Heed fresh flood warnings - minister

30 January 2014 Last updated at 17:24 ET

The environment secretary is warning of further flooding for parts of the UK, with those in affected areas urged to heed Environment Agency advice.

Speaking after a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee, Owen Paterson said more rain and high tides meant there was a 'real risk' of coastal flooding.

The Met Office is warning of more heavy rain and high winds for much of the UK on Friday and over the weekend.

Figures show January has been the wettest on record in parts of England.

Speaking after the 15th meeting of the committee, Mr Paterson said heavy rain combined with high spring tides meant properties on the south coast were at a further risk of flooding.

"I would urge people to pay close attention to those warnings as the weekend approaches and during the weekend," he said.

Coastal flooding

The Environment Agency warned that high tides, strong winds and large waves would bring a risk of coastal flooding, particularly in counties in the South-West.

It said parts of south-east England and Gloucestershire, north-west England and the Yorkshire and Hull coasts would also be affected.

It has more than 30 flood warnings in place and some 160 flood alerts, with fears that heavy rain falling on already-saturated ground could cause further flooding.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning - meaning be prepared - for heavy rain on the Somerset Levels, and yellow warnings - which mean be aware - for rain across much of the south of England, Northern Ireland and Wales on Friday.

It is also warning of high winds and rain for many western parts of the UK on Saturday and Sunday.

In Wales, Aberystwyth University is set to evacuate student halls of residence on the seafront from 16:00 GMT on Friday in anticipation of stormy weather and high tides.

Cut off

Earlier, military planners met council officials in Somerset over plans to bring relief to villages cut off by recent floods - after Mr Paterson said military amphibious vehicles could be deployed. The military has been put on standby to help flooded areas.

Roads round villages including Muchelney have been cut for almost a month and about 11,500 hectares (28,420 acres) of the levels are flooded by about 65 million cubic metres of water.

Somerset County Council said the military remained on standby, with needs currently being met by the fire service, which was supplying 10 additional pumps, Unimog vehicles and hovercraft.

Pat Flaherty, deputy chief executive of Somerset County Council, told a press conference in Taunton: "With potential for high winds and high tides and more rain passing through and falling on an already soaked catchment we have potential for further flooding over the weekend and, with that, ongoing flooding for a number of weeks to come.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Scientists have a new phrase about the weather... global weirding.

Before this record drenching, they mention the 2012 record warm winter in the US Mid-West followed by record cold this winter; record heat in Australia when normally ocean currents would have cooled the land; and the UK's 2012 drought cancelled out by floods.

The jury's still out on whether humans are to blame for extreme weather.

But consider this: we have drained bogs which used to catch rain; allowed soil to run off fields and clog rivers; built homes on our flood plains and supermarkets in our countryside; we've almost certainly heated the climate and swelled the sea level.

Now up to 40 homes are flooded in Somerset, where high tides have hemmed in the rains. But that compares with 55,000 homes flooded across Britain in 2007. It could be worse.

Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin

"With that in mind we're still working very closely with the military who remain in Somerset, planning with us and we also have the resilience of knowing that their equipment and personnel are ready to be mobilised should we require them."

The military will remain on call over this weekend and in the coming weeks.

Speaking after the Cobra meeting, Mr Paterson said he was hopeful that a 20-year plan to deal with flooding in the levels would be agreed sooner than the six-week deadline he had specified.

"As soon as we've got a plan, I'll be down there talking to local people," he said.

Rainfall

Southern England and parts of the Midlands had already seen twice the average rainfall for January by midnight on Tuesday - with three days left in the month, the Met Office said.

Up to and including January 28, the South East and central southern England had a record 175.2mm (6.9in) of rainfall in January - beating the previous record of 158.2mm for the same parts of England set in 1988.

Across south-west England and south Wales, the 222.6 mm (8.8in) of rainfall up to midnight on Tuesday meant January 2014 was already the fifth-wettest.

For the UK as a whole, 164.6 mm (6.5in) of rain has fallen so far this month - 35% above the long-term average.

Continue reading the main story

Holding back the water

Dredging, flood barriers, natural flood management and sustainable drainage are recognised methods of preventing or alleviating flooding. BBC News looks at how these methods work and the scientific principles behind them.

But the Met Office said it had seen a contrast from south to north across the UK, with northern Scotland having received 85% of its long-term average rainfall so far this month, compared with 200% over southern England.

The UK mean temperature for the month up until 28 January was 4.9C (41F) - 1.2C above average.

Met Office analysts said the whole of the UK was on target for a wetter-than-average winter, though temperatures have been mild - 4.9C (41F) for January so far, which is 1.2C above average.

The South East and central southern England are already seeing their sixth-wettest winter since records began in 1910 and the wettest since 1995 (369.7mm of rain). The wettest winter on record was 1915, with 437.1mm of rain.

The main reason for the mild and wet weather so far was a predominance of west and south-west winds, bringing in mild air from the Atlantic, the Met Office said.

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Cameron to press Hollande over EU

30 January 2014 Last updated at 21:54 ET

Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to press French President Francois Hollande to back European Union reform as he hosts a UK-France summit.

The talks, which will take place at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, are expected to cover subjects including energy, defence and science.

A source said Mr Cameron would call for a "more flexible" EU during the lunch.

But a source close to Mr Hollande said he was unlikely to back such a move.

Mr Cameron's Conservative Party is promising to hold an in-out referendum on the European Union by the end of 2017 if it wins the 2015 general election.

'Optimistic'

This is unpopular among Mr Hollande's ministers, according to BBC Europe editor Gavin Hewitt, who said: "They will not accept a Europe a la carte, where countries cherry-pick what they like."

UK officials sought to play down the differences between the two men, holding the first UK-France summit since Mr Hollande became president in 2012, saying: "We have seen over a period of months now increasing recognition around Europe about the need for treaty change. Every country will approach that from their own perspective in the usual way."

Mr Cameron was "optimistic and takes a very positive approach to the changes that he wants to see", a source added.

The prime minister is expected to make the argument for greater deregulation within the EU and a change of relationship between Brussels and countries not in the eurozone, including the UK.

The summit follows criticism by both the UK and French governments over the state of the other's economy.

However, a source close to Mr Hollande signalled that it was "very, very unlikely" he would agree to treaty changes by 2017.

Shadow defence secretary Vernon Coaker said: "Rather than pandering to his Conservative backbenchers who want Britain to leave the EU, David Cameron should bear in mind the uncertainty he is creating for British businesses and think about the British defence jobs he is putting in danger."

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Rape data shows regional variation

31 January 2014 Last updated at 00:30 ET

New figures show wide variations in the way police record and classify rape allegations across the 43 police forces in England and Wales.

The Inspectorate of Constabulary, which compiled the data, said there may be a "culture of disbelief" in some forces where recorded rapes were very low.

The highest number of recorded adult rapes - 34.8 per 100,000 adult population - was in Northamptonshire.

By contrast, the lowest figure was 9.8 per 100,000 adults in Durham.

'Losing confidence'

The Inspectorate of Constabulary, which is an independent overseer of police, said the figures - for the 12 months to the end of March 2013 - indicated how different police forces were responding to rape.

But it warned that the numbers did not tell the full story. A higher figure for recorded rapes did not necessarily mean that more rapes were being committed and a lower figure fewer.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

At a time when crime figures are under intense scrutiny over claims they've been fiddled or manipulated to meet performance targets, these statistics will spark fresh concerns about the way rape allegations are logged and classified.

