Hammond Hits Back Over £2bn MoD Underspend

By Vincent McAviney, Sky News Political Producer

The Defence Secretary has hit back at criticism of a £2bn underspend by the Government department he oversees, saying the money will be spent on future kit for soldiers.

Philip Hammond reacted angrily to claims he had been "overzealous" in pursuit of an austerity drive that will see thousands of soldiers lose their jobs.

They were made in a Daily Telegraph article which suggested the underspend at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was partly down to cuts in military personnel and equipment.

Mr Hammond said: "These retired 'senior military figures' (quoted by the newspaper) are presumably the same people who presided over an out of control defence budget that led to the previous Government sending troops into battle without the proper equipment needed to protect them.

Mr Hammond is overseeing a major cost-cutting exercise at the MoD

"They clearly have no idea how the defence budget now works.

"Instead of having to delay and cancel programmes as in the past, we now budget prudently and then roll forward any underspend to future years, allowing us to place new equipment orders."

Mr Hammond's comments came as a Sky News investigation revealed Government departments have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on calls to directory inquiries numbers since the last election.

The MoD alone made 158,640 calls to 118 lines between May 1, 2010, and August 31, 2013 - the equivalent of 186 calls per day - at a cost of £271,000.

A spokesman said the number of calls made from fixed phone lines had fallen by more than three-quarters in the last four years.

However, the expenditure is equivalent to the annual salaries of 15 squaddies or nine junior officers, or around 270 sets of Osprey body armour.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) made 97,265 calls between May 2010 and August 2013 at a cost of £72,387.

This was despite the department barring staff from calling 118 numbers in March 2011 and Secretary of State Iain Duncan Smith pledging to cut costs to help fund police and the forces.

The MoD says it has cut the number of directory inquiry calls it makes

Robert Oxley, campaign director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, added: "It's astonishing that so much taxpayers' money has been wasted needlessly dialling these services, especially in the internet age.

"Sadly, a blase attitude over who is picking up the phone bill is all too common in some corners of the civil service."

It is the second time in as many months the MoD's spending on phone calls has been brought into question, and comes at a time when the military is undergoing a massive cost-reduction programme which includes thousands of redundancies.

In August, the department revealed it had run up a £40,000 bill on calls to the speaking clock.

The MoD has said this was partly down to a "technical error" in one of its systems which meant the number was being dialled automatically.

Thousands of soldiers are losing their jobs as the MoD cuts costs

However, Sky News now understands that between May 1, 2010, and August 31, 2013, 99,887 calls were in fact made by departmental staff to the speaking clock at a cost of £39,845.

The faulty automated system placed an additional 28,663 calls to the number but the £12,355 cost of these calls is being repaid by the company which installed it.

A spokesman for the MoD said: "Calls to directory inquiries from the majority of the 260,000 MoD fixed phone lines are banned but some staff working in isolated locations, who do not have access to a military phone network or the internet, are able to call directory enquiries to obtain contact details."

A spokesman for the DWP added: "118 numbers are banned, except where they are used by jobseekers or their advisers when looking for work.

"The costs of these calls have been cut by more than two-thirds since 2010, as more of the 1.4 million claimants we support move online for their job searches."

Freedom of Information Act requests were submitted to all government departments, although some departments including the Home Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs refused to provide the information.

Several other departments said they had barred 118 calls, instructing staff to use internet search engines to obtain contact details.

Labour shadow minister Jon Ashworth told Sky News: "This is yet another example of the Government's failure to tackle waste.

"David Cameron and his ministers need to act now to stop allowing thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money being squandered on these costly calls."

00.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Malala Tells Obama: 'End The Drone Strikes'

Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yusufzai has told the US President that drone strikes in her country are "fuelling terrorism".

The 16-year-old schoolgirl, who was shot in the head and neck by Taliban gunmen who attacked her school bus in Pakistan's Swat Valley, met Barack Obama and the First Lady in the White House.

"I thanked President Obama for the United States' work in supporting education in Pakistan and Afghanistan and for Syrian refugees," she said after the meeting.

