Royal Nurse: Radio Gives £320K To Family Fund

A memorial fund for the family of the dead nurse who was the victim of the royal hoax call has been set up by the radio station responsible for the prank.

Southern Cross Austereo, the parent company of radio station 2Day FM, said the remainder of the profits for 2012 should go to a memorial fund to benefit Jacintha Saldhana's family.

The sum is expected to amount to AUS$500,000 (£326,000).

It has also cancelled its Christmas party, saying it would be "inappropriate" to go ahead with the celebrations, and would instead donate the money it would have spent to charity.

Rhys Holleran, SCA's chief executive, said: "We are very sorry for what has happened. It is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts continue to be with the family.

"We hope that by contributing to a memorial fund we can help to provide the Saldanha family with the support they need at this very difficult time."

A post-mortem examination on Ms Saldanha, who initially answered the prank call made to the hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge, is being held today.

Ms Saldanha's family have been left "devastated" by their loss

Ms Saldanha was found dead on Friday days after she was tricked by Australian radio hosts Mel Greig and Michael Christian, who called the King Edward VII Hospital in central London.

She transferred the presenters, believing they were the Queen and the Prince of Wales, to a colleague who divulged details about Kate's treatment for severe morning sickness.

Ms Saldanha, 46, from Bristol, was found dead in a block of nurses' flats close to the hospital, where she stayed while working in London.

MP Keith Vaz met her family on Monday and said they had been "devastated" by the loss of a "loving mother and a loving wife".

Flanked by Ms Saldanha's husband Benedict Barboza and her two teenage children, Mr Vaz said: "They miss her every moment of every day, but they are really grateful to the support of the British public and to the public overseas for the messages of support and kindness."

Mr Vaz has called for the hospital to provide the family with more support and to hold an inquiry.

His criticism came after the DJs broke their silence about the nurse's death.

Interviewed on Australian TV networks, the 2Day FM presenters said there had been a "tragic turn of events no-one could have predicted or expected".

Mr Christian and Ms Greig have spoken emotionally about the tragedy

Police in London have contacted their Australian counterparts with a view to interviewing the pair ahead of an inquest into Ms Saldanha's death.

In response to Mr Vaz's criticism the hospital said its chief executive John Lofthouse had spoken to the nurse's husband on Friday by phone and offered to meet him whenever he wanted.

Under Australian regulations, the permission of anyone on the receiving end of a radio prank must be sought before the call can be broadcast.

The hospital has denied that anyone within its senior management or media unit was contacted.

The radio station insists appropriate checks were conducted before the pre-recorded item was broadcast.

Ms Saldanha was originally from Mangalore in southwest India, according to reports which have named her children as daughter Lisha, 14, and son Junal, 16.

Scotland Yard said the post-mortem would be held at Westminster Mortuary and it was likely an inquest would be opened and adjourned at Westminster Coroner's Court later this week

The Duchess of Cambridge has cancelled an appearance at the UK premiere of The Hobbit tomorrow because of her pregnancy sickness but The Duke of Cambridge will attend.

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Lottery Winner Murder: Dorice Moore Found Guilty

A woman has been convicted of murdering a lottery winner and then burying his body underneath a concrete slab at her home in central Florida.

Dorice "Dee Dee" Moore showed no emotion as the verdict was read out and the judge sent her to jail for life for shooting dead Abraham Shakespeare, who had won $17m (£10.5m) in 2006. 

Prosecutors said Moore befriended him in late 2008, claiming she was writing a book about how people were taking advantage of him.

They claimed Moore later became Mr Shakespeare's financial adviser but eventually controlled every asset he had left, including an expensive home, the debt owed to him and a $1.5 million (£933k) annuity.

"She got every bit of his money," Assistant State Attorney Jay Pruner said in closing arguments. "He found out about it and threatened to kill her. She killed him first."

The court was told Moore tried to cover up the 43-year-old's death for almost a year, including sending letters and text messages to his family to make it appear he was still alive.

She also allegedly paid a friend to pretend to be Mr Shakespeare, and then call the dead man's mother to say he was okay, but wanted to be left alone.

Dorice Moore showed little emotion in court. Pic: ABC ActionNews

Moore claimed she had been trying to help protect the Lakeland lottery winner's assets from a pending child support case when he was killed by drug dealers.

Her lawyer Byron Hileman argued that there were other potential suspects whom prosecutors refused to consider.

"There were a lot of people who owed Mr Shakespeare a lot of money. One guy owed him a million dollars," he said during his closing arguments.

