New Runways For Gatwick And Heathrow Airports

Building a controversial third runway at Heathrow airport has been shortlisted as one of the options for expansion by the Airports Commission in its first report.

The interim findings of an independent inquiry led by the former head of the Financial Services Authority, Sir Howard Davies, has also recommended a second runway for Gatwick airport.

Sir Howard has also said he would consider the idea of building a new airport in the Thames Estuary, plans for which have been backed by the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, although he did not include it on the shortlist of options.

He warned if the UK did not expand its airports then it would cost the economy £45bn over 60 years and that to cope with increasing passenger numbers the first new runway should be operation by 2030, the second by 2050.

Sir Howard said: "The UK enjoys excellent connectivity today. The capacity challenge is not yet critical but it will become so if no action is taken soon and our analysis clearly supports the provision of one net additional runway by 2030.

Heathrow dealt with 70 million passengers last year

"In the meantime we encourage the government to act on our recommendations to make the best of our existing capacity."

He said that politicians would have to chose which runway to build first - one at Gatwick or one at Heathrow - as work on them would not be able to be carried out at the same time.

A third runway for Heathrow has met with bitter opposition and the publication of the report will likely trigger a substantial political row.

The Conservative party made its opposition to plans for the airport's expansion – supported by the Labour government - part of its 2010 election manifesto and ruled a third runway out when the coalition came to power.

Among the most vociferous opponents have been Mr Johnson and the Conservative MP, Zac Goldsmith, a keen environmentalist whose constituency is in the flight path.

Mr Johnson told Sky News that building another runway at Heathrow would be "bonkers".

He said that both the new runway options for Heathrow would involve "concreting over the M25 probably closing that major artery for five years at the least".

Plans for a third runway at Heathrow have been controversial

And he said that a second strip for Gatwick would make no difference to dealing with the air traffic.

He said: "A new airport in the inner estuary is the only credible hub option left, and the only one that would uphold this country's claim to be the natural financial, commercial and economic capital of Europe."

Last week he threatened to call for a judicial review if plans for the four-runway airport on the Isle of Grain, which at £112bn would cost five times as much as Heathrow expansion, were not included in the commission's report.

The commission said it had not shortlisted the Thames Estuary plan "because there are too many uncertainties and challenges surrounding them at this stage".

However, it will undertake further study of plans to see whether it was a "credible proposal" and may include it on the shortlist next summer.

Gatwick is running at 85% of its total capacity

The Airport Commission's final report will be submitted in the summer of 2015, after the next General Election, and the Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin said the Government would not indicate a preference on options until after that.

Mr Goldsmith, who has suggested he would leave the Tory party over the issue, said last week that any decision by the Prime Minister to back Heathrow expansion would represent an "off-the-scale betrayal".

Heathrow is currently operating at 98% of its capacity with 65m travellers using it in 2012 but the report pointed out that it was so busy passengers suffered "a high level of delay and unreliability".

If it is not allowed to expand, those in favour of a third runway claim that travellers to Europe will opt to fly into airports at Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam instead, at a cost to the UK economy.

Heathrow representatives told the commission that a third runway could be operating by 2029 allowing 260,000 more flights a year.

Boris Johnson says a third runway for Heathrow would be "crackers"

There are two options for the extra runway - to build a 3,500m (11,500ft) strip to the north west of the site or to extend the northern runway to 6,000m (20,000ft) and use one half for take-offs and the other for landings.

The north west option would see 1,500 homes demolished and the loss of 30 listed buildings, the extension would see 720 homes flattened and affect eight listed buildings.

Heathrow chief executive Colin Matthews welcomed the report saying: "This country needs a hub because without that we won't have the long-haul connections that we need."

However, Keith Taylor, Green Party MEP for the South East, said: "The political opposition to airport expansion in south east England is sadly melting away.

"There's no doubt that the Government will be pleased with this report. It gives them the cover they need to go on avoiding answering difficult questions on airport expansion and to prepare themselves for a colossal U-turn on Heathrow expansion."

The idea of expansion at Gatwick, which is currently running at 85% of its capacity and full capacity at peak times, has also met with opposition. It would be built to the south of the existing runway.

Georgia Wrighton, director of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England in Sussex, said: "A second runway at Gatwick, together with sprawling development and car parks anticipated on a massive scale, would concrete over cherished open countryside."

The report did not include options for a new runway for Stansted or Birmingham airports, as had been suggested.

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Peer Claims Clocking Row Is 'Storm In Teacup'

Ex-Tory peer Lord Hanningfield has claimed that allegations that he clocked in to the House of Lords for 40 minutes to earn £300 are a "storm in a teacup".