Malala with her father Ziauddin in Edgbaston, Birmingham

"I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fuelling terrorism. Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people.

"If we refocus efforts on education it will make a big impact."

The US military and the CIA have carried out hundreds of drone strikes against militant groups in the northwest Pakistan since 2004.

But the Pakistani government complains that they also frequently kill civilians and turn ordinary people against Islamabad and the US. 

Malala attracted the anger of the Taliban by writing a blog chronicling the challenges of daily life under the Islamists.

Hundreds of drone strikes have been reported in Pakistan

She is now living in Britain, where she underwent treatment for the injuries sustained in the attack, and campaigns for girls' right to education.

Mr Obama praised the teenager for her "inspiring and passionate work" and signed a proclamation to mark the International Day of the Girl.

A statement issued by the White House said: "The United States joins with the Pakistani people and so many around the world to celebrate Malala's courage and her determination to promote the right of all girls to attend school and realise their dreams."

Malala had been among the favourites for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, but the award was handed to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

In 2012 Barack Obama condemned Malala's shooting as "barbaric". White House spokesman Jay Carney said. "I know that the President found the news reprehensible and disgusting and tragic."

The teenager was treated in Britain following her shooting in 2012

The Pakistani army retook control of Swat later that year, and Malala received the country's highest civilian award.

Since then she has been nominated for several international awards for child activists - including the EU's Sakharov human rights prize which she won earlier in the week - and has written a book about her campaign work called I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education And Was Shot By The Taliban.

Last week Pakistani Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said the group stood by its decision to target the teenager, who he said "targeted and criticised Islam".

"She accepted that she attacked Islam so we we tried to kill her, and if we get another chance we will definitely kill her and that will make us feel proud.

"Islam prohibits killing women, but excepts those that support the infidels in their war against our religion.".

00.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

NFL's Adrian Peterson's Son Dies After 'Assault'

The two-year-old son of American football star Adrian Peterson has died after he was allegedly assaulted by a man reported to be his mother's partner.

The official website of Peterson's Minnesota Vikings team said the toddler was the player's son, although this has not been confirmed by authorities.

The child had been in a critical condition in a South Dakota hospital with severe head injuries since Wednesday.

Peterson did not comment on the youngster's death and asked for privacy as he left a training session.

However, writing on Twitter, the 28-year-old said: "Thank you to my family, my fans and fans of other teams for their support.

"The NFL is a fraternity of brothers and I'm thankful for the tweets, phone calls and text messages from my fellow players.

"God bless everyone and thank you so much."

An NFL spokesman described the news as "absolutely heartbreaking".

"We send our condolences to Peterson and his family at this unimaginable time," he said.

Joseph Patterson has been charged with battery in relation to the death.

Peterson's father Nelson Peterson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper that the 27-year-old was the boyfriend of the child's mother.

Sioux Falls police spokesman Sam Clemens said Patterson would face additional charges.

Peterson is expected to play for the Vikings in their next game against the Carolina Panthers.

00.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

De Villota Death 'Directly Linked To Crash'

The family of Spanish test driver Maria de Villota have claimed her death on Friday was a direct result of her crash at Duxford Aerodrome in Cambridge last year.

A statement issued by the family read: "Maria left us while she was sleeping, approximately at 6am (on Friday), as a consequence of the neurological injuries she suffered in July of 2012, according to what the forensic doctor has told us.

"Maria is gone, but she has left a very clear message of joy and hope which is helping the family move on in these moments."

She had been test-driving a MR-01 car when she crashed

Dr Joaquin Lucena Romero, the head of forensic services at Spain's Institute for Legal Medicine, has declared de Villota's death was "due to natural causes" following a post-mortem.

But Britain's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) say they are still investigating potential links between the accident 15 months ago and her death last week.

An HSE spokeswoman stated the organisation "would expect to be kept informed of any new evidence".

The accident occurred after 33-year-old de Villota had been test-driving an MR-01 race car for Marussia, the English-Russian Formula One team based in Oxfordshire.

