Missing Atiya: Mother's Plea for Information

The mother of a missing girl abducted by her father says she prays her "little bundle of joy" is safe and well, after being taken to Pakistan without her knowledge.

Gemma Wilkinson, 32, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, said not knowing whether five-year-old Atiya is even alive is an "absolute nightmare".

Atiya vanished in November 2009 after going to stay with her father, Razwan Ali Anjum.

The former insurance salesman said he was taking the girl to Southport. Instead he took her to Lahore, Pakistan, and told Ms Wilkinson she was "never going to see Atiya again", courts have heard.

Anjum, who is in his late 20s, returned to the UK shortly after and was jailed by a High Court judge for refusing to reveal where his daughter was.

Judges have imposed jail terms of two years, 12 months and another 12 months in the hope that he would provide information. They have re-jailed him as each sentence neared its end.

Speaking ahead of Atiya's sixth birthday on Wednesday, Ms Wilkinson said: "It's been an absolute nightmare. As to her whereabouts we know nothing. We've had no contact.

"I'm worrying every day, every single day. Everything is affected by it. When I close my eyes I see her.

"I say goodnight to her every night before bed. I pray she's okay. We don't have any proof that she's okay, there is no proof she is still alive.

How missing girl Atiya Anjum-Wilkinson might look at 4-5 years of age.

"It's been discussed that she could have been sold, but I don't want to believe it.

"She was so funny. She was a little bundle of joy. She loved her lip gloss and handbags - as soon as she got hold of my makeup bag, everything in it was hers. We just want her home."

Ms Wilkinson's "on-off" relationship with Anjum ended in 2008.

"He's enjoying playing his controlling mind games. It's just sick. Razwan is refusing to say where she is, who she's with and he won't say anything other than 'she's in Iran'," he said.

Detective Constable Emma Constantine, of Greater Manchester Police's Child Protection Unit, said: "As far as we know, Razwan has had no contact with Atiya himself.

"He's never received any letters or photographs of Atiya, so there's no way that he knows how she is."

Detective Superintendent Phil Owen added: "We're working with a range of international agencies in order to find out who may be harbouring her, but it presents its challenges and problems and hopefully this is now the time to tug at heart-strings and generate information from the public."

He argued Anjum "will convince himself that she's looked after" but that he couldn't know that.

:: Anyone with information should phone police on 101, the Foreign Commonwealth Office on 020 7008 0878 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Crocodiles Leave Man Half-Eaten In Philippines

A man's half-eaten body has been found after he was attacked by crocodiles at a breeding farm in the Philippines, police say.

The victim, named by officers as unemployed 57-year-old Sorbelo Sajona, was discovered in a pond by workers at the privately-owned facility.

It is not known how Mr Sajona, who lived in a village a few miles away, had entered the farm on the southern island of Mindanao.

He was last seen drunk the previous day at a local cemetery, visiting the graves of his relatives like many other residents on All Saints' Day, authorities added.

While there was no sign of any other injuries, police have yet to officially conclude he was killed by crocodile bites, police officer Lowell Neniza said.

"There was no evidence of foul play, but the farm security guards told us they were clueless on how he got into the pond," he said.

The farm, in the rural town of Santo Tomas, is run by JK Mercado and Sons Agricultural Enterprises.

Company spokesman Lerio Gaceta said there were 2,800 saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to 4.3 metres (14ft) long, at the facility.

It exports the creatures' skins and sells the meat to local restaurants offering exotic cuisine.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brent Cross Jewellery Shop Targeted In Raid

Four people on three motorbikes - armed with axes and bats - have raided a jewellers at a popular London shopping centre.

The suspects entered Brent Cross Shopping Centre shortly after 10.15am, fleeing with "a quantity of watches and jewellery", according to police.

They drove away in the direction of Hendon Central and the motorbikes were later found abandoned at a nearby golf course.

No injuries were reported but an elderly man at the scene was treated for shock.