Although the data must be treated with caution - because of the small number of offences in some constabularies - police and crime commissioners, victims groups and ministers will be searching for explanations for some of the huge disparities.

How can it be that Lincolnshire police chalked off one-third of rapes reported to them (a proportion that's been steadily rising) while police concluded that "no crime" had been committed in only three in every 100 in Cumbria?

What's behind the large variation in detection rates between forces - from six to 32%? And is confidence among victims in the way they'll be treated the reason why the number of recorded rape allegations appears to be so inconsistent?

It said: "Increases in the number of rapes being recorded may mean that victims feel more confident in reporting what happened to them; or decreases may mean that victims are losing confidence in the authorities to treat them sensitively."

Inspector of Constabulary Dru Sharpling said there may be a range of explanations for regional variations in recorded rapes but that questions over victims being disbelieved had to be raised.

Policing practice developer Helen Hopwood said the figures highlighted "inconsistencies between forces about the outcome of rape investigations".

"This must be tackled," she said.

Victim support groups say victims need to know they will be taken seriously and treated sensitively as it takes a great deal of courage to come forward.

Liz Kelly, chairwoman of the End Violence Against Women coalition, said: "The wide disparities between different areas' reporting rates may indicate that the culture of scepticism remains in some police forces.

"This is not a surprise to us. Our member organisations know how deep disbelief and victim-blaming goes in institutions and communities.

Continue reading the main story

Adult rapes recorded per 100,000 adult population: Highest

• Northamptonshire
• Metropolitan Police (London)
• North Wales
• Devon & Cornwall
• Greater Manchester

"But the police play a critical role enabling rape survivors to access justice, so these disparities and attitudes must be urgently tackled."

Continue reading the main story

Adult rapes recorded per 100,000 adult population: Lowest

• Durham
• Surrey
• Hertfordshire
• Dyfed-Powys
• Lincolnshire

Source: Inspectorate of Constabulary

Some campaigners also argue it is more important to measure the number of rape convictions than recorded rapes.

The number of recorded rapes of both adults and children has risen steadily since 2008.

In the 12 months to March 2013, there were about 10,000 recorded rapes of adults in England and Wales, and 6,000 recorded rapes of children, up from about 6,000 and 5,000 respectively in 2008/09.

The average is 22 rapes recorded per 100,000 adults.

The highest recorded child rape rate was 106 per 100,000 in Humberside. Hertfordshire had the lowest at 28, against an average for England and Wales of 59.5 per 100,000.

Despite being the force that recorded the lowest number of adult rapes, the data revealed Durham Police had highest "sanction detection rate". The number of rapes recorded by the force that ended in a caution or charge was at 32%, compared with an average of 18%.

Meanwhile, the data also showed that Lincolnshire Police had the highest rate - 33% - of offences initially recorded as a rape but later declassified. Only 3% of rapes reported to police in Cumbria were "no-crimed", the lowest of any force.

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London gangs 'expanding' across UK

31 January 2014 Last updated at 01:09 ET

Some of London's most dangerous gangs are increasingly expanding their criminal activities across the UK, the Metropolitan Police has warned.

Officers say 54 gangs from the capital now have "tentacles" in other towns and cities, selling drugs and causing violence on a larger scale.

Police liken them to businesses, saying areas are selected depending on demand and whether other gangs operate.

Raids across the UK on Thursday targeted one south London gang.

Continue reading the main story

Gangs are spreading their wings so rather working in London, they are going into the counties, even Scotland to deal drugs,"

End Quote DCI Tim Champion

Twenty-nine people aged 18 to 47 were arrested in the latest phases of an operation said to be focused on the so-called GAS gang, based in Lambeth.

Simultaneous raids took place at 23 properties.

The Met Police searched nine addresses in Lambeth, one in Southwark, one in Hackney and another in Brent.

Seven properties were targeted in the Thames Valley, two in Edinburgh, one in Essex and one in Bedfordshire.

Police said the operation illustrated how gangs were targeting new areas to confuse investigators and generate more profit.

Officers say the 54 London gangs that they believe have made criminal advances around the regions are already behind two-thirds of gang-related crime in the capital.

Det Ch Insp Tim Champion, from the Met's Operation Trident Gang Crime Command, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What we are noticing is that gangs are spreading their wings, so rather than working in London, they are going into the counties, even Scotland, to deal drugs. So basically it's an expanding trade.

"We have communication with all our colleagues in the county forces and in Scotland, so distance isn't an issue if you are actually talking about operations from a London perspective, but we work with local forces from up there. So it's not always the case we have to go up there ourselves."

But there are questions over whether the UK's other police forces have the same expertise and resources as the Met to tackle to complexities of gang organisation and crime.

US 'franchises'

Academics highlight the situation in the US in the 1990s which saw gangs expand into different locations to escape rivals or to take advantage of underserved markets.

The Latin Kings gang formed in Chicago in the 1940s now has what it describe as "tribes" in more than 39 states, as well as links to to Europe and Latin America.

Roger Graef, film-maker and criminologist at the London School of Economics, said gangs in the UK often mirrored what goes on in the US.

He said: "In America where all of this happened in the 1990s, the [Los Angeles-based] Crips and the Bloods really had thousands of members and they franchised to other cities, partly because it was safer.

"If they could go to Denver or Washington and places like that they would have almost virgin territory for drug dealing and the stuff they would do and they would be less threatened by the rival gangs."

Scotland Yard said Thursday's raids involved more than 700 officers and targeted what are believed to be "the most senior ranking high harm members" of the London gang.

The Met was assisted by officers from the Thames Valley, Essex and Bedfordshire police forces, as well as Police Scotland.

Those arrested are suspected of crimes including conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, money laundering, fraud and immigration offences.

The Met said its work also involves preventing people from joining gangs and suspects are offered support to help them "escape" from such activity.

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Knox 'frightened' by murder ruling

31 January 2014 Last updated at 03:16 ET

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Speaking before the verdicts emerged, Knox said she was "a marked person"

US student Amanda Knox says she is "frightened and saddened" after a court in Italy reinstated her guilty verdict for the 2007 murder of her British flatmate Meredith Kercher.

Knox, who is currently in the US, was sentenced to 28 years and six months.

Her Italian ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, also had his guilty verdict reinstated and received 25 years. He was "struck dumb", his lawyer said.

The Kercher family lawyer said that justice had been done.

Lawyers for both Knox and Sollecito have said they will appeal to the supreme Court of Cassation.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

This re-running of the appeal process was ordered by Italy's highest court, whose judges had demolished the grounds for Knox and Sollecito's acquittals.

And so there was a sense that the momentum was with the prosecution as this latest appeal began. Now that it has secured a conviction, an eventual attempt to extradite Knox is a possibility.

But her legal team would fight it with everything it had.

Most people in Italy would find it very difficult indeed to imagine the US authorities one day putting Amanda Knox on a plane and sending her back here to spend much of the rest of her life in jail.

As part of Thursday's ruling, Knox and Sollecito were also ordered to pay damages to the family of Miss Kercher, whose brother Lyle and sister Stephanie were in the courtroom in Florence.

Speaking soon after, Lyle Kercher said: "It's hard to feel anything at the moment because we know it will go to a further appeal. No matter what the verdict was, it never was going to be a case of celebrating anything."

Their lawyer, Francesco Maresca, called the verdict "justice for Meredith and the family".

'Out of hand'

Sollecito's lawyer, Luca Maori, said his client had heard the verdict on TV and looked "annihilated".

"There isn't a shred of proof," Mr Maori said.