Despite her injuries she made a remarkable recovery in one month

After driving the vehicle at speeds of 200mph she pulled off the track and accidentally hit a stationary vehicle at low speed.

The accident left her in a critical condition and caused the loss of her right eye, though she made a remarkable recovery after just a month in hospital. Marussia were cleared of liability relating to the car

The Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) have announced they will hold a minute of silence at Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.

A statement released by the GPDA read: "All F1 drivers of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association are very saddened to hear of the tragic death of our former member Maria de Villota.

"She has been an active member and contributed to driver safety in a very enthusiastic and most professional manner.

"Her positive attitude, maturity and extreme commitment will never be forgotten and are something we have learned from. Maria will be missed and always remembered by all of us."

00.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Migrant Sinking Kills 34 As More Boats Spotted

The Italian navy has rescued 183 migrants from a fishing boat in the Mediterranean as at least 140 Syrians arrived in Malta after being rescued from another sinking boat yesterday.

Among the migrants, who come from Nigeria, Syria and Tunisia, are 34 women and 49 children. Other rescue operations are also currently ongoing.

Some 34 people, including three children, are understood to have died on Friday as the overloaded vessel went down between Malta and the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Survivors were spotted clinging to a life raft while awaiting rescue

It was the second such tragedy in the region in a week.

Speaking to Sky News, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said: "At least 34 people died last night, many more are expected to be found dead in the next couple of hours.

Recovered bodies are unloaded in Malta. Pic: Mark Micallef/Times of Malta

"The difference to last week's tragedy is that, instead of Somalia, they hail from Syria, which makes the case even more complicated and shows the immense human tragedy the Mediterranean is experiencing right now."

The Maltese navy dispatched rescue ships and helicopters and diverted commercial vessels to the area to assist the Syrians, while Italy sent two naval vessels and helicopters carrying inflatable life rafts.

The second vessel escorted to safety by the Italian navy this morning

Helicopters airlifted the injured to Lampedusa Hospital where a large medical team treated them as soon as they arrived.

Hospital director Pietro Bertolo told journalists: "They are wet and very scared, but they are doing well."

Among those rescued were women, children and infants

He added that among the migrants was a "little boy, around two years, who is very beautiful" with his "young" mother.

After the rescue, Mr Muscat warned: "We cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a cemetery."

The boat is the second migrant vessel to sink off Lampedusa in a week

And he told Sky News that this week's tragedies were an indication of what he described as the bigger problem north African migration was playing in the region.

"The rules the EU have were drafted in the 80s and 90s when the situation was completely different," he said. "We are using the tools of the past to face a problem that is very new.

The Italian navy rescued another 183 migrants from the Mediterranean.

"Our forces and the Italian forces are guarding European borders but we're left on our own and we feel totally abandoned by Europe and we're hearing only empty talk from Brussels."

The EU's asylum policy has been criticised for being overly restrictive and it is claimed that is forcing refugees to resort to desperate measures to reach Europe.

Italy has appealed to EU states for help in coping with the thousands of migrants arriving in the country every month, and wants migration to be put on the agenda of summit talks in Brussels at the end of the month.

European Union Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstroem said she was following the rescue operations "with sadness and anxiety".

Protesters in Lampedusa have criticised the EU's strict asylum policy

"These new horrible events are happening while we still have the shocking images of the tragedy in Lampedusa in our minds," she said, adding the latest disaster highlighted the need for expanded search and rescue operations "to better detect and assist boats in distress".

The sinking came as Italian divers found another body from last week's  shipwreck off Lampedusa, raising the death toll in the tragedy to 339.

Some 155 migrants were rescued following last week's disaster

Only 155 survivors were rescued out of an estimated 500 people, most of them Eritreans and Somalis, on the boat which departed from Libya.

Immigration charities estimate that between 17,000 and 20,000 migrants have died at sea trying to reach Europe over the past 20 years.

