Help To Buy: Doubts Over Success Of Scheme

By Poppy Trowbridge, Business and Economics Correspondent

The second phase of the government mortgage guarantee scheme Help to Buy is due to launch next week, three months earlier than expected - but experts are sceptical the initiative will help buyers.

Lack of capacity in the housing market, and a statement from one bank saying it cannot confirm whether it will take part in the scheme, means some would-be buyers could be left empty-handed.

Exclusive research by Sky News shows interest from potential buyers has skyrocketed since the Government surprised the market.

Property website Rightmove says clicks on its Help to Buy pages numbered 14,807 on Saturday, the day before last Sunday's surprise announcement.

When David Cameron revealed, on the eve of the Conservative Party conference, that the launch date had been brought forward from January - clicks, measuring potential buyer interest, spiked to 59,571.

Now, almost a week later, they remain far above average at 23,660.

There is concern that pent-up demand cannot be met by existing market services, while Barclays has issued a statement saying it is not able to guarantee a launch date.

The policy offers homebuyers loans of up to 20% towards a property

"Whilst we cannot take a decision over participation in the new scheme before the terms are set, we are encouraged by the tone of the discussions so far," the bank said.

RBS and Natwest however, have said they are ready to take part in the scheme when it goes live and are planning to extend opening hours in many branches to deal with demand.

"From launch date customers will be able to visit any of our 2000 branches or call us to see how we can help them to get ahead on the property ladder through the scheme," said a statement.

Lloyds Banking Group will also be participating in the second stage of Help to Buy - but exact timings are currently unclear.

"We will be introducing a range of products shortly through our Halifax (and Bank of Scotland) brand, enabling customers to benefit from 95% borrowing this year," said a spokesperson.

However, some estate agents are still worried about a lack of capacity to deal with interest in the scheme.

Robert Ellice, of Clarke Hillyer, told Sky News: "At the moment we've got big delays in the whole process anyway, mortgages are still taking a long time to be offered and taking a long time to be verified on values."

Despite the concerns, the government insists that the scheme is still on track to be a success.

A Treasury statement said: "Two major lenders - Lloyds and RBS representing around 30% of total mortgage lending - have already announced that they will be launching new mortgage products because of Help to Buy.

"This is great news for those who can't get on - or move up the property ladder because of the huge cost of deposits."

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Adam Jones: Appeal To Free 'Kidnapped' Boy

The mother of a British schoolboy allegedly abducted in Qatar has appealed to the country's new Emir to free her son.

Adam Jones, 13, was allegedly taken by his dead father's family in Doha in 2009 and has been kept a "virtual prisoner" since then.

He has written two letters to David Cameron begging for his help and asking whether the Prime Minister has forgotten about him.

Speaking to Sky News, on the fourth anniversary of his alleged kidnapping, his mother Rebecca urged Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to allow her to be reunited with her son.

She said Sheikh Tamim - who became Qatar's new Emir in June - had discussed her son's case with Mr Cameron in the past few weeks, and described it as "a very good start".

Rebecca, speaking in Bahrain, told Sky News: "I'd like to thank the Qatar Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, for considering this case and talking to the Prime Minister, and I'd like to make a personal plea to him today to release my son.

Adam's mother Rebecca desperately wants to be reunited with her son

"He is suffering on a day to day basis.

"Taking into consideration what Adam has gone through over the last four years - which no child should have had to go through - I honestly believe that Adam should be released immediately.

She said she has "exhausted all legal avenues" to be reunited with Adam - who lives with his uncle under the custody of his 80-year-old grandmother - and "is now at breaking point".

"For the past four years Adam has been a virtual prisoner in Qatar," she said.

"He has no life realistically...He has no freedom, he is kept inside most of the time, not allowed any friends, not allowed a proper education.

"But most of all he's not allowed the freedom to speak with his family - his mum, his sister, his grandmother...It's a tragic situation that basically he is now at breaking point."

Adam on his 10th birthday before he went to Qatar (Pic: Bring Adam Home)

She added: "In recent months, Qatar has been under a lot of negative press about the rights in Qatar, and I think this is a very good opportunity for the Emir to show the world that serious consideration is being taken in our case and that they are a country that are more compassionate and merciful, and that they do care about human rights.

"David Cameron made a promise to my son two years ago and that promise still hasn't been kept.

"I think the Qatar Emir has promised to get Adam back in court before the end of the year. I think it's now a chance for David Cameron to press this and make it a priority and to have an aggressive action plan to make sure that happens."

A No 10 spokesperson told Sky: "We understand how incredibly difficult it is for Rebecca Jones to be separated from her son.

"The Prime Minister raised this case with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, when they met last month and they agreed to work together on a solution.

"The Prime Minister believes that it is important that the child's views are taken into account as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and consular staff stand ready to support Ms Jones as she takes this to court."

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Kenya Massacre: Video Shows Gunmen In Mall

A video has emerged showing four gunmen involved in the massacre at a shopping centre in Nairobi, Kenya.

It shows four heavily-armed attackers walking through a storeroom in the mall, and searching other adjacent rooms. 

It is understood that the CCTV pictures captured the gunmen mid-way through the assault - as many of the victims remained trapped inside Westgate Mall.

The footage comes as Kenya's military spokesman named the people implicated in the attack.

Two of the gunmen in one of the storerooms

Major Emmanuel Chirchir confirmed the attackers as Abu Baara al-Sudani, Omar Nabhan, Khattab al-Kene and Umayr.

Matt Bryden, former head of the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia, told the AP news agency that al-Kene and Umayr are known members of al Hijra, a Kenyan extremist group affiliated with al Shabaab.

The latest video footage surfaced after a government official revealed that security cameras showed there may have been fewer gunmen than originally thought.

One of the gunmen holds a weapon in the storeroom

Kenya's government initially said 10 to 15 attackers were involved in the assault, which left at least 67 people dead.

