Northern Ireland and coasts of north west England and north Wales.

"Gusts of 50-60mph are likely, with the potential for 70mph across exposed coasts and hills of Scotland.

"The public should be aware of the potential for some minor disruption to travel and keep up to date with the latest weather forecast information."

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar added: "Tonight, outbreaks of rain will spread into Northern Ireland and Scotland and towards the early hours into northern England, Wales and southwest England.

"As well as that there will be strengthening winds with gusts of up to around 55-60mph across northwestern fringes of Scotland, and slightly over 60mph across the Western Isles.

"Sunday will be a wet and windy day across most of the UK. It'll be a dry morning across central and eastern England with a few bright spells to begin with before cloud and rain will spread into all areas by the early afternoon with some heavy downpours.

"Later it will become bright and drier across the north and west of the UK but there will still be frequent heavy showers and strong to gale force winds gusting up to 60mph. Hail and thunder is also possible."

Temperatures will remain in the mid-teens for most of the country over the weekend - a few degrees below average for the time of year - while conditions will remain unsettled into next week, forecasters have said.

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Plastic Bags: Shoppers To Be Charged 5p

Supermarkets and other big stores in England are to introduce a 5p charge for plastic bags.

The move is due to be announced this weekend by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg at the Liberal Democrat conference in Glasgow.

It will bring England into line with the rest of the UK - with charges already in place in Wales and Northern Ireland, and Scotland set to follow suit in 2014.

Lib Dem sources said the charge, intended to discourage use of the environmentally damaging bags, would come into effect in England in 2015.

However, it is not yet clear whether it will be before the general election, set for May that year, or after.

Mr Clegg was said to have had to fought hard within the Coalition for the scheme - which is Lib Dem party policy - at a time when ministers are under intense pressure over rising cost of living.

But with a 76% fall in plastic bag use in Wales since the levy was introduced there in 2011, the Lib Dem leader was said to believe that it was the right thing to do.

A Lib Dem source said the charge would be the "centrepiece" at the conference this weekend.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey told Sky News: "Liberal Democrats in the coalition are pushing the green agenda all the time.

"Sometimes it's quite a fight - this one we've won and it's very clear the evidence shows that plastic bags not only create lots of litter and a real eyesore, but they can be really bad for wild animals, particularly marine life." 

The charge will only apply to supermarkets and other large stores, with small corner shops excluded.

The proceeds will go to charities involved in clearing up the environmental damage caused by the bags rather than the Government or the retailers.

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Bodies Found In Farmhouse Shooting

A dairy farmer and one of his workers have been found shot dead in an isolated farmhouse in Northern Ireland.

The men were discovered at the secluded property around a mile from the Co Antrim village of Glenarm early on Friday evening.

They have been named locally as farm owner Arthur Gibson, in his early 60s, and farm labourer Michael Murphy, who was in his late 30s.

At this stage it is understood police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the double shooting.

Mr Murphy had worked for Mr Gibson for many years.

The farm is about a mile from Glenarm

Forensic teams in white overalls were examining the scene, paying particular attention to the hallway of the white, two-storey house in Feystown Road.

A small crowd gathered at the police cordon at the end of the long lane leading up to the farm as news of the deaths filtered through to the village.

Neighbours helped to milk the cows and keep the farm operating as the police carried out their investigation.

Local Stormont Assembly member Oliver McMullan, who knew both the dead men, said locals were stunned by what he described as a "double tragedy".

"The death tonight of two men is a tragedy not only for the families but also for the community," he said.

"The community is in a state of shock as both men were well known within this tight knit community."

Forensic teams were paying particular attention to the hallway

Glenarm came to public attention earlier this year when severe late winter blizzards enveloped farms in the surrounding hills in a thick blanket of snow, killing thousands of animals and cutting off many families for days.

Alliance party MLA Stewart Dickson said: "This is an absolutely shocking incident, which has left the village and the surrounding community in shock.

"My thoughts are with the families and friends of the deceased and would call for anyone with any information to contact the PSNI as soon as possible.

