Weather: Snow For UK On Wintry Weekend

The Met Office has issued a weekend weather warning with snow expected to blanket most of England.

The Level 2 Alert warns there is a high risk of severe cold, icy and snow conditions from now until Tuesday.

The alert highlights all of England as being at risk.

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said temperatures will plummet today, heightening the risk of sleet or snow.

"Outbreaks of rain across southern Britain will turn to sleet or snow," she said.

"At this stage around 5cm to 10cm (2in to 4in) of snow is possible over more hilly areas with nearer 2cm to 5cm over some low-lying areas later. Some snow may fall in London."

She added: "Some more significant snow is possible into Monday, and this could bring disruption across central and eastern Britain - so keep an eye on the forecast."

Sunday is likely to be even colder than today. However it may be brighter although temperatures will remain just above freezing point.

The Level 2 Alert issued by the Met Office

The Met Office warned: "The snow event on Monday may bring 2cm to 5cm (0.75 to 2in) quite widely across England as it spreads southeastwards, with greater than 5cm falling over hills.

"This warning may be extended early next week."

Light snow was already falling over high ground in Scotland on Saturday morning.

The Met Office also warned of the dangers of cold ahead of the weekend, especially those who are most vulnerable.

It said: "Prolonged periods of cold weather can be dangerous, especially for the very young, very old or those with chronic diseases.

"If you want more information about how cold weather can affect your health please visit www.nhs.uk.

"If you are concerned about your health or somebody you care for, please contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647, www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk, or your local pharmacist."

A Level 2 Alert means there is a 60% risk of either heavy snow or widespread ice, or temperatures below 2C for 48 hours or longer.

The highest cold weather alert the Met Office can issue is Level 4, which is classified as a national emergency.

The RAC warned it was expecting up to 56,000 breakdowns and widespread disruption as the snow affects roads.

It has placed extra patrols on stand-by to help stranded drivers and said call-outs are expected to rise by 20% or more.

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Northern Ireland Clashes: Four Officers Injured

Four police officers have been injured after more than 30 petrol bombs and other missiles were hurled at them in another night of Union flag demonstrations in Northern Ireland.

The most serious disorder was in Carrickfergus and the Rathcoole area of Newtownabbey, on the northern outskirts of Belfast.

A bus was also set on fire during the disorder. Police deployed water cannon in an attempt to restore calm and two people were arrested.

A small viable pipe bomb was found on the Westlink dual carriageway in Belfast, but it was unclear whether it was linked to the loyalist disorder.

There were widespread and mostly peaceful protests across Northern Ireland on Friday night in co-ordinated action dubbed Operation Standstill by organisers.

Many roads were blocked off between 6pm and 8pm as loyalist protesters again took to the streets to voice their opposition to Belfast City Council's decision to limit the number of days the Union flag flies at City Hall.

Rugby fans travelling to Ravenhill, in east Belfast, for Ulster's crunch Heineken Cup game against Glasgow faced major disruption due to the pickets.

Protesters carry the Union flag in Newtownabbey

But the city centre was not as empty as might have been expected after an online campaign urged people to defy the protests.

They were called on to stage an "Operation sit-in" in cafes, pubs and restaurants to give businesses hit by the six-week campaign of street action a much-needed boost.

Restaurateur Michael Deane told Sky News the crisis has been a blow to his business but that he refused to give up.

"Belfast is a fabulous city," he said.

"Whether I would come to visit Belfast, looking from outside (at) what you see on the television, no, I probably wouldn't.

"But let's hope this all goes away very quickly."

As loyalists called people onto the streets to protest, young church leaders called them to prayer.

Andrew Masters, from the Christian organisation called What Now?, told Sky News: "We're asking people to pray at 11:11 every day and for two real simple prayers: that peace would come and hope would come and that things that have been lost - the finance, the business, the hope - would be returned."

Around 70 police officers have been injured and more than 100 people arrested in six weeks of trouble since Belfast City Council's ruling on the Union flag.

The Democratic Unionist Party and Progressive Unionist Party have challenged the council over the decision, claiming it contravenes its equality policy.

A Belfast City Council spokeswoman said the flag policy was introduced after a democratic decision elected members.

She said: "The council has taken legal advice throughout this process and the decision is in keeping with the outcome of the equality impact assessment that was undertaken in line with the advice of the Equality Commission.

"The designated days agreed are in keeping with those notified by the UK Government's Department of Culture, Media and Sport."

