Union Supports Clattenburg Over Chelsea Claim

The referees' union says it is "offering full support" to Mark Clattenburg in relation to allegations made against him.

Chelsea have made a formal complaint against the referee after accusing him of using "inappropriate language" towards two of their players during a controversial defeat to Manchester United.

The European champions confirmed they have reported the official to the Premier League match delegate following the London team's 3-2 loss at Stamford Bridge.

That complaint is set to be passed on to the Football Association (FA).

It is understood Jon Obi Mikel is one of the two players Chelsea believe "inappropriate language" was directed at.

Mr Clattenburg pictured during the fiery clash at Stamford Bridge

A club spokesman said: "We have lodged a complaint to the Premier League match delegate with regards to inappropriate language used by the referee and directed at two of our players in two separate incidents in today's (Sunday's) match.

"The match delegate will pass the complaint to the Football Association. We will make no further comment at this time."

Mr Clattenburg, 37, has vowed to co-operate with any investigation.

Prospect, the union representing football referees, said it had given its full support to Mr Clattenburg.

"Prospect is committed to helping to eradicate racism in football and in society generally," said national secretary Alan Leighton.

"In the context of that commitment, Prospect is offering full support to Mark Clattenburg in relation to the allegations made against him. It is now important that the allegations are fully investigated through the proper process as quickly as possible."

The hotly-anticipated match between two of the Premier League's top three sides was eventful.

Chelsea had two players controversially sent off, including striker Fernando Torres who was dismissed for a second yellow card after allegedly diving.

Meanwhile, Manchester United were allowed a winning goal that some thought was offside.

All of the referee's conversations during the game would have been audible to his two assistants Michael McDonough and Simon Long as well as the fourth official Michael Jones, who are all connected by audio headsets. However, the audio itself is not recorded.

Mr Clattenburg is regarded by Fifa - the sport's world governing body - as one of the top officials in the game.

At the Olympics, he was chosen to referee the final between Brazil and Mexico, and he is expected to be put forward to be part of the English representation at the 2014 World Cup.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fourteen Crew Members Saved, Two Missing

Rescuers have saved 14 crew members of HMS Bounty stranded on lifeboats near the eye of Hurricane Sandy but two are missing.

The captain ordered his crew to abandon the ship, which is located 160 miles from the hurricane centre, after it lost power and the pumps were unable to keep up with the dewatering.

The US Coast Guard said the crew donned cold water survival suits and lifejackets before launching in two 25-man lifeboats with canopies.

It said: "The first Jayhawk crew hoisted five people into the aircraft and a second helicopter arrived and rescued nine people."

Rescuers faced 40mph winds and 18ft waves at the scene, which is 90 miles southeast of Hatteras in North Carolina.

Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received a call from the owner of the 180ft, three mast ship, saying she had lost communication with the vessel's crew late on Sunday evening.

It regained contact with the ship after receiving a signal from the emergency position indicating beacon registered to the Bounty.

The current Bounty was built for the 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlon Brando and has since appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

The original Bounty is known for the mutiny that took place in Tahiti in 1789.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hurricane Sandy: NY Braces For Wall Of Water

Heavy rain and strong winds from Hurricane Sandy have started lashing the northeast of the US, as forecasters warn New York could bear the brunt of the one-of-a-kind superstorm.

Sandy is on a collision course with two other weather systems leading to fears it could develop into one of the worst storms on record in the US.

The superstorm is threatening up to 50 million people on the heavily populated East Coast, and forecasters say it could wreak havoc over 800 miles (1,280km) from the Atlantic coast to the Great Lakes.

Authorities are warning New York could get hit with an 11ft (3.3-metre) wall of water that could swamp parts of lower Manhattan, flood subway tunnels and cripple the network of electrical and communications lines that are vital to the nation's financial centre.

As the hurricane approaches the coast, rescuers have saved 14 crew members of HMS Bounty stranded on lifeboats near the eye of storm - but two remain missing.

Key evacuation areas affecting New York City and adjoining areas

:: Live Updates on Hurricane Sandy

Sandy, a Category 1 hurricane, is currently about 380 miles (615km) southeast of New York City, with winds of about 85mph (140kph).

