Miller Aide 'Flagged Up' Leveson To Journalist

A transcript of a conversation in which Maria Miller's aide highlights her role in the Leveson inquiry to a journalist investigating the Culture Secretary's expenses has been released.

In the phone call from 2012, Joanna Hindley, Mrs Miller's special advisor, told Holly Watt: "Maria is obviously been having quite a lot of editors' meetings around Leveson at the moment. So I am just going to flag up that connection for you to think about."

The Culture Secretary has paid back £5,800 of expenses she had wrongly claimed for a second home and made a 32-second apology for her "unhelpful" attitude towards the investigation in the House of Commons.

But she remains under pressure after it emerged the 10-member standards committee overruled the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards' findings that she should return £45,000.

David Cameron has been criticised after Mrs Miller kept her job

Mrs Miller was reported to the commissioner in December 2012 over concerns she had improperly claimed around £90,000 on a southwest London property between 2005 and 2009.

Ms Hindley criticised journalists for knocking on the door of the property, which was answered by Mrs Miller's father.

"I should just flag up as well, while you're on it that when she doorstepped him, she got Maria's father, who's just had a [removed] and come out of [removed]," she said in the phone call to Ms Watt. 

Ms Watt replied: "You can't possibly know that until you've knocked on someone's door." 

Ms Hindley answered: "Well no, Holly, but you could possibly know that had you spoken to people a little higher up your organisation, who do know that."

In a statement to Sky News, Ms Hindley defended her remarks, saying: "This conversation must be seen in context that this reporter had tried to door step Maria's elderly dad and she was calling to complain.  

"In regards the Leveson comment, this was simply stating fact that Maria Miller was meeting lots of newspaper editors about Leveson and she would raise reporters behaviour with Tony Gallagher, then the Telegraph's editor.

"She did and Tony Gallagher apologised, apparently in written form."

The Prime Minister has stood by Mrs Miller but on Friday he was accused of misleading the public over the situation.

In an interview with Sky News, David Cameron said MPs had not been allowed to "police themselves" as independent members on Parliament's Standards Committee had made the "casting vote" on how the Culture Secretary should be dealt with after an expenses investigation.

However, it is clear from the rules governing the committee that independent committee members do not get a vote on how MPs are dealt with.

Downing Street later admitted Mr Cameron had made a mistake in suggesting lay members had made the decision on Mrs Miller's treatment.

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Dawlish: Damaged Railway Reopens After Repair

David Cameron has paid tribute to an "orange army" of workmen after they completed a £35m repair project on the badly damaged rail line at Dawlish.

The Prime Minister was in Dawlish to deliver on his pledge made in February that he would do "everything I could" to get the line back in action.

The reopening of the key link between the South West and the rest of the country comes as a huge relief to communities and businesses.

Storms caused a 100m breach in the sea wall at Dawlish

The closure of the line due to storm damage could have cost the region's economy more than £450m, according to estimates by Plymouth's Chamber of Commerce. 

Half of Dawlish train station has been rebuilt after the storms

In a speech to those gathered to celebrate the re-opening of the line he said: "This is a really important day for Dawlish. It's really important for the South West but it's also really important too for the whole of our country. 

"I know how cut off people here in the South West felt after that terrible storm and it was so important to get this work done."

The coast-hugging line bore the brunt of the severe weather

He then called for three cheers for the "orange army" of workers who repaired the railway.

The rail line became a symbol of politicians' failure to adequately respond to the chaos caused by widespread flooding during a months of storms.

A team of 300 workers spent weeks fixing the line

A 300-strong team has spent weeks repairing the line, which was badly damaged on February 4 when the sea wall was breached during storms.

The line which links Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance was forced to close after part of the wall collapsed.

Shipping containers were put into place in Dawlish to act as a temporary sea wall, but they suffered damage after further storms in February and engineers also discovered a cliff face just south of the village in Teignmouth had sheared away above the track.

As part of the repair work, half of Dawlish station has also been rebuilt, new cabling has been installed and the sea wall breach has been fortified with more than 6,000 tonnes of concrete.