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Savile Sex Abuse Victims To Seek Compensation

Jimmy Savile Abuse Report: Timeline

Updated: 11:45am UK, Friday 11 January 2013

The police and NSPCC report on the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal follows a lengthy investgation sparked by a television documentary.

This is how the case unfolded:

October 29, 2011

:: Veteran DJ and broadcaster Jimmy Savile is found dead in his home in Roundhay, Leeds, after a spell in hospital with a suspected bout of pneumonia. He was 84.

September 30, 2012

:: It emerges allegations about Savile will be made in a new ITV documentary due to be aired on October 3.

October 1

:: Surrey Police confirm Savile was interviewed in 2007 over allegations dating back to the 1970s but was released without charge.

October 2

:: An historic rape allegation made against Savile is referred to Scotland Yard. It is also revealed that Jersey and Surrey police investigated accusations about alleged abuse in two children's homes, but decided there was not enough evidence to proceed.

:: The BBC says it will make direct contact with police to provide full support over the "disturbing allegations".

:: Newsnight editor Peter Rippon says the show dropped a story about allegations against Savile because it "had not established any institutional failure" on behalf of the police or Crown Prosecution Service. Mr Rippon writes on a BBC blog it was "totally untrue" he came under any pressure to drop the story.

October 3

:: Sussex Police confirm that in 2008 a woman reported she had been indecently assaulted by Savile in Worthing, West Sussex, in 1970, but did not want to co-operate with any inquiry or prosecution.

:: Exposure: The Other Side Of Jimmy Savile is shown on ITV1. In it, five women claim they were indecently assaulted by him when they were schoolgirls in the late 1960s and 1970s.

October 9

:: Comedian Freddie Starr denies any wrongdoing in relation to claims he groped a teenager following the recording of one of Savile's shows.

:: Scotland Yard reveals it is looking at 120 lines of inquiry and as many as 25 victims. Commander Peter Spindler says allegations span four decades and abuse was on a "national scale". He says the inquiry, dubbed Operation Yewtree, will only become a criminal investigation if there is evidence against living individuals.

October 11

:: Allegations emerge that Savile abused children at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire and Leeds General Hospital.

October 12

:: BBC director general George Entwistle offers a "profound and heartfelt apology" to alleged victims as he announces two inquiries - one into potential failings over the handling of the abandoned Newsnight investigation, and a second into the "culture and practices of the BBC during the years Savile worked here".

October 13

:: The Department of Health says it will carry out an investigation into how Savile was appointed to lead a "taskforce" at Broadmoor in 1988.

:: Police say Savile's alleged catalogue of abuse could have spanned six decades and included around 60 victims.

October 19

:: A leaked internal email casts doubt on the BBC's stated reason for cancelling a Newsnight investigation into sexual abuse by Savile, The Times says.

:: Scotland Yard announces that Operation Yewtree is now a formal criminal investigation involving other living people.

October 22

:: The BBC announces that Newsnight editor Peter Rippon has stepped aside "with immediate effect". It says his explanation as to why the show dropped its investigation was "inaccurate or incomplete in some respects".

:: The Crown Prosecution Service say Surrey Police passed a file to them in 2009 based on a complaint made by "a woman who said she had witnessed an indecent assault by Jimmy Savile in the 1970s".

The force found evidence of "three further potential offences" by Savile but evidence showed none of the alleged victims would support a prosecution.

October 25

:: Scotland Yard says it is investigating in excess of 400 lines of inquiry involving 300 victims, of whom all except two are women. Commander Peter Spindler says Savile is one of the most prolific sex offenders in recent history and the inquiry into his abuse will be a "watershed" investigation into sex crime.

October 26

:: It emerges that seven alleged victims of Savile made complaints to four separate police forces - Surrey, London, Sussex and Jersey - while the disgraced television presenter was alive, but it was decided no further action should be taken.

October 28

:: Former pop star Gary Glitter is arrested by officers working on Operation Yewtree. He is bailed to return in mid-December.

November 1

:: Comedian Freddie Starr is arrested in connection with the Savile abuse investigation. He is released on bail.

November 2

:: Freddie Starr returns for further questioning and is later bailed again.

November 11

:: Former BBC producer Wilfred De'ath is arrested at an address in Cambridge but later insists he was the victim of mistaken identity.

:: BBC director general George Entwistle resigns after an "unacceptable" Newsnight broadcast into child abuse in North Wales wrongly implicates a former senior Conservative politician.

November 15

:: Former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis is arrested on suspicion of sexual offences. Police say the allegations do not directly involve Savile, and are classed under the strand of their investigation termed "others". Mr Travis denies any wrongdoing, saying: "This is nothing to do with kids."