Miss Kercher, 21, from Coulsdon in south London, was stabbed to death in the flat she shared with Knox in the college city of Perugia.

Knox and Sollecito, 29, were jailed for her murder in 2009 but the verdicts were overturned in 2011 and the pair were freed.

However, the acquittals were themselves overturned last year by the Court of Cassation, which returned the case to the Florence court.

The Court of Cassation will now hear the defendants' appeals.

In Italy, verdicts are not considered final until they are confirmed, usually by the Court of Cassation.

Legal experts say it is unlikely Italy will request Knox's extradition until then.

In a statement issued after the verdict, Knox, 26, said: "I am frightened and saddened by this unjust verdict.

"Having been found innocent before, I expected better from the Italian justice system."

She added: "There has always been a marked lack of evidence. My family and I have suffered greatly from this wrongful persecution. This has gotten out of hand."

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The verdict is the third in the case - and may yet be appealed

Knox, who is currently studying for a degree in creative writing at the University of Washington, followed the court proceedings from her hometown of Seattle.

After 12 hours of deliberation, the verdicts were delivered by presiding judge Alessando Nencini, who ordered that Sollecito's passport should be revoked.

Continue reading the main story

Will US extradite Amanda Knox?

Taylor Brown BBC News, Washington

---

Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at American University in Washington DC, says that whether or not Knox is extradited to Italy is a question of the request's legal basis and America's political interest in the case.

Once Italy makes a request, the US will have to decide whether it falls under their extradition treaty.

While there is "no reason to think the US has a specific interest" in blocking her extradition, Mr Vladeck says, countries can effectively stand in the way with a variety of "creative" interpretations of extradition treaties.

If the US does grant Italy's request, Knox can fight her extradition in a US court, citing among other things international human rights law.

Sollecito had been in court earlier on Thursday but left before the verdicts were delivered.

The judge made no requests for limits on Knox's movements.

Legal experts say that if Italy requests extradition, the US would have to decide whether the case fell under the nations' extradition treaty. Political considerations could also come into play, they say.

US Senator Maria Cantwell, from Knox's home state of Washington, said she was "very concerned and disappointed'' by the verdict and confident that the appeal would re-examine the decision.

"It is very troubling that Amanda and her family have had to endure this process for so many years,'' she said in a statement.

Rudy Guede from the Ivory Coast has already been convicted of Miss Kercher's murder at an earlier trial, and sentenced to 16 years in prison. That verdict specified that he did not commit the crime alone.

Prosecutors sought to prove Miss Kercher had died in a sex game involving Knox and Sollecito that went wrong.

They have since alleged that the murder resulted from a heated argument over cleanliness in the Perugia apartment.

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Peanut allergy treatment 'a success'

29 January 2014 Last updated at 21:01 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

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Catherine Tooley and her daughter Elizabeth on their part in the study

Doctors say a potential treatment for peanut allergy has transformed the lives of children taking part in a large clinical trial.

The 85 children had to eat peanut protein every day - initially in small doses, but ramped up during the study.

The findings, published in the Lancet, suggest 84% of allergic children could eat the equivalent of five peanuts a day after six months.

Experts have warned that the therapy is not yet ready for widespread use.

Peanuts are the most common cause of fatal allergic reactions to food.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The trial has been an experience and adventure that has changed my life and I've had so much fun, but I still hate peanuts"

End Quote Lena Barden Age 11

There is no treatment so the only option for patients is to avoid them completely, leading to a lifetime of checking every food label before a meal.

Build up

The trial, at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, tried to train the children's immune systems to tolerate peanut protein.

Every day they were given a peanut protein powder - starting off on a dose equivalent to one 70th of a peanut.

The theory was that patients started at the extremely low dose, well below the threshold for an allergic response.

Once a fortnight the dose was increased while the children were in hospital, in case there was an reaction, and then they continued taking the higher dose at home.

The majority of patients learned to tolerate the peanut.

Lena Barden, 11, from Histon in Cambridgeshire, said: "It meant a trip to the hospital every two weeks.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

This large study is the first of its kind in the world to have had such a positive outcome, and is an important advance in peanut allergy research"

End Quote Dr Pamela Ewan Cambridge University Hospitals

"A year later I could eat five whole peanuts with no reaction at all.

"The trial has been an experience and adventure that has changed my life and I've had so much fun, but I still hate peanuts!"

'Dramatic transformation'

One of the researchers, Dr Andrew Clark, told the BBC: "It really transformed their lives dramatically; this really comes across during the trial.

"It's a potential treatment and the next step is to make it available to patients, but there will be significant costs in providing the treatment - in the specialist centres and staff and producing the peanut to a sufficiently high standard."

Fellow researcher Dr Pamela Ewan added: "This large study is the first of its kind in the world to have had such a positive outcome, and is an important advance in peanut allergy research."

But she said further studies would be needed and that people should not try this on their own as this "should only be done by medical professionals in specialist settings".

The research has been broadly welcomed by other researchers in the field, but some concerns about how any therapy could be introduced have been raised.

Caution

Prof Gideon Lack, who is running a peanut allergy trial at the Evelina Children's Hospital in London, told the BBC: "This is a really important research step in trying to improve our management of peanut allergy, but is not yet ready for use in clinical practice.

"We need a proper risk assessment needs to be done to ensure we will not make life more dangerous for these children.

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How to spot potentially life-threatening allergic reactions and how to deal with them

He warned that 60% of people with a peanut allergy were also allergic to other nuts so a carefree lifestyle would rarely be an option.

Prof Barry Kay, from the department of allergy and clinical immunology at Imperial College London, said: "The real issues that still remain include how long the results will last, and whether the positive effects might lead affected individuals to have a false sense of security.

"Another issue to address is whether there will be long term side-effects of repeated peanut exposure even where full allergic reaction does not occur, such as inflammation of the oesophagus.

"So, this study shows encouraging results that add to the current literature, but more studies are needed to pin down these issues before the current advice to peanut allergy sufferers, which is to avoid eating peanuts, is changed."

Maureen Jenkins, director of clinical services at Allergy UK, said: "The fantastic results of this study exceed expectation.

"Peanut allergy is a particularly frightening food allergy, causing constant anxiety of a reaction from peanut traces.

"This is a major step forward in the global quest to manage it."

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Cuts 'worst in most deprived areas'

29 January 2014 Last updated at 22:19 ET By Mike Sergeant Local government correspondent, BBC News

The most disadvantaged communities in England are facing the biggest local government cuts, Labour has claimed.

Between 2010/11 and 2015/16, it says, the percentage cut in spending will be 10 times greater in the most deprived areas than in those least deprived.

But the government says the most-deprived councils still have £1,000 more per household to spend than those where deprivation is lowest.

Shadow communities minister Hilary Benn said the figures were "shocking".

He added: "They show the impact of David Cameron and Eric Pickles's unfair policies."

'Clear link'

The Labour Party says its research combines analysis from Newcastle City Council on the amount which councils across England have to spend on services with the government's own figures for "multiple deprivation".

Continue reading the main story

Most deprived

• Liverpool City Council - 27.1%
• London Borough of Hackney - 27.1%
• London Borough of Newham - 27.7%
• Manchester City Council - 26.1%
• Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside - 27.4%

Least deprived

• St Albans City and District Council, Herts - 3.6%
• Rushcliffe Borough Council, Notts - 9.4%
• Harborough District Council, Leics - 4%
• Elmbridge Borough Council, Surrey - 2%
• Waverley Borough Council, Surrey - 1.3%

Labour has published this information in a graph which it says shows the "clear link between cuts in spending power and deprivation".