The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said it strengthened as it turned toward the coast on a predicted path toward New York, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. It is moving at 15 mph (24 kph).

The centre of the storm was positioned to come ashore Monday night in New Jersey, meaning the worst of the storm surge could be in the northern part of that state and in New York City and on Long Island.

Sandbags have been used to thwart flooding in low-lying areas

The massive storm, which is hundreds of miles across, is set to stay until at least mid-week, bringing hurricane winds, flooding rains and snow in the Appalachian mountains.

Hundreds of thousands of people have already evacuated coastal areas, but much focus remains on New York.

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered the evacuation of 375,000 people in low-lying areas of lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

"If you don't evacuate, you are not only endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who are going in to rescue you," he said.

"This is a serious and dangerous storm."

Police officers monitor Times Square subway station

New York and other cities shut down schools and suspended all train, bus and subway services on Sunday night because of the risk of flooding.

Nearly the entire coastline of Staten Island has been evacuated. Parts of lower Manhattan, like Battery Park and Ground Zero, have also been evacuated amid the threat of flooding.

All US stock markets will be closed on Monday and possibly Tuesday, the operator of the New York Stock Exchange said, reversing an earlier plan that would have kept electronic trading going on Monday.

A state of emergency has already been declared in nine states - including New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

US President Barack Obama has cancelled a planned campaign appearance in Florida and returned to Washington to oversee the federal government's response to the ever-threatening hurricane.

Mr Obama promised the government would "respond big and respond fast" after the storm hits.

The projected storm track passes over New York

"My message to the governors as well as to the mayors is anything they need, we will be there, and we will cut through red tape. We are not going to get bogged down with a lot of rules," he said.

Federal Emergency management administrator Craig Fugate warned the "time for preparing and talking is about over".

"People need to be acting now," he said.

Airlines have cancelled more than 7,600 flights, with British Airways, Virgin and American Airlines have halted some departures to the eastern coat of the US.

At Heathrow, 47 departures and 12 arrivals have been cancelled.

Sandy was blamed for 66 deaths in the Caribbean before it began travelling northward parallel to the eastern seaboard.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Breast Implant Firm Founder Freed From Prison

The founder of French breast implant firm Poly Implant Prothese has been freed from prison after serving eight months for refusing to pay bail.

Jean-Claude Mas, 73, was jailed in March after he was charged in January with causing grievous bodily harm after the implant scandal erupted which sparked a global health scare over potentially faulty products.

Mas' released was ordered by a French judge but he will still be "placed under judicial supervision," his lawyer Yves Haddad said, without giving details of the conditions.

More follows...

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gary Glitter Arrested By Savile Police

Former pop star Gary Glitter has been arrested as part of a police investigation sparked by sexual abuse claims against the late Jimmy Savile.

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was taken from his central London home by officers early on Sunday morning and is to be questioned at a police station in the capital.

The ex-glam rock star, who had a string of hit singles in the 1970s, is being held on suspicion of sexual offences.

Gadd, 68, was detained by officers working on Operation Yewtree, which is investigating allegations of child sex abuse against Savile and others.

A police spokesman said: "Officers working on Operation Yewtree have arrested a man in his 60s in connection with the investigation.

"The man, from London, was arrested at approximately 0715 on suspicion of sexual offences, and has been taken into custody at a London police station.

"The individual falls under the strand of the investigation we have termed 'Savile and others'."

Gadd served almost three years in jail in Vietnam after being convicted in March 2006 for child abuse offences.

He had moved to Vietnam to avoid media attention into his private life.

Gadd was deported back to the UK in 2008.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earthquake Off Canada Sparks Tsunami Alert

Thousands of people in Hawaii have been ordered to leave their homes after a tsunami was triggered by an earthquake off the coast of Canada.

Initial warnings have now been downgraded but residents and tourists are still being advised to stay on higher ground until and all-clear is given.

The 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit off the west coast of Canada, around 96 miles (155km) south of Masset in the Haida Gwaii region, at just after 8pm local time.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake was followed by a 5.8 magnitude aftershock several minutes later.