November 29

:: A man in his 80s, from Berkshire, is arrested and questioned by detectives investigating the Savile abuse scandal after attending police premises in south London by appointment. Scotland Yard says he is being treated as part of the investigation that does not directly relate to Savile.

December 6

:: PR guru Max Clifford is arrested at his Surrey home on suspicion of sexual offences and taken to Belgravia police station in central London for questioning. Clifford tells reporters: "These allegations are damaging and totally untrue."

December 10

:: A man in his 60s, from London, is arrested on suspicion of sexual offences and taken to a south London police station. Scotland Yard says he falls under the strand of the investigation termed "others". He is later bailed until January.

December 12

:: Scotland Yard says 31 rape allegations have been made against Savile - out of a total of 450 complaints. It adds 589 people have come forward with information relating to the scandal.

December 19

:: Former BBC radio producer Ted Beston, 76, is arrested in London on suspicion of sexual offences and vehemently denies the allegations the following day.

January 2, 2013

:: Former TV presenter Jim Davidson is arrested but "vigorously denies" allegations of sexual offences made against him by two women. A 53-year-old man is also arrested. Police say the allegations are not directly related to Savile and both men are bailed until March.

January 11

:: The police and NSPCC report on the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal is published.

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Jason Tovey Misses Match As Dog Eats Passport

Rugby star Jason Tovey is in the doghouse with his coach after being forced to miss a match - because his puppy ate his passport.

Red-faced Tovey, 23, had to call his coach on Friday to explain he would not be part of the line-up.

The Welshman was due to play for the Cardiff Blues against Toulon in France in a Heineken Cup clash.

He was packed and ready to go when he discovered the tattered remains of his passport after its run-in with his Labrador puppy Buster.

Two gaping holes and an array of canine teeth marks made it clear that the outside half would not be joining his team mates after all, he revealed with a picture on on his Twitter account, @jtov10.

Despite his disappointment Tovey himself, who will now watch the match on television, was able to see the funny side.

Jason Tovey in action with the Cardiff Blues

"It's a bit like the old schoolboy excuse that the dog ate my homework," he said.

"Buster is always chewing things but usually it's my sock and shoes. As soon as I saw the passport I thought I'd never get through airport security with it."

A Cardiff Blues spokesman added: "Jason rang to say what happened. He's in the doghouse."

News of Tovey's plight rapidly became a talking point among rugby fans on Twitter with many making comical comments about his mishap.

Gareth Llewellyn was among many who saw the funny side of his predicament.

"My heart goes out to Blues outside half Jason Tovey - this was always happening to my homework when I was at school," he tweeted.

Paul Williams tweeted: "Not true that Jason Tovey can't play against Toulon because his dog ate his passport. According to his mother's letter he forgot his PE kit."

Rugby fan Gareth Williams posted: "You can't make it up." Becky Prime simply tweeted: "Unreal."

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Gay Marriage: Catholic Priests Raise Fears

More than 1,000 Roman Catholic priests have signed a letter expressing fears that same-sex marriage legislation would threaten their religious freedoms.

In the letter sent to The Daily Telegraph, the priests said the proposed law would limit their ability to teach about marriage in Catholic schools and other institutions.

The Equal Marriage Bill, allowing couples of the same sex to marry, is due to be published this month.

The letter was signed by 1,054 priests and 13 bishops.

"Legislation for same-sex marriage, should it be enacted, will have many legal consequences, severely restricting the ability of Catholics to teach the truth about marriage in their schools, charitable institutions or places of worship," it said.

"It is meaningless to argue that Catholics and others may still teach their beliefs about marriage in schools and other arenas if they are also expected to uphold the opposite view at the same time."

The letter said the legislation could threaten freedoms in a way that was last seen during "centuries of persecution" of Catholics in England.

It even compared the Prime Minister's proposed changes to the meaning of marriage to those of Henry VIII, who sought to divorce Catherine of Aragon and eventually established himself as the head of the Church of England breaking away from Rome.

David Cameron backs the plan despite opposition from within his own party

Catholic teaching opposes divorce and same-sex marriage, maintaining families should only be based on marriage between a man and woman.

The Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Philip Egan, one of the signatories, told The Daily Telegraph he fears that when preaching or teaching in schools about marriage, "we could be arrested for being bigots or homophobes".

A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "We have been very clear that our plans for equal marriage will fully protect the freedom of religions bodies to preach, teach and put into practice their beliefs about marriage."

The Government says it will not force religious bodies to carry out services and that the new law will make it illegal for the Church of England and its counterpart in Wales to offer ceremonies.