However, it is now believed that only four people may have taken part in the protracted siege. 

Dozens of youths have been detained in the Majengo slum area of Nairobi in recent days in police efforts to track down the mall attackers.

Al Shabaab has said it carried out the attack in retaliation for Kenya sending troops into Somalia nearly two years ago.

The group has promised more attacks inside Kenya unless those troops are withdrawn.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed to continue the military mission inside Somalia despite the mall attack.

Mr Kenyatta ordered a commission of inquiry into the attack. The Red Cross says a further 39 people are still unaccounted for.

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Norfolk: Hospital Worker Held Over 'Murder'

A hospital staff member has been arrested for murder after a patient died from a suspected drug overdose in Norfolk.

James May, 76, from Great Yarmouth, died at the James Paget Hospital, in Gorleston, on September 20.

An allegation of medical malpractice in connection with his death was reported to police 10 days later.

Officers arrested a member of the hospital's medical staff, a middle-aged man, on suspicion of murder on Saturday morning. He remains in police custody.

Mr May died from heart failure according to a post-mortem examination carried out at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on Wednesday.

Police are waiting for the results of further toxicology tests, which they say will help their murder investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Durham, leading the inquiry, said: "We are investigating an allegation that a drugs overdose was administered to a patient, leading to his death.

"We understand that this news may generate concern and it's important for us to underline that our investigation, which is still at an early stage, is based on a single report of an isolated incident and that the hospital trust is co-operating fully with the investigation. "

Mr May's family have been informed and are being supported by Police Family Liaison Officers. It is understood he was admitted to hospital the day before he died.

In a written tribute to local newspaper The Eastern Daily Press, friends of Mr May wrote: "You were one in a million and will be sadly missed. Sleep peacefully."

Christine Allen, chief executive of James Paget University Hospitals trust, said doctors called in police after an internal investigation into Mr May's death.

"Our thoughts are with the family of this patient at what is a very difficult time," she said. "Our priority is patient safety and we understand that this news will cause concern. At this time, we believe it is an isolated incident and relates to the alleged action of a single member of staff.

"The member of staff against whom the allegation has been made is absent from the Trust and will not return until the investigation is completed.

"Throughout this difficult period, the James Paget University Hospital will continue to provide the best possible care to our patients and we are fully co-operating with the police."

:: Police said anyone with concerns can contact Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team on 01953 424533 or 424528.

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Car Chase Woman 'Had Postnatal Depression'

Authorities are investigating what led a woman with a toddler in her car to ram into a White House barrier and lead police on a high-speed chase to Capitol Hill.

The dramatic chase, which forced a brief lockdown of the Capitol and stirred panic among tourists, ended with the woman shot dead by police.

The driver was identified by law enforcement officials as Miriam Carey, of Stamford, Connecticut, it was widely reported in the US media.

The car chase forced a lockdown of the US Capitol

She was a 34-year-old dental hygienist and the mother of a young girl, the reports said.

Hours after the chase, the FBI and other agencies conducted a search of Carey's condominium building in Stamford. 

ABC said Carey suffered from postnatal depression after the birth of her daughter.

The suspect was reportedly a dental hygienist. Pic: Facebook

"She had post-partum depression after having the baby" last August, the woman's mother, Idella Carey, told ABC.

"A few months later, she got sick. She was depressed ... She was hospitalised."

The mother said Carey had "no history of violence" and she did not know why her daughter was in Washington, DC.

The chase began shortly after 2pm on Thursday when a black Toyota Infiniti attempted to smash through a barricade close to the White House.

Video footage showed officers with guns drawn attempting to get the driver out of the vehicle.

But Carey spun the car around and sped away, knocking a law enforcement official.

The car raced up Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol where Congress was in session.

Police chased and fired at the car, which came to a halt near the Capitol building, and she was shot dead.

By the end of the chase, two people were injured - a Secret Service member struck by the car outside the White House, and a Capitol Police officer whose vehicle hit a barricade during the chase.

A little girl who was in the suspect's car was not hurt. It was unclear if the child was the woman's daughter.

A girl in the car was not hurt

Officials said there appeared to be no direct link to terrorism and there was no indication that the woman was armed.

"This appears to be an isolated, singular matter," said Capitol Police Chief Kim Dine. "There is no nexus to terrorism."

Still, the high-speed chase rattled Washington two week after a gunman killed 12 people in a Navy Yard shooting.

The House and Senate, where politicians were debating how to end a government shutdown, abruptly suspended business. 

Some politicians were told to shelter in place on the floor of the House. Outside, some tourists were frightened.

"I was just eating a hot dog over here and I heard about four or five gunshots, and then a swarm of police cars came in wailing their sirens," said Whit Dabney, a 13-year-old who was visiting Washington from Louisville, Kentucky.

Two law enforcement officials were injured

People standing outside the Supreme Court across the street from Congress were hurried into the court building by authorities.

The White House was quickly locked down after the incident at Capitol Hill and the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the compound was closed to pedestrians. Secret Service said the procedures were precautionary.

Police are trying to understand the motives behind Carey's gesture.

At her condo in Stamford, dozens of neighbours were forced to wait outside, as a bomb squad stood by.

Resident Eric Bredow, a banker, said police told him the suspect in the car chase was one of his neighbours.

"I see the door to my building open and the FBI bomb squad in front of it," he said.

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China Couple Speak Of 'Forced Abortion'

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

A couple have told Sky News how they were physically forced into an abortion by the Chinese authorities, three months before their child was due to be born.

At 4am last Friday, a group of 20 officials from the Shandong Province Family Planning Commission forced their way into the home of Zhou Guoqiang and his wife Liu Xinwen.

The officials kicked down the door of the family's home. Mr Zhou was held down while his wife was pulled from her bed and taken away.