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said no firearms were seen.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

North Wales Abuse Victim Says Name And Shame

By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent

A man who claims he was among hundreds of children abused at a care home in North Wales in the 1970s has told Sky News he wants those involved to be named and shamed.

Keith Gregory was 12 years old when he was abused while in care at the Bryn Estyn children's home in Wrexham.

He told Sky News: "I know there was a lot of top people. There was police officers, serving senior police officers.

"There were all sorts of people to be honest, business people, directors of businesses."

Mr Gregory believes the Waterhouse Inquiry which investigated the allegations in the late 1990s was a "cover-up".

He said: "We gave evidence, told them what we knew and we named names. Every name that we named that weren't staff workers or care workers from Bryn Estyn they didn't want to know.

"If it happened off-site they didn't want to know. So all names, especially senior names were all kept off."

"When people tried to mention the names ... and all the rest of it, Waterhouse himself told them they must stick to the statements and obviously there was nothing on the statements because it had all been wiped off so then we knew that it was another cover-up."

Mr Gregory added: "But if they'd have investigated those names at the time then they'd have probably stopped a lot more child abuse by finding the paedophile gang.

"They were bringing people in late at night - turned up in cars and sometimes in a minibus - and they were taking kids at random from beds, taking them up to a private flat that was in Bryn Estyn where they would be abused.

"And we just used to hide under the sheets and just hope to God it wasn't you. And then we'd hear kids coming back crying their eyes out."

He continued: "I know they were taking kids out into Wrexham town centre. They used to say the good boys are going out for a ride ... Rooms were booked and people were raped, children were raped and sexually abused."

The Home Secretary Theresa May has set out plans for two fresh inquiries into allegations of abuse in children's homes in North Wales in the 1970s and 1980s.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Driver Made To Wear Idiot Sign As Punishment

A woman in Ohio has been ordered to wear an 'idiot' sign after driving on a footpath to avoid a school bus picking up children.

Shena Hardin, 32, will have to stand at a junction as a warning to others, after she was repeatedly caught on camera driving dangerously.

The bus driver captured her in the act on his mobile phone and then contacted police, who lay in wait on September 11.

Shena Hardin said little in court. Photo: Fox 8 Cleveland

A judge at Cleveland Municipal Court told Hardin she would have to wear a sign saying: "Only an idiot drives on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus."

Hardin will have to complete the humiliating punishment between 7.45am and 8.45am on two days next week.

She was also ordered to pay $250 (£156) in court costs and her driving licence was suspended for 30 days.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nadine Dorries Joins I'm A Celebrity

Conservative MP Nadine Dorries could face a backlash from her constituents after heading to Australia for up to a month to take part in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

Ms Dorries, 55, who represents Mid Bedfordshire, is risking the anger of those she represents for taking extended leave from her £65,738-a-year day job and has also faced questions from senior MPs.

Ms Dorries' appearance on the show, which begins on Sunday, means she stands to miss an EU budget vote and Chancellor George Osborne's autumn statement on the economy.

She is already in Brisbane preparing for the programme and justified her decision by telling The Sun: "I'm doing the show because 16 million people watch it. If people are watching I'm A Celebrity, that is where MPs should be going.

"I'm not going in there to upset people, but I have opinions."

Her decision will infuriate senior colleagues as she did not follow long-standing party rules by asking permission from the Chief Whip or Prime Minister David Cameron.

A senior Conservative source told Sky News: "This came as a surprise to everyone."

George Galloway infamously pretended to be a cat on Celebrity Big Brother

Asked about Ms Dorries' decision during his tour of the Middle East, the Prime Minister said: "It's up to Nadine to speak for herself."

When asked if she risked losing the party whip, he joked: "The whips might be relieved if she did."

Home Secretary Theresa May told ITV's This Morning: "I think an MP's job is in their constituency and in the House of Commons."

Ms Dorries' sojourn in the jungle has attracted criticism on Twitter and calls for her to donate any fee to charity.

Former Tory MP Harry Greenway, said: "This is outrageous. Her local constituency party should think very deeply as to whether she is putting them first or not.

"She is certainly making a very good case for herself to be dumped as a candidate at the next election.