Still, the plan has proven divisive, with many Tory MPs openly opposing it.

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Kate Portrait Gets Mixed Response From Critics

Art critics have given the Duchess of Cambridge's first official portrait a mixed reception.

Kate has been painted with a faint smile and looking out at the viewer from a large canvas created by award-winning artist Paul Emsley.

The portrait, in keeping with the Duchess' wishes, does not portray her official side but the woman known to her family and friends.

The portrait by Paul Emsley

Her response to the work after seeing it privately with her husband the Duke of Cambridge was to say: "It's just amazing, I thought it was brilliant." The Duke described it as "absolutely beautiful".

But Emsley's approach to the high-profile royal commission has divided commentators.

Richard Stone, Britain's most prolific royal portrait artist, said the work had captured Kate's evident warmth and approachability.

He said: "I liked it, very much so. So often with official portraits they can be rather stiff and starchy, but this has a lovely informality about it, and a warmth to it."

However, art critic Waldemar Januszczak, who writes for The Sunday Times, said he was "disappointed" by the portrait and that there was a lack of sparkle in Kate's eyes.

He said: "I think she's been let down really by the picture. In the end it's yet another pretty ordinary painting of a royal of the sort that we've been really churning out for the last few hundred years in Britain."

Robin Simon, British Art Journal editor, said simply  it was a "rotten portrait".

Talking about how he composed the painting, Emsley said: "In discussions it became clear that what she wanted herself ... and that the portrait should convey her natural self as opposed to her official self.

"The fact she is a beautiful woman is for an artist difficult. In the end I think what I tried to do really was to convey something about her warmth and her smile."

Emsley was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery and was chosen by its director Sandy Nairne following  a selection process which involved the Duchess.

The Duchess spoke to the artist at the unveiling

The artist is the 2007 winner of the Gallery's BP Portrait Award competition and is known for his detailed almost photographic portraits which include every detail of the sitter.

His subjects include former South African president Nelson Mandela and the author VS Naipaul.

The Duchess, who is patron of the National Portrait Gallery, held two sittings with the artist in May and June last year at Emsley's studio in Bradford on Avon and at Kensington Palace.

The portrait took almost four months to finish and was presented to the trustees of the gallery at their November meeting.

The work is one of a number of royal paintings that are part of the gallery's collection.

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Jessops: Camera Chain Closing All Stores

Camera retailer Jessops is clearing stock from its stores after administrators announced it was unable to continue trading.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which was appointed to the group on Wednesday, has begun the process of shutting the firm's entire network of 187 stores with the loss of 1,370 jobs

The administrators said further job losses are likely at the group's head office in Leicester.

Jessops is the first high-profile retail casualty of 2013, after suffering from online competition and a boom in camera phones in recent years hitting demand for digital cameras.

Administrator Rob Hunt said PwC had held "extensive discussions" with suppliers, but it was apparent that Jessops could not continue to trade.

A sign on the door of a Jessops shop in Birmingham

He said stock would be collected from the shops and taken to a warehouse, where it would be returned to suppliers.

As a result of the closure of the shops, Mr Hunt added that customers would not be able to return products.

Jessops was forced to call in the administrators this week after talks between the company and its lender and suppliers broke down following a poor Christmas.

Jessops had struggled since 2007, when it underwent a major overhaul with a swathe of store closures.

It came close to collapse two years later, before being rescued by its main lender HSBC in a controversial debt-for-equity swap that saw it taken off the stock market.

The camera giant's collapse comes after consumer electricals chain Comet hit the wall last year, sparking more than 6,000 job losses.

There was speculation that suppliers such as Canon were considering injecting cash into Jessops last year to help prop the business up, but no deal materialised.

The group last year also suffered the loss of its chief executive Trevor Moore, who left to head up HMV, as well as its chairman David Adams.

Martyn Everett was then appointed as chairman and Neil Old was promoted to lead the business as chief operating officer.

The firm began life in 1935 when Frank Jessop opened his first shop in Leicester.

Mr Hunt added that it was "an extremely sad day for Jessops and its employees".

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Stabbing Victim 'May Have Sold Big Issue'

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

One of two men stabbed to death in Birmingham city centre may have worked as a Big Issue seller, police say.

The men, who were in their thirties, were attacked just before 6pm on Friday in front of "potentially hundreds of witnesses".

One victim is thought to have been stabbed outside a Sainsbury's store in Martineau Place, while the other was found slumped near a Boots store in Union Street with fatal injuries.

A police spokeswoman said: "One line of inquiry is that the victims were people who frequented the city centre.