National Rail chief executive Mark Carne said: "Our army of engineers has done an amazing job of putting back together a railway that was ravaged by the elements.

"They have overcome every obstacle thrown at them, winning many battles along the way to restore this critical piece of the network, ahead of schedule, and in time for the Easter holidays."

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Milly Dowler Killer Wins £4,500 Payout

The killer of schoolgirl Milly Dowler has been awarded £4,500 compensation for a prison attack that left him with only minor injuries.

The payout to Levi Bellfield has been branded a "complete disgrace" and has raised questions over prisoners "playing the system" at the taxpayers' expense.

He was attacked with a makeshift weapon in Wakefield prison in 2009 where he was serving life sentences for the murders of 22-year-old Amelie Delagrange and 19-year-old Marsha McDonnell in southwest London.

He suffered what he admitted were minor injuries but took the Government to court on the basis that he should have been protected.

Bellfield also killed Marsha McDonnell

Labour MP Ian Austin said: "It is a complete disgrace that a child murderer should be getting what most people would consider a lot of money for what he himself admitted were only minor injuries.

"We have got to get to a position where prisoners are prevented from playing the system and gaining at the taxpayers' expense

"It is impossible to imagine how difficult it must be for the Dowler family."

Mr Austin told Sky News he would be raising the matter with Justice Secretary Chris Grayling in a parliamentary question.

Milly Dowler with her mother, Sally

The Ministry of Justice fought the claim for three years after it was launched by Bellfield but finally had to admit it was liable. Durham County Court made the compensation award on Wednesday.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said it was "hugely disappointed" over the decision.

Bellfield was finally given a life sentence without parole for Milly's murder in 2011, nine years after he snatched the 13-year-old from a street in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.

It is thought he might be responsible for as many as 20 unsolved attacks on women.

Sentencing him, Mr Justice Wilkins said he was a "cruel and pitiless killer" who had robbed Milly of "her promising life" and "treated her in death with total disrespect".

Speaking after Bellfield was sentenced in 2011, Milly's mother Sally said: "The lengths to protect his human rights have seemed so unfair compared to what we as a family have had to endure.

"I hope that whilst he is in prison, he is treated with the same brutality he dealt out to his victim and that his life is a living hell."

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New Robot Mannequin Is Army's Latest Recruit

A new robotic mannequin - made using Formula 1 technology - will be used to test chemical and biological protective suits for Britain's armed forces.

Porton Man can run, walk, march, sit and kneel, allowing scientists to test suits against attacks such as nerve agents like sarin.

It was made by UK firm i-bodi Technology for the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) in Porton Down, Wiltshire, where military clothing is tested against chemical warfare agents.

Porton Man can run and march

Mannequins have been used by Dstl in the past, but the new £1.1m animatronic version has a raft of improvements and sensors all over its body that allow real-time analysis.

It is also much lighter than its predecessor - 14kg (30lb) instead of 80kg (176lb).

Jaime Cummins, of Dstl's Chemical and Biological Physical Protection group, said it is hoped the mannequin will help produce a new, lighter-weight protective suit for the future.

Jez Gibson-Harris, chief executive of i-bodi Technology, said his firm was tasked with producing a lightweight robotic mannequin based on data collected from 2,500 soldiers, that was easy to handle and had a wide range of movement.

He said: "Of course there were a number of challenges associated with this and one way we looked to tackle these challenges was through the use of Formula One technology.

"Using the same concepts as those used in racing cars, we were able to produce very light but highly durable carbon composite body parts for the mannequin."

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Badgers Should Be Gassed, Princess Anne Says

The Princess Royal has been criticised by animal rights campaigners after she described the gassing of badgers as a "much nicer way" to control them than shooting them.

Gassing has been banned since 1982 and is considered inhumane by animal rights activists. 

But Princess Anne said she believed most people "will tell you that gas is a much nicer way of doing it, if that's not a silly expression".

"Because of the way it works. And how it works is that you go to sleep, basically."

Speaking about the recent badger cull pilot programmes designed to reduce TB in cattle, Princess Anne said controlling the spread of the disease was just one reason for killing the animals. 

