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Clarkson Hints At Possible Top Gear Exit

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 14 Maret 2015 | 14.59

Jeremy Clarkson has hinted he may be ready to leave Top Gear after being suspended over a bust-up with a producer.

Writing in his column for the Sun newspaper he appeared to refer to himself as a "dinosaur", explaining that "the day must come when you have to wave goodbye to the big monsters".

He wrote: "Nature made a mistake when it invented the dinosaur. It was too big, too violent ...

"All the dinosaurs died and now, years later, no-one mourns their passing.

"These big, imposing creatures have no place in a world which has moved on."

Clarkson, 54, has been suspended over a row in which he allegedly tried to hit a producer, named in reports as Oisin Tymon.

A petition calling for Clarkson to be reinstated has reached more than 840,000 signatures.

But the controversial presenter wrote: "You can start as many campaigns as you like and call on the support of politicians from all sides, but the day must come when you have to wave goodbye to the big monsters, and move on.

"We lose one animal and get another. The world turns."

He goes on to say: "As you may have heard, I've been suspended by the BBC following a fracas at a North Yorkshire hotel.

"I don't intend to dwell here on what happened then or what will happen in the future. I'm sure you're as fed up with the story as I am.

"One of the things which has cheered me is how many people have expressed support in the last few days. I'm touched and grateful."

Clarkson is being summoned to appear before a BBC disciplinary panel that will decide his fate.

The panel will be chaired by Ken MacQuarrie, the head of BBC Scotland who conducted the investigation into Newsnight's false expose of Lord McAlpine.

The corporation has not revealed when or where the hearing will take place.

:: Read Sky News' interview with a family who say Clarkson launched into an expletive-ridden rant at the producer.

According to reports, he lashed out because he was unable to order a steak at the Simonstone Hall Hotel near Hawes, North Yorkshire, where the production team were staying.

The Sun and Daily Mirror said the hotel's chef had gone home by the time they arrived and they were only offered cold meat platters, although Clarkson had ordered a £21.95 steak.

The papers quoted a source who claimed Clarkson blamed Mr Tymon for not arranging hot food and said there had been a "scuffle".

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At Least 8 Killed By Powerful Cyclone Pam

Powerful winds from Cyclone Pam have caused widespread destruction in the Vanuatu islands, killing at least eight people, aid officials have said.

Unconfirmed reports say dozens more people are feared dead.

The Category Fire storm struck the South Pacific archipelago with winds of up to 167mph, threatening more than 267,000 residents.

The storm blew roofs off houses, uprooted trees and downed power lines.

Officials in Port Vila say there is no power or running water in Vanuatu's capital.

There are reports of entire villages being destroyed in more remote areas, according to Chloe Morrison, a World Vision emergency communications officer.

"It's still really quite dangerous outside. Most people are still hunkering down," she said.

"The damage is quite extensive in Port Vila but there are so many more vulnerable islands.

"I can't even imagine what it's like in those vulnerable communities."

Australia is preparing to send a crisis response team to Vanuatu if needed, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.

"There are destructive winds, rain, flooding, landslides, sea surges and very rough seas and the storm is exceedingly destructive there," she said.

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Gallery: Red Alert In Vanuatu Ahead Of Cyclone Pam

A satellite image of Cyclone Pam. Pic: Japan Meteorological Agency

Pic: Japan Meteorological Agency

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Family: Clarkson Said He'd Have Colleague Fired

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 13 Maret 2015 | 14.59

By Gerard Tubb, North of England Correspondent

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson is facing new allegations over the "fracas" at a Yorkshire Dales hotel that led to his suspension by the BBC on Monday.

Four members of the same family who overheard the row say Clarkson told a colleague he would have him fired because there was no hot food at the end of a day's filming.

The Ward family from Leeds told Sky News that Clarkson ranted for up to half-an-hour at the Simonstone Hotel near Hawes and say they were shocked at his language and the way he treated his colleague.

They also claimed he criticised the BBC, saying it was "getting worse".

Sue Ward, 54, a medical receptionist, described Clarkson's behaviour towards the unnamed employee as shocking.

"He said he hadn't done his job properly, it was ridiculous that there was nothing to eat, obviously there was lots of expletives in between all this, and that he would be losing his job, he would see to it that he would lose his job," she said.

"Even someone who's really inept at their job should be told properly, in a proper manner," she said

"But the fact that it was in a public place, I didn't want to listen to that language."

Sue's brother in law Bob Ward, 60, said Clarkson arrived with his co-presenters by helicopter at around 9.30pm and refused to have his picture taken.

"I said 'Any chance of a selfie Jeremy?' and he said 'No, not with the day I've had today'."

Within minutes, Bob's wife Denise, 51, said Clarkson was shouting and swearing and had spoiled the evening they had been looking forward to.

"We were sort of, 'Ooh, celebrities, will we see them?' and then it was just the shock of how can someone be so rude?" she said.