"Another line of inquiry is that one may have worked as a Big Issue seller."

Officers administered first aid on both men, but both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Kevin Blake, 52, who was leaving work at the time, told Sky News: "There was someone lying on the ground with a police officer pumping his chest and someone holding a white compress on his lower abdomen and someone sort of incubating him.

"He was in a very very bad way. As I walked to the train station there was huge droplets of blood for about 30 or 40 yards, which signified that he was very, very seriously injured.

"It was a surprise to read in the paper that two people had been stabbed and not just the one that I saw. It was quite a sight."

A man was arrested in New Street near the Odeon Cinema minutes after the stabbings.

Police confirmed a 23-year-old man is being questioned on suspicion of stabbing the two men to death.

Inspector David Keen said: "Two men have suffered fatal injuries - these have been inflicted in the heart of the city at a busy time when workers and shoppers would be heading home.

"There are potentially hundreds of witnesses, either people who saw the stabbings or the offender leaving the scene, and I'd urge people to get in touch immediately - they could have vital information."

Forensics and search experts cordoned off several scenes in and around Union Street to preserve evidence. Those cordons have now been lifted.

A spokeswoman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "Crews arrived to find two men who had been stabbed and were being given excellent first aid by police officers and passers-by.

"Both men went into cardiac arrest. Crews and the team of medics administered advanced life support to both men but, sadly, despite the best efforts, nothing could be done to save them and they were confirmed dead on scene."

Post-mortem examinations on the two victims are due to take place to determine the exact cause of their deaths.

Police said they were mounting "extra reassurance" patrols in the area.

:: Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101.

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Rent Rip-Offs: Miliband Slams Rogue Landlords

Ed Miliband pledged to make the housing market fairer for private renters as he fleshed out his One Nation philosophy.

The Labour leader warned that action is needed to prevent damaging social divisions between home owners and those who rent.

His speech to the Fabian Society again saw him seeking to distance his party from some of the most controversial elements of the last Government's record.

He admitted that New Labour was "far too timid" in enforcing rights and responsibilities and "too sanguine about the consequences of rampant free markets".

"By the time we left office, too many of people of Britain didn't feel as if the Labour Party was open to their influence, or listening to them," Mr Miliband said.

Ed Miliband was speaking to the Fabian Society in London

Referring to immigration as an example, he said: "I'm proud to celebrate the multi-ethnic, diverse nature of Britain.

"But high levels of migration were having huge effects on the lives of people in our country - and too often those in power seemed not to accept it.

"The fact that they didn't explains partly why people turned against us in the last election."

Mr Miliband added that if Labour wins the next general election, the party will have to find ways of achieving change while tackling a lingering deficit.

New Labour failed to bring about change to make the economy "work for the many, not just the few", he said.

Spelling out his concerns about the housing market, the opposition leader pointed out that 3.6 million households - including one million with children - are now in privately rented accommodation.

The numbers are bigger than in the social rented sector for the first time in almost half a century.

Mr Miliband said Britain must avoid becoming a nation divided between those who own their own homes and those who rent.

"We shall root out rogue landlords, we shall stop people from being ripped off by letting agencies and we want to give new securities to families who rent."

Labour would introduce a register of landlords and powers for local authorities to find and stamp out rogues, he said, while the "confusing, inconsistent fees and charges" system would be simplified and longer-term tenancy agreements would be made possible.

A Conservative spokesman said: "Not once does Ed Miliband answer the tough questions, like how he would deal with the record deficit his Labour government left behind.

"Instead of facing up to the difficult decisions, all Labour offer is more spending, more borrowing and more debt - exactly how they got us into this mess in the first place."

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Killed Russian Woman's Boyfriend Remanded

The boyfriend of a 23-year-old Russian woman found dead in her south London flat has appeared in court charged with her murder.

Felipe Lopes, 27, was remanded in custody at Bromley Magistrates' Court and will appear next at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, Scotland Yard said.

Lopes was arrested on the street in the Farnborough area of Bromley, south London, on Wednesday morning after police discovered the body of Anastasia Voykina a few miles away at an address in Streatham at around 2am on Monday.

A post-mortem examination gave her cause of death as multiple fractures to the face, head and neck.

A missing person report for Ms Voykina was made on Sunday after people she knew became concerned.

Officers had gone to a maisonette in James Boswell Close, Streatham, where they found her body.

Formal identification has not yet taken place but detectives are confident the deceased is the missing woman. Next of kin have been informed.

Police said she made a phone call to her family on December 30, which was the last known contact with her.

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