An estimated 100,000 to 150,000 people who live in Hawaii's coastal zones were urged to move to higher ground after a tsunami warning was issued.

The earthquake hit around 96 miles off the coast of Canada

This was later downgraded to an advisory and video footage of the island of Oahu showed relatively small waves rolling towards the shore.

Lenore Lawrence, a resident of Queen Charlotte City on the Haida Gwaii, said the quake was "definitely scary".

She said the shaking lasted more than a minute and that several things had fallen off her mantlepiece. 

Residents in parts of British Columbia were also evacuated but the province seemed to escape the biggest quake in Canada since 1949 largely unscathed.

Lucy Jones, a USGS seismologist, said: "This isn't that big of an earthquake on tsunami scales. The really big tsunamis are usually up in the high 8s and 9s."

Tremors were felt across a wide area in British Columbia, both on its Pacific islands and on the mainland.

"It looks like the damage and the risk are at a very low level. We're certainly grateful," said Shirley Bond, British Columbia's minister responsible for emergency management.

Officials downgraded a tsunami warning to an advisory for southern Alaska and British Columbia. They also issued an advisory for areas of northern California and southern Oregon.

The first wave of the small tsunami, about four inches, hit the southeast Alaska coastal community of Craig.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jimmy Savile: Thompson's Office 'Was Warned'

The Jimmy Savile child abuse allegations were flagged up to the office of former BBC boss Mark Thompson at least twice, according to new claims.

The then director-general's office was formally alerted by journalist Miles Goslett in May and by an ITV email in September, The Sunday Times reports.

According to the paper, his aides were told on both occasions that the allegations concerned Savile's alleged abuse of minors on BBC premises.

Mr Thompson, who has since left the BBC and is about to start a job as chief executive of The New York Times, denies he was ever personally informed.

Mr Goslett is said to have spoken to Jessica Cecil, the head of Mr Thompson's office and asked to speak to him about allegations that Savile had molested underage girls on BBC premises.

Ms Cecil told Mr Goslett to speak to the press office and said she did not tell Mr Thompson of the allegations.

A BBC spokesman said: "Jessica Cecil's firm recollection of this brief call is she advised the journalist to put their points to the BBC press office. She then informed the BBC's director of communications about the call."

A spokesman for Mr Thompson said: "Mark was not aware of the conversation between Miles Goslett and Jessica Cecil on May 18, 2012. He was on holiday at the time and this brief conversation was not relayed to him, either then or subsequently."

Hundreds have come forward claiming to be Jimmy Savile's victims

On September 7, ITV is reported to have contacted Mr Thompson's office with detailed questions about its findings based on interviews with 10 victims.

Again, Mr Thompson was not informed.

The former BBC chief has previously said he was neither "notified nor briefed" about details of Newsnight's investigation into the Jim'll Fix It star which was later controversially dropped.

He later told reporters he had "formed the impression it [the Newsnight investigation] was about sex abuse" after a conversation at a party but when he called the news department he was told it had been axed for editorial reasons.

Police have now described Savile, who died in 2011, as a sexual predator who could be one of the worst paedophiles the UK has ever seen.

Hundreds of people have come forward claiming to be his victims. Around 130 have so far been questioned. A further 114 assault claims have been made.

Amid major questions about the culture at the BBC and its decision not to proceed with the Newsnight programme on Savile, the corporation has ordered three inquiries.

The chairman of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, has said he is dedicated to getting to the bottom of the scandal, vowing there would be "no covering our backs".

He wrote in the Mail on Sunday that the broadcaster "must tell the truth and face up to the truth about itself, however terrible".

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles told Sky News that the BBC should take it as a wake-up call to become more open.

"I think it's in all our interests for the BBC to be held in the highest esteem that it deserves and I think the problem at the heart of the BBC is that the organisation is too secretive," he told Sky's Dermot Murnaghan.

"I think it should think now that it should open itself up to Freedom of Information requests. I think it should look towards publishing a lot of its expenditure online... I don't think it can see itself away from the real world."