Liu Xinwen, 33, was taken to the People's Hospital of Fangzi District in Weifang City where she was injected with an abortion-inducing drug.

Liu Xinwen says she was forcibly removed from her bed

Her baby, which she would later discover was a boy, died a day later in her womb. It took a further day for the foetus to be delivered.

Her husband was not told where she had been taken. It took him five hours to find her at the hospital. By then, the injection had been given.

Sky News met the couple six days later. Mr Zhou had invited us to the family's modest home in a rural corner of the province to hear their story.

We found his wife lying in the bed she had been taken from a week earlier. She was sobbing quietly.

"I miss him." she said.

An image of Liu Xinwen in hospital

"I didn't get to see him. I would be even more upset if I had seen him.

"Baby, I'm sorry. We were not meant to be. You rest in peace in heaven. We will pray for you. We hope your next life is better."  

Her heartbreak is the most brutal consequence of China's one-child policy.

The law is designed to keep the country's population in check. It prevents couples from having more than one child with a few exceptions in some rural provinces.

The policy is supposed to be enforced through financial penalties and not forced abortions. But in some provinces, over-zealous local officials, keen to keep within their birth quotas, break the law and terminate pregnancies by force.

"They don't have any humanity. They are not humans." Liu Xinwen said.

"They must have children and parents too. But they don't have any conscience. This is how China is."

Mr Zhou told how the officials held him down on the sofa while others took his wife away. In all, there were 16 male officials and four females.

We then sit down to look at photos he had taken in the hospital room. They are almost indescribably graphic.

One photograph shows Liu Xinwen lying on the bed. Beside her, on the floor, is a bucket. Inside is her aborted child.

Several other images show the foetus. It is fully formed.

Mr Zhou broke down after discussing the abortion

"His nose, ears, mouth are all there." Mr Zhou said.

"It is a child that would have lived if not for the forced abortion. It's because of their cruelty. Look, his hand is very obvious."

Mr Zhou broke down as he recalled the moment he arrived in the hospital, just minutes after the injection had been administered.

"My wife was lying in bed. I asked her: 'Have you been injected?' She said 'yes'. I asked if the baby was still moving. She said 'not much'.

"After that, I didn't want my wife to see my crying. I went outside. I cried, but only for a while because I needed to return to comfort her. She was very sad. She cried, day and night.

"Every time I heard babies' voices from other wards, I could hardly control myself. I had to go out. I have lost my child. I am speechless, words can't describe my feelings."

A footprint on the front door of the couple's home

He claimed that his wife was forced to sign papers which said she had agreed to the abortion.

When she initially refused, he said they told her that if she did not sign the papers, they would arrest her husband and she would have nothing. We have not been able to independently verify this.

The couple already have one son. Zhou Junfeng is 10. As we talk to his parents, he runs around the house playing. He is oblivious to the grief around him.

After Zhou Junfeng was born his mother underwent a state-proscribed procedure to insert a contraceptive coil into her body.

She says that this "forced sterilisation" must have failed, allowing her to fall pregnant for a second time.

The couple had the option to tell the authorities about the pregnancy the moment they discovered it, four months after conception.

They decided not to come clean because they were concerned that an abortion may be forced on them.

Mr Zhou and his son cook together

Instead, they said they planned to tell the authorities after the birth and then offer to pay the fine. This is common in parts of China and is sometimes acceptable.

Mr Zhou offered to take us to the hospital to see the room where the abortion happened.

Inside the hospital, we saw the room which is part of a fully functioning maternity ward; it is not a backstreet abortion clinic.

We found just two members of staff. One refused to comment. The other, a young nurse, was reluctant and a little startled to find a foreign TV crew in her hospital. 

"I don't know if it's forced or not. And I don't know the reason for it," she said.

"This is a maternity ward; there are many reasons for abortions. I don't know the specific reason for this case and it's not my place to care."

Sky News has approached the Shandong Health and Family Planning Commission, the central government Family Planning Commission in Beijing and the Chinese Embassy in London for a response to this case.

At midday British time, the embassy told Sky News they were looking into the case and would provide a more detailed response later.

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'Mummified Boy': Hutton Jailed For 15 Years

A woman found guilty of manslaughter over the death of her young son has been jailed for 15 years.

The mummified body of Amanda Hutton's son Hamzah Khan was found in her bedroom nearly two years after he died.

Hutton showed no emotion as she was led from the dock.

Judge Roger Thomas QC told her: "The details of your wicked conduct have been displayed in such awful detail over the past three weeks in the trial that concluded yesterday."

He said the offences "demonstrate a most fundamental and serious breach of any duty that an individual in decent society can owe to others - namely the duty that a parent owes to her or his young children to take proper care of them".

The judge said the children were found in a situation that was "breathtakingly awful".

He said all the offences he was sentencing Hutton for are "all arising from your terrible failures to fulfil the most basic responsibilities that you, as a mother, should have fulfilled".

Hutton lived with her son in these conditions

He said the manslaughter of Hamzah involved "failing to provide him with anything like adequate nourishment over a long period of time - in short you starved him to death".

Hamzah's body was discovered in squalor at Hutton's home in Bradford in September 2011.

Hutton, 43, admitted neglecting five of her other children aged between five and 13, who were living in the same poor conditions.

Earlier the court was told that the mother of eight told the boy's older brother not to tell anyone about Hamzah's death or she would kill her other children.

Tariq Khan, who has admitted failing to bury the body of his brother Hamzah Khan and was given a suspended sentence, made the claim during an interview with police read out at Bradford Crown Court on Friday.

Paul Greaney QC, prosecuting, said that Tariq, now 24, told police that "if he said anything, she would kill the rest of the children".

Tariq told also probation officers how his mother held a knife to the throat of one of the children two days after Hamzah's death.

He also said his mother threatened to burn down the house.