00.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pro-Gun Campaign On Sandy Hook Anniversary

Pro-gun groups in the US have declared that the first anniversary of the shooting in Sandy Hook, where 20 schoolchildren and six adults were killed, should be named "Guns Save Lives Day".

The Second Amendment Foundation said it wants to "show America that there is a good side to guns".

"We are proclaiming Saturday, December 14 as Guns Save Lives Day," said Alan Gottlieb, president of the Second Amendment Foundation and chairman of the Citizens Committee.

The mass shooting by Adam Lanza in Newtown, Connecticut, was the second worst in America's history, after the Virginia Tech massacre.

Gottlieb said: "No one at Newtown should have been a victim and no one in the future should be victimised by laws that do not allow people to defend themselves."

The foundation is joining the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and DefendGunRights.com and other groups to sponsor the day, which will involve nationwide events.

Adam Lanza shot 20 schoolchildren nearly a year ago

"The event is designed to counteract what certainly will be a day of activism and misinformation from the gun prohibition lobby," noted Larry Ward, founder of DefendGunRights.com.

But gun control advocates have accused the groups of attempting to politicise the tragedy.

And residents of Newtown are opposed to the idea, saying they are still grieving after the shooting.

Linda Manna told NBC Connecticut: "As far as I'm concerned, this is nonsense. It's very insensitive … very insensitive."

"We need to be left alone on the 14th," Ms Manna said. "We are still a community in the healing process."

President Obama has pushed for tighter gun laws since the massacre but has failed to gain congressional approval for the measures.

00.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Refinery Bosses Say Strike Could 'Shut Scotland'

Owners of the Grangemouth oil refinery have urged workers not to go ahead with industrial action, saying a strike "could effectively shut much of Scotland".

Unite members at the site in Scotland will walk out for 48 hours from 7am on October 20 in a dispute over the treatment of union convenor Stephen Deans.

The site's owners Ineos have launched an internal investigation into Mr Deans, who was involved in the dispute over the selection of a Labour candidate in Falkirk.

Mr Deans, who is chairman of Labour's constituency party, was suspended by Ineos, then reinstated.

Unite accused Ineos of refusing to take the dispute to the conciliation service.

Unite's Scottish Secretary Pat Rafferty said: "Unite has made every effort to pull Ineos back from the brink but at every opportunity this company has kicked our proposals for peace into touch.

"We have pleaded with Government ministers in Westminster and Holyrood and the joint owners of the Grangemouth refinery Petrochina to help reign in this reckless company before it's too late.

"A damaging strike may shut down the Grangemouth site, with serious ramifications for fuel production and supply throughout Scotland and the North of England."

Ineos said it will immediately start putting its safety procedures in place to ensure the site can be safely shut down and will redouble its attempts to negotiate an end to the dispute.

Chairman Calum MacLean said: "Unite's decision to strike is completely irresponsible. Unite could effectively shut much of Scotland. Discussions have certainly not been exhausted.

"We told them that we would be willing to go to Acas at the appropriate time but rather than negotiate they prefer to strike.

"We will do all we can to minimise the harm this Unite strike does to the people of Scotland and the North of England. We have high fuel stocks in the refinery and a contingency plan to use the site as an import terminal to bring additional fuel in by sea if necessary."

Ineos recently launched a survival plan for Grangemouth, warning that the site will close by 2017 without investment and reduced costs.

The company said it was losing £10m a month.

Officials said the investigation into Mr Deans will be completed by October 25.

Unite received an overwhelming mandate for strike action from the workforce, with 81.4% voting for walkouts and 90% for other forms of industrial action, on an 86% turnout.

A work to rule and overtime ban has been in place this week.

00.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Somerset Rally Car Crashes Into Dad And Sons

A man and his two sons have been injured by a rally car which left a track and careered into spectators.

A South Western Ambulance Service Trust spokeswoman said the two boys sustained injuries to their legs which were not thought to be serious.

Their father was airlifted to the Bath Royal United Hospital along with them.

The spokeswoman said: "Our officer at the scene said this had the potential to be much more serious than fortunately it turned out to be."