"I hope the police will be able to determine what was behind this tragic incident tonight."

A Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesman said: "Police received a report at around 5.15pm this afternoon that two males had been discovered at a property with fatal wounds.

An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths is under way."

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Santander Bank Hacking Plot: Four In Court

Four men have appeared in court over an attempt to take control of computers at a Santander bank branch to steal millions of pounds.

It is alleged one of the gang posed as an engineer to fit a computer at the branch in Surrey Quays shopping centre, southeast London, with a "keyboard video mouse" (KVM).

The device, which can be purchased online for as little as £10, allegedly allowed them to transmit the contents of the computer's desktop and take control of all computers at the branch.

But the attempt failed and the Spanish bank said "no money was ever at risk".

Lanre Mullins-Abudu, 25, from Putney, southwest London; Dean Outram, 34, from northwest London; Akash Vaghela, 27, from Hounslow, west London; and Asad Ali Qureshi, 35, from southwest London, are charged with conspiracy to steal.

They spoke only to confirm their names and details when they appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday.

They are accused of committing a "very significant and audacious cyber-enabled offence" that would have cost Santander millions of pounds.

Vaghela was granted conditional bail and the others remanded in custody until the next hearing at Southwark Crown Court on September 27.

Eight other people who were arrested were bailed until mid-November pending further inquiries.

A Santander spokesman said no member of staff was involved.

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Leicester Fire Victims 'Not Involved In Murder'

A mother and her three children killed in a house fire were not involved in the murder of a man hours earlier, police have said.

Sky News understands Leicestershire Police are investigating whether the victims of the blaze were mistakenly targeted in a revenge attack.

Shehnila Taufiq, who was in her 40s, died in the fire at her terraced home in Wood Hill, in the Spinney Hills area of Leicester, in the early hours of Friday.

Her children, named by a local mosque as 19-year-old daughter Zainab and sons Jamal, 17, and Bilal, 15, also died in their bedrooms.

About half a mile away on Thursday afternoon, a man in his 20s, named locally as Antoin Akpom, was found injured by police officers in Kent Street. He was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary where he later died.

Police were called to the blaze by the fire service at 12.35am on Friday

Three people, a man and two women, all aged 19, have been arrested in connection with the murder.

Mrs Taufiq's neurosurgeon husband, Dr Muhammad Taufiq al Sattar, is believed to have returned to Leicester from Ireland, where he works.

He has been working at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and with private hospitals in the city, the Blackrock and Hermitage clinics.

It is understood Mr Sattar's wife was a qualified doctor but was not working.

The family, originally from Pakistan, had a home in Ireland for at least 15 years before the children moved to the UK with their mother about five years ago for Islamic education.

Police on Saturday appealed to residents with information to come forward to help them find the perpetrators of the attacks which they said had left two families "devastated by events of the past 48 hours".

Police have said the house fire and a nearby murder may be linked

Roger Bannister, Assistant Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police, said: "While we are investigating links between the two crimes there is absolutely no evidence to suggest those who died in the fire, or indeed anyone else who lives in that property, was involved in the assault in Kent Street.

"Because of the close proximity - in terms of time and location - of the two incidents, it is right that we look at whether there are links between the two crimes.

"However, at this stage in our investigations we have found nothing to suggest the residents of the house devastated by the fire had anything to do with the Kent Street incident.

"We have three people in custody in relation to the murder of the young man in Kent Street and we continue with the complex forensic investigations at Wood Hill.

"However, we know there are local people who know more about both incidents and the people responsible and we would appeal to their consciences. Two families have been devastated by events of the past 48 hours. Please help us to find those responsible."

Anyone with information about either attack can speak to their local beat team, call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Prince William Leaves The Armed Forces

Prince William: Military Career

Updated: 11:43am UK, Thursday 12 September 2013

The Duke of Cambridge - who will one day be head of the armed forces - began his military career more than seven years ago when he followed his younger brother Prince Harry into Sandhurst.

At the age of 23, he commenced 44 weeks of gruelling training at the royal military academy in Camberley, Surrey, where the course is designed to push new recruits to the brink of exhaustion and shape cadets into Army officers.

