Lanzarote Kidnap Attempt: Face Of Wanted Man

Police have released photos of a man - believed to be British - who allegedly tried to abduct a three-year-old girl from her parents in the Canary Islands.

A family from Milton Keynes were on holiday in Costa Teguise in Lanzarote on January 30 last year when a man attempted to kidnap the girl in a shop.

The victim's father noticed she was missing, left a store and spotted the youngster being led around a corner into an alleyway by a man, who was holding her by the hand.

He shouted out and ran up to his daughter, pulling her away from the man who then left the scene.

The family were on the beach a short time later and saw the same man, who spoke fluent English, sitting between some rocks and acting suspiciously.

The victim's father confronted the suspect but he had gone before police arrived.

The family says the man was acting suspiciously on the beach

The family took photos of the man which have now been released by police in an attempt to identify him.

The suspect is white, with pasty skin, aged between 40 and 55, stocky with broad shoulders and around 5ft 8ins to 5ft 9ins tall. He had short dark hair and a dark moustache.

Detective Constable John Swallow, the investigating officer, said: "This is a very concerning incident in which a young girl was led away from her family by an unknown man.

"The victim's father knew it was his daughter being led around the corner because he recognised her flashing trainers.

"The incident was reported to Thames Valley Police after initially being reported to police in Lanzarote and we have been making enquiries to try to establish the man's identity since then.

"We are working closely with the Spanish authorities and Interpol on this case and will continue to do so.

"We have reason to believe he may be a British citizen as he spoke fluent English and made references to being on holiday.

"I am appealing for anyone who recognises the man in the images or has information on his whereabouts to contact police as soon as possible."

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North Korea: South On Alert For Missile Launch

Visiting Secretive North Korea

Updated: 11:52am UK, Wednesday 10 April 2013

Despite the current tensions on the Korean Peninsula, tourists have been able to travel to North Korea.

A Sky News employee has just returned from a four-day trip. Journalists are strictly banned from the county without visas, which are rarely issued, so we are not revealing her name, but here is her story:

I flew from Beijing to Pyongyang. On the flight with me were lots of North Koreans with plenty of excess baggage: TVs, vegetables and meat.

Nothing felt abnormal. There was no feeling of tension.

Only when I arrived at the Demilitarised Zone were we prevented access to some of the buildings because of the current situation.

Throughout the four-day trip, which was organised by a Chinese travel company, we were assigned two North Korean minders.

One of them was more senior than the other. She watched us and watched her colleague too.

They did not want the war but were also determined to fight if the country decided to start a war. They emphasised to us that they believed in the country from their hearts.

We were not allowed to move freely. We could only do tourist things according to the guidance of the tour "guards".

We were not allowed to take photographs in the car or anywhere without the minder's permission. We were told not to photograph anything that looked bad or makes North Korea look bad.

"Don't bring bad impressions out of Pyongyang," they said.

People were very friendly. There was little traffic, so people would stare at our bus wherever we drove.

People there are very aware of the potential war.

Every time we arrived at the places of interest, the tour guides would always ask us in Korean (the minders would translate into Chinese) about the latest situation and our opinions about the situation, particularly our opinions about the US, as they all believe the tensions are the fault of America.

When we asked the minders what would happen if the war breaks out tomorrow, they said: "If the war breaks tomorrow, until midnight tonight, we are still building the socialist constructions."

We also asked them whether they know where Kim Jong-Un lives and works, as we explained to them that in Beijing, all the top leaders work and live in a place called Zhongnanhai. They all said they had no idea.

The two minders liked to sing. One of the songs they sang was apparently written by a South Korean musician to express his admiration toward Kim Jong-Il.

On one of the days we went to Myohyang San, a North Korean mountain. The six of us on the tour were locked in the restaurant because the North Koreans were so afraid that we would wander around.

There is a museum near the mountain, where gifts from foreign countries are displayed. A lot of them came from Japan.