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Chloe Kinsella: Police Discover Body

Police searching for missing 15-year-old Chloe Kinsella in Ireland have found a body.

The body was recovered at Brown's Quay in the Thomondgate area of Co Limerick and has been moved to Limerick University Hospital.

Police said the body had not yet been identified, however searches for the youngster are understood to have been stood down.

Chloe Kinsella has been missing for six days

Chloe has been missing from her home in Kenyon Avenue, Kileely, Limerick for six days.

Specially trained bloodhounds were brought in on Friday to help with the search.

Glen Barton, from Irish Search Dogs, said: "We are using trailing bloodhounds which can trace the last steps of missing people.

"We are also using air-scenting dogs."

More follows...

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Keanu Williams Report: Authorities Failed

A toddler beaten to death by his mother became an "invisible child" who was let down by the authorities, a report has said.

A serious case review into the case of Keanu Williams said his death in 2011 could not be predicted but that he was clearly a "child in need".

It accused professionals involved in his care of failing to meet even basic standards of good practice and said the two-year-old should have been safeguarded by various agencies and made subject to a child protection plan.

Keanu had 37 injuries at the time of his death following months of abuse, with mother Rebecca Shuttleworth sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 18 years in June.

She and her son had moved to Birmingham from Torbay - where friends had anonymously tipped off social services that Keanu was being left in wet clothes and dirty nappies for up to six hours hours and that she was leaving him with anyone so she could go out.

This information was passed on to authorities in Birmingham, the report said, but they did not seem to be aware.

Officials previously revealed details of Keanu's injuries

The report stated: "The main finding of the review overview report was that professionals in the various agencies involved ... collectively failed to prevent Keanu's death as they missed a significant number of opportunities to intervene and take action.

"They did not meet the standards of basic good practice when they should have reported their concerns, shared and analysed information and followed established procedures.

"The serious case review panel was in agreement that Keanu's death could not have been predicted.

"However, in view of the background history of Rebecca Shuttleworth ... it could have been predicted that Keanu was likely to suffer significant harm and should have been subject of a child protection plan on at least two occasions to address issues of neglect and physical harm."

The review found excuses given to health professionals by Shuttleworth after incidents of abuse - including a radiator burn to his foot - were not credible.

The 182-page report said: "Keanu experienced a number of presentations to hospital and to the GP, which were all explained by Shuttleworth as bumps and falls due to unsteadiness.

"The last hospital presentation involved a child protection medical assessment which was not undertaken in accordance with good practice standards.

"Keanu was returned to Shuttleworth's care with a burn to his foot believed to have been caused accidentally by a hot radiator.

"Based on the medical evidence, this conclusion was mistaken and therefore Shuttleworth's description on the 'accident' was not deemed credible."

Peter Hay, strategic director for children, young people and families at Birmingham City Council, said the report was a "further blight on this city's reputation because we have failed on our fundamental obligation to keep our children safe".

"For this we are unequivocally sorry," he said.

"We accept too that given our record in failing to improve children's services, our apology may ring hollow..

"The way that the safeguarding board is holding all agencies to account is one of those changes. We do not have enough great social workers doing great social work.

"Park of what makes Keanu's death all the more tragic is that we got so near to getting it right."

The report follows other highly critical serious case reviews into child deaths, including the murder and starvation of Coventry four-year-old Daniel Pelka.

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Driver Dies As Car Breaks Free From Tow Truck

A driver has died after his car broke free from the AA van towing it and collided with another vehicle.

The man, believed to be in his 40s, suffered a heart attack in the crash in Croydon, south London just after 9am on Tuesday.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate the driver as he was taken St George's Hospital in Tooting, but he died two hours later.

A second man, travelling in another car, suffered chest injuries and taken to another hospital.

Witnesses described how the black Vauxhall Zafira, which was being towed on a rigid bar, swerved and crashed into a verge before breaking away from the tow-truck.

Police said no arrests had been made in connection with the crash but investigations were continuing.

In a statement, the AA said: "We are aware of an incident in the Croydon area this morning, 1 October, and that tragically the AA member involved has died.

"We would like to express our sincere condolences to the member's family. While the circumstances are under investigation, we are unable to comment further."  

The family of the victim have been informed.

:: Anyone with information is asked to contact the witness line on 020 8285 1574.      

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Mail On Sunday Boss Says Sorry To Miliband

The editor of The Mail On Sunday has apologised "unreservedly" to Ed Miliband after a reporter tried to question his family at a memorial service.

Geordie Greig called the move to send a journalist to the private ceremony for the Labour leader's uncle a "deplorable intrusion" and "terrible lapse of judgement".

Two Mail On Sunday journalists have been suspended and a full investigation launched by the newspaper into the blunder.

The female journalist went to the service for Professor Harry Keen at Guy's Hospital in London on Wednesday and approached his grieving daughter.

Labour sources said she shook her hand and offered her condolences before asking for a reaction to a controversial Daily Mail article about Mr Miliband's father Ralph.

Mail On Sunday editor Geordie Greig (left) and Lord Rothermere (right)

She was told "no comment" and tried a second time before giving up and leaving, according to the party. 

Mr Miliband, who spoke at the ceremony, was told about the approach by relatives later and complained to the newspaper group's chairman Lord Rothermere.

In an angry letter, he wrote: "My wider family, who are not in public life, feel understandably appalled and shocked that this can have happened ...

"Sending a reporter to my late uncle's memorial crosses a line of common decency. I believe it a symptom of the culture and practices of both the Daily Mail and the Mail On Sunday."

He demanded that the chairman launch a "swift investigation" into what he called "this latest episode" and into the wider methods of both newspapers.

And for the first time he linked the row to press regulation, saying: "I believe no purpose would be served by me complaining to the Press Complaints Commission because it is widely discredited."

Mr Greig's statement was issued shortly after Labour revealed details of the complaint.