By signing up, he was continuing a historic family tradition of military service and he became the most senior royal in recent memory to attend the college.

In December 2006, he graduated and was commissioned into the British Army as an officer.

The Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and William's then girlfriend Kate Middleton gathered to watch him in the passing-out parade which marked the end of his training.

William went on to join Harry's regiment, the Household Cavalry's Blues and Royals, and was promoted to lieutenant in 2007.

Continuing his career in the forces, he received his RAF wings from his father at RAF Cranwell in April 2008 after completing an intensive 12-week flying course - a feat which saw him become the fourth successive generation of the monarchy to become an RAF pilot.

He faced criticism later that month after he was allowed to practice landing a Chinook helicopter in a field behind the Middleton family home and when he flew himself and his brother by Chinook to a stag do on the Isle of Wight. 

The Ministry of Defence defended the flights as part of William's training.

Shortly after, he made a brief flying visit to RAF detachments at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan to meet frontline troops.

But while Harry has completed two deployments to Afghanistan, William, who has always insisted he wants to be able to fight in war zones despite being a future king, has yet to achieve his ambition.

Harry revealed earlier this year that William was envious of his tours.

"I think there is a bit of jealousy, not just the fact that I get to fly this, but obviously he'd love to be out here. And to be honest with you, I don't see why he couldn't," Harry said.

In June 2008, William began a two-month attachment with the Royal Navy to help familiarise him with all aspects of the armed forces. 

He joined a Royal Navy rescue team on a hurricane disaster exercise in the Caribbean and, while on board frigate HMS Iron Duke, took part in a drugs bust that seized more than one tonne of cocaine from a speedboat in the North Atlantic.

In September 2008 it was announced that William wanted to become a full time RAF search and rescue pilot.

"The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realise how much I love flying," he revealed.

He began training in January 2009, later completing advanced helicopter flying training at the Defence Helicopter Flying School based at RAF Shawbury near Shrewsbury in Shropshire and undergoing the search and rescue conversion course at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales.

"Flight Lieutenant Wales" became a full-time operational search and rescue pilot at RAF Valley - albeit with time off for royal appearances - and has been serving with C Flight, 22 Squadron, on Anglesey since September 2010.

A typical tour for a pilot in the RAF Search and Rescue Force (SARF) is 30 to 36 months.

William carried out emergency missions in a Sea King helicopter to rescue stranded climbers and stricken vessels. His first rescue as a fully operational pilot was in October 2010, helping a man who fell seriously ill while working on a gas rig in Morecambe Bay.

The Duke, who qualified as an operational captain in 2012, giving him overall control of his helicopter, has spoken of his "calling" to save lives.

In an interview for BBC Wales documentary Helicopter Rescue, he said: "There's no greater feeling than when you've actually done some good and saved someone's life.

"I don't think there's any greater calling in life... to be able to see a son or daughter's face when you bring their mother or father back from the edge of death - it's quite powerful."

He has also described his close bond with fellow crewmates, describing them as a family.

During February and March last year, the Duke spent more than six weeks flying search and rescue missions in the Falkland Islands, but his deployment caused a diplomatic row with Argentina.

William, who will one day as king be head of the armed forces, holds several honorary military appointments. He was made Royal Colonel of the Irish Guards in 2011 and wore the regiment's red tunic at his wedding.

He is also Commodore-in-Chief of Scotland and Commodore-in-Chief of Submarines and Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Coningsby near Lincoln.

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MPs' Expenses Bill Soars To Almost £100m

The bill for MPs' expenses soared by more than 7% last year to almost £100m, according to new figures.

Some £98m was paid out by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) for personal costs and running offices, up from £91.5m on 2011-12.

Spending is now higher than in the run-up to the scandal that rocked Westminster in 2009, which prompted tighter rules on claims.

Most of the increase was due to larger staffing budgets but MPs' personal expenses also rose from £23.5m in 2011-12 to £23.8m.