We asked them how could they receive so many gifts from Japan given that North Korea considers the Japanese as enemies. They told us that the Japanese really admire the leaders, so they gave us many gifts.

We stayed in the Yanggakdo International Hotel, where we could watch international TV channels including the BBC, NHK, (Japanese TV), Phoenix (Hong Kong TV) and CCTV (Chinese TV).

The minders live on a specific floor where they only have three North Korean channels to watch. They never ate with us and when we asked what they had eaten, they always refused to tell us.

We were not allowed to use the local currency, and they never showed us their money. We could use Chinese RMB, US dollars or euros.

There were not many opportunities to see any ordinary North Korean people apart from the shopkeepers, tour guides or waitresses in the hotel.

There is a casino on the underground floor of the Yanggakdo International Hotel, where most of the staff members come from Liaoning Province over the northern border in China, and North Koreans are not allowed to enter.

The casino is managed by people from Macau. The staff there told us it was empty because the tensions mean far fewer people are travelling to North Korea.

Staff at the casino are all Chinese. When we asked to go to the casino, one of the minders said to us: "You must be non-communists, because communist members don't go to casinos."

Wherever we go to visit, they always asked us if we think their places or things are pretty. They only wanted to show us the good side of the country.

As soon as we travelled outside the capital city, it felt very like the real North Korea: rural, no tall buildings, only farmland.

We never felt the tension of war on our trip. On the streets, on our tour, in the hotel and even at a school we visited, the students were studying as normal.

The people we spoke to asked us if it was true that living in Beijing is hard. They think living in North Korea is the happiest thing in the world.

It feels as though those North Koreans who have travelled outside the country have never mentioned what the outside world really looks like.

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Australia: Dead Nurses 'Tied To Tree For Days'

An inquest into the death of two nurses who were found bound and beaten in a Queensland bush four decades ago has heard how they were tied to a tree for days.

A second inquest into the 1974 killings of hitch-hikers Lorraine Wilson, 20, and Wendy Evans, 18, has reopened.

In one of the country's most shocking unsolved crimes - the women's skeletal remains were discovered near the town of Murphy's Creek in 1976.

Their skulls were crushed and their bones tangled with cord from venetian blinds.

Betty Staid, who gave evidence via phone, said one of the key persons of interest - now deceased, Donald "Donny" Laurie - lived with her for five weeks in the 1970s and made some shocking admissions at the time.

While they were watching a crime show about the murders, she said Mr Laurie told her he had wanted to give the women water when they were tied to a tree for two or three days.

"I was in shock and said: 'How did you know that, Laurie?'," said Ms Staid. "He looked at me like he'd said too much and said: 'I hear things.'"

Ms Staid said her housemate once offered to take her to the crime scene but she refused.

Two of the only three surviving persons of interest in the case - who were named for the first time last year - have given evidence at the inquest while the third, Desmond Roy Hilton is due to take the stand.

Allan Neil "Ungie" Laurie, 63, and Terrence James "Jimmy" O'Neill insisted they had nothing to do with the murders.

The inquest was told the men had a habit of abducting women, taking them to the bush, beating them and raping them - which they also deny.

Trevor Hilton, the uncle of key suspect Wayne "Boogie" Hilton, said his nephew and his friends would ambush young women in Toowoomba's main street on a weekly basis.

Mr Hilton said the group of men, which included now deceased Allan John "Shorty" Laurie, Donald "Donny" Laurie, and Larry Charles, were notorious about town.

Ms Wilson and Ms Evans were last seen leaving a relative's home in the Brisbane suburb of Camp Hill in October 1974 to hitch-hike to Goondiwindi where they were to pick up a car and drive to Sydney.

An inquest held in 1985 found the women had met foul play, but no charges were laid.

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Weather: Temp To Hit 20C As Spring Comes

Spring will bloom next week as the cold snap that is winter's last blast moves away, according to forecasters.

Temperatures will reach up to 20C on Sunday in parts of the south and east and will get up to double figures across all of Britain after one of the coldest recorded Marches in history.