A fourth person was treated and discharged at the scene.

The incident happened just before midday at Royal Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet, Somerset.

An eyewitness told the Shepton Mallet Journal the car, thought to have been a Subaru Impreza, skidded across the grass as it attempted to take a corner.

"Although the crowd was probably 20 to 30 metres away from the track the car carried on going its way into a young family, two young lads, eight or nine years old, and their dad," they said.

"I saw the young lads fly up into the air the dad flew over the top of the car and then it came to a stop and the driver was in a bit of a state, psychologically, kicking the car, he was very upset about what had happened."

The one-day Regency Stages Rally, featuring 55 miles of tarmac rallying across 10 stages, was being held at the venue.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said the condition of the rally driver involved in the crash is unknown.

"There is a joint investigation involving the police and the Health and Safety Executive into the incident," he said.

The event is organised by the Weston-super-Mare Motor Club, which was unavailable for comment about the crash.

00.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Leicester Fire Victims: Father Pays Tribute

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent

A funeral has taken place in Dublin for the mother and three teenage children who died in a house fire in Leicester four weeks ago.

Their grieving husband and father told 1,000 mourners at a Janaza service that he had "nobody now" and felt "like a bird without any wings".

The bodies of 47-year-old Shehnila Taufiq, her daughter Zainab, and sons Bilal and Jamil, were brought from Leicester on a ferry overnight.

Dr Sattar said his wife and three children will never be forgotten

They died in an arson attack on their home at Wood Hill in the city last month. Eight men have been charged with murder.

The family had gone to England to pursue studies in Islam.  The husband and father they leave behind said they would never be forgotten.

Dr Muhammad Taufiq Al Sattar said: "I'm remembering all the time, 24/7. I'll continue and devote my life for the community work and the work of the society. My family are with me all the time and my belief is, they are waiting for me in paradise."

The prominent Dublin neurosurgeon revealed that his wife had invested her life savings in the community centre and mosque at Blanchardstown, where the funeral took place.

When her children asked her if they could have a larger home, she told them they would have a larger home when they got to paradise.

The family moved to England from Ireland to pursue studies in Islam

She and her eldest son had already graduated, her daughter and youngest son were in their final year and all four were planning to settle in Ireland.

They were laid to rest in the Muslim plot at Newcastle Cemetery, south Dublin, mother and daughter in one grave, the boys in another alongside.

00.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cyclone Phailin Batters India's East Coast

A powerful cyclone has torn into India's east coast, killing at least five people and forcing more than half a million into shelters.

Cyclone Phailin was expected to remain a "very severe cyclonic storm", with winds up to 130mph, into the early hours of Sunday as it moves inland in the states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

Up to 12 million people could be affected by heavy rain and strong winds, according to disaster management officials.

A satellite image of the cyclone

The storm had lost some of its strength before hitting the coast on Saturday, but it remains India's strongest since a typhoon killed 10,000 people in the same region 14 years ago.

Four people were killed by falling trees, while another died when the walls of her home collapsed.

Relief items are packaged for distribution to cyclone evacuees

Electricity has also been cut off in several towns, including Odisha's capital Bhubaneswar.

Cyclone Phailin was also forecast to drive sea levels up 11ft as it neared the coast.

Floods have already ripped down power lines

The evacuation is one of the biggest exercises in the country's history, according to the national disaster agency.

Forecasters have likened its size and intensity to Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the US Gulf coast and New Orleans in 2005.

Residents move to safer ground

Dr Liz Bentley from the Royal Meteorological Society told Sky News: "This particular part of the coastline is very low-lying so it (Phailin) will penetrate quite well in land.

"It is like a mini-tsunami hitting that - not caused in the same way as a tsunami but it's the same effect."

The predicted path of the cyclone

Authorities have been evacuating villagers along the coast to government-run shelters and schools in three districts of Andhra Pradesh state and five districts of Orissa state.

But many villagers said they had not been told to evacuate, and others were refusing to leave their homes.

00.57 | 0 komentar | Read More