Childline founder and ex-BBC TV presenter Esther Rantzen told Sky News: "There are so many questions that need to be answered.

"What happened when people witnessed bad things happening when Jimmy Savile was at his height?

"How is it that this pain-staking piece of journalism (Savile investigation) was not transmitted on one of the flagship programmes (Newsnight)?"

She added: "What happened in the last four weeks is too late. I want the right judgements to have been made far earlier."

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syria: Rebel Fighters Are Becoming Radicalised

By Alex Crawford, Sky News Special Correspondent

Sky has seen new evidence that the Syrian uprising is becoming more and more radicalised and being fought by Islamic fundamentalists and extremists.

The Syrian rebels have all but given up on military intervention by the West but after 18 months of grinding battle and a feeling they have been abandoned by the international community, they are making their own bombs and weapons and becoming much more self-sufficient.

There are some weapons and arms being smuggled across the borders from sympathetic Muslim neighbours.

We saw brand new rocket propelled grenade launchers with their rockets still in their plastic wrappers which had been smuggled across the Turkish border and an anti-aircraft gun which the rebels told us had come from Iraq.

But although that means that the rebels have many more weapons than they have had before, it is still small fry in comparison to the heavy weaponry, tanks and artillery employed by the regime.

What is increasingly obvious is the number of Jihad (holy war) flags and Jihad paraphernalia worn and used by the rebel fighters. The black headbands worn by many of the fighters are a symbol of Islamic fundamentalism - used by extremist groups and usually anti-Western.

The common refrain from many of the rebel fighters is that they have been forgotten by the outside world.

A cache of weapons seized by rebel fighters

A number of commanders told us they were disappointed, angry and frustrated by the lack of help from the international community.

One said: "All we get is words, not actions."

I asked him how many fighters were from outside Syria. He replied: "Most of the fighters are Syrians. I would say 90% of the fighters are Syrian. Only a few hundred in the whole of Syria are from outside the country and most of them are from sympathetic countries."

We met a Libyan medic and former rebel in his own country who said he had come to help the rebels in Syria as a fellow Muslim.

He said: "We know what it is like to suffer. I have come to help in the hospital but if I had to pick up a gun and shoot Assad soldiers, of course I would.

"The real problem here is not foreign fighters, not Al Qaeda or any other group but the regime which has done far more damage than any other group."

The rebels have been making significant gains in the north, crushing regime bases and the Assad army has been losing men as well as arms.

But the frustration by the rebels and the inaction by the international community is driving the rebels towards religious extremism.

If Assad falls, the West's lack of help may have lost them a potential ally in the Middle East and even worse, may have created an angry and resentful new enemy.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Victory For Man Who Took Cold Caller To Court

A businessman plagued by nuisance phone calls offering compensation for Payment Protection Insurance has secured £220 in an out-of-court settlement.

Richard Herman, 53, was so fed up with the unwanted calls arriving from India, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

He warned the company that, in future, he would invoice them £10 for every minute of his time they used.

When the calls continued he began recording them before finally invoicing the company £195 for their use of his "time, telephone and electricity".

Upon receipt of the invoice the marketing firm acting on behalf of UK-based PPI Claimline Ltd, denied making the calls. When Mr Herman revealed he had recorded evidence, they still refused to pay.

But when Mr Herman filed a claim in the small claims court for the unpaid invoice - plus £25 in costs - the company offered to settle the debt out of court and transferred £220 into his bank account.

Mr Herman filed in the small claims court when his invoice was not paid

Mr Herman said: "I kept being called, as we all do, and I thought the only way for them to stop would be for me to speak to them and say, 'For goodness sake, take me off your list!'

"Then it occurred to me to tell them that if they call again I'll charge for my time. When they continued calling I sent them an invoice for 19.5 minutes."

To encourage others to do the same Mr Herman has set up a website with examples of covering letters and invoices to send to nuisance callers.

Even though the validity of Mr Herman's original invoice was not tested in court, he believes anyone who warns cold-calling companies they will be charged if they call, have a right to invoice them.