As deprivation increases, the "cumulative cut" between 2010/11 and 2015/16 also appears to rise.

The 10 most deprived areas, which include Liverpool, Hackney, Manchester and Middlesbrough, face an average reduction in spending power of 25.3%, according to Labour.

The party says the 10 least deprived areas, which include St Albans, Elmbridge, Waverley and Wokingham, are dealing with an average cut of just 2.54%.

Deprivation is measured using indices previously published by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The measure includes income, employment and health deprivation, as well as disability, crime, education and barriers to housing and services.

Competing arguments

It's not the first time the government has faced accusations of unfairness in council funding, and ministers have swiftly rebutted Labour's figures.

The local government minister, Brandon Lewis, said: "The coalition government has delivered a fair settlement to every part of the country, north and south, rural and urban, metropolitan and shire.

"Councils facing the highest demand for services continue to receive substantially more funding... This shows that the government understands the pressures faced by deprived authorities."

The difficulty with assessing the validity of the competing arguments about the funding squeeze is that councils are raising money in different ways.

Those areas of high deprivation tend to be the ones that are very reliant on grants from central government.

In places such as Liverpool, Newcastle and Birmingham, large money transfers from government departments are used to pay for many services.

The least deprived, which include parts of Surrey and Sussex, tend to fund their services mainly through council tax and charges for things such as parking.

Cuts in central government grants, by their nature, tend to hit those areas most dependent on government support.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has argued that action was taken to dampen the effect, by making sure that those areas most dependent on government grants had lower reductions in central government funding.

Building more homes

Ministers also believe that councils should in the longer term become more efficient and less reliant on central government handouts.

They have repeatedly expressed a desire to end the "begging bowl" culture of councils totting up their "needs" and then sending the bill to central government.

Local authorities are encouraged to find ways of developing their own income, for example by keeping a share of the proceeds when the amount raised by business rates increases.

Ministers say councils are also being rewarded for building more homes and generating jobs.

But closing the gap between the most deprived and least deprived areas will take a long time, if indeed it is happening at all.

Labour says, in the meantime, local government cuts are hitting those most in need.

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Terror suspects may lose citizenship

29 January 2014 Last updated at 23:47 ET

The home secretary is seeking powers to strip terror suspects of UK citizenship even if it leaves them stateless.

The amendment to the Immigration Bill could see naturalised citizens whose conduct is deemed "seriously prejudicial" lose their nationality.

People with dual nationality can already lose their British passports.

It comes as the government faces backbench rebellions over the rights of foreign criminals and Romanian and Bulgarian migrants.

BBC political correspondent Iain Watson says critics of coalition policy on the Conservative back benches are concerned that the Immigration Bill does not go far enough and believe there has been a concerted attempt to deprive the Commons of enough time to discuss their amendments.

Continue reading the main story

These proposals will strengthen the home secretary's powers to ensure that very dangerous individuals can be excluded"

End Quote Mark Harper Immigration Minister

Home Secretary's Theresa May's last-minute addition to the list of about 50 government amendments to the Immigration Bill would not apply to people born in UK.

The Home Office insists the powers would be used sparingly and in strict accordance with the UK's international obligations. It also has the support of the Lib Dem leadership, who accept it would only apply in a tiny number of cases.

Immigration Minister Mark Harper said: "Citizenship is a privilege, not a right. These proposals will strengthen the home secretary's powers to ensure that very dangerous individuals can be excluded if it is in the public interest to do so."

But the legal charity Reprieve has described the plan as an "alarming development" saying it would give the home secretary power to "tear up people's passports without any need for the kind of due process".

The home secretary's move follows a UK Supreme Court ruling in October that said she was wrong to take away citizenship from a terror suspect who became British after leaving Iraq in 1992 as a refugee, leaving him stateless. The Home Office is appealing against the decision in favour of Hilal Al-Jedda, who now lives in Turkey.

Family life

The prime minister's spokesman has defended the government's stewardship of the parliamentary timetable, pointing out that it is for the Speaker to decide the order in which amendments are debated.

The proposal to extend restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants to 2018, tabled by MP Nigel Mills, has garnered the signatures of 70 backbenchers, but is not expected to win enough votes to result in a government defeat.

Conservative ministers, the Lib Dems and Labour are all expected to oppose it.

It was originally tabled before the immigration controls ended on 1 January.

However, the legislation has been on hold since 19 November, fuelling speculation that it had been delayed to thwart the rebellion.

Ministers denied the charge, and PM David Cameron said the UK was "not allowed" to extend the restrictions further under current EU law.

A second amendment, tabled by MP Dominic Raab, would remove the right of foreign criminals facing automatic deportation to make an appeal based on their right to a family life in the UK.

Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz said in Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday that "dozens" of Conservative backbenchers were pushing for changes "which everyone knows will be totally incompatible with the European treaties".

"The prime minister has given concession after concession to his anti-Europeans," he continued.

"When will he finally learn that they will never be satisfied with anything but British withdrawal from the European Union?"

But Mr Cameron said: "We need to make sure that people cannot come to Britain and abuse our health service and get rights to council or other housing or bank accounts or driving licences if they have no right to be here.

"These are all very good changes and I hope that we won't delay too much before passing this important bill."

Mr Cameron said there was nothing "anti-European" about the bill.

It aims to force private landlords to quiz tenants about their immigration status and restrict access to bank accounts for people in the country without permission.

A requirement is also included for some migrants to make a financial contribution to the National Health Service.

It would also streamline the appeals process in immigration cases.

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Fast turn led to speedboat tragedy

30 January 2014 Last updated at 02:51 ET

A TV executive and his daughter died after he tried to execute a fast turn in their speedboat, investigators have said.

All six members of the Milligan family, from London, were thrown out of the boat in Cornwall last May.

Nick Milligan, 51, and his daughter Emily, eight, died as the boat circled out of control, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said.

The MAIB said an emergency "kill cord" to cut the engine had not been worn.

Mr Milligan's wife Victoria, 39, and son Kit, four, were severely injured in the accident.

The report said that Mrs Milligan had taken the helm of the speedboat Milly on the Camel Estuary near Padstow when BSkyB sales boss Mr Milligan said she should make a turn.

'Violently' rolled

"Mrs Milligan was reluctant to do so as she did not consider there was sufficient space between the boat and the beach," said the report.

"However, due to encouragement from the children and Mr Milligan she began a slow wide turn.

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"Mr Milligan then reached across, in front of his wife, took the helm in his right hand and the throttle in his left, and then increased the engine throttle setting to full as he turned the helm to starboard.

"The boat immediately accelerated and heeled into the turn and then suddenly, and violently, rolled back to port and ejected all its occupants out over the port side and into the water.

"The boat then continued to circle under full power.

"The family were on the surface of the water, supported by their lifejackets and buoyancy aids, and the boat circled back towards them, striking several of them."

The report said Mr Milligan's actions appeared out of character, adding: "It cannot be established whether the wine he had consumed about one-and-a-half hours earlier adversely affected his judgment or fine motor skills when he reached across and took the controls, but his alcohol levels were well below the drink-drive limit for UK roads."

MAIB chief inspector Steve Clinch said a kill cord attached to the person at the wheel was an "essential item of safety equipment".

"I most strongly urge all powerboat drivers to ensure one is fitted and correctly worn at all times when under way, and to regularly check that it is functioning correctly," he said.

He called it a "tragic accident" and hoped lessons would be learned.