The peer, who was previously jailed during the expenses scandal, was caught on film by the Daily Mirror allegedly 'popping in' to the House of Lords to receive his allowance.

The newspaper said that on 11 of 19 days that it monitored the peer's movements in July, he travelled to Westminster from his home in Essex, but spent less than 40 minutes in the Lords before leaving.

The 73-year-old told Sky News on Tuesday morning the Mirror's investigation was a "lot of rubbish" and that he was previously "wrongly convicted" of expenses fraud.

He said: "This is a lot of rubbish. It's a storm in a tea cup. It's a lot of rubbish about nothing that the Mirror have done.

"I wasn't very well in July, so I didn't spend as long in London as I have in the last three months.

"I wish they had followed me around in the last three months because I have an assistant there now. I've spoken twice in the House of Lords in the last few weeks and asked lots of questions and I intend to carry on doing that.

"Checking in is a mechanism for the Lords to get paid. Most of our work is not actually in the chamber of the House of Commons, it's the post we get, the emails we get, all the letters we get and the problems people bring to us.

"We don't do that in the chamber. But going in the chamber is a mechanism to pay us so that is why we have to go in the chamber. You can do your work at home. You can do your work in the office I have in the Lords."

Paul White, as the peer used to be known, was appointed to the House of Lords in 1998 as a life peer for the Conservative Party after spending many years in local politics in his home county of Essex.

In July 2011 he was jailed for nine months after pleading guilty to six counts of false accounting for wrongly claiming £14,000 in parliamentary expenses.

The jury heard he repeatedly claimed £174 for overnight stays in London when he was not in the capital.

After his release from jail, in July this year the Mirror filmed him as he visited parliament 11 times in 19 days, staying for less than 40 minutes.

It took until December to discover that the peer claimed attendance allowance on each of the 11 days.

There is no suggestion the former Conservative broke any rules, but he faces calls from a Labour MP for him to be investigated by parliamentary authorities.

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Woolwich: Adebolajo Evidence 'Is No Defence'

The claim by Woolwich murder trial defendant Michael Adebolajo that he is "a soldier of Allah" is no defence to the charge of murder, a jury has been told.

Mr Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale are accused of running down off-duty soldier Lee Rigby with a car and then hacking him to death with a meat cleaver and knives in a street in southeast London. 

Mr Justice Sweeney told the jury at the Old Bailey that nothing said by Mr Adebolajo in his evidence amounts in law to a defence to the charge of murder.

He said: "I have ruled that nothing said by the first defendant and... his evidence - in short he was a soldier of Allah and was justified in doing what he did - amounts in law to a defence to this count.

"So nothing that he has said amounts in law to a defence to count one."

In his closing speech, prosecutor Richard Whittam QC said Islam was not on trial and told the jury: "The action of these two men acting together as they did, crashing their car into and breaking the back of Lee Rigby and then killing him is indefensible in the law of this country.

"Killing to make a political point, to frighten the public or to put pressure on the government or as an expression of anger is murder."

He added: "It remains murder whether the govt in question is a good one, bad one or a dreadful one.

The jury was again shown images of knives found at the scene of the killing

"We submit to you, it is clearly murder."

Fusilier Rigby's family were in court as Mr Whittam showed the jury once again images of bloodied knives, and also replayed video clips of the May 22 killing.

Replaying a video clip showing Fusilier Rigby being dragged into the road, Mr Whittam said: "Is this a humane killing?

"Is this a killing with an attempt to decapitate and then deposit the body in the middle of the road causing traffic to stop and turn around?"

Mr Whittam recalled witness accounts previously read to the jury as well as extracts from a note handed to Amanda Donnelly-Martin at the scene.

"What was the purpose of what they have done, killing Lee Rigby in the way the had done, in putting the body there and staying at the scene?

"To borrow a phrase from the first defendant - carnage."

The alleged killers no longer face a charge of conspiracy to murder a police officer after the judge discharged the jury from any further consideration of that count.

Mr Adebolajo, 29 and Mr Adebowale, 22, still face counts of murder and attempted murder of a police officer, which they both deny.

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Syria: Missing UK Doctor 'Dies In Detention'

The Foreign Office is investigating reports that British doctor Abbas Khan has died in custody in Syria.

Dr Khan, 32, an orthopaedic surgeon from Streatham in south London, had been held in Syria for more than a year.

He was seized by government troops in the rebel-held city of Aleppo after he entered the country on a humanitarian mission with a visa.

A statement from the FCO said: "We are extremely concerned by reports that Dr Khan has died in detention in Syria and are urgently seeking confirmation from the Syrian authorities.