"It was just the swearing and the length of time and this poor guy that he was ripping into," she added.

Top Gear is the BBC's biggest global brand, worth more than £50m a year, but with Clarkson suspended the next three episodes have been scrapped.

The only Top Gear fan among the Ward family, Sue's husband Alan, 56, agreed with the three quarters of a million people who have signed an online petition for Clarkson to keep his job.

"He's brash, we know what he's like, he's been in trouble before and I think he'll be in trouble again," he said.

"I think he'll continue to do that job because without Clarkson there's no Top Gear."

Sky News has approached Clarkson for a comment but he has not responded.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that Clarkson's Twitter profile has changed from saying, "I am a presenter on the BBC2 motoring show, Top Gear" to "I am probably a presenter on the BBC2 motoring show, Top Gear".

One fan responded by tweeting "brilliant", while an opponent wrote "You'll soon be changing the verb tense in your profile then?"

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Rochdale Abuse: Police Will Face No Action

By Becky Johnson, Sky News Correspondent

Greater Manchester Police has admitted failing to properly investigate child sexual exploitation in Rochdale.

The extent and gravity of crimes being committed was not recognised by officers, a report by the force's Professional Standards Branch has concluded.

But despite the damning findings, the report reveals no officers will be formally disciplined for their part in the failures.

In total, the conduct of 13 officers was examined. Of those, seven officers were formally investigated.

The force concluded that only one, an inspector, had a case to answer for misconduct.

The officer retired last year before the findings of the long-awaited report were made public, and hence no action was taken against him.

Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk told Sky News: "Whilst there were lots of failures there hasn't been any action taken against those responsible for those failures.

"This report shows that Greater Manchester Police are good at protecting the careers and pensions of senior officers but they aren't any good at protecting vulnerable young girls across Rochdale."

The report looked at the conduct of officers when victims first told police about the abuse in 2008.

It found that appropriate resources were not given to looking into the claims.

There were not enough officers and there was a lack of specialist training and experience among those tasked with carrying out the investigation.

When the CPS dropped the case due to concerns about the credibility of a witness, the police did not challenge the decision.

One victim recalls how she and other girls were made to feel by officers.

"I got called a prostitute by a uniformed copper," she told Sky News.

"It's like they were calling everyone liars because when you went and told them about something then they weren't listening to you."

It wasn't until 2010, when more resources were put into investigating child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, that the earlier reports from victims were reinvestigated.

Further girls came forward and in 2012 nine men who ran a child exploitation ring were jailed for offences including rape and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child.

Their trial heard in detail how they preyed on vulnerable girls and plied them with drugs and alcohol before passing them around for sex.

The report recommends that in future Greater Manchester Police needs to "focus more professionally on investigating the crime rather than investigating the victim".

It added that "there has been too great an emphasis on examining the credibility of the victim".

Assistant Chief Constable Dawn Copley said: "I want to start by saying we openly acknowledge that mistakes were made and victims were let down.

"For our part in that we apologise to the victims and we give them our assurance that lessons have been learned, changes have been made and we are determined to use this to continue making improvements.

"This matter was referred to the IPCC in December 2010. They decided to supervise the investigation which was then conducted by our Professional Standards Branch.

"It is clear that mistakes were made in this investigation. We have, and continue to make significant improvements because of the lessons we have learned.

"We urge victims to come forward knowing that we will take them seriously and thoroughly investigate what has happened to them. People who abuse children will be traced and brought to justice."

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Reports: Two Police Officers Shot In Ferguson

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 12 Maret 2015 | 14.59

By Sky News US Team

Two officers have been shot outside the police department in Ferguson, Missouri, according to reports.

It happened as police confronted protesters gathered outside the station after the resignation of police Chief Thomas Jackson on Wednesday.

Sky's US correspondent Greg Milam said one officer was hit in the shoulder and the other in the face.

The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear. Both were taken to hospital.

One is thought to be a St Louis County officer and the other from a town near Ferguson.

Witnesses said up to four shots were fired. A large number of officers, some in riot gear, later formed a guard around the police station.

Chief Jackson resigned following a scathing government report that exposed racial biases in his department and a profit-driven court system.

An earlier report cleared white police officer Darren Wilson of civil rights charges in the shooting of a black teenager Michael Brown last summer.

The St Louis suburb has been hit by unrest ever since.

Mr Jackson is the sixth Ferguson city official to quit or be fired in the wake of the reports.

On Tuesday the city council voted unanimously to accept the resignation of City Manager John Shaw, who oversaw the police department.

That followed Municipal Court Judge Ronald Brockmeyer's decision to step down on Monday.

Mr Jackson, who had previously resisted calls from protesters and some of Missouri's top officials to resign, told the St Louis Post-Dispatch he felt it was time to move on.

"I believe this is the appropriate thing to do at this time," he said. "This city needs to move forward without any distractions."

The 57-year-old embattled chief was widely criticised for his handling of the 9 August shooting of Mr Brown and subsequent protests.