The details emerged in the latest annual information released by the parliamentary watchdog.

DUP politician Ian Paisley made the largest claims at £100,204, followed by Lib Dem Alistair Carmichael on £82,878 and Tory David Morris on £75,902.

Top claimant Ian Paisley (left) and Zac Goldsmith, who claimed nothing

One MP - Tory Zac Goldsmith who represents Richmond Park - did not pocket a penny.

Tory business minister Michael Fallon only received £38.74 and Adam Afriyie £604.20.

Ipsa claimed it had saved the taxpayer £35m since taking over the expenses system but it used figures from two years before it started work as the baseline to work out the saving.

The total allowances bill was £95.4m in 2008-09 but it had already dropped to £90.7m by 2009-10, which was before Ispa started work.

House of Commons records suggest that MPs received £27m for personal and staff expenses in 2008-09 and £20.4m the following year.

Other details in the documents show MPs gave out £13,163 in "reward and recognition" payments to 49 workers last year, a sharp rise on £8,104 between 57 people the year before.

They also show some 155 MPs employed family members over the 12 months.

Outspoken Tory Nadine Dorries' daughter Philippa was among the highest earners, receiving £40,000-45,000 as office manager.

She is now believed to have left to train as a lawyer, but her sister Jennifer has been taken on as senior secretary with a salary of £30,000-35,000.

The publication comes after the watchdog proposed lifting MPs' pay from £66,000 now to £74,000 after the 2015 general election despite protests from party leaders.

TaxPayers' Alliance chief executive Matthew Sinclair said: "Of course MPs should get reasonable office and staff support to assist them in their important work representing constituents at Westminster, but these costs must be kept under control.

"Taxpayers want to know that they are getting value for their money and they will have serious concerns about there being a hike in the overall cost of running MPs' offices over the last 12 months.

"While there have been many sensible changes to the expenses regime since the 2009 scandal, this kind of year-on-year rise is totally unsustainable and Ipsa has to explain to those of us footing the bill how that has been allowed to happen."

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Paedophile Atkins Jailed For 17 Years

A sadistic paedophile whose sexual abuse of a toddler was "almost beyond comprehension" has been jailed for more than 17 years.

Christopher Atkins carried out a life-threatening sexual assault on the child after social services failed to conduct background checks.

The 32-year-old remained impassive in the dock at Nottingham Crown Court as he was sentenced by the city's most senior judge.

Atkins, from Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, committed the "wicked and vile" sex attack two years ago after lying to social services about his personal life.

After Atkins was found guilty of sexual assault in July, it emerged he was already known to authorities before the horrific offence, having been suspected of abusing another child in the Manchester area.

Sentencing Atkins, the Recorder of Nottingham, Michael Stokes QC, told him: "The child in this case was a vulnerable, innocent little girl when you committed an offence of unspeakable cruelty and perversion, an offence which all right-minded people would regard as repellent.

"You are in my judgment a predatory and sadistic paedophile and unless whatever issues you have are addressed you will present a serious risk of causing harm to other children.

"How any human being could do this to a little girl is almost beyond comprehension, but the fact is you did.

"I have no doubt that you would have been content for the grievously injured child to go without medical attention of any kind."

Atkins, whose offences will now be the subject of a serious case review, was sentenced to 16 years for sexual assault and a consecutive 18-month term for child cruelty.

He was told he must serve half his sentence before being released on licence.

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was treated for severe internal injuries after being taken to hospital, where medical staff also found 18 bruises on her face and scalding to her back.

Atkins is known to have supplied his name and his correct date of birth to social services before attacking the toddler, but checks which would have "flagged up" his past were not carried out.

Detective Inspector Yvonne Dales, of Nottinghamshire's Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: "I hope this sentence sends out a message to people who commit offences against children - we will do everything we can to make sure they are brought to justice."

Sarah Sheppard, 25, now living in Farnborough, Hampshire, received a 12-month prison term, suspended for a year, for an offence connected with the case.

The victim's father was in court to witness Atkins being jailed and is considering legal action against the council.