He said: "I unreservedly apologise for a reporter intruding into a private memorial service for a relative of Ed Miliband. The reporter was sent without my knowledge; it was a decision which was wrong. 

"I would further like to apologise to members of the family and friends attending the service for this deplorable intrusion.

"I have already spoken personally to Ed Miliband and expressed my regret that such a terrible lapse of judgement should have taken place.

Ed Miliband with his father Ralph, who died in 1994

"It is completely contrary to the values and editorial standards of The Mail On Sunday. I understand that Lord Rothermere is personally writing to Ed Miliband."

The development is the latest twist in a bitter war of words that has erupted between the politician and the media organisation.

It was sparked by a feature in the Daily Mail last Saturday which portrayed Ralph Miliband - a top Marxist academic who died in 1994 - as "The Man Who Hated Britain".

Mr Miliband was also angry after the Mail Online used a picture of his father's grave with the caption "grave socialist" and insisted on writing a rebuttal for the paper.

But the Mail has refused to apologise, and only included his response next to an editorial justifying its position and a shorter version of the original piece.

The row has continued to rage all week, and a new column in the Daily Mail on Thursday accuses the Labour leader of "a show of calculated hysteria".

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has joined the criticism, declaring that the newspaper is "overflowing with bile" about modern Britain.

He accused the Mail of "denigrating" the country and said Mr Miliband's reaction was "quite understandable".

Mr Clegg is the latest senior figure from across the political spectrum to voice concern about the coverage, but others have argued the press should be left alone.

The dispute comes days before the Privy Council is due to consider rival proposals put forward by the Government and the industry for a new system of press regulation.

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Italy Migrant Boat Sinks Killing At Least 94

At least 94 migrants have been killed and scores are missing after a boat caught fire and capsized near a Sicilian island, the coastguard has told Sky News.

At least 151 people have been pulled from the water off Lampedusa, as emergency workers and local fishermen race to rescue more survivors.

The coastguard said it appeared that there were between 400 and 500 migrants on the boat when it sank.

The passengers were all believed to be Eritreans coming from Libya, the UN said.

Two young children and a pregnant woman were among the dead, the coastguard told Sky News.

Survivors were wrapped in thermal blankets

The bodies were being laid out on the waterfront, and officials said there were many more in the water.

Pietro Bartolo, a doctor at Lampedusa hospital, said: "Unfortunately we don't need ambulances but hearses.

"In terms of its magnitude it's an unprecedented tragedy. In many years of work I've never seen anything quite like this."

Due to the large number, the bodies were being taken to an airport hangar.

Lampedusa Mayor Giusi Nicolini said some of the survivors told her they lit a small fire on their boat around half a mile from the shore to attract the attention after their vessel suffered engine failure.

The fire then spread, causing panic on board which caused the boat to flip over, she said.

Lampedusa is an Italian island lying between Tunisia and Sicily

"It's horrific, like a cemetery, they are still bringing them out," Ms Nicolini said.

A young Tunisian man believed to be one of the crew members has been detained, Ansa reported.

Shaken survivors wrapped in thermal blankets arrived on the dock, as an emergency worker broke down in tears.

Pope Francis visited Lampedusa in July, on his first trip outside Rome, to draw attention to the plight of refugees. 

"The word disgrace comes to mind. It's a disgrace," he said of Thursday's disaster.

The Pope landed on the island at the same time as nearly 200 immigrants from Africa were being detained.

Bodies were being laid out on the waterfront

Lampedusa, which is closer to Africa than it is to the Italian mainland, is the main port of entry into Europe for African migrants smuggled by boat from Libya or Tunisia.

Each year, thousands of people make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean in often overcrowded vessels.

There has been an increase in the incidents off Italy in recent weeks amid an upsurge in arrivals - mainly from Eritrea, Somalia, Egypt and Syria.

On Monday, 13 Eritrean migrants drowned as they tried to swim ashore when their boat ran aground off Sicily near the city of Ragusa.

In a similar incident near Catania in another part of Sicily in August, six young Egyptian men drowned trying to reach the shore.

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GP Plan To Bring In Out-Of-Hours Surgeries

David Cameron has told Sky News he wants doctors' surgeries to be open for longer to ease the pressure on overstretched A&E departments.

The Prime Minister confirmed plans for a £50m trial to have surgeries open from 8am until 8pm, seven days a week.

He insisted the pilot scheme in areas across England, which is expected to cover up to half a million patients, would be properly funded.

Almost one in five patients in a recent NHS survey said inconvenient appointments were a concern, with more than 70% backing weekend and after office opening hours.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will outline the plans at the Tory conference

The scheme, which was unveiled at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, will offer extra cash to groups of GPs proposing the most effective ways to improve patient access.

As well as extended surgery hours, ministers hope they will pioneer more effective use of technology, such as consultations with patients via video calls, email and by telephone.

Electronic prescriptions, online appointment booking and allowing people to visit a number of different surgeries across an area are among other measures which could be introduced.

Mr Cameron told Sky: "Sometimes people using Accident & Emergency really just need to see a GP but for hard-working people it is often too difficult because you are at work, you can't get an appointment at the time that fits.

"Let's see if we can have GPs' surgeries open 12 hours a day, seven days a week so you can always get that appointment you need.

"We are starting with pilot schemes in nine regions of England. We are spending the money to help GPs achieve this. We will be able to see how it works."

He added: "I believe that will work well and then our ambition is to roll that out across the country. That is good for hard-working people but I also think it is right for our health service.

"If you look at A&E, since 2004 when the GP contract changed we see four million more people a year going to Accident & Emergency so I think we are not getting the balance right at the moment."

The first pilot projects are due to be operating by April 2014.

Similar initiatives are already being trialled in some parts of the country, including parts of Manchester, where some surgeries will move to seven-day opening.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who will talk about the initiative in his speech to the conference, said: "We live in a 24/7 society and we need GPs to find new ways of working so they can offer appointments at times that suit hard-working people.