"Whatever fee she receives should go to charity, because her parliamentary pay won't stop during her absence."

Ms Dorries (r) was involved in a public spat with Lousie Mensch in August

Former Tory MP Louise Mensch, who gave up her Corby seat in August to live with her husband in America, wrote: "Nothing sadder than a politician, or ex-politician, on any of those shows.

"Just imagining the scene in the whips' office if I said I wanted to skip Parliament for weeks to go on a celebrity TV show."

Ms Dorries mocked Ms Mensch for her decision to leave politics and accused her of being "void of principle" in a blog in August.

The MP has also courted controversy in her political career and earned a reputation for outspoken attacks against David Cameron.

Earlier this year she branded the Prime Minister and chancellor George Osborne as "two posh boys who don't know the price of milk".

In 2010, Ms Dorries appeared on another reality show, Tower Block of Commons, which challenged politicians to live on a council estate and get by on jobseekers' allowance of £64.30-a-week.

But she was caught cheating when it emerged she had stashed a £50 note in her bra.

Although she is the first serving MP to appear on I'm A Celebrity, Liberal Democrat Lembit Opik appeared on the show shortly after losing his seat in the 2010 general election.

Lembit Opik, who appeared on the show in 2010, backed MS Dorries decision

He backed Ms Dorries' decision, tweeting: "Good on Nadine Dorries for the jungle if she's really going in. Go gal!"

George Galloway was heavily criticised for appearing on Celebrity Big Brother in January 2006, while serving as the MP for Bethnal Green and Bow.

MP Tim Montgomerie, the editor of Conservative Home, wrote: "When, some months ago, Nadine told me, in strictest confidence, that she was going to do this I tried to persuade her not to.

"But she wasn't for budging and I can increasingly understand why.

"Her ambition isn't, of course, to persuade any of the viewers about specific policies (she's unlikely to get any opportunity to talk in those terms) but perhaps, just perhaps, to present an image of a Tory MP that defies some of the popular pre-conceptions and caricatures.

"She may be voted off the show quickly and the popularity that follows her appearance may be a bubble that quickly bursts.

"There is a possibility, however, that this Liverpudlian of working class roots will become one of our party's best-known MPs.

"I don't think that's a bad thing - although I don't suspect David Cameron will agree."

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Americans Vote In Tightest Election For Years

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

Barack Obama looks on course to secure a second term in the White House as Americans cast their votes following the most expensive election campaign in history.

The president appears to have the narrowest of leads over rival Mitt Romney in a number of critical swing states.

The Republican candidate and his wife Ann voted in Belmont, Massachusetts, before he headed to Cleveland in Ohio and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania for some last-minute campaigning.

Asked who he voted for, Mr Romney said: "I think you know," adding he felt "very, very good" about his election prospects.

If elected, he would be the first Mormon to become US president.

Mitt and Ann Romney cast their votes in Belmont, Massachusetts

Mr Obama, who voted earlier in the campaign, is spending the day in his home town of Chicago. He has recorded a number of television and radio interviews to be broadcast today.

His vice-president Joe Biden cast his ballot in Greenville, Delaware, saying: "It's always a kick."

When asked if he thought it was the last time he would vote for himself, he told reporters: "No, I don't think so."

US vice-president Joe Biden votes in Delaware

Mr Biden shook hands with and hugged other voters as he waited. He urged Americans to vote "even if you have to stand in line".

In a possible sign of the tightness of the race, the first ballots on election day saw both candidates receive five votes each in the tiny town of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.

The president wrapped up his campaign with a rally in Iowa, the state where his 2008 campaign sparked into life, calling on Americans to give him a second chance.

"I came back to ask you to help us finish what we started because this is where our movement for change began, right here," he said.

"After all we've fought through together, we cannot give up on change now. We know what real change looks like."

:: Watch full coverage on Sky News as the results come in from 2230

The two candidates have criss-crossed a handful of swing states in recent days as they try to energise supporters and secure every last vote. Both have sounded weary and hoarse at times.