"From a conservation issue alone, you'd have to say there are too many badgers. A bigger growth in the badger population is not good for the balance of conservation anyway," she told the BBC's Countryfile programme.

A third of one cattle herd at Princess Anne's Gatcombe estate in Gloucestershire - where one of the pilot culls took place - has been wiped out by bovine TB over the past two years.

Princess Anne farms at her Gatcombe estate in Gloucestershire

An independent experts' report has found the "controlled shooting" of badgers could deliver the level of culling needed to bring about a meaningful reduction of TB in cattle.

Humane Society International UK executive director Mark Jones said a reintroduction of gassing would result in a "slow and painful" death for many badgers and possibly other animals.

"Gassing experiments carried out at Porton Down in the early 1980s were abandoned because of the appalling levels of suffering to which the badgers were exposed," he said.

"Lethal concentrations of gases in complex badger setts are difficult to achieve, making sub-lethal exposure and associated suffering highly likely."

His remarks were echoed by Green Party animals spokeswoman Caroline Allen.

The badger cull pilots sparked widespread protests

Ms Allen, a working vet, said: "It is very sad that a high-profile figure such as Princess Anne has chosen to weigh in to the badger debate showing even less awareness and even more ignorance on the issue than we have come to expect from Secretary of State Owen Paterson.

"Defra has clearly stated that gassing with cyanide should never again be considered and there are no alternate gases available without similar unacceptable effects."

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said last year that gassing badgers was being considered but would only be used if proven to be safe, humane and effective.

The Government recently announced the pilot culls would continue this year but will not be extended to other areas.

Princess Anne also spoke of her support for genetically-modified crops in the interview.

"I think the claims are probably slightly greater than most of the deliverables actually are. They do add to our ability to perhaps be more efficient users of the land," she said.

And she admitted she "seldom" discusses the subject with her brother Charles, who once suggested the method risked creating "the biggest disaster environmentally of all time".

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Cheers! More Booze-Free Bars For Britain

By Gemma Morris, Sky News Reporter

A growing number of alcohol-free bars cropping up across the UK could signal a shift in attitudes towards drinking.

Catherine Salway set up a dry bar in London last year after spotting a trend in young people wanting to be healthier and cutting back their drinking.

She said: "If you're 30 now, you've grown up in an environment where everyone is getting lashed all the time ... and really, as young people want to do, they are questioning the status quo which is to say why is socialising constantly linked with being drunk all the time?"

Catherine Salway spotted the trend for dry bars

Ms Salway funded her Redemption bar independently, but a number of other dry bars in the country have been backed by alcohol charities.

These have included venues in Nottingham and Liverpool.

Sophie Fordham, a university student who has blogged for Alcohol Concern, reckons younger people are becoming more open to the idea of alcohol-free bars.

"Say you go out three nights a week, if you replace that with one night at a chilled out, nice place, where you don't have to think about spending money on alcohol, you don't have to think about how you're getting home ... It's just a nice alternative," she said.

Instead of cocktails it's mocktails

Figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest UK alcohol habits are changing among young people.

The number of people, aged 25-44, who said they had had a drink in the previous week dropped from 74% to 63% for men and from 62% to 50% for women, between 2005 and 2012.

Other research appears to show a reduction in teenagers drinking alcohol too.

Former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy, better known to soap fans as Curly Watts, is a recovering alcoholic who hasn't had a drink for 17 years.

Kevin Kennedy, who has been sober 17 years, is hoping to join the trend

The actor is hoping to open his own dry bar in Brighton.

"I think in the UK we have got a kind of reputation of being just drunks, especially abroad and I think people are getting fed up of that. I think as a collective we are growing up," he said.

But when customers at a typical London pub were asked if booze-free nights can be as fun as alcohol-fuelled ones, the reaction was not overwhelmingly positive.

One drinker said: "I don't think it would be very fun because that's the whole point of a bar isn't it, that it serves alcohol?"

Another added: "Fun sometimes comes when you lose your inhibitions and alcohol helps you lose your inhibitions."

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Skyscraper Climbers 'Putting Others At Risk'

By Joe Tidy, Sky News Reporter

A series of viral videos of climbers illegally scaling skyscrapers and tall structures has led to calls for tighter security in cities like New York and London.