"The police focused on Dee Dee Moore and they didn't even consider other people."

Moore was briefly banned from the courtroom in Tampa on Monday over concerns that she may have threatened jurors.

She was back a short time later for closing arguments but said she did not want to testify in order to protect her family.

Describing her as "cold, calculating and cruel, Judge Emmett Battles told Moore that she was probably the most manipulative person the court had ever seen.

"Abraham Shakespeare was your prey and your victim. Money was the root of the evil you brought to Abraham," he said.

Moore has 30 days to appeal against the sentence.

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HSBC To Pay £1.2bn In Money Laundering Case

Record Fine: HSBC's Statement

Updated: 8:39am UK, Tuesday 11 December 2012

HSBC released the following statement after confirming it will pay $1.9bn (£1.2bn) to the US Department of Justice over money-laundering.

HSBC has reached agreement with United States authorities in relation to investigations regarding inadequate compliance with anti-money laundering and sanctions laws.

This includes a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the US Department of Justice. HSBC has also reached agreement to achieve a global resolution with all other US government agencies that have investigated HSBC's past conduct related to these issues and anticipates finalising an undertaking with the United Kingdom Financial Services Authority shortly.

Under these agreements, HSBC will make payments totaling $1.921bn, continue to cooperate fully with regulatory and law enforcement authorities, and take further action to strengthen its compliance policies and procedures.

Stuart Gulliver, Group Chief Executive, said: "We accept responsibility for our past mistakes. We have said we are profoundly sorry for them, and we do so again. The HSBC of today is a fundamentally different organisation from the one that made those mistakes. Over the last two years, under new senior leadership, we have been taking concrete steps to put right what went wrong and to participate actively with government authorities in bringing to light and addressing these matters.

"While we welcome the clarity that these agreements bring, ensuring the highest standards wherever we do business is an ongoing process. We are committed to protecting the integrity of the global financial system. To this end we will continue to work closely with governments and regulators around the world."

In the past several years, the Board of HSBC Holdings plc has taken decisive action to direct management to fix past shortcomings as they have come to light. Since 2011, with new senior leadership teams in place at both HSBC Group and HSBC North America, HSBC has taken extensive and concerted steps to put in place the highest standards for the future.

The Department of Justice has recognised these efforts in the DPA: "Management has made significant strides in improving 'tone from the top' and ensuring that a culture of compliance permeates the institution. The efforts of management have dramatically improved HSBC Bank USA's and HSBC Group's Bank Secrecy Act / Anti-Money Laundering and Office of Foreign Assets Control compliance programmes."

As noted in the DPA, HSBC Bank USA already has, over the past several years, undertaken the following voluntary remedial measures:

• increased its spending on anti-money laundering (AML) approximately nine-fold between 2009 and 2011;
• increased its AML staffing nearly ten-fold between 2010 and 2012;
• revamped its Know Your Customer programme, including treating non-US HSBC Group Affiliates as third parties subject to the same due diligence as all other customers;
• exited 109 correspondent relationships for risk reasons;
• clawed back bonuses for a number of senior officers, and
• spent over $290m on remedial measures.

HSBC Group has also undertaken a comprehensive overhaul of its structure, controls, and procedures. A number of these improvements is included in the DPA. Among other measures, HSBC Group has:

• simplified its control structure, allowing the Group to manage risks worldwide more effectively;
• elevated the role of Group Compliance and given it direct oversight over every compliance officer globally, so that both accountability and escalation now flow directly to and from HSBC Group Compliance;
• created the new role of Head of Group Financial Crime Compliance and Group Money Laundering Reporting Officer, who will help to establish a Global Financial Intelligence Unit;
• made other new senior hires with extensive experience handling relevant international legal and regulatory issues, including a new Chief Legal Officer and a new Global General Counsel for Litigation and Regulatory Affairs;
• adopted a set of guidelines limiting business in those countries that pose a high financial crime risk;
• issued a new global sanctions policy using a more extensive and consistent set of lists to screen all cross-border payments;
• commenced a review of all Know Your Customer files across the entire Group - the first phase of this remediation will cost an estimated $700m over five years, and
• undertaken to implement single global standards shaped by the highest or most effective anti-money laundering standards available in any location where the HSBC Group operates.

Over the five-year term of the agreement with the Department of Justice, an independent monitor will evaluate HSBC's progress in fully implementing these and other measures it recommends, and will produce regular assessments of the effectiveness of HSBC's compliance function.