"Avoiding an accident by knowing your boat's and your own capabilities and limitations is essential, as is ensuring that all on board are safely and securely seated whenever manoeuvring or travelling at speed," he said.

Recommendations have been made to the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) to include advice on the potential hazards of high power operations in its tuition and for the boat's manufacturer, APV Marine Limited, to reduce the design's steep angle of heel in tight turns.

Richard Falk, the training manager of the RYA, said: "If one good thing can possibly come from this tragedy it's that this issue of kill cords has received a great deal of media scrutiny.

"We would like to hope that has made more people aware of the hazards of operating a more powerful craft without a kill cord attached."

The family said in a statement: "We are still coming to terms with this tragic accident which has left us without Nick, a loving husband, father, son and brother, and Emily, whose life was only just beginning.

"We sincerely hope that awareness of this accident will mean that another family does not have to go through anything similar."

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Military flood plan meeting to begin

30 January 2014 Last updated at 03:01 ET

Military planners are to meet council officials in Somerset later to see what support is needed to help the flood-hit county.

On Wednesday Owen Paterson announced amphibious vehicles could be deployed to help flood victims within 24 hours.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the meeting with Somerset County Council would take place "at first light".

The Somerset Levels have been badly hit by flooding in recent weeks.

"The military officers will help plan what support is needed and where they need it. We will then work to make that happen," an MoD spokesman said.

Villages such as Muchelney have been cut off for almost a month and about 11,500 hectares (28,420 acres) of the Levels are flooded by about 65 million cubic metres of water.

More heavy rain is expected over the next few days.

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Barclays to close 400 UK branches

28 January 2014 Last updated at 22:58 ET

Barclays plans to close a quarter of its branches in the UK and cut hundreds of jobs in its investment banking division as part of a restructuring, it confirmed to the BBC.

The lender is likely to replace about 400 branches with smaller outlets in Asda supermarkets.

The job cuts come on top of 3,700 layoffs announced early last year.

Chief executive Antony Jenkins is also expected to unveil new five-year financial targets next month.

He has been looking to improve profitability in the face of falling trading revenues and tougher regulations.

Mr Jenkins, who took over from Bob Diamond following the Libor rate scandal, plans to cut £1.7bn ($2.8bn) from annual expenses by next year.

The new cost-cutting plan will entail closing branches and encouraging customers to use new banking technology, such as smartphone applications.

The London-based bank is also restricting international travel to "essential" external meetings, in an attempt to control expenses.

Banking cuts

Barclays' investment banking division - which employs a large percentage of the bank's 140,000 global employees - is reportedly set to bear the brunt of the planned new job cuts.

Up to 400 senior managers, mostly in London and New York, are expected to be made redundant.

Last year, Barclays announced 1,800 job cuts in corporate and investment banking and 1,900 in its European retail and business banking.

Many major banks have been undergoing structural shake-ups due to the impact of the weak global economy and changing regulatory environment.

Earlier this week, Lloyds Banking Group said it would terminate 1,080 jobs as part of a business overhaul announced in 2011.

Co-operative Bank also announced that it would shrink its branch network following a recent £1.5bn capital-raising exercise.

Reputational reform

Mr Jenkins has been looking to reform some bank practices after Barclays was implicated in a series of scandals, including the manipulation of key interest rates.

The firm has since ended speculative trading in certain asset classes and reduced its investment banking pay.

During the earnings release next month, Mr Jenkins is expected to also lay out several objectives aimed at improving the bank's reputation.

This includes ways to restore public trust and increasing the number of woman in senior positions.

Barclays is scheduled to release its annual results on 11 February.

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Carney enters Scots currency debate

28 January 2014 Last updated at 20:49 ET By Andrew Black Political reporter, BBC Scotland

The Bank of England governor will enter the Scottish independence debate by reflecting on the currency implications of a "Yes" vote in the referendum.

Mark Carney's speech in Edinburgh has come amid continuing speculation over the Scottish government's plan to keep the pound under independence.

SNP ministers would also want to retain services of the Bank of England as part of a currency union.

The UK government has said such an agreement would be "unlikely".

Mr Carney's visit comes ahead of the 18 September independence referendum, in which voters will be asked the yes/no question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

As well as being a guest at an event hosted by the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, the governor will also meet with Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond.

In its White Paper blueprint for independence, the Scottish government said a currency union agreement was vital in letting companies go about their business, while sterling would also benefit from Scotland's continued involvement because of assets such as North Sea oil and gas.

But UK ministers have said such a deal would result in Scotland effectively having to hand over control of interest rates and borrowing levels to a foreign country.

Mr Carney, who has agreed to provide "technical, objective, dry analysis" of the issues ahead of the referendum, told the BBC last week: "There are issues with respect to currency unions. We've seen them in Europe.

"It's one of the factors that affects, actually, the outlook for the UK economy, has affected us over the last five years, affects us going forward, the challenges of having a currency union without certain institutional structures."

The event in Edinburgh comes the day after Mr Salmond said he was told by Mr Carney's predecessor - Sir Mervyn King - that the Treasury would adopt an "entirely different" approach to Scottish issues if there was a "Yes" vote in the referendum.

'Remarkable coincidence'

Ahead of discussions with the Bank of England governor, the first minister said: "When I met his predecessor a couple of years back, Mervyn King, the first thing he said to me was 'your problem is what they say now', meaning the Treasury, 'and what they say the day after a Yes vote in the referendum are two entirely different things'."

Responding to Mr Salmond's comments, a spokesman for the official campaign to keep the Union, Better Together, said it was a "remarkable coincidence" that Sir Mervyn's reported remarks backed up the Scottish government's position.

A spokesman said: "The first minister operates on the basis that people are daft and can't see through his bluster.

"Unfortunately for him, people know when someone is at it."

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Over-90s ambulance trips 'up 81%'

28 January 2014 Last updated at 21:49 ET By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

The number of over-90s brought to A&E by ambulance in England has risen by 81% in the past three years, figures highlighted by Labour show.

There were just over 300,370 trips in 2012-13 compared to 165,910 in 2009-10, the data shows.

Labour said the jump was linked to the cuts in social care budgets, which have led to the elderly not getting the support they need to stay healthy.

But ministers said the problem dated back well into Labour's term in office.

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The figures being highlighted by Labour are drawn from official data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Overall, 999 trips to A&Es rose by 11% over the period to just under 4.4 million.

But by far the largest rise was in the eldest age group, the Labour analysis showed.

Continue reading the main story

Labour's disastrous 2004 GP contract left many vulnerable elderly patients without good out of hours care, so it's rank hypocrisy for them now to complain about the consequences of their historic mistake"

End Quote Jeremy Hunt Health Secretary

Some of this rise is related to the ageing population - the number of over-90s went up by 17% over the period.

But shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said the fact the rise was outstripping the population change by so much suggested a large part of it had to be related to the situation with social care.

He cited research from the London School of Economics that showed the numbers getting social care support had fallen by nearly 500,000 since 2008.

Poor experiences

Mr Burnham said: "The government's severe cuts to social care have left thousands of older people without the support they need - at risk of going into hospital and getting trapped there.

"It is appalling to think that, every week, there are thousands of frail and frightened people speeding through our towns and cities in the backs of ambulances to be left in a busy A&E.

"This is often the worst place for them to be and a disorientating experience that can cause real distress. With proper support in the home, this could all be avoided."

Dr Cliff Mann, of the College of Emergency Medicine, agreed the "lack of good care" in the community was a key factor.