Sky News meteorologist Chris England said temperatures are set to rise next week as the jet stream steers away from the Atlantic. The narrow band of very strong winds, which moves weather systems around the globe, has been blamed for the recent bad weather.

He said: "It's going to turn warmer as the weather system comes over from the south but the downside is that there'll be rain and wind before we get there."

Billy Payne, a forecaster for the Press Association, said: "We are seeing change on the way through today, with heavy rain pushing north and bringing temperatures up with milder air before things get warmer next week.

"By Sunday and into Monday temperatures should be driving towards 20C in the south east and East Anglia, and double digits in Scotland and the north of England."

A car travels through the snow near Allenheads in Northumberland

The unseasonable weather has caused chaos for farmers, the transport network and homeowners throughout March and the Easter holiday.

In some parts of Britain, the continuously low temperatures have formed rarely seen ice formations.

Hundreds of farmers have lost livestock and wildlife is said to have been hit hard by weather that has left many animals struggling to find food.

Average temperatures between March 1 and 26 were just 2.5C (36.5F), three degrees below the long-term average, the Met Office said.

This would make it the coldest March since 1962 and also the fourth coldest in the UK since records began in 1910.

The coldest March in the UK was in 1962, at 1.9C (35.4F), followed by 1947, 2.2C (35.9F), 1937, 2.4C (36.3F), and 1916 and 1917, 2.5C (36.5F).

Geoff Lee at an ice wall which has formed on Durham Dales

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Thatcher Funeral: Police Search Web For Threats

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent

Police are braced for potential threats to the Thatcher funeral from far-Left groups, obsessive individuals and Irish dissident republicans.

Detectives are scouring internet chatrooms and social media networks for any hint of planned demonstrations and trying to identify individuals who may pose a threat.

In the past police have made pre-emptive arrests, but sources suggest that is unlikely unless there is strong evidence of crimes about to be committed.

A source said: "Someone simply talking about a desire to cause trouble would not be enough to justify an arrest."

The Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC), a small group of police and psychiatrists,  is monitoring known Thatcher obsessives.

Magaret Thatcher was a very divisive figure

They are concerned about those with mental health  issues who have fallen through the care net.

Scotland Yard's counter-terror chief warned recently that dissident  republicans active in Northern Ireland continue to harbour ambitions to launch attacks on the UK mainland.

On the day of the funeral, thousands of uniformed officers will line the route to protect the cortege from any disruption.

Operation True Blue will involve officers from the Metropolitan force, the City of London and British Transport Police.

Some people celebrated news of Thatcher's death

The security details are being discussed and updated at daily meetings, though the broad plan was formulated more than a year ago.

Within minutes of the announcement of Baroness Thatcher's death on Monday, all new police leave applications were turned down.

Teams of mobile reserves will be on standby for any outbreak of violence, but there are no plans to bring in colleagues from outside London.

One major, unrelated police operation planned for the day of the funeral has been postponed to ensure the maximum number of officers is available.

Forces around the country are also preparing for potential demonstrations, after a wave of "death parties" on Monday night in Bristol, Liverpool, Glasgow and Northern Ireland.

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Terror Plot 'Bigger Than 7/7': Pair Admit Role

Two members of a gang who planned atrocities bigger than July 7 have admitted terrorist offences.

Mohammed Rizwan, 34, and Bahader Ali, 19, both from Sparkbrook in Birmingham, pleaded guilty to engaging in conduct in preparation of acts of terrorism at Woolwich Crown Court, police said.

They were members of a gang led by Irfan Naseer, 31, Irfan Khalid, 28, and Ashik Ali, 28, all from Birmingham, who were convicted in February.

Gang leaders convicted in February

Police believe it was the most significant terror plot to be uncovered since the 2006 conspiracy to blow up transatlantic airliners using bombs disguised as soft drinks.

The gang had planned to set off up to eight rucksack bombs and possibly other devices in crowded places. Khalid even boasted that their plan could be "another 9/11".

