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UK Pledges £2m To Deadly Cyclone Pam Victims

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 15 Maret 2015 | 00.57

The UK is giving up to £2m in aid to help the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu where a devastating tropical cyclone is feared to have flattened entire communities.

Cyclone Pam is thought to have caused widespread destruction across the 65 inhabited Vanuatu islands, killing at least eight people, aid officials have said.

Unconfirmed reports say dozens more people are feared dead after the storm, which is one of the strongest ever recorded.

Britain's Department for International Development said "up to £1m" will be made immediately available to UN organisations and international aid agencies already working in the region following a request from the Vanuatu government.

An additional £1m will be made available through the UK's Rapid Response Facility, which provides emergency support.

The Category Five storm struck the South Pacific archipelago with winds of up to 210mph, threatening more than 267,000 residents.

The storm blew roofs off houses, uprooted trees and downed power lines. Officials in the capital Port Vila say there is no power or running water.

Save the Children's Vanuatu Country Director Tom Skirrow added: "The scene here this morning is complete devastation.

Chloe Morrison, a World Vision emergency communications officer, said: "The damage is quite extensive in Port Vila but there are so many more vulnerable islands."

Vanuatu is about a quarter of the way from Australia to Hawaii. About 47,000 people live in the capital. Most of those left their homes for the safety of shelters.

Speaking in Japan, where he was at a conference on global risk, President of Vanuatu Baldwin Lonsdale choked up as he said: "I stand to appeal on the behalf of the government and people of Vanuatu to the global community to give a lending hand in responding this very current calamities that have struck us."

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  1. Gallery: Fears Dozens Killed By Powerful Cyclone Pam

    There are fears dozens of people have been killed after Cyclone Pam stuck the Pacific's Vanuatu archipelago

The streets of Porta Vila are reportedly littered with debris and uprooted trees following the storm

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Clarkson Hints At Possible Top Gear Exit

Jeremy Clarkson has hinted he may be ready to leave Top Gear after being suspended over a bust-up with a producer.

Writing in his column for the Sun newspaper he appeared to refer to himself as a "dinosaur", explaining that "the day must come when you have to wave goodbye to the big monsters". 

He wrote: "Nature made a mistake when it invented the dinosaur. It was too big, too violent ...

"All the dinosaurs died and now, years later, no-one mourns their passing.

"These big, imposing creatures have no place in a world which has moved on."

Clarkson, 54, has been suspended over a row in which he allegedly tried to hit a producer, named in reports as Oisin Tymon. 

A petition calling for Clarkson to be reinstated has reached more than 840,000 signatures.

But the controversial presenter wrote: "You can start as many campaigns as you like and call on the support of politicians from all sides, but the day must come when you have to wave goodbye to the big monsters, and move on. 

"We lose one animal and get another. The world turns."

He goes on to say: "As you may have heard, I've been suspended by the BBC following a fracas at a North Yorkshire hotel.

"I don't intend to dwell here on what happened then or what will happen in the future. I'm sure you're as fed up with the story as I am.

"One of the things which has cheered me is how many people have expressed support in the last few days. I'm touched and grateful."

Clarkson is being summoned to appear before a BBC disciplinary panel that will decide his fate.

The panel will be chaired by Ken MacQuarrie, the head of BBC Scotland who conducted the investigation into Newsnight's false expose of Lord McAlpine.

The corporation has not revealed when or where the hearing will take place.

:: Read Sky News' interview with a family who say Clarkson launched into an expletive-ridden rant at the producer.

According to reports, he lashed out because he was unable to order a steak at the Simonstone Hall Hotel near Hawes, North Yorkshire, where the production team were staying.

The Sun and Daily Mirror said the hotel's chef had gone home by the time they arrived and they were only offered cold meat platters, although Clarkson had ordered a £21.95 steak.

The papers quoted a source who claimed Clarkson blamed Mr Tymon for not arranging hot food and said there had been a "scuffle".


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Battersea Arts Centre Fire Damage Photos Emerge

Photos have emerged showing the devastation caused by a fire that ripped through an arts centre in south London.

Firefighters are continuing to investigate what caused the blaze at Battersea Arts Centre on Friday, which is thought to have started in the roof of the Grade II listed building.

Devastated residents could be seen crying in the street as around 80 firefighters battled to control the flames, which sent smoke that would be seen for miles billowing into the sky.

No one was injured in the blaze, which affected the building's Grand Hall and its roof.

Firefighters say they managed to save half of the centre.

Station Manager Matt Burrows, who visited the scene on Saturday, said: "Firefighters did a great job to save large parts of the building including the octagonal dome, which I'm told is priceless, and salvaged valuable art work.

"The centre are hopeful that they will be able to open unaffected areas of the building to the public today.

"We'll continue to damp down and our fire investigators are inspecting the building to find the cause."