He added the ambulance journeys for such elderly patients resulted in "poor experiences for patients, unnecessary concern for relatives and increases in bed pressures".

But Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "Labour's disastrous 2004 GP contract left many vulnerable elderly patients without good out of hours care, so it's rank hypocrisy for them now to complain about the consequences of their historic mistake.

"We have ripped up that contract and are bringing back proper family doctoring, with named GPs for older people to help relieve A&E pressures."

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Child car smoking ban before Lords

29 January 2014 Last updated at 03:17 ET

A Labour plan to ban smoking in cars carrying children is due to be put to a vote in the House of Lords later.

Labour peers are to table an amendment to the Children and Families Bill detailing their proposal for England.

The party says that if it is not passed in this vote, it will be included in its manifesto for the next election.

The Department of Health has said it believes education campaigns are a better way to discourage people from smoking around children.

Smoking was banned in England in workplaces and most enclosed public spaces in July 2007 following similar legislation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The law prohibited smoking in vehicles used for work.

Continue reading the main story

• Any vote to ban smoking in cars carrying children would only affect England as the issue is the responsibility of the devolved governments.
• Wales - Ban to be considered if awareness campaign fails
• Scotland - MSP to introduce ban bill
• Northern Ireland - Plans for consultation

The amendment being brought by Lord Hunt, Lord Faulkner and Baroness Hughes would make it an offence for drivers of a private vehicle to fail to prevent smoking when a child is present.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham told Sky News: "When it comes to improving the health of children, we are duty bound to consider any measure that might make a difference.

"Adults are free to make their own choices but that often does not apply to children and that's why society has an obligation to protect them from preventable harm.

"Evidence from other countries shows that stopping smoking in the confined space of a car carrying children can prevent damage to their health and has strong public support."

Campaigners say the developing lungs of children are much more vulnerable to the effects of second-hand smoke - which can be concentrated in cars - increasing their risk of illnesses that range from asthma and colds to lung cancer.

'Completely unnecessary'

But the pro-smoking group Forest disputes such claims.

Director Simon Clark said: "Legislation is completely unnecessary. Most adult smokers accept that smoking in a car with children present is inconsiderate and the overwhelming majority choose not to.

"Education, not legislation, is the way forward."

Forest also argues that banning smoking in private vehicles would be almost impossible to enforce and a serious invasion of people's private space.

Calls to prohibit smoking in private vehicles when children are present have been raised in Parliament on several occasions since the 2007 ban came into effect.

In 2011, proposals from Labour MP Alex Cunningham cleared their first legislative hurdle, before facing significant opposition from MPs of all parties.

The following year, Lord Ribeiro introduced a private member's bill to make offenders liable for a £60 fine or attendance at a smoke awareness course. It won approval in the House of Lords, although supporters admitted they did not have government backing for the move.

The Labour amendment before the Lords later was initially proposed by Croydon North MP Steve Reed last April.

He was backed by organisations including the British Heart Foundation, Asthma UK, the Royal College of Paediatrics, and Child Health.

Children's minister Edward Timpson said at the time that a ban "would not be easy to enforce" but the government was researching the issue, and Mr Reed withdrew his amendment.

The Welsh Assembly has said it would consider a ban should an awareness campaign not lead to a drop in children's exposure to second-hand smoke.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, Lib Dem MSP Jim Hume has indicated he will be presenting a bill this year to bring in a ban, while Northern Ireland's health minister has announced plans for a consultation on the issue.

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Clegg: UK to resettle Syria refugees

29 January 2014 Last updated at 03:29 ET

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Nick Clegg: "This conflict is worsening by the day, that's why we need to do more"

Some of the "most vulnerable" Syrian refugees will be temporarily resettled in the UK, Deputy PM Nick Clegg says.

He said girls and women who had been victims of or were at risk of sexual violence, torture victims, and elderly and disabled people would get priority.

This meant the coalition was ensuring Britain's "long and proud tradition of providing refuge" lived on, he said.

The government expects the number of refugees accepted to be in the hundreds but has not set a specific target.

The UK's resettlement programme is to be separate from the ongoing UN High Commissioner for Refugees scheme which has seen Germany commit to admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees.

Home Secretary Theresa May is expected to spell out more details of the government's plan to MPs later.

During exchanges in the Commons on Monday, the government faced criticism from MPs of all political parties for declining to participate in the UN-led scheme.

'Moral responsibility'

The deputy prime minister's announcement pre-empted a Labour-led debate on the issue, where the government was facing the prospect of a Commons defeat over its refusal to sign up to the UNHCR initiative.

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The government has been reluctant to admit any Syrian refugees to the UK, preferring to focus its humanitarian aid on refugees in the region.

But a fear of looking hard hearted and the threat of parliamentary defeat on Wednesday changed minds in Downing Street.

The deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said Britain had a moral responsibility to help and several hundred refugees would now be able to come.

It is not clear where the refugees will go or how long they will stay but it is expected they will get temporary visas that will be reviewed after three years.

The government is still refusing to take part in a resettlement scheme run by the UN high commissioner for refugees.

But the agency welcomed the government's offer and said it would help officials identify the most vulnerable people.

Mr Clegg said: "The coalition government wants to play our part in helping to alleviate the immense suffering in Syria. The £600m we have provided makes us the second largest bilateral donor of humanitarian aid in the world.

"But as the conflict continues to force millions of Syrians from their homes, we need to make sure we are doing everything we can.

"We are one of the most open-hearted countries in the world and I believe we have a moral responsibility to help.

"The UN High Commission for Refugees - which backs our new resettlement programme - has said the highest priority should go to women and girls who have experienced or are at risk of sexual violence; the elderly; survivors of torture and individuals with disabilities, so that's who we'll target.

"Sadly we cannot provide safety for everyone who needs it, but we can reach out to some of those who need it most.

"On top of that, we'll continue to support the peace talks currently taking place in Geneva, because only a political resolution between the Assad regime and Syrian opposition will provide a permanent end to the suffering."

'Matter for humanity'

The BBC understands the refugees will be given temporary visas allowing them to stay for at least three years.

The visas will then be reviewed on a case-by-case basis taking into account personal circumstances and the situation in Syria.

Mr Clegg added: "They will be here for a certain period of time and what we of course want and I suspect they will want as well… is to return eventually to Syria, when as I think everybody hopes normality finally is restored to the country."

The UNHCR said it would help the UK identify the most vulnerable people.

Its UK representative, Roland Schilling, said the UK move was "an encouraging and important step, reaffirming the UK's commitment and contribution to international relief efforts".

'Compassion'

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the government's move meant that "compassion and common sense have won through".

"Vulnerable Syrian refugees, torture victims, abandoned children and those struggling to cope or survive in the camps desperately need sanctuary and Britain has a moral obligation to help."

She added: "The government still needs to explain how the programme will work and whether they are signing up to the UNHCR programme or trying to run a parallel programme of their own."

The move was welcomed by MPs from all sides of the Commons, former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell saying it gave the UK flexibility to help those whose suffering had been the most "grievous".

But Conservative Brooks Newmark - an expert on Syria - said numbers should be limited and those countries not making such a bigger contribution to the aid effort should be taking in more refugees than the UK.

The Refugee Council's Maurice Wren welcomed the UK's decision, but said it had been a "long time coming". He described the conflict in Syria as the "most grave humanitarian crisis of our time".

Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen said: "This move is long overdue but of course it's never too late to do the right thing.

"The government's line on this has been shameful, with months of refusal and weak arguments."