Naseer and Khalid spent a total of 15 months, during two trips, in terror training camps in Pakistan before sharing all they knew with Ali.

In September 2011 when they started to experiment with making bombs, officers, who had them under surveillance decided to arrest them.

They were recorded discussing the use of AK47 assault rifles and poisons as well as blowing themselves up.

Inspired by al Qaeda, the cell criticised the 7/7 London bombers for not putting nails in their explosives.

Six other men, who are also from Birmingham, had already admitted terror offences.

They are Rahin Ahmed, 26, from Moseley; Mujahid Hussain, 21, from Yardley; Naweed Ali, 25, Ishaaq Hussain, 21, Khobaib Hussain, 21, and Shahid Khan, 21, all from Sparkhill.

All 11 are due to be sentenced later this month.

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Prestatyn Fire: 'Accused Made Threats To Kill'

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent

The woman accused of starting a fire that killed two adults and three small children had made death threats, a court has heard.

Melanie Smith, 42, denies five counts of murder following the fatal house fire in Prestatyn, north Wales, on October 19, last year.

On the first day of the trial at Mold Crown Court, the jury heard how Smith, who lived in the flat below the victims, had "demonstrated anger and hostility" towards her neighbour Lee-Anna Shiers, 20. 

Five died in the fire on October 19, 2012

Jurors were told she had threatened to set the house on fire following a series of rows with Ms Shiers.  

The court also heard that Smith had accused Ms Shiers of having an affair with her partner.

Prosecuting Stephen Murphy QC said: "The prosecution says that the fire was deliberately started by the defendant who had been drinking heavily on that day and who, over a period of about two months leading up to the 19th October, had demonstrated anger and hostility towards Lee-Anna and also jealousy.

"It is the prosecution's case that on a number of occasions... the defendant made threats to or about Lee-Anna that she would "set your house on fire with you and your kids inside."

Ms Shiers, her four-year-old nephew Bailey and two-year-old niece Skye died in the blaze at their home.

Firefighters managed to rescue Ms Shiers' 15-month-old son Charlie and his father, Liam Trimble, 23, from their first-floor flat, but they both died later in hospital.

A recording was played to the court of Mr Trimble's desperate call to the emergency services. 

Firefighters were unable to save the family

He was heard shouting: "Help, help. Someone has put it on purpose, we're inside the flat... Oh my god, oh my god, we're gonna die."

The prosecution said Ms Shiers, trapped in an upstairs bedroom with the children, called her father, saying: "Dad, there's a fire downstairs, I can't get out."

Some jurors wiped away tears as the tapes were played and some members of the public gallery wept. 

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Margaret Thatcher's Son: Family Overwhelmed

Baroness Thatcher would be "humbled" that the Queen is attending her funeral, her son has declared as he spoke of her death for the first time.

Sir Mark Thatcher gave a statement on the steps of the former prime minister's home in London after flying in to help arrange next week's ceremony.

He said his mother had been blessed with "a long life, and a very full one" but that her death was "without doubt a very sad moment".

He also expressed gratitude for the messages the family had received "from far and wide", which he said would be a source of strength in the days ahead.

Margaret Thatcher died on Monday

Sir Mark is the first member of the family to speak publicly about Lady Thatcher since she died on Monday at the Ritz in central London.

His statement came moments before a special Parliamentary session allowing MPs and peers to pay tribute began.

In it, Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to Lady Thatcher, describing her as an "extraordinary woman".

He said: "She made the political weather, she made history and - let this be her epitaph - she made our country great again."

Lord Tebbit, one of Lady Thatcher's key allies in Cabinet and her former party chairman, paid an emotional tribute for the support he received after he and his wife were injured by an IRA bomb in Brighton in 1984.

He said: "She was brought down in the end not by the electorate, but by her colleagues."

More details were released about her ceremonial funeral, which will be held next Wednesday at St Paul's Cathedral.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are breaking with protocol by attending the service, which is not an official state ceremony.