The agreement notes that HSBC Bank USA and HSBC Group have "provided valuable assistance to law enforcement." HSBC conducted multiple extensive internal investigations, voluntarily made employees available for interviews, and collected, analysed and organised voluminous evidence and information.

HSBC is firmly committed to putting in place robust standards that will help promote the integrity of the global financial system. 

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Handcuffed Burglary Suspect Escapes In Cop Car

A handcuffed burglary suspect has escaped from police in Texas - by driving off in their squad car.

Officers from White Settlement near Fort Worth had arrested 41-year-old Darren Porter last Friday on suspicion of breaking into an antiques shop.

But when they left him alone for a few minutes in the back of their car, he managed to roll down a window, reach out and open the door.

Video from a dashboard camera in another squad car shows him then climbing into the driver's seat and taking off.

The second police car then shot off in pursuit, but to no avail.

The antique shop owner, Kenny Boone, said it was a comical scene.

"It kind of reminded me of the Keystone cops," he joked. "They were all running for their police car to chase this guy. I shouldn't say it was funny but it was kind of comical."

The police car was found abandoned in Fort Worth soon afterwards, but Porter was still at large on Tuesday morning.

White Settlement Police Department said the window switches in the back of their squad cars are supposed to be disabled.

But apparently not in this case.

Officers are now checking their other vehicles to make sure the back windows do not open.

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Libor Scandal: UK Police Make Three Arrests

The Serious Fraud Office has made three arrests as part of its investigation into the manipulation of the interbank lending rate, Libor.

Its statement read: "Today the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), with the assistance of the City of London Police, executed search warrants at three residential premises" - one in Surrey and two in Essex.

"Three men, aged 33, 41 and 47, have been arrested and taken to a London police station for interview in connection with the investigation into the manipulation of Libor."

It concluded: "The men are all British nationals currently living in the United Kingdom."

Major UK banks declined to comment on the development but Sky sources have suggested that one of the people detained used to work as a trader at the Swiss bank UBS, which has a big presence in the City.

The SFO's criminal inquiry began in July when it decided existing legislation gave it the scope to bring potential prosecutions.

While the identities of those arrested and their employers are not known at this stage, it is known that the SFO's inquiry has been wide-ranging and not limited to Barclays - the only UK bank so far to have been fined in connection with the scandal.

Bob Diamond quit Barclays after its £290m fine came to light

The £290m penalty inflicted on Barclays preceded the departure of its chief executive Bob Diamond and forced the British Bankers' Association to signal it would abandon its responsibility for oversight of Libor amid a clamour among politicians for reform.

Libor, which stands for London interbank offered rate, affects more than £350trn in global transactions and the rates created through the submissions bear a heavy influence in the calculation of a host of financial products including mortgages.

The City regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), has been working closely with the SFO in its investigation.

A review of Libor by the FSA's boss Martin Wheatley has suggested a new body be created to oversee Libor with the rates set being based more on actual trades rather than just banks' own estimates.

Around 16 financial institutions have been investigated worldwide over alleged Libor rigging - including a total of three based in Britain.

Taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland has previously said it hopes to settle any claims over Libor manipulation soon and warned that potential penalties could be significant.

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Sex Attacker Jailed By Skin Under Nails

A sex attacker has been jailed after being traced by skin cells left under the fingernails of his victim after she fought him off.

John Elam, 44, attempted to rape a university student in Coventry as she walked home in the early hours of the morning.

He pinned the 20-year-old to the ground but she fought him off, clawing at his face with her nails.

Forensics officers were able to extract DNA from skin cells left under her nails and linked Elam to the attack.

He was jailed for four years and ordered to sign on the sex offenders' register for life by a judge at Warwick Crown Court after admitting he attempted to rape the woman in an attack on June 22 this year.

Detective Sergeant Jim Edmonds, of West Midlands Police, said: "This is a fantastic example of police using advanced forensic analysis to identify a sex attacker.

"We're talking about microscopic skin cells found under the victim's nails, but that's all we needed to get a positive DNA result pointing to Elam as the prime suspect.

"He initially admitted sexual assault but we felt the seriousness of the attack warranted a stronger charge of attempted rape, and that's what we pushed for, and the evidence we secured against him eventually gave Elam little option but to plead guilty."

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Gay Marriage: Mixed Reaction To New Plans

Gay weddings in the Churches of England and Wales will be explicitly banned under new laws on same-sex marriage, the Government has announced.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller said other religious organisations would be able to "opt in" and offer weddings to homosexual couples.