"Cutting-edge GP practices here in Manchester are leading the way, and we want many more patients across the country to benefit."

Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector for General Practice, said: "This move towards seven day services is great news for patients and should be embraced by GPs.

"I want to see brilliant access to GP services for patients across the country and will be assessing this in each practice I inspect."

However, shadow health secretary Andy Burnham accused Mr Cameron and his Conservative Party of "taking the NHS backwards".

"This announcement is a major admission of failure and a U-turn of fairly epic proportions," he said.

"Patients are also finding it harder to get appointments, and turning to A&E instead, after he removed Labour's guarantee of an appointment within 48 hours."

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Boris Backs Jamie Oliver's Work Ethic Concerns

Boris Johnson has risked a fresh row by backing celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's claim that migrant workers work harder than Britons.

The Mayor of London, speaking at the Tory Party conference, called for action to instil a work ethic in young British workers who are unwilling to do jobs they consider "menial".

He acknowledged he might get into trouble by agreeing Oliver "had a point" when he suggested eastern Europeans were more prepared to put in the long hours needed for restaurant work.

Mr Johnson told Tory activists: "Now I can see looks of apoplexy here ... and I can see looks of sad acknowledgement as well and I can see a vague depressed look of recognition.

Controversial: TV chef Jamie Oliver

"I know and you know that there are millions of British kids and young people who are as dynamic and go-getting as any millionaire masterchef.

"But my question to you is what if Jamie has a point? What if he has half a point or even a quarter of a point? Do you think he does?

"He is onto something, he may have phrased it in a provocative way but he was saying something that I think resonates, right?

"If he has a point, we need to think about the possible origins of that difference in motivation that he claims to detect. We need to consider what we politicians are doing about it, don't we?

The Mayor said welfare dependency, failures in education and low-esteem had to be tackled so that Britons can fulfil their "vast and latent" potential.

Mr Johnson said Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith and Education Secretary Michael Gove were both working to improve Britons' motivation to work.

But he also urged young people not to dismiss certain jobs as beneath them but to see them as "stepping stones" to greater things.

"I'm conscious that I'm speaking very frankly about this issue, and probably got myself into trouble," he told delegates.

His comments came as David Cameron signalled the high-profile politician could return to Parliament as an MP before his mayoral term ends in 2016.

The Prime Minister confirmed he had discussed the idea with Mr Johnson, although aides scotched the idea of him standing in a safe Tory seat in 2015.

Mr Cameron said: "My message to him is 'You're a brilliant Mayor of London, you've done a great job, you've got a lot more to give to public life, and it would be great to have you back in the House of Commons at some stage, contributing to public life'.

"But that's up to him, but I'll certainly be giving him a warm welcome."

Asked if he could foresee his ex-Eton schoolmate's comeback by 2015, he added: "Absolutely - but that's a matter for him. I think he needs to think about - it's his plan.

"All I know that he's a massive asset to the country, a massive asset to the Conservative Party. We could make a very strong team together, we do today."

The Mayor renewed speculation about his leadership ambitions over the weekend by saying the debate on intervention in Syria had fuelled a desire to be back in the Commons.

He repeatedly declined to rule out the possibility of serving as a MP at the same time as completing his term as mayor.

Speculation that he might throw his hat into the ring to replace Richard Ottaway in Croydon South were fuelled after he plugged the town in a rally speech on Monday night.

But a spokesman for the Mayor told the Press Association news agency that he was not putting his name forward for the seat.

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Miliband 'Appalled' By Mail 'Smearing' Father

By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent

Ed Miliband has spoken of his disgust at the Daily Mail after the newspaper stood by its portrayal of his father as "The Man Who Hated Britain".

The Labour leader said he was "furious" and "appalled" by the Mail's depiction of the top Marxist academic, who fled Belgium aged 16 to escape the Nazis and died in 1994.

As an extraordinary war of words raged, Mr Miliband declared the newspaper had crossed the line and forced him to speak out to defend his family.

An article published by the Mail on Saturday claimed Ralph Miliband's views "should disturb everyone who loves this country".

Ralph Miliband with sons Ed and David

According to the paper, he wrote in his diary, aged 17: "The Englishman is a rabid nationalist. They are perhaps the most nationalist people in the world…

"You sometimes want them almost to lose [the war] to show them how things are. They have the greatest contempt for the continent. To lose their empire would be the worst possible humiliation."

The Labour leader was furious at the piece and hit back in a rebuttal which was published by the paper on Tuesday.

Ralph Miliband in his Navy uniform in 1945

Pointing towards his father's service in the Royal Navy, he said: "I know they say you can't libel the dead but you can smear them.

"Fierce debate about politics does not justify character assassination of my father, questioning the patriotism of a man who risked his life for our country in World War Two."

But the politician was further enraged because the Mail ran his response alongside an abridged version of the original article and an editorial headlined: "An evil legacy and why we won't apologise."

This prompted Mr Miliband to speak out publicly to defend his father's name, insisting that he always loved Britain because it gave him the security he craved.

Ed Miliband and his father

"I am speaking out as a son. I was appalled when I read the Daily Mail on Saturday and saw they said he hated Britain. It is a lie," he said.

"I am even more appalled that they have repeated that lie today and gone further to describe my father's legacy as evil. Evil is a word reserved for particular cases and I wasn't willing to let that stand."

He added: "It is an unusual step to speak out - I don't do it lightly but I am not willing to see my father's good name undermined in this way ...

"Britain saved his life and this paper is saying that he hated Britain. That is a lie, that is a lie and I am not willing to let it stand."

The politician stressed that the row had nothing to do with press regulation as he revealed he had spoken to his mother and brother David about the articles.