Tony and Cherie Blair will be at the funeral next week

Sir Mark said: "I would like to say how enormously proud and deeply grateful we are that Her Majesty has agreed to attend the service next week at St Paul's and I know my mother would be greatly honoured as well as humbled by her presence.

"By any measure, my mother was blessed with a long life and a very full one. However, the inevitability or the inevitable conclusion may appear of the recent illness that she suffered, it is no easier for us to bear in what is without doubt a very sad moment.

"We have quite simply been overwhelmed by messages of support and condolence of every type, from far and wide, and I know that my mother would be pleased they have come from people of all walks of life."

He said many of the messages contained personal stories related to "the journey of my mother's life".

Former ally Lord Tebbit paid an emotional tribute in the House of Lords

"We are all enormously grateful for the warmth that these messages convey and they will be a source of encouragement and strength as we face the inevitable days ahead," he said.

Britain's longest-serving prime minister and the only woman ever to hold the role is being given a ceremonial funeral, one below a state occasion.

More than 700 members of the armed forces from all three services, including those with links to the Falklands war, will take part.

A public holiday has been declared on the Falkland Islands next Wednesday to allow people to watch Lady Thatcher's funeral and to attend a memorial service in Stanley.

Members of the Honourable Artillery Company will fire procession minute guns from Tower Wharf at the Tower of London.

Representatives of all three services will also line the funeral route, while three military bands play - their drums draped in black as a mark of respect.

A huge security operation costing millions is expected in central London during the ceremony amid fears of protests and disruption.

Lady Thatcher's estate will contribute but the rest of the money will be provided from the public purse.

Downing Street is refusing to give details of its total cost ahead of the service and ministers have defended the expense.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "The rebate she negotiated for this country from the EU has brought us so far £75bn - which is twice the size of our annual defence budget.

"I think that puts money in perspective ... so I think we can afford to contribute to a funeral."

Plans for the ceremony have been dubbed Operation True Blue and Lady Thatcher is to be given full military honours.

Units linked to the Falklands war will play key roles at the ceremony

Tony Blair and his wife Cherie as well as Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah will be at the ceremony, which will be one of the largest public funerals of recent decades.

Lady Thatcher's coffin will be transferred to the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster on Tuesday ahead of the ceremony.

There will be a short service following its arrival before the coffin rests in the chapel overnight.

The streets will then be cleared for a procession taking the former leader's body from parliament to Church of St Clement Danes, the RAF Chapel on the Strand.

At the church, it will be transferred to a gun carriage drawn by the King's Troop Royal Artillery.

The streets will be cleared for the procession on to St Paul's and members of all three services will line the route, as well as bands from each.

The Gun Carriage will be drawn by six horses, three of which are mounted, with a sergeant riding alongside, an officer riding in front and three dismounted troops on foot.

A Bearer Party made up of all three services will walk alongside the coffin, and will include those from ships, units and stations notable for their service during the Falklands campaign.

Outside St Paul's there will be a Guard of Honour of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, as well as the Welsh Guards Band.

For the coffin's arrival, there will also be a Step Lining party made up of 18 personnel from all three services.

These will include six Navy, six members of the Blues and Royals, Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, and six RAF, plus Chelsea Pensioners of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

Ten members of staff from the Ritz, where Lady Thatcher had been staying since Christmas, have also been invited in recognition of the care she received at the hotel.

The public will not be able to attend the funeral service itself but will be able to line the route of the procession.

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Horsemeat Scare: 50,000 Tons Of 'Beef' Recall

Dutch authorities have recalled 50,000 tons of meat which has been sold as beef across Europe because it may contain horsemeat.

Around 370 different companies in Europe and a further 130 in the Netherlands are affected by the recall because they bought meat from two Dutch trading wholesalers.

Firms have been told to "take it off the market as a precautionary measure" and "verify all products".

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has taken the decision to recall the meat because its exact source cannot be established.

As a result, "its safety cannot be guaranteed", it said, ordering the immediate withdrawal of the beef from sale on Wednesday.