David Jubb, the centre's artistic director and CEO, said: "The organisation and the front half of the building live to fight another day. We start now."

He thanked the emergency services for saving the building, and said today is the start of the "next chapter" for the centre.

Mr Jubb said: "We want to get the shows back on and rebuild the building brick by brick.

"Huge thanks to the National Funding Scheme who set up a donate page on their site to raise funds.

"This is incredibly important - at the moment we have no offices, no Grand Hall theatre, and we have to re-establish a new financial model for the next 12 months.

"So your support - at whatever level - is so valuable."


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May: Child Abuse Cases Are 'Tip Of The Iceberg'

Allegations of sex abuse within the institutions meant to protect vulnerable children are "only the tip of the iceberg", Theresa May has claimed.

The Home Secretary believes such abuse is "woven, covertly, into the fabric of our society" - with survivors claiming the exploitation runs through every level of society like "a stick of Blackpool rock".

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mrs May added it was a "new beginning" for the independent inquiry into child sex abuse, and conceded the investigation got off to a difficult start.

She wrote: "We already know the trail will lead into our schools and hospitals, our churches, our youth clubs and many other institutions that should have been places of safety but instead became the setting for the most appalling abuse.

"However, what the country doesn't yet appreciate is the true scale of that abuse."

Mrs May also insisted that the inquiry was a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" that would enable the country to learn lessons for the future by addressing the wrongs of the past.

She wrote: "The victims and survivors who have had the courage to speak out are clear that they have done so for one common reason - to save the next generation of children from the abuse they suffered.

"That is what this inquiry is for. Where there has been a failure to protect children from abuse, we will expose it and we will learn from it."

Justice Lowell Goddard is chairing the four-person panel, which was established in the wake of several child sex abuse scandals.

They include the crimes committed by disgraced TV star Jimmy Savile, the abuse of vulnerable girls in towns and cities nationwide, and growing fears that an alleged paedophile ring was operating in the heart of Westminster.


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Mahatma Gandhi Statue Unveiled In London

A bronze statue of the Indian civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi has been unveiled in central London.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the sculpture is a "magnificent tribute" to one of the "most towering figures" in history.

The privately-funded work by Philip Jackson, who has made statues of the Queen Mother and the Bomber Command memorial, shows Mr Gandhi dressed in a shawl and traditional dhoti skirt, with his hands clasped.

It is inspired by photographs of him at 10 Downing Street during a visit in 1931.

The statue was unveiled in Parliament Square by Indian finance minister Shri Arun Jaitley in a ceremony that included a personal tribute from Mr Gandhi's grandson, the former governor of West Bengal, Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

A band played Indian classical music on sitars, Indian flags adorned the square, and schoolchildren stood in the crowd to watch.

The PM said: "This statue is a magnificent tribute to one of the most towering figures in the history of world politics and by putting Mahatma Gandhi in this famous square we are giving him an eternal home in our country.

"Many of his teachings remain as potent today as when he first made them.

"'The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others' and 'be the change that you want to see in the world' remain timeless, profound and inspiring words of wisdom."

The ceremony is part of events in Britain to mark the 100th anniversary of Mr Gandhi's return to India from South Africa to start the nation's struggle for independence, which was eventually gained in 1947.

The statue was announced in July by Chancellor George Osborne and former foreign secretary William Hague during a visit to the site of Mr Gandhi's assassination in New Delhi.

The Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust has raised £1m of donations in six months for the project, including £100,000 from billionaire Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal.


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India: Nun Critical After Gang-Rape By Bandits

A 72-year-old nun has been gang-raped by bandits at a Christian missionary school in eastern India.

Up to a dozen attackers broke in at around 1am on Saturday before tying up several of the nuns on the premises.

The senior sister was raped as she tried to stop the men stealing from the Convent of Jesus and Mary School, in Ranaghat, West Bengal.

It is understood the nun was not taken to hospital until the following morning.

The woman is said to have been critically injured and has had surgery after the attack.

Father Dominic Gomes, Vicar General of Kolkata (Calcutta) Archdiocese, told Indian news channel NDTV: "After tying three of the five sisters, they entered the principal's room and ransacked it, destroying property and taking money, a laptop and a mobile phone."

Angry school students blocked a rail route and a major highway in protest after the incident.

West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said an inquiry had been launched by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Ms Banerjee said: "We strongly condemn the incident that took place at the Ranaghat Convent. CID will be examining all aspects to this horrific crime. Swift, strongest action to be taken."

State minister for urban affairs Firhad Hakim described the attack as "heinous" and called for the death penalty to be used on anyone found responsible, the Times of India reported.


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Child Mental Health Services Get £1.25bn Boost

An extra £1.25bn will be spent on services for people suffering from mental health problems, the Deputy Prime Minister has said.

The cash will help more than 100,000 youngsters needing mental health services over the next five years, Nick Clegg announced.