Videos of climbers risking their lives by illegally trespassing are being viewed by millions which has led to others copying stunts and posting their exploits on internet forums.

The latest video to go viral is of James Kingston, from Southampton, climbing Moscow Bridge in Ukraine without any safety equipment.

Once at the top, the freerunner performs a backflip hundreds of feet above a busy road.

The footage was shot for a documentary which aired in the UK earlier this year but was posted online last week.

This video follows other high-profile climbs. In January, a group scaled London's 'Walkie-Talkie' building, and weeks later a video of two men reaching the tip of the new Shanghai Tower was posted online.

A thrill-seeking climber films himself on top of Moscow Bridge in Ukraine

In New York, Senator Charles Schumer this week called for tighter security after a 16-year-old reached the tip of the new World Trade Center.

A few days later, another video was posted by an artist who had recorded himself climbing the city's Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.

It is not just high-profile buildings that are being climbed. Internet forums where climbers post their conquests show pictures and video of climbs in Blackpool, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham and Leicester in March alone.

For police, stopping climbers is a difficult task. In most cases, it is only treated as a civil offence and many climbers hide their identities.

A spokesman for City of London Corporation, an area thought to be a prime target because of its concentration of tall buildings said: "It's clear that these people are doing this for the thrill and to show off, but it's also clear they are floating security at the sites they are breaking into.

"They are putting themselves at huge risk just to take 'selfies' and they are also putting others in danger too. It's irresponsible and illegal and we do not condone it."

Mr Kingston told Sky News he is worried someone could get killed, but said: "The only thing I can say is that people need to be doing these for the right reasons and not at all for the attention or the reaction you get.

City of London Corporation says climbers are putting other people in danger

"They need to do it because they love it and want to do it for themselves. As soon as they start showing off, that's when someone could get hurt."

Climbing without ropes is nothing new and is called solo climbing or bouldering, but it is not routinely done on buildings.

The British Mountaineering and Climbing Council refused to comment on this activity, which is being described as "buildering" or "urban solo climbing".

Tim Miller, from Southampton Climbing Centre, said of the practice: "I think that could be a negative thing if it inspires young people to do that.

"I would say get involved in a local climbing community where there's some safety measures in place and it's more regulated."

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Briton Shot Dead In Rio De Janeiro Carjacking

A British man has been shot and killed in an attempted carjacking in Brazil, where he was working as an oil worker.

Peter Campsie, from Montrose, in the Scottish county of Angus, was shot dead after his Lexus was intercepted by two gunmen in Rio de Janeiro.

The 48-year-old was on his way home to the city of Macae, north of Rio, after a business meeting when the attack happened on Wednesday.

Gunmen shot Mr Campsie twice as he attempted to flee from the scene in his vehicle, Aberdeen's Press And Journal newspaper reported.

It is understood the operations manager died at the scene of the attack, which took place in Rio's Niteroi municipality in the late afternoon. The gunmen fled empty-handed.

Mr Campsie had been working for Diamond Offshore Drilling International and had lived in Brazil for 16 years.

He shared his home in Brazil with his wife and 10-year-old daughter. He also had two sons, siblings and family in Scotland. 

A statement to the Press and Journal issued by his family said: "He was a man who loved life and and brought so much joy and laughter to those around him.

"Wherever Pete went, the good times followed. A darkness has fallen on us all as we try and make sense of why Pete had to die in the prime of his life.

"He was a loyal friend and father, brother and son who cared deeply about making sure everyone got the best out of their lives. Our anchor has been pulled away so cruelly."

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We were made aware of the death of a British national in Brazil on April 2.

"We stand ready to provide consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."

News of the carjacking came as federal troops were sent on to the streets of Rio de Janeiro by Brazil's government to tackle crime.

The city is one of the main hosts for this summer's World Cup Finals and is also set to hold the Olympic Games in 2016.

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Mafia Boss 'The Professor' Back In Court In UK

An alleged Italian mafia boss has been arrested on a fresh international warrant a week after he was told he was free to remain in the UK.