David Cameron has backed the idea of gay marriage in church but Mrs Miller said there was too much opposition.

Unveiling the Government's plans in the Commons, she promised that religious freedom would be protected via a "quadruple lock".

As well as the ban for the established churches, it will be illegal to force a religious organisation or individual to conduct a gay wedding or allow it to happen on their premises.

It will also be unlawful for organisations or ministers to let such a marriage go ahead unless their governing body has expressly opted in.

And the Equality Act will be altered so that a discrimination claim cannot be brought where there is a refusal to marry a same-sex couple.

Mrs Miller said she would now continue to consult on how best to implement the Government's plans in legislation to be introduced early in the new year.

"I am absolutely clear that no religious organisation will ever be forced to conduct marriages for same-sex couples, and I would not bring in a Bill which would allow that," she said.

MP Stewart Jackson: This is a mistake

She told MPs that the changes would allow equality and faith to co-exist "without threat or challenge to each other" and ensure "marriage remains a vibrant institution".

But Tory backbenchers called for the plans to be postponed until after the next election and insisted there was no public majority in favour of allowing gay couples to wed.

Conservative MP Nick Herbert, who is openly gay, was heckled when he declared he backed the Government and agreed that the proposal had "widespread support in the country".

Fellow Tory Peter Bone shouted out "no it doesn't" and his colleague Sir Roger Gale later said letters from his constituents suggested 98% were opposed. 

Mrs Miller insisted that the plans struck "the right balance" between protecting religious freedom and giving same-sex couples the same chance to marry as heterosexuals.

"For some, this is contentious, a radical reform or indeed a reform too far," she said. "But the historical facts show that over the generations marriage has had a long history of evolution.

"For me, extending marriage to same-sex couples will strengthen, not weaken, this vital institution."

The Culture Secretary added: "I would never introduce a Bill which encroaches or threatens religious freedoms."

Shadow equalities minister Yvette Cooper said: "Those who argue marriage should never change are out of touch with public feeling."

As many as 130 Tory backbenchers are against the plans and could oppose Mr Cameron, who has pledged to offer a free vote on the issue.

Earlier Stewart Jackson, MP for Peterborough, told Sky News: "I believe this is a mistake. It's a very divisive issue and an unnecessary piece of legislation.

"It is fundamentally an un-Conservative policy and if (Prime Minister David Cameron) presses ahead with this it will be a disaster for the party and the country."

Gay rights campaigners welcomed the move but critics accused ministers of ignoring a petition signed by 500,000 opponents, calling it "disgraceful".

Colin Hart, campaign director of the Coalition For Marriage, claimed: "There were serious flaws with the consultation.

"Not only was it loaded in favour of ripping up the centuries-old definition of marriage, but lacked even the most basic of safeguards to check the identity of those taking part."

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Census: Rise In Immigrants Boosts Population

There has been a large rise in the number of migrants living in England and Wales, according to the results of the 2011 census.

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that the population of England and Wales now stands at 56.1 million people - a rise of 3.7 million since 2001.

Some 55% of the growth - around 2.1 million people - was due to migration from outside the country.

The number of foreign-born residents has increased to 13%, from 4.6 million to 7.5 million.

In London one person in three was born abroad, compared to the North East where the figure is one in 20.

The majority of those from abroad come from India, Poland and Pakistan. Poland is a new addition to the top ten of where people came from and did not feature at all in the last census in 2001.

Dr Scott Blinder, deputy director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said there had been "a very noticeable change in the population of England and Wales" over the last decade.

It is the second major tranche of information to be revealed from the 2011 census, covering topics including ethnicity, country of birth, religion, health and housing.

The data also shows there has been a big fall in the number of people who consider themselves to be Christian.

Numbers dropped by four million over the past decade - from 37.3 million in 2001 to 33.2 million last year.

There was a 10% increase in those stating "no religion".

The census shows the make up of the population is changing

The British Humanist Association (BHA) described the increase in the number of non-religious people - from 15% in 2001 to 25% last year - as an "astounding" 67% relative rise.

But it said the figures did not offer a complete picture when it came to the number of practising Christians living in England and Wales.

The census also shows 86% of people recorded their ethnicity as white, a fall on 2001. It remains the majority ethnic group in all areas apart from London.

All other ethnic groups grew over the 10 years since 2001.

Two million respondents listed their partners or fellow household members as being of different ethnic groups - 47% more than in 2001.

The number of people claiming to have mixed ethnicity almost doubled, up by 563,000.