"I did business studies at 17 and studied 'offer-and-acceptance' so I knew a verbal contract is just as valid as a written one but harder to prove.

"The recorded calls proved I did tell them I would charge for my time if they called again".

Mr Herman, who works in the telephone industry selling call-recording equipment, said his action was a last resort after asking the Information Commissioner and the Telephone Preference Service for help.

In a statment, PPI Claimline said: "We would like to stress that all our supplier relationships are subject to strict contractual provisions requiring full compliance with all relevant regulations, including those which relate to data protection and the telephone preference service.

"We would like to draw a clear line between the two calls to Mr Herman made on behalf of PPI Claimline and any other calls he received, which were nothing to do with PPI Claimline or its suppliers."

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Savile: Celebs 'Frightened By Police Probe'

Major stars from the 60s and 70s are terrified of being named in connection with the Jimmy Savile child abuse scandal, according to PR guru Max Clifford.

Mr Clifford told Sky News that up to 15 celebrities in Britain and beyond had been in touch with him in recent days to express their fears.

The stars are concerned because of their hedonistic lifestyles when they were at the peak of their fame, when young girls would throw themselves at them, he said.

His comments came as the Savile family released a lengthy statement expressing their horror at the revelations.

Mr Clifford told Sky: "In the last few days, I have had an awful lot of calls and expect to get a lot more - some from very famous people who in the 60s and 70s were in the middle of this music explosion in this country.

"I'm very close friends with a lot of these people and have been for 40 to 50 years. I am in the middle of the media world so I'm the first person they turn to.

"Their lives often depend on popularity and public perception. There are a lot of things that get put out there that have nothing to do with reality but can be very damaging.

"They are all saying that they were totally unaware and they themselves have never done anything remotely like Jimmy Savile. Naturally they are concerned because names are being mentioned - 95% of it is total nonsense but it is happening."

He added: "If you're 19 or 20 and suddenly you become a pop star and a dozen girls burst into your dressing room... you don't actually sit there and ask for birth certificates."

Mr Clifford said Freddie Starr was one of those who had been in touch and had called him several times.

"Freddie said to me 'look Max, I've done nothing. There's nothing I ever did but I'm worried to death, I've got a bad heart. I'm in a real state'."

He added: "There's a lot of people that are very very worried about what is going on."

Scotland Yard has said their investigation into accusations of abuse by Savile, who died in 2011, now involves around 300 potential victims.

Police have described him as a sexual predator who could have been one of the most prolific paedophiles Britain has ever seen.

The scandal erupted after an ITV documentary at the start of this month broadcast allegations by a string of women who said the Jim'll Fix It star had assaulted them.

It has since emerged that seven alleged victims contacted four separate police forces - Surrey, London, Sussex and Jersey - while he was alive but no further action was taken.

A retired police officer has also told Scotland Yard that he investigated Savile in the 1980s while based in west London but did not have enough evidence to proceed.

Commander Peter Spindler said he believed the allegation was of an indecent assault, possibly in a caravan on BBC premises in west London, but officers have still not found the original file.

Another allegation, of inappropriate touching dating back to the 1970s, was made by a woman in 2003, but this was treated as "intelligence" by police because the victim did not want to take action.

Surrey Police submitted a file to the Crown Prosecution Service containing references to four potential offences, including an allegation of indecent assault on a young girl at a children's home.

The allegations related to three potential victims in Surrey and another in Sussex, and Savile was interviewed under caution in 2009, but prosecutors decided there was insufficient evidence to bring charges.

The seventh allegation emerged in 2008 when Jersey police received a claim that an indecent assault occurred at children's home Haut de la Garenne in the 1970s.

Again it was decided that there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

Mr Spindler said Savile was "undoubtedly" one of the most prolific sex offenders he had come across and that Operation Yewtree, looking into his alleged crimes, would be a "watershed moment" for child abuse investigations.

Claims have also been made that former DJ Savile, who died last year aged 84, targeted children while they were in hospital.

He had a bedroom at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, an office and living quarters at Broadmoor and widespread access to Leeds General Infirmary.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More