"If these tragic reports are true, responsibility for Dr Khan's death lies with them and we will be pressing for answers about what happened.

"We have consistently sought consular access to Dr Khan and information on his detention, directly and through the Russians, Czechs and others.

"In November, minister Hugh Robertson wrote making clear our concerns about his welfare and treatment, stressing that the regime's failure to provide any information that would indicate Dr Khan's continued detention is legitimate meant his position should be reviewed immediately.

"These requests have consistently been ignored.

Dr Khan with his son. Pic: FreeAbbasKhan/Facebook

"All UK consular services in Syria were suspended some time ago and we continue to advise against all travel to Syria."

Dr Khan's brother, Afroze, told the BBC: "My brother was going to be released at the end of the week. We were given assurance by the Syrian government.

"My brother knew that. He was ready to come back home. He was happy and looking forward to being released."

He added the family was angry at the Foreign Office for "dragging their feet" for more than a year.

A message on the Free Dr Abbas Khan Twitter feed said his life was "taken meaninglessly".

It added: "He was the best brother I could ever asked for and I know no one with a purer heart than him. His release was due to be this week."

A statement issued by Bradford West MP George Galloway said the MP "had been negotiating for months with the Syrian government over the release of Dr Khan and was due to fly out this week to bring him home".

Mr Galloway said: "I think we will have to wait for clarification on how exactly he died but this is heartbreaking and devastating news for his family who have been working so hard for so long to secure his release, particularly because his freedom had been agreed and he was due to return with me in the next few days.

"My sincere condolences go out to his family whose pain is unbearable."

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Harry Styles: 1D Singer Wins Paparazzi Order

Pop star Harry Styles has won a court order stopping the paparazzi from harassing him.

The 19-year-old One Direction singer applied to the High Court as a last resort after trying to persuade a number of photographers to stop their behaviour voluntarily, according to his counsel David Sherborne.

He told Mrs Justice Nicola Davies, who first granted the order against the unidentified individuals last Monday: "This is not a privacy injunction.

The order was not aimed at stopping fans taking photos the High Court heard

"Mr Styles is not trying to prevent fans approaching him in the street and taking photos.

"He remains happy to do that, as he always has.

"Rather, it is the method or tactics which have been used by a certain type of photographer."

The injunction against "Paparazzi AAA and others" prevents them from pursuing the singer by car or motorcycle, placing him under surveillance, loitering or waiting within 50 metres of his place of residence to monitor his movements or take photos of him.

Mr Sherborne said the case concerned a number of paparazzi photographers - four of whom were in the process of being identified.

A request had been made to the DVLA seeking the names and addresses of the keepers of the vehicles which were identified as belonging to the four, and a letter had been sent to the photographic agencies which engaged them or used their photos.

The judge continued the injunction until another hearing in the week beginning January 13 which will decide how the action should proceed.

Styles, who performed with his bandmates on The X Factor final at the weekend, did not attend the brief hearing.

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Andre Villas-Boas Sacked By Tottenham Hotspur

Andre Villas-Boas has been sacked as manager of Tottenham Hotspur after less than six months in the job.

The club announced it had parted company with the Portuguese by "mutual consent" after a 5-0 thrashing at home to Liverpool in the Premier League.

Last month, Spurs suffered a humiliating 6-0 defeat at Manchester City, heaping pressure on Villas-Boas after a 3-0 defeat to West Ham the previous month.

According to Sky Bet, Fabio Capello is the 11/8 favourite to replace the 36-year-old, followed by Michael Laudrup (5/1), Glenn Hoddle (8/1) and Guus Hiddink (8/1).

Villas-Boas guided Tottenham to 29 wins and 12 draws during his 54 games in charge.

He steered the side to their current seventh place in the Premier League, two points ahead of Manchester United, and maintained an unbeaten record as Tottenham won their Europa League group.

However, more was expected of a team that spent £108m on seven new players during the summer following the departure of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid for an enormous transfer fee.

Speaking after the Liverpool defeat, Villas-Boas said he would not stand down.

"The call to make that decision is not mine, because obviously I won't resign and I'm not a quitter," he said.

"The only thing I can do is work hard with the players to get them back on track.

"This is a top-four squad but in our Premier League form we are not there."

Villas-Boas, who lasted less than a year in his previous job at Chelsea, guided his boyhood club Porto to a trophy treble in 2011, as the Portuguese side won the league title, the Portuguese Cup and the Europa League.

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Family Guy Dog Brian Is Brought Back To Life

Brian, the talking dog in TV cartoon Family Guy, has been brought back to life.

The popular character was killed by a car in an episode broadcast on November 25 and was replaced as the Griffin family's dog by a canine called Vinny.