Some 91% of respondents to the 2011 census claimed to speak English. Just 4% of households had no English speaking residents.

The statistics also offer a snapshot of how people live.

Since 2001, the proportion of people owning properties through a mortgage or loan has decreased from 39% to 33% but the number of people who own homes outright increased from 29% to 31%.

Ownership of cars and vans has also gone up - increasing by 3.4 million to 27.3 million, a rise of 14%.

Last year there was an average of 12 cars for every 10 households - up on 11 cars per 10 households in 2001.

London was the only region where the number of vehicles was lower than the number of households.

Four out of five people claimed to be in good health.

The questionnaire was sent to around 26 million households in England and Wales on March 27 last year.

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Belfast Flag Protest Riots 'A Disgrace'

Rioters have been warned against "holding Belfast to ransom" after a petrol bomb attack on a police officer by suspected loyalists which is being treated as attempted murder.

A gang of 15 men targeted, surrounded and smashed the unmarked vehicle on Monday night outside the offices of Alliance Party MP Naomi Long in Newlands Road.

It was the worst incident in another night of violence in parts of east and south Belfast involving loyalists who took to the streets again in protest against a decision to restrict the flying of the Union Flag at Belfast City Hall.

In a statement to the House of Commons, Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers said that while the matter was a sensitive issue, the clashes would not be tolerated.

"There can be absolutely no excuse or justification for this kind of thuggish and lawless behaviour," she said.

"It is a disgrace. We condemn it unreservedly and it should stop immediately.

"...Those people engaged in the kind of violence we have seen in the past few days are not defending the Union flag. They are dishonouring and shaming the flag of our country.

"There is nothing remotely British about what they are doing. They discredit the cause that they claim to support."

A car set alight in the Newtownards area over the weekend

Police Service Of Northern Ireland Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton said the officer was lucky to escape with her life.

"This was a planned attempt to kill a police officer which also put the lives of the public in danger and it is fortunate there were no injuries," he said.

Officers were also attacked with petrol bombs in south Belfast close to the M1.

More talks are planned later between Peter Robinson, the Northern Ireland First Minister and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, and Mike Nesbitt, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.

They will try to agree some sort of political strategy to ease tensions and end the violence.

It follows a meeting in Belfast on Monday between the pair, who have been heavily criticised by nationalists over their leadership since the trouble flared a week ago.

The Alliance Party has been the focus of loyalist anger

Ms Long's Alliance Party has been blamed by loyalists for supporting the nationalist SDLP and Sinn Fein in pushing the vote through Belfast City Council to lower the flag.

She said: "If Northern Ireland is to move forward then we need a strict adherence to the rule of law and respect for the democratic process. We need this urgently before lives are lost."

Mr Robinson said: "The attempted murder of a police officer in East Belfast was a despicable act of terror.

"The masked men responsible do not act in the name of our Union Flag. They are bringing shame on it. My prayers are with the police officers at the centre of this attack."

There were also protests in Limavady, Co Londonderry, Ballyclare, Co Antrim, Ballycastle, Co Antrim, and Cookstown, Co Tyrone, where the car of a DUP member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Ian McCrea, was surrounded by angry loyalists.

PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott said some of the violence was intense - and there was clearly some paramilitary involvement.

:: Witnesses have been urged to contact police at Strandtown on 0845 600 8000 or through the confidential Crimestoppers number 0800 555 111.

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Woman Gives Birth In Rescue Helicopter

A woman has given birth in a helicopter taking her to hospital from her remote island home.

The drama happened after the woman, from Unst in the far North of Scotland, went into labour in the early hours.

Shetland Coastguard received a call from her doctor at 4.30am, asking about ferry times from the island.

It was decided to send a helicopter which landed 90 minutes later - but not soon enough, as it turned out.

The woman was quickly put on board but minutes after the helicopter took off she started to give birth.

It was left to paramedic Marcus Wigfull, who had only ever visited maternity wards during his training, to deliver the child.

"To be honest, I wasn't nervous," he said.

"It all happened so quickly and my training just kicked in. It all went very smoothly.

"We knew we had about a 15 to 20-minute transfer time to the hospital.

"But within five minutes of bringing the mother on board we realised we weren't going to make it (in time)."

The baby was born at 6.30am above a small island called Lunna Holm.

Alex Dodge, watch manager at Shetland Coastguard, said: "This is the first time that a baby has been delivered on the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Sumburgh.

"We would like to congratulate the mother and father on the birth of their son, who is reported to be doing well."

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