The statement said there was no immediate suggestion of any danger to human health.

The horsemeat scandal has spread across Europe

"The buyers have probably already processed the meat and sold it on," it said.

"They, in turn, are obliged to inform their own customers."

The Authority does not know where the meat has ended up, but it may have been used in frozen products.

The Dutch wholesalers involved are Wiljo Import en Export B.V. and Vleesgroothandel Willy Selten B.V.

Officials began a large-scale investigation into the country's meat industry in February following revelations across Europe that horsemeat was being sold as beef.

Inspectors examining Willy Selten's records found that the origin of the meat it supplied was unclear.

This makes it impossible for them to confirm whether slaughterhouses have been acting according to procedure.

"It might contain traces of horsemeat, but we don't know for certain at the moment if this is the case," a spokeswoman for the NVWA said.

The Authority has warned its foreign counterparts about the recall via a European rapid alert system.

Tests have been carried on products for contamination

Sky's Europe Correspondent Robert Nisbet said: "One of these factories that processes meat was raided on February 15.

"Prosecutors at the time said they believed that the management inside was shredding up horsemeat then adding it to beef and selling it on as 100% beef.

"What they (authorities) are saying is that they don't believe that there is horsemeat in all of this 50,000 tons - but they cannot be sure - therefore they want to take it off the shelves and subject it to more tests.

"If you remember the previous horsemeat scandal that was detected from Findus products that was made from Comigel in Luxembourg that was traced back to horsemeat from two Romanian abattoirs. That horsemeat was then sent to another processor in the Netherlands.

"So this would suggest that the Netherlands is an area that people are looking at very closely now in terms of oversight in this massively sprawling industry that runs across Europe.

"Could it be there that many of the problems have originated since this horsemeat scandal blew-up back in January?"

A preliminary investigation by the Romanian government suggested paperwork from the two accused abattoirs was in order and that the livestock entering the facilities were accurately documented.

It also suggested that the meat which emerged from the slaughterhouses was properly labelled, and so therefore the substitution happened elsewhere in the food production chain.

The Europe-wide horsemeat scandal has seen many products pulled from supermarket shelves - damaging confidence in the continent's vast and complex food industry.

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Level Crossing Death: Network Rail Fined £450k

Network Rail has been fined £450,000 after a woman died when the car she was in was hit by a train at a level crossing.

The firm and one of its signalmen Adrian Maund were found guilty of breaching health and safety laws over the "entirely preventable" death in the village of Moreton-on-Lugg, Herefordshire.

Jurors convicted Network Rail of failing to ensure the safety of non-employees at the crossing by not installing an automatic barrier locking system.

A trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard such a device would have detected the oncoming train and kept the barriers down.

The victim Jane Harding, 52, who was a passenger in the car died in the collision which happened when the crossing's barriers were raised by mistake.

Mrs Harding's husband Mark, who was driving the vehicle, suffered serious injuries in the tragedy in January 2010.

Maund, from Leominster, Herefordshire, was fined £1,750 and ordered to do 275 hours of community service.

The 42-year-old defendant was convicted in February of failing to take reasonable care for the safety of those using the crossing.

The company will also pay £33,000 and Maund will pay £750 towards prosecution costs.

Sentencing, Judge Melbourne Inman QC said there was a "significant fall in standard on behalf of Network Rail. There was a considerable degree of public risk".

The judge said the firm "failed to do everything reasonably practical to avoid tragedy", adding: "Adrian Maund failed to take reasonable care".

The Harding family said in a statement: "On January 16, 2010 we lost a loving and and devoted daughter, sister, wife and mother to a then 13-year-old son, in an accident we not learn could have been prevented.

"If Jane's passing is to have any meaning, it will be that in future, rail and road users will be placed at the forefront of those in the rail industry whose responsibility it is to ensure the general public's safety at level crossing.

"Safety - not cost - must be the top priority. The cost of any life, as we can testify, is incalculable."

More follows...

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