Speaking after the case, the man, who cannot be named to protect his daughter's identity, said: "Social services have not listened to a word I've said - I asked them to check on Atkins and they didn't bother.

"It would have been found that he had been investigated in Manchester and if they had done the checks my daughter would not have gone through this."

After the sentencing, the chairman of Nottinghamshire Safeguarding Children Board, Chris Few, said: "I am pleased that justice has been done in this case.

"I have decided to commission a serious case review into this matter given the circumstances of this case and the need for public accountability and transparency."

Nottinghamshire County Council's director for children's social care, Steve Edwards, said action had been taken to address "shortcomings" within the local authority.

Mr Edwards added: "This was a shocking crime and Atkins has rightly been sentenced for a long time."

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Salmonella Outbreak: Link To Butchers' Ham

A salmonella outbreak that has seen nine people admitted to hospital may be linked to cooked ham from small independent butchers, say health experts.

The outbreak of the infection Salmonella Typhimurium has led to 21 confirmed cases in Wales and 30 in England.

Nine are known to have required hospital treatment, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said.

Other potential cases are being investigated in both countries by public health officials, the FSA and environmental health officers.

The outbreak was first detected in Wales in August and centred mainly on Conwy and Gwynedd.

Additional clusters were investigated in England in the Thames Valley, Leeds, Cumbria and Stafford areas, the FSA said.

Patients ranged in age from seven months to 87 years.

Investigations had found a potential common link to cooked ham from local butchers.

The FSA said: "Testing has been carried out on ham supplied to a number of butchers identified in the investigation.

"No trace of salmonella has been found, but other hygiene issues were identified that led to one supplier voluntarily withdrawing certain batches of ham. Investigations are ongoing."

Salmonella food poisoning is usually caused by eating contaminated raw or undercooked food such as meat, eggs, and dairy products.

Symptoms can include diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and fever.

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Omagh Inquiry: Families Vow To Fight On

Relatives of some victims killed in the Omagh bombing have vowed to fight on after the Government ruled out a public inquiry.

The 1998 attack in Co Tyrone was one of the worst atrocities in the Northern Ireland conflict and inflicted the greatest loss of life in a single terrorist incident.

There have been long-standing allegations that intelligence and investigative failures by authorities on both sides of the border allowed the bombers to both carry out the crime and get away with it.

Some relatives of the victims had called for an all-Ireland probe into whether more could have been done to prevent it.

Ms Villiers said a further review cannot be justified

But Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers said she did not believe there were sufficient grounds to justify a state commissioned independent probe into the Real IRA bombing, which killed 29 people.

"This was not an easy decision to make and all views were carefully considered," she said.

"I believe that the ongoing investigation by the office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland is the best way to address any outstanding issues relating to the police investigation."

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan died in the bombing, told Sky News he was "absolutely disappointed, but not surprised".

"We gave both governments a document over a year ago that shows that both the British and Irish governments could have done something to prevent the Omagh bomb," he said.

"Those people didn't need to die and yet here we have the Secretary of State saying we cannot have a public inquiry."

Mr Gallagher claimed the reasons given for the refusal were "trivial" and he said relatives would immediately start pursuing a judicial review.

"We have the result now - it's not the result we wanted, but at least we can move forward. We can go to the courts and that's exactly what we will do," he said in Belfast.

It was one of the worst atrocities in the Northern Ireland conflict

He insisted a full, public judicial inquiry with the power to compel witnesses to attend was required - pointing out that the police ombudsman does not have that ability.

But other survivors and the families of victims were against a full inquiry. Kevin Skelton, whose wife Philomena was killed, opposed it because his children felt their mother should be able to rest in peace.

"We know the answers. I know there were dirty deeds done round Omagh and the Government, whether there is a public inquiry or not, they are going to bury them, and they have the power to do that," he said.

Former Northern Ireland police ombudsman Dame Nuala O'Loan, ex-counter terrorism chief Bob Quick and Amnesty International have all publicly backed the call for an inquiry.

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Vernon Coaker said he hoped the police ombudsman probe could give the families some answers.

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