He said the way children had been treated before by the system was an "institutionalised form of cruelty".

The £250m-a-year funding will be confirmed in next week's Budget.

Mr Clegg made the announcement during a visit to Clock View Hospital in Liverpool.

He said: "I think it will have a huge impact. You have got, on average, three children in every classroom in our country who have got mental health problems and are not being properly catered for, not being properly identified, not being properly supported.

"This huge expansion - £1.25bn over the course of the next parliament - will help around 110,000 children, children who at the moment are being let down by the system.

"It's an institutionalised form of cruelty, the way we allow vulnerable children with mental health problems to basically have to fend for themselves at the moment.

"This big announcement I'm making is going to seek to change that. It won't happen overnight, it will happen over the coming years."

The funding will also help improve support for new mothers, who had previously struggled with a "second-class mental health service", Mr Clegg said.

The Deputy Prime Minister said: "It is terrifying to think that in this day and age some new mothers are having to travel miles for treatment and others are even being separated from their newborn child. This has to stop.

"This funding will make sure they get the treatment and support they need so they in turn can give their children the best possible start in life."

Mr Clegg was in Liverpool for the Liberal Democrats' spring conference. During his announcement he blamed some local NHS commissioners for failing to pass on previous funding for children's mental health.


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Body Found In Burning Car Near Golf Club

A woman has been arrested after firefighters discovered a body in the boot of a burning car.

The 34-year-old is being held on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, after the unidentified victim was found in the back of the badly damaged Volkswagen Jetta.

Fire crews were called to Ifield Golf Club near Horsham, West Sussex, on Friday afternoon after receiving reports that a vehicle was on fire.

A post-mortem examination is being carried out on the body, and investigators from the Surrey and Sussex major crime team have been unable to determine the victim's gender so far.

Detective Chief Inspector Jason Taylor said: "We are treating this as a murder investigation and are following several lines of inquiry.

"Anyone who has any information about the car, or saw it being abandoned and set on fire, is asked to contact police."

The unnamed suspect is from Dulwich in south London.


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Ed Miliband Unveils Labour's Election Pledges

Ed Miliband has unveiled Labour's pledges for the General Election, covering the economy, the NHS, immigration and tuition fees.

The Labour leader said the choice for voters is not simply between parties and leaders, but between different visions of the country.

The party's five pledges are:

:: Economy -  Labour claims it will balance the books and cut the deficit every year.

:: Living standards - Boosted by Mr Miliband's pledge to freeze energy bills until 2017.

:: NHS - Labour says it will recruit 20,000 more nurses and 8,000 more GPs.

:: Immigration - People who come to the UK will not be able to claim benefits for at least two years.

:: Young people - Tuition fees cut to £6,000, more apprenticeships and smaller class sizes for primary school children.

Speaking to delegates in Birmingham, he said: "Today I urge the British people to choose optimism, to choose a country for the many, to choose the good of all, to choose hope - and to recognise that when working people succeed, nothing can stop us as a country."

Mr Miliband claimed "the Tory experiment" over the past five years had failed, and suggested that working people were £1,600 worse off because of David Cameron's Government.

He added: "We know what their plans mean - it means education cut, the NHS undermined, it means social care devastated, our infrastructure crumbling. Britain cannot afford to take that risk."

To applause from supporters, Mr Miliband also criticised the Prime Minister's decision not to participate in some of the upcoming TV election debates.

It is not the first time Labour has unveiled a pledge card. Tony Blair and John Prescott did so successfully in 1997, winning a landslide general election victory.

But the pledges were very different in 1997. They were: cutting class sizes; quicker punishment for young offenders; cutting NHS waiting lists;  getting under-25s off benefits; no rise in income tax.

As Mr Miliband spoke to delegates about the latest pledge card, a group of Conservatives led by former education secretary Michael Gove turned up outside wearing Alex Salmond masks.

The Tories claim a vote for Mr Miliband will result in a coalition between Labour and the SNP. 

Mr Gove said: "The worst possible thing will be to have Ed Miliband in Downing Street propped up by Alex Salmond - more spending, more borrowing, more taxing."


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Police Shoot Gunman After Car Chase On Live TV

By Sky News US Team

Los Angeles County police shot a gun-wielding man after a dramatic car chase which all played out on live television.

The suspect careened through intersections narrowly missing a skateboarder and pedestrians in a 30-minute police pursuit.

Aerial footage then showed him jumping out of his car shouting and waving a gun.

He appeared to shoot in the direction of police, who returned fire.

Bleeding through his shirt from a gunshot wound, the suspect walked to a nearby home and sat on the porch.

He sipped water from a hose before surrendering after a standoff that lasted more than an hour.

The unidentified man was taken to a local hospital, where his condition is unknown.

No police were injured in the incident.

The suspect was wanted for allegedly forcing his wife into a vehicle at gunpoint and pistol-whipping her on 8 March.


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