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Able readers 'damaged by phonics'

27 January 2014 Last updated at 19:36 ET By Hannah Richardson BBC News education reporter

The interests of able readers are being threatened by an insistence primary school pupils are taught to read using phonics, an academic has said.

The Department for Education wants English schools to use the reading system, which requires children to blend common sounds into words.

But Durham University researcher Andrew Davis says those already starting to read are likely to be put off.

The DfE insists synthetic phonics is the best way to teach reading.

The teaching method encourages children to sound out words rather than recognising the whole word and reading it for meaning.

The government strongly encourages schools to use reading schemes based on synthetic phonics, and part-funds a range of books approved as meeting its criteria.

It has also introduced a phonics test for all Year 1 pupils to ensure they are using this method to decode simple words, as well as some made-up words.

It argues this is the best way to ensure no child falls behind with their reading.

But Dr Davis, a former primary school teacher, says in his pamphlet a small minority begin school able to read and understand sentences, while a larger group are able to recognise some words.

'Form of abuse'

He argues those well on their way to reading could be put off by reading books featuring only words for which they have been taught the phonetic rules in class.

He says: "To subject either the fully fledged readers, or those who are well on their way, to a rigid diet of intensive phonics is an affront to their emerging identities as persons.

"To require this of students who have already gained some maturity in the rich and nourishing human activity of reading is almost a form of abuse."

He agrees that phonics can be very useful for teaching reading, but argues it should not be rigidly imposed on all.

'Mechanical exercise'

"Being forced to move back from reading for meaning to a mechanical exercise of blending and decoding is likely to be off-putting," he said.

He added that the fundamentalist approach to synthetic phonics "threatens the interests of a minority of children who arrive at school already able to read".

"The vast majority of Early Years teachers handle this kind of challenge with their usual professionalism, and will continue to do so if they are not troubled by rigid prescriptions from policy makers," he said.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "Too many children are not reaching the expected levels of reading at a young age, do not catch up, and then struggle in secondary school and beyond.

"Research shows overwhelmingly that systematic phonics is the most effective way of teaching reading to children of all abilities, enabling almost all children to become confident and independent readers.

"Thanks to the phonics check 177,000 six-year-olds will this year get the extra reading help they need to catch up with their peers."

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NSA 'gets data from Angry Birds'

27 January 2014 Last updated at 18:37 ET

US and British spy agencies routinely try to gain access to personal data from Angry Birds and other mobile applications, a report says.

A National Security Agency (NSA) document shows location, websites visited and contacts are among the data targeted from mobile applications.

It is the latest revelation from documents leaked by Edward Snowden.

In a statement, the NSA said it was not interested in data beyond "valid foreign intelligence targets".

"Any implication that NSA's foreign intelligence collection is focused on the smartphone or social media communications of everyday Americans is not true," the statement said.

'Golden nugget'

The report, published by the New York Times, ProPublica and the Guardian, says the NSA and Britain's GCHQ have worked together since 2007 to develop ways to gain access to information from applications for mobile phones and tablets.

The scale of data gathering is unclear.

But the reports suggest data is gained from a variety of mapping, gaming and social networking applications, using techniques similar to the ones used to intercept mobile internet traffic and text message data.

The documents also reveal the two agencies are increasingly convinced of the importance of mobile applications data.

The joint spying programme "effectively means that anyone using Google Maps on a smartphone is working in support of a GCHQ system" one 2008 document from the British intelligence agency is quoted as saying.

Another GCHQ report, in 2012, laid out how to extract information from Angry Birds user information from phones on the Android operating system. The game has been download 1.7 billion times across the world.

The British spy agency said it would not comment on intelligence matters, but insisted that all of its activities were "authorised, necessary and proportionate".

Another NSA document described a "golden nugget" - a perfect scenario where NSA analysts could get broad selections of information from the applications, including networks the phone had connected to, documents downloaded, websites visited and "buddy lists".

Other applications mentioned by the documents include the photo-sharing site Flickr, movie-based social network Flixster and applications that connect to Facebook.

Developers are responsible for the information generated from each application, but there was no suggestion firms were actively agreeing to give the spy agencies data.

On Monday, the justice department announced it had reached agreement with five major internet firms over their request to share information about how they responded to orders from the NSA and other agencies.

Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook and LinkedIn had previously sued the US government over being able to disclose to the public more information on what they have released to intelligence agencies.

Under the compromise announced, the firms will be able to release:

• the number of criminal-related orders from the government
• the number of secret national security-related orders from government investigators, rounded to the nearest thousand
• how many national security-related orders came from the foreign service intelligence and the number of customers those orders affected
• whether those orders were for just email addresses or covered additional information

As part of the deal, the firms will delay releases of the number of national security orders by six months and promise they cannot reveal government surveillance of new technology or forms of communications they create for two years.

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Online abuse 'outpacing' protection

27 January 2014 Last updated at 19:34 ET By Patrick Howse BBC News, Education reporter

Professionals helping child victims of sexual abuse are not keeping pace with technological advances, academics say.

They warn that while perpetrators have become more ingenious in their use of technology to engage with vulnerable children, the training available to professionals has not kept up.

The researchers surveyed health, education and children's services workers across England.

They concluded that professionals are playing "catch-up" with abusers.

The study was carried out by researchers at Plymouth University and University Campus Suffolk for the Marie Collins Foundation.

Professionals who took part in the survey included school nurses, health visitors and paediatricians, social workers, child protection advisers, family and education welfare officers, teachers and learning support assistants.

Continue reading the main story

While the internet has become a positive influence on many people's lives, there are still those who use it in a negative and sinister fashion"

End Quote Andy Phippen Plymouth University professor

More than half of the 692 people who responded to the survey said they did not currently feel confident about helping children who had experienced harm or abuse online.

The results also showed 70% of those respondents stated they had not received training in online risk assessment, with 95% saying they would value such training.

The researchers heard of a case where a mother had offered her 11-year-old daughter for sex to attract men for herself, and many cases of teenage girls being abused by men they had agreed to meet after making contact online.

They also found instances of boys and girls as young as nine using chat rooms to find a boyfriend or girlfriend, and girls being encouraged to perform sexual acts for "friends" which were filmed and then distributed.

The Marie Collins Foundation was launched two years ago and named after a survivor of sexual abuse.

Its chief executive, Tink Palmer, said the study confirmed what he called "a dearth of understanding and professional expertise" about safeguarding children online, and the recovery needs of victims.

"The response to the needs of children and their families is at best ad hoc," he said.

'Negative and sinister'

"Professionals lack confidence in assisting children in their recovery and it is apparent that this is due to a lack of adequate training.

"Currently, many professionals are attempting to deal with cases for which they are not equipped."

Andy Phippen, professor of social responsibility in IT at Plymouth University, said the research was "shocking".

"While the internet has become a positive influence on many people's lives, there are still those who use it in a negative and sinister fashion," he said.

"The fast pace of its development has in many cases left the authorities playing catch-up and while some now have policies in place, a huge amount of work is required to ensure those affected by online abuse receive the correct support."

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Strong UK GDP figures expected

27 January 2014 Last updated at 21:00 ET

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Business Secretary Vince Cable: "End of the beginning rather the beginning of the end"

Official figures are expected to show the UK's economic growth in 2013 was the strongest since 2007, the year before the financial crisis.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said on Monday there was a real recovery under way, but warned it remained fragile.

He said it represented the "end of the beginning rather than the beginning of the end", in an interview with the BBC.

Robust GDP growth at the end of the year would follow a good set of numbers in the previous quarter.