Domenico Rancadore had been told by a judge he could return to his home in Uxbridge, west London, after prosecutors withdrew their appeal against a ruling that blocked his extradition to Italy.

But he was arrested in Uxbridge on Friday night on a European Arrest Warrant by officers from Scotland Yard's extradition unit.

The 65-year-old appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Saturday morning.

Adam Harbinson, representing the Italian authorities, told the court he was "one of the heads of one of the most powerful mafia associations in Italy."

He said the latest arrest warrant is identical to the previous one, except that it provided assurances about the prison conditions he would be faced with in Italy.

The house in Uxbridge where Rancadore was arrested

Scotland Yard had earlier said in a statement: "(The warrant) alleges that he has an outstanding sentence of seven years' imprisonment to serve for participation in Mafia association between December 17, 1987 and April 13, 1995 in Palermo, Italy."

The warrant was issued in Italy and certified by the UK's National Crime Agency.

Rancadore wore a beige sweater, blue shirt and black trousers and waved to his wife, Anne, in the public gallery.

He was remanded in custody and told to appear at the same court for a bail hearing next week.

Known as "The Professor", Rancadore was arrested in Britain last August after 20 years on the run.

He had won his legal fight against extradition on March 17 on the basis that returning to Italy's overcrowded prisons would breach his human rights.

At a hearing last week, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed they had lodged an appeal, but said it was not served within the statutory time limit and was therefore being withdrawn.

Rancadore fled to England in 1994 with his wife and two children, and lived under the false name of Marc Skinner.

Italian authorities claim he was a leading figure in the Cosa Nostra, a Sicilian mafia group controlling Trabia near Palermo.

He is one of Italy's most wanted criminals and was sentenced to seven years in prison in his absence.

Italian police claim he was involved in extortion, racketeering and drug trafficking.

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Do Not Get Sick, Top Doctor Warns Patients

One of Britain's most senior doctors has warned people not to get ill because the situation in the NHS is so bad.

Sir Richard Thompson, President of the Royal College of Physicians, told Sky News a funding crisis is putting doctors under so much pressure it is putting patients at risk.

When asked where things were headed, Sir Richard said: "I'd rather not think about it. It's already (a) tremendous strain. When people ask me what's going to happen I say don't get ill."

He also warned the health service is "underfunded by billions".

Sir Richard told Sunrise the NHS is "between a rock and a hard place", having to cope with an increasing population at the same time there is a shortage of doctors and nurses.

"The workload is going up at the same time money is being taken out of the NHS," he said, adding some smaller hospitals were already under "tremendous strain" to try and keep going.

"Because nurses and doctors are rushed they know that they can't produce good care."

Sir Richard claims doctors are missing patients' vital signs

Sir Richard added: "If you're not able to give an optimum time to looking after patients, the right number of staff looking after them, there must be some damage."

In an earlier interview with the Guardian, he claimed some doctors are facing caseloads during one shift of up to 70 patients - far more than the maximum 20 regarded as necessary for proper care.

Sir Richard said: "You try standing on your feet for seven hours trying to be on the ball, thinking of the various complications, being nice to patients, for seven hours. It's absolutely destructive.

"Not everyone has 70, but most people are looking after well over 20.

"If you've got over 20 it becomes impossible. The care gets thinner and thinner. It means the consultant can't see the patient as much or indeed as early as they should do, so obviously the standard of care is going to fall."

Sir Richard accused the coalition of cutting the NHS budget despite repeated pledges, including from Prime Minister David Cameron, to protect it from the austerity programme.

"In spite of what weasly words people at the top say, money's been taken out of the NHS," he said, citing the £2.8bn that has been given to social care in the past three years.

As a result, he claimed: "The NHS is under-doctored, under-nursed, under-bedded and under-funded. There are too few doctors to do the increasingly large job to a high standard, and safely, and compassionately."

A Department of Health spokesman responded by saying: "Patient safety and care is a priority for the Government and it is right that we have high expectations for our NHS.

"While the NHS is one of the safest, most efficient healthcare systems in the world we should never shy away from trying to improve standards for patients."

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