The latest 'poll of polls' by RealClearPolitics puts Mr Obama on 48.8% and Mr Romney on 48.1%.

In swing states, Mr Obama had a 2.9% lead in Ohio and was ahead by slimmer margins in Virginia and Colorado. Mr Romney led in Florida.

Voting at the Boston Public Library

Other states to watch include Iowa, Wisconsin, Nevada and Pennsylvania, where Mr Romney has poured money into a late run.

The electoral college system and the state polls suggest Mr Obama could be headed toward re-election partly due to his lead in Ohio, according to Ipsos pollster Julia Clark.

A victory in US presidential elections relies not on a popular vote count but reaching 270 electoral college votes. They are allocated to each state based on the size of its population.

Ms Clark said: "Obama only needs a couple of these swing states and the data suggests that he'll win one or two of them."

Mr Obama and Mr Romney picked up five votes each in Dixville Notch

But Mr Romney's advisers have dismissed those polls and believe they have the momentum.

At a rally in New Hampshire on Monday night, Mr Romney said: "Tomorrow is a moment to look into the future and imagine what we can do, to put that past four years behind us and build a new future.

"Walk with me. Tomorrow, we begin a new tomorrow."

The economy has been the key issue in the campaign and both candidates have been driving grassroots efforts to mobilise support.

Barack Obama's final rally in Iowa

Mr Romney told them: "We have one job left, and that's to make sure that on election day, we make certain that everybody that's qualified to vote gets out to vote."

In the last few days, Mr Obama has been accompanied by stars including Bruce Springsteen and Jay-Z and with appearances from former president Bill Clinton.

Both campaigns have victory rallies lined up, in Chicago and at Mr Romney's HQ in Boston. The candidates will address the nation once the results are known.

There have already been some allegations of irregularities at polling stations and if the numbers are close, recounts and absentee ballots could mean it is days before the result is known.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Met Detective Dies After Chasing Suspects

A 30-year-old female police officer has collapsed and died while chasing two suspected mobile phone thieves.

Detective Constable Adele Cashman, collapsed during the pursuit in Belsize Park Gardens in Camden, north London, at 9.45pm on Monday.

Police said a smartphone had been snatched out of the hand of a 59-year-old woman in Haverstock Hill and the "much-loved and wholly dedicated" officer chased after the two suspects.

Uniformed officers on duty in the area saw the chase and joined Det Con Cashman while requesting more help.

A 17-year-old boy was arrested at the junction of Belsize Grove and a second boy, also 17, was arrested and the phone recovered, Scotland Yard said.

The suspects remain in custody at police stations in north and central London.

A response team officer based at Kentish Town police station, Det Con Cashman was taken to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, but died at 11.10pm.

Her family has been informed and inquiries into the circumstances surrounding her death are under way, the Metropolitan Police added.

Commander Tony Eastaugh said: "The thoughts of everyone in the Metropolitan Police Service are very much with Adele's family, friends and colleagues at this extremely difficult time.

"Adele worked on both Camden and Wandsworth boroughs and was held in high regard by all who met her."

"She will be sorely missed by everyone who had the privilege of working alongside her."

Acting Borough Commander Richard Tucker said: "Adele was a much-loved and wholly dedicated officer.

"We at Camden are completely devastated at her sudden passing and our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends at this tragically sad time."

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syria: Assad Could Leave, Says David Cameron

David Cameron has suggested that Syria's president Bashar al Assad could be allowed safe passage out of the country if it would guarantee an end to the nation's civil war.

In an interview with Sky News Arabia, the Prime Minister said the international community is not doing enough to stop the fighting and a "political road map" was needed to see Mr Assad leave.

Speaking in Abu Dhabi on the second day of a three-day tour of the Gulf and Middle East, he added that he was committed to work with the opposition both within and outside the country to help bring about a transition.

"I am certainly not offering (Assad) an exit plan to Britain, but if he wants to leave, he could leave, that could be arranged," Mr Cameron said.

Activists say that since Syria's unrest began in March 2011, more than 36,000 people have been killed.