More than 150,000 people signed an online petition to revive the character, and on Sunday night he reappeared in the series.

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane tweeted afterwards: "Thanks for caring so much about the canine Griffin. He is overcome with gratitude.

Stewie explains the situation to Brian afterwards

"I mean, you didn't really think we'd kill off Brian, did you? Jesus, we'd have to be ******* high."

During the Christmas special, baby Stewie Griffin used a time machine to travel back to the moment just before Brian was killed.

Brian Griffin (L) is one of the show's most popular characters

As a car hurtled towards Brian, Stewie tackled him away from the oncoming vehicle.

Stewie exclaimed: "You're alive, my friend."

Brian responded: "What the hell do you mean? Of course I'm alive."

Stewie explained: "Brian that car killed you and when it did a little part of me died as well. I couldn't live without you. So I came back from the future to save your life."

Family Guy is now in its 12th season.

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Jayden Parkinson: Man In Court Over Murder

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

A man has appeared before magistrates in Oxford charged with the murder of missing teenager Jayden Parkinson.

In a short hearing, Ben Blakeley, 22, spoke only to confirm his name, age and address as Christchurch Road, Reading.

Blakeley, who was wearing navy jogging bottoms and a navy sweatshirt is also charged with perverting the course of justice.

He was remanded in custody and will appear at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday at 10am.

Murder suspect Ben Blakeley leaving court

A 17-year-old has been charged with assisting an offender in connection to the case.

Detectives have still not found the teenager's body, but have received information that indicates she is no longer alive.

They have appealed for information about a man seen struggling with a large suitcase in the early hours of Monday December 9 in the village of Upton, Oxfordshire.

Witnesses saw the man with the suitcase a short time later in the nearby town of Didcot.

Jayden was last seen leaving Didcot Parkway train station on December 3.

She had been living with her mother in the town until November, but most recently had been staying in a hostel in Oxford.

Extensive searches of farmland are continuing at Upton.

A 17-year-old, who did not want to be named, told Sky News that Jayden was her best friend.

She said: "She's fun, caring, she liked to socialise, she liked art, she was good at art, and was waiting to go to college. I'm so upset."

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Mandela Funeral: End Of 'Extraordinary Journey'

Nelson Mandela, hailed as "Africa's greatest son" at an emotional state funeral, has been laid to rest near his childhood home.

The burial of the anti-apartheid icon followed a service attended by 4,000 mourners from across the world, at which South African President Jacob Zuma declared Mr Mandela's "extraordinary journey" was now over.

"It is the end of 95 glorious years of this freedom fighter, a dedicated and humble servant of the people of South Africa," he said during a poignant speech.

Mr Mandela's coffin is carried along a hilltop overlooking Qunu village

"He was a fountain of wisdom, a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope for all those fighting for a just world order."

In contrast to the funeral, held in a huge tent at Mr Mandela's ancestral home of Qunu, in South Africa's Eastern Cape, the burial service was a smaller affair.

Several hundred of Mr Mandela's family and closest friends gathered at the grave site, as military jets and helicopters performed a fly past.

Television cameras cut away as officials lowered his body into the ground.

Earlier, Mr Mandela's coffin was carried to the funeral on a military carriage and covered with the South African flag, as a 21-gun salute echoed around his childhood home.

It was placed in front of a stage, on which 95 candles - one for each year of his life - were lit and a huge portrait of the smiling former president was displayed.

Mourners heard from political leaders, Mr Mandela's family and some of his closest friends during an emotional service that brought both tears and laughter.

Mr Mandela's family and South Africa's president sit beside his coffin

Ahmed Kathrada, who was imprisoned on Robben Island for 26 years with Mr Mandela, gave a memorable speech, recalling a man he described as his "elder brother".

Speaking directly to his friend, he said: "What can we say ... in these, our last, final moments together?

"Your abundant reserves of love, simplicity, honesty, service, humility, care, courage, foresight, patience, tolerance, equality and justice continually serve as a source of enormous strength to millions."

Mr Kathrada said his close friend was an "enormous" source of strength

Holding back tears, he added: "My life is in a void and I don't know who to turn to."

Hailemariam Desalegn, the Ethiopian Prime Minister and chairman of the African Union, said: "His was a life of struggle in the face of unparalleled odds. A life of suffering in the hands of malicious perpetrators of injustice. A life of perseverance in the face of challenge.

"But we are not mourning. We are celebrating humanity at its finest. We should find consolation that his legacy will live on for eternity."