Ralph Miliband and his father shortly after arriving in England in 1940

He insisted that although he expected to be criticised because of his position, there were "boundaries" to political debate that the media and other public figures should respect.

Mr Miliband also attacked the Mail Online website for publishing a picture of his father's grave stone with a pun saying he was a "grave socialist".

"I am furious. What has political debate come to in this country when this happens?," he asked.

"I don't object to people writing about my father's political views - they are a matter of record. They are well known. What I object to is them turning that into him being unpatriotic," he said.

The Press Complaints Commission has now received 12 complaints about the article.

Ralph Miliband in Central Park, New York in 1989

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have also rallied in support of their political rival.

The Prime Minister said: "If anyone had a go at my father, I would want to respond very vigorously."

Mr Clegg added on Twitter: "Politics should be about playing the ball, not the man, certainly not the man's family."

A Daily Mail spokesman said: "We ask fair-minded people to read our editorial today. For what this episode confirms is that you cannot allow politicians anywhere near regulating the press.

"While we respect Mr Miliband's right to defend his father - and he has done so in the Daily Mail today - it is worth stressing that Ralph Miliband wasn't an ordinary private individual but a prominent academic and author who devoted his life to promoting a Marxist dogma which caused so much misery in the world.

Ralph Miliband and his sister in 1952

"He hated such British institutions as the Queen, the Church and the Army, and wanted a workers' revolution. Our readers have a right to know that.

"Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, is the leading advocate of statutory controls of the press in Britain under which politicians could ultimately decide what appears in newspapers.

"His father - to whom he constantly refers in his speeches - was a proponent of one of the world's most poisonous political doctrines under which freedom of expression was crushed and newspapers controlled by governments."

Hugh Grant - who campaigns for increased press regulation - tweeted: "Warning from Daily Mail. If you stand up to press barons expect to have your hero Dad smeared in national paper."

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Mummified Boy's Brother Was 'Really Thin'

By Gerard Tubb, North of England Correspondent

A mother accused of starving her son to death has told a jury she knew he was thin but thought he would grow out of it.

Hamzah Khan died in December 2009 aged four-and-a half and his body lay undiscovered in Amanda Hutton's Bradford home for almost two years.

Experts say tests on his mummified remains show he had the bones of a 12-to-18 month old baby, and his body had no muscle and almost no flesh when he died.

Amanda Hutton, giving evidence in her trial for manslaughter, said Hamzah's older brother Qaiser had been "really, really thin" until he was five.

Ms Hutton claimed Hamzah's father Aftab had been violent towards her

Asked by defending QC Stephen Meadowcroft if she was worried about Hamzah she said: "No I wasn't, because Qaiser had been the same and he'd grown out of it. I thought he'd grow out of it."

Miss Hutton said Hamzah's father Aftab Khan had been violent towards her for most of their long relationship, but admitted Mr Khan told her Hamzah needed help "on occasions."

The jury has heard that Hamzah, whose body was found only after a neighbour complained about rubbish from the house, had not been eating enough for at least two years.

Earlier the jury was told when a police officer found his remains in September 2011 the fridge contained only rotten food and ready meals five months past their sell by date.

The oven contained a takeaway container with a slice of rotted pizza in it and the freezer could not be opened because of the depth of rubbish piled up.

Amanda Hutton has admitted child neglect but denies manslaughter, saying Hamzah would not eat the food she gave him.

:: See live updates from our correspondents covering the trial. 

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Cameron: 'I Want Televised Leaders Debates'

The televised party leaders' debates should take place before the 2015 general election campaign, David Cameron has said.

The Prime Minister said that he felt that the 90-minute clashes which dominated the 2010 election overshadowed the campaign itself.

There had been speculation that Mr Cameron would block a repeat of the showdowns that were screened on Sky News, ITV and the BBC.

However, Mr Cameron has now given his strongest indication that he is in favour of them going ahead.

He told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One: "I want the debates to take place. They were good in the last election."

But he added: "I thought they took up too much of the campaign, so I think we could start them a bit earlier.

"My only regret is that if you are leading a political party, the election campaign is a moment when you really want to get around the country, you want to have arguments and interviews, and I found the whole election was just the run-up to the debate, the debate, and the analysis of the debate.

"Now we've got a fixed-term Parliament, we can stretch those things out a bit."

Mr Cameron said there was plenty of time to work out the exact format of the broadcasts before the election, which is scheduled for May 2015.

He made it clear that he does not believe that the UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage should be invited to take part alongside himself, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband.

It was Mr Clegg who triumphed in the 2010 debates with assured performances leading to an outbreak of "Cleggmania".

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Nigeria College Attacked: 'Up To 50 Killed'

As many as 50 people have been killed after suspected Islamist gunmen fired on students as they slept at a college in northeast Nigeria.

The attackers reportedly stormed a dormitory and set fire to classrooms in the assault which happened about 1am local time on Sunday in the town of Gujba in Yobe state.

Nigeria's military is blaming militants from the Boko Haram insurgent group for the atrocity at the College of Agriculture.

College provost Molima Idi Mato said security forces were still recovering bodies so he could not give an exact number of dead but said up to 50 had been killed.

He also said about 1,000 students had fled the scene.

A source told the Reuters news agency that 26 bodies had been brought to hospital.

The college is about 25 miles from the scene of similar school attacks around Damaturu town.

There were no security forces stationed at the college despite government assurances, said Mr Mato.

Members of Boko Haram pictured in February

Two weeks ago, state commission for education Mohammmed Lamin urged all schools to reopen and promising protection by soldiers and police.

Most schools in the area closed after militants killed 29 pupils and a teacher, burning some alive in their hostels at Mamudo outside Damaturu on July 6.

Northeast Nigeria is in a military state of emergency following an Islamic uprising by Boko Haram militants who have killed more than 1,700 people since 2010 in their quest for an Islamic state.

Yobe has seen a series of brutal attacks targeting students in recent months, all blamed on the group.