Mr Cameron is on a tour of the Middle East

The conflict is now stuck in a military stalemate, which rebel fighters blame on a lack of strategic weapons, such as anti-aircraft missiles.

Appearing on Al Arabiya television about Mr Assad, Mr Cameron continued: "Of course, I would favour him facing the full force of international law and justice for what he's done."

The Prime Minister has previously called the failure of world powers to halt the Assad regime's assault on its opponents a "terrible stain" on the reputation of the deadlocked United Nations.

Syria's allies Russia and China have repeatedly blocked attempts to approve harsher sanctions in the Security Council.

Meanwhile, fighting continues a day after nearly 250 people died in the country's worst violence in weeks and rebels launched one of their deadliest attacks yet.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 247 people were killed on Monday, including 93 soldiers and pro-regime fighters, in the deadliest day in Syria since an attempt to impose a ceasefire for the October Eid al Adha Muslim holiday collapsed.

Another car bomb struck early on Tuesday, causing injuries and significant damage in the city of Mudamiya near the capital, the Observatory said.

The regime also renewed a campaign of air strikes pounding rebel positions, with fighter jets dropping at least two bombs in the heart of the town of Douma, eight miles northeast of the capital.

Syrian state television has also reported that Mohammad al Laham, brother of parliament speaker Jihad al Laham, was "assassinated by terrorists" in Damascus.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Wales Abuse: Crime Agency Boss Heads Inquiry

The National Crime Agency (NCA) is to investigate fresh allegations of abuse in children's homes in North Wales amid claims that a senior Tory was among the perpetrators.

The Home Secretary said the director general of the NCA, Keith Bristow, would review the original police handling of the case - which dates back to the 1970s and 1980s - as well as looking at the latest allegations by one of the victims.

"The Government is treating these allegations with the utmost seriousness," Theresa May told MPs in a Commons statement.

"Child abuse is a hateful, abhorrent and disgusting crime and we must not allow these allegations to go unanswered."

Mrs May said she would also consider Labour calls for a wider, over-arching inquiry into child abuse - including the allegations involving the late DJ and BBC presenter Sir Jimmy Savile - if the evidence was shown to justify it.

The abuse claims centre on the Bryn Estyn boys home in Wrexham

Labour backbencher Tom Watson, who has raised claims of a former Cabinet minister allegedly involved in child abuse, dismissed the latest moves as simply "the next stage of a cover-up".

The announcement comes after David Cameron said he would be appointing a senior figure to review the original public inquiry, led by retired High Court judge Sir Ronald Waterhouse, into abuse at the Bryn Estyn children's home.

Downing Street later announced that High Court Judge Mrs Justice Macur would carry out the review.

The investigations followed renewed allegations last week by one of the victims, Steve Messham, who said the inquiry examined only a fraction of the claims of abuse.

He told BBC2's Newsnight that he was taken out of the home and "sold" to men for sexual abuse at a nearby hotel and that a senior Tory from the time was among the abusers.

Alleged victim Keith Gregory says there was a "cover-up" of serious abuse

Mr Messham has been meeting with Welsh Secretary David Jones in Whitehall to discuss his allegations.

In her statement, Mrs May warned MPs not to use parliamentary privilege to try to name the alleged suspect as it could jeopardise the prospect of any future criminal trial.

Mr Bristow will lead a team of officers drawn from the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca), the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) and "other investigative assets as necessary".

He will produce an initial report by next April.

Mrs May said HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, which is drawing together details of allegations made to police forces around the country against Savile, would be able to take into account any lessons that emerge during his inquiry.

Tory former children's minister Tim Loughton said he had predicted the Savile allegations would be the "tip of the iceberg".

He said: "We should not be surprised now child abuse has raised its head within a political spectrum as well.

"Is it not now time, rather than wake up every week to see a new institution involved in this mire, that we have an overreaching, robust public inquiry into the whole failings of child protection in various institutions throughout the latter part of the 20th century, be it the BBC, the health service, the police, the church and so on?"

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More