Mr Mandela's ex-wife Winnie Mandela (left) and widow Graca Machel (centre)

Jakaya Kikwete, the President of Tanzania, described Mr Mandela as "our leader, our hero, our icon and our father", while Kenneth Kanda, the former president of Zambia, added: "As we go on without Madiba ... let us remember the love he had for us all. Without that, we cannot succeed."

High-profile guests included businessman Sir Richard Branson, TV chat show host Oprah Winfrey and actor Idris Elba, who plays Mr Mandela in a forthcoming film about his life, while prominent US civil rights activist Reverend Jessie Jackson and Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams also made the journey.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu was in the audience after earlier claiming he had not received an invitation, while the Prince of Wales attended on behalf of the Queen.

Oprah Winfrey and Sir Richard Branson attended the service

During his speech, Mr Zuma described his predecessor as a man "so great and yet so humble".

"We wish to express two simple words," he said. "Thank you. Thank you for being everything we wanted and needed in a leader during a critical period in our lives."

He added: "We'll cherish every moment we spent with you.

"You were an exceptional human being and you will remain our guiding light as we continue our journey to build the South Africa of your dreams."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu initially thought he had missed out on an invite

As the funeral was beamed to specially erected big screens on hillsides around Mr Mandela's home, warriors, dressed in their colourful tribal outfits, gathered to sing, dance and clap.

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, in Qunu, said: "The authorities and the Mandela family have always insisted this should be a coming together of a huge, important state funeral with all its pomp and ceremony, and the traditions of Mr Mandela's tribe.

"These past 10 days have been a chance not just for local people to grieve and to mourn, but also to remember how much of a colossus this man was, both in world politics and South African history."

Members of the armed forces marched alongside Mr Mandela's coffin

Mr Mandela's body arrived in South Africa's Eastern Cape on board a military plane, escorted by two fighter jets.

Tens of thousands of people lined the roads as the funeral procession made the short journey from Mthatha airport to Qunu, although some were angry the cortege did not stop to allow them time to pay their respects.

Preparations for service - the first ever state funeral in South Africa - were also marred by a public spat between the country's government and Mr Tutu, one of the most prominent survivors in the long struggle against apartheid.

A 21-gun salute heralded the arrival of Nelson Mandela's coffin

Mr Tutu, a Nobel laureate who has been critical of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, initially said he was not invited - an apparent snub denied by the government.

More than 100,000 people saw Mr Mandela's body lying in state in Pretoria over the last three days, but some had to be turned away.

The former leader, who was imprisoned for 27 years for opposing racist apartheid before emerging in 1990 to forge a new democratic South Africa, died on December 5.

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Arizona Wildfire: Hotshot's Call For Help

By Toby Sadler, Sky News Reporter

A crew of 19 firefighters killed in a catastrophic Arizona wildfire can be heard desperately radioing in for help before their deaths in newly released recordings.

A helmet cam on one fireman picked up the audio as well as footage which showed the blaze bearing down on the Granite Mountain Hotshots team as they faced a 100ft wall of flames.

"Breaking in on Arizona 16, Granite Mountain Hotshots, we are in front of the flaming front," one member said as they realised they were in trouble in Yarnell Hill last summer.

The recordings were released after an investigation revealed commanders made numerous mistakes managing the wildfire that also destroyed more than 100 homes.

Moments before the hotshots deployed their fire shelters, they called for water-dropping aircraft: "Air Attack, Granite Mountain 7!"

The response was: "Okay ... unit that's hollerin' in the radio, I need you to quit, and ... break, Operations Bravo 33."

But fire commanders did not even know where the hotshots were.

Only one of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew survived

"So you're on the south side of the fire then? We've got several aircraft coming to you. We'll see if we can't take care of business for you."

Deborah Pfingston, the mother of firefighter Andrew Ashcraft, who died, said: "It shows confusion and that's heart-breaking."

The last dispatch from the Hotshots came from the group's leader Eric Marsh.

He said: "Yeah, I'm here with Granite Mountain Hotshots, our escape route has been cut off.

Audio and video recordings have been released

"We are preparing a deployment site and we are burned out around ourselves in the brush and I'll give you a call when we are under the shelters."

At 4.38pm that day - June 30 - there was a call from dispatch.

"Division Alpha, Bravo 33. Do you hear a helicopter?" But there was no reply.

"Little by little the truth is coming out," said Mr Ashcraft's wife Juliann.

However, to Ms Pfingston the recordings also provide some comfort.

"These guys were working to save each other to the very last moment, and that is commendable," she said.

Brendan McDonough was the sole survivor of the crew

Only one of the elite crew, 21-year-old Brendan McDonough, survived the blaze.

He was on a hilltop as a lookout and warned his crew the weather was changing rapidly.

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