The name Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" and the group has repeatedly attacked schools, universities and colleges during its four-year insurgency.

The military has described the spate of recent attacks as a sign of desperation by the Islamists, claiming they only have the capacity to hit soft targets.

An offensive launched against Boko Haram in mid-May has decimated the group and scattered their fighters across remote parts of the northeast, the defence ministry has said. 

Boko Haram has said it is fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north, but the group is believed to be made up of different factions with varying aims. 

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Cameron Launches State-Backed Mortgages Plan

David Cameron says 95% government-backed mortgages to help people get on to the property ladder will start within days.

The scheme was due to start in January but hours before the Conservative Party Conference opened, the Prime Minister revealed that NatWest, RBS and Halifax had all agreed to provide the new deals. 

It is widely being seen as a response to Ed Miliband's Labour conference crowd-pleasing announcement that the party would freeze energy prices for two years as conference season has shaped up as a "battle over the consumer".

Mr Cameron arrives in Manchester ahead of the Conservative Party Conference

Speaking on Sunday morning, Mr Cameron said that it was ridiculous that people could afford mortgage repayments, but not the deposit to get the loan in the first place. 

The Prime Minister said that only those with well-off parents could manage to get on the housing ladder, telling BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "I'm not going to stand by while people's aspirations are trashed."

He denied that the move would create a housing bubble and said that they had taken advice from the Bank of England and empowered it to stop a bubble being created.

The mortgage guarantees will allow buyers to acquire a newly built home or an existing property worth up to £600,000 with a deposit of only 5%.

The second stage of the Help to Buy scheme aims to boost mortgage availability by reducing the risk for lenders because the Government takes on the risk of default when it guarantees a proportion of a loan.

In a wide-ranging interview ahead of the conference Mr Cameron also said:

:: He was sorry he did not win the 2010 election and made it clear he was looking for a straight Conservative victory in 2014

:: The high-speed rail HS2 project would stay on its £42.6bn budget

:: That Britain could pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights, which has prevented the UK deporting foreign criminals 

:: He would never back a mansion tax, marking a clear coalition red line

:: Televised leaders debates should take place before campaigning for the 2015 election begins.

Mr Cameron also spoke about Mr Miliband's energy bill freeze proposals saying: "I want to lower prices not just for 20 months but for 20 years."

George Osborne tweeting the hashtag #forhardworkingpeople

He said that he wanted to look at "all those markets" and make sure they were "working for hard-working people".

Sky News Political Correspondent Anushka Asthana said bringing forward the mortgage plan and the announcement, on Saturday, of tax breaks for married couples was an attempt to give Conservatives something to "take to the doorsteps".

She said: "This is also about Mr Cameron looking outwards and thinking about the public and trying to come back on some of the ideas that Labour and the Liberal Democrats have put forward over the past few weeks.

"People are calling this the battle over the consumer. At the Lib Dems we have free school meals and then Ed Miliband promises to freeze energy prices. The Tories have tried to rubbish that idea but at the same time they are clearly worried."

The Chancellor, George Osborne, tweeted the news that RBS, NatWest and Halifax had all signed up to the mortgage scheme using the Conservative buzzwords hashtag #forhardworkingpeople.

A YouGov poll for The Sunday Times put Labour on an 11 point lead on 42%, with the Conservatives at 31%, UKIP on 13% and the Liberal Democrats trailing on 9%.

As the Conservative Party Conference prepared to open, 20,000 people took to the streets to protest over the Government's progress on the health service in a Save Our NHS campagin march. Police said the protest was one mile long.

Mr Balls says the Government focus should be on affordable homes

The 95% mortgage scheme has previously attracted widespread concern, with some claiming it may lead to more problems than it solves.

Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable warned the scheme "could inflate the market" and said he feared there was a "danger of getting into another housing bubble".

Former Bank of England governor Lord King said the scheme is "too close for comfort" to a general scheme to guarantee mortgages.

Speaking on Sunday, Labour's shadow chancellor Ed Balls said: "If David Cameron is serious about helping first-time buyers he should be bringing forward investment to build more affordable homes. Rising demand for housing must be matched with rising supply, but under this government house-building is at its lowest level since the 1920s."

The first stage of Help to Buy was launched in April and offers loans to give people the chance to buy a new-build home with a deposit of just 5%. The scheme has been credited with spurring a surge in home sales and driving up prices.

:: Watch Conservative Party conference coverage live on Sky News

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Assad Vows To Respect Chemical Weapons Deal

Syria's President Bashar al Assad has said in a TV interview that he will respect United Nations accords on chemical weapons.

It comes after a "historic" resolution to destroy his chemical stockpile was passed unanimously by the UN Security Council late on Friday.

All 15 members of the council voted in favour of the resolution, which was widely seen as a compromise between the US and Syria's key ally, Russia.

The vote after two weeks of intense negotiations marks a major breakthrough following two and a half years of paralysis that has gripped the council since the Syrian uprising began.

More than 100,000 Syrians have been killed during that time while millions have been displaced.

Countries including the US, UK and France have accused Mr Assad's regime of carrying out a chemical attack in Damascus that killed hundreds of civilians.

The Syrian government said rebels fighting to overthrow the president were responsible for the atrocity.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the "strong, enforceable, precedent-setting" resolution showed diplomacy can be so powerful "that it can peacefully defuse the worst weapons of war".

He said the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile would begin in November and be completed by the middle of next year.

For the first time, the council endorsed the roadmap for a political transition in Syria adopted by key nations in June 2012 and called for an international conference to be convened "as soon as possible" to implement it.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the target date for a new peace conference in Geneva was mid-November.

The resolution calls for consequences if Syria fails to comply, but those will depend on the council passing another resolution in the event of non-compliance.

That will give Assad ally Russia the means to stop any punishment from being imposed.

More follows...

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