The data is also expected to confirm that 2013 was the first year since 2007 that saw constant economic expansion.

Threat to stability

In the third quarter the economy grew at 0.8% and analysts expect a similar - or slightly lower - reading for the final three months of the year.

In a speech on Monday Mr Cable said that although a recovery was taking place, it was not yet balanced.

He cited rising house prices and said they could become a threat to stability.

BBC chief economics correspondent Hugh Pym says if the gross domestic product (GDP) figures are in line with expectations, it would suggest the economy grew by nearly 2% last year.

Although better than the last five years, economic growth remains well below 2007, when growth was at 3.4%.

There was a marked drop in UK unemployment last week - the jobless rate now stands at 7.1%.

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Open up palace 'when Queen out' call

28 January 2014 Last updated at 03:29 ET

Buckingham Palace should be opened to more paying visitors when the Queen is not in residence to fund improvements to the royal estate, MPs have said.

The influential Public Accounts Committee criticised the Royal Household for mismanaging its finances.

Chairwoman Margaret Hodge said there was "huge scope for savings" on the annual £31m of taxpayer funds given to the Queen to spend on official duties.

But a spokeswoman for the royals said spending was now more transparent.

The Sovereign Grant replaced the old Civil List and grants-in-aid system in 2012 and is used to fund royal duties, pay staff and maintain palaces.

The report said Buckingham Palace had overspent on the grant by £2.3m last year and had to dip into its reserves, "leaving a balance of only £1m at 31 March 2013 - a historically low level of contingency".

'Dangerous condition'

Mrs Hodge said the committee's report was the first time the grant had been scrutinised and that it was an opportunity to check how the Queen's funds were being managed by the Royal Household and the Treasury.

"I don't think we'd accuse anybody of profligacy but, what we are saying, is that we don't think the Queen is served well either by the Royal Household or, indeed, by the Treasury," the Labour MP told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"They're not balancing books and they're dipping into their reserves," she said.

The committee's report found royal estate properties were in a "dangerous or deteriorating condition".

And it said there had been no estimate for how much the backlog of repairs would cost

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While the committee praised the Royal Household for generating £11.6m last year - up from £6.7m in 2007/08 - it said more could be done.

Mrs Hodge said the Royal Household had escaped public sector austerity, only reducing spending by 5% in the past six years.

"They've kept the same amount of staff in there that they had five years ago, so we think that they can eke more money and they certainly should deal with the heritage properties."

She added: "The Queen can attract income - visitors to Buckingham Palace - but Buckingham Palace is only open 78 days a year, they only have about half a million visitors.

"Compare that to the Tower of London - they have over 2 million visitors."

She said boosting annual visitor numbers would help pay for upgrades to cut electricity and gas bills.

It would fund improvements both to Windsor Castle and to the Victoria and Albert Mausoleum, which had been waiting 18 years for repairs, she added.

She said the committee "wouldn't dare to look at" whether there were too many palaces, adding "it may be a thing for another year".

Art collection

Buckingham Palace's "state rooms" - those designed for monarchs to "receive, reward and entertain their subjects and visiting dignitaries" - have been open to the paying public during August and September since 1993.

Continue reading the main story

The new arrangements established by the Sovereign Grant Act have made the royal finances more transparent than ever"

End Quote Treasury spokesman

Profits initially helped to pay for the restoration of Windsor Castle, which was fire-damaged in November 1992, and now go to the Royal Collection Trust charity, which manages the Royal Collection - "one of the most important art collections in the world".

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: "The move to the Sovereign Grant has created a more transparent and scrutinised system, which enables the Royal Household to allocate funding according to priorities.

"This has resulted in a more efficient use of public funds."

She added that it was a priority for the Royal Household to "reduce the backlog in essential maintenance across the occupied royal palaces".

A Treasury spokesman said "The new arrangements established by the Sovereign Grant Act have made the royal finances more transparent than ever while providing the long term stability necessary for good planning."

The committee had not properly taken these changes into account, he added.

The Sovereign Grant was £31m last year and is set to rise to £37.9m by 2014-15.

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Lloyds says 'card problems fixed'

26 January 2014 Last updated at 15:56 ET

Lloyds Banking Group says it has fixed problems that affected Halifax, Lloyds, Bank of Scotland and TSB customers using ATMs and debit cards.

Lloyds is the largest retail bank group in the UK with 30 million customers.

The chief executive of TSB, Paul Pester, said its customers' debit card transactions had been affected after problems with two out of seven IT servers.

He tweeted an apology and replied to some comments personally.

In a statement, Lloyds Banking Group said: "We apologise that earlier today, between 3pm and 6pm, some customers were unable to complete their debit card transactions.

"Although the majority of transactions were unaffected, we are very sorry for the inconvenience that this will have caused.

"At the same time, some customers encountered problems at approximately half of our 7,000 ATMs. This was resolved by 7.30pm, and all of our ATMs are now working."

When the problems first arose, TSB chief Mr Pester tweeted: "My apologies to TSB customers having problems with their cards. I'm working hard with my team now to try to fix the problems," he said, and he also took to Twitter to respond directly to unhappy customers.

He told the BBC two of the seven servers that process TSB debit card payments had suffered problems, which meant that about a quarter of TSB card transactions were affected.

Mr Pester later tweeted: "The cause of the problems at TSB is now fixed. It'll take a while to sort the backlog. Sorry customers may have problems for an hour or so."

TSB has about five million UK customers and is in the process of being split from Lloyds Banking Group.

'Big nuisance'

Alexander Holland told the BBC he had just bought £90 of fuel at a service station when his card was declined.

Continue reading the main story

Leanne Seaward, 29, from Verwood in Dorset, said she discovered she had problems when she went to pay for her weekly supermarket shop at about 16.15 GMT.

"It was a little embarrassing, I put my card in and it kept saying transaction void. I thought it was because I am in the process of switching banks, so assumed they might have closed my account without telling me.

"Luckily I had my husband with me so he was able to pay, but if I was getting petrol and on my own it could have been a completely different matter."

Your experiences

"They tried it several times and then suggested I used the cash point which I also tried but was declined," he said.

"What was I supposed to do? To make matters worse the police were in the service station and came over when I was explaining that there was nothing I could do but write them an IOU. How totally embarrassing."

Sam, a restaurant waiter, said he had served a couple of customers who were affected.

"Of course, they didn't know what the problem was and neither did we," he told the BBC. "All that happened was the card machines displayed transaction failed notices."

"It's a big nuisance and causes delays for other customers. It has a knock-on effect and banks need to be much more reliable if people are going to rely on their debit and credit cards to pay for services."

Not everyone who have tried to use their cards have had problems, and Lloyds said that online customers were unaffected.

IT glitch

Prof Alan Woodward, a cyber security specialist at the University of Surrey, told the BBC: "It is quite unusual for two bits of hardware to fall over at the same time so I suspect it's something else that's happened.

"Quiet times like Sundays are when they do things like maintenance, so they'll do software upgrades or they might be doing back-ups. And it's those sort of things that tend to go wrong. So I suspect something like that has affected two machines at once.

"They might have been able to cope with one out of the cluster going down, but two is probably what's causing the problem."

UK banks have suffered a series of IT problems over the past few years. In December, an estimated 750,000 customers at the Royal Bank of Scotland group were unable to use their credit and debit cards for several hours following an IT glitch.

In 2012, a major IT failure locked many RBS, NatWest and Ulster Bank customers out of their accounts for several days. The issue was particularly bad for Ulster Bank, with customers facing access problems for weeks.

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