In his resignation letter, obtained by the Post-Dispatch, Mr Jackson said: "It has been an honor and a privilege to serve this great city and to serve with all of you.

"I will continue to assist the city in any way I can in my capacity as private citizen."

Ferguson Mayor James Knowles denied rumours that he would also resign, the newpaper reported on Wednesday.

The city plans to launch a nationwide search for a new police chief, it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Mr Brown's family have said they will file a civil wrongful death lawsuit against Ferguson and Darren Wilson, the former officer who shot dead the unarmed teenager.

Mr Wilson, who said he acted in self-defence, was cleared by a grand jury and the Justice Department of any wrongdoing.

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Unrest In Ferguson: How The Protest Grew

By Sky News US Team

Sky News looks at crucial events in the wake of the shooting death of Michael Brown, which sparked protests in Ferguson, Missouri.

Here is a timeline:

:: 9 August: Michael Brown is shot dead by police in Ferguson, a predominantly black suburb of St Louis, Missouri.

Police say the shooting took place during a scuffle where Mr Brown was shot multiple times.

At least two witnesses say Mr Brown had his hands raised when the officer fired at him repeatedly.

:: 10 August: St Louis County Police Chief Joe Belmar says Mr Brown was unarmed.

Violence erupts in the streets of Ferguson after a peaceful candlelight vigil. Several businesses are vandalised and looted.

:: 11 August: Protests continue, with demonstrators demanding justice for Mr Brown.

The Justice Department announces an investigation.

Twitter users complain of alleged racial bias in the media portrayal of Mr Brown, and the hashtag "IfTheyGunnedMeDown" goes viral.

The teen's family appeals for calm and demands justice for Mr Brown's death. The family hires lawyer Benjamin Crump, who also represented the family of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teen who was shot dead in 2012 in Florida.

:: 12 August: Police say death threats have been received and they withhold releasing the name of the officer who shot Mr Brown.

President Barack Obama appeals for calm in his first statement on the case.

Protests continue.

:: 13 August: Police say the officer involved in the shooting was injured in the confrontation.

Police chief Tom Jackson says "race relations are our top priority".

At violent protests during the night, two reporters are briefly detained by police. They are later released without any charges.

:: 14 August: Mr Obama addresses the nation and urges calm, saying there is "no excuse" for "excessive force" by Missouri police.

The Missouri governor, Jay Nixon, names a State Highway Patrol captain to assume control of security in Ferguson. Captain Ron Johnson is an African-American who was born and raised in the area.

Peaceful demonstrations return to Ferguson as thousands of Americans hold rallies in 90 cities, including New York and Los Angeles, in memory of Mr Brown.

:: 15 August: Police name Darren Wilson as the officer who shot Mr Brown. Mr Wilson is a six-year police veteran who had no previous complaints against him.

Police also give details of a robbery at a local convenience store that took place moments before the shooting. Documents distributed by police name Mr Brown as a suspect.

Violent protests resume.

:: 16 August: Mr Nixon declares a state of emergency and imposes a curfew. But that fails to quell demonstrators, who clash with police in riot gear.

:: 17 August: Attorney General Eric Holder orders a separate federal autopsy on the teen.

Mr Nixon tells CBS' Face The Nation that releasing CCTV video of the robbery "had an incendiary effect".

A private autopsy performed at the request of Mr Brown's family finds that the teen was shot at least six times, including twice in the head, according to the New York Times.

As protests continue, Mr Nixon announces the deployment of the National Guard.

:: 18 August: Police clash with protesters overnight yet again, leading to 31 arrests.

Capt Johnson says bottles and Molotov cocktails were thrown from the crowd and two guns were confiscated from protesters. At least two people were shot.

Some of those arrested came from as far away as New York and California.

:: 19 August: Tensions rise after a "knife-wielding" suspect is shot dead by police in north St Louis, some four miles from Ferguson,

Despite fewer protesters in Missouri than in previous nights, police charge crowds and arrest 47 people.

:: 20 August: Attorney General Eric Holder visits Ferguson, where he holds a private meeting with Mr Brown's parents.

He delivers a briefing on the Justice Department investigation into the killing and tells community leaders he understands why black people do not trust police, recalling being pulled over twice while in his car and accused of speeding.

:: 22 August: As protests calm down, the National Guard begins a partial withdrawal.

:: 25 August: Mr Brown's funeral in St Louis.

:: 8 October: The shooting of another black teenager by Missouri police rekindles protests, and an American flag is burned.

Police say that victim Vonderrit D Myers, 18, was armed and fired three times before his gun jammed and he was fatally wounded. He was shot 17 times.

:: 13 October: Some 50 people are held in a day of protests and acts of civil disobedience in memory of Mr Brown dubbed "Moral Monday" and held in and around St Louis.

:: 24 November: A Grand Jury decides not to bring charges against Mr Wilson, sparking violent protests. Mr Obama appeals for calm.

:: 3 March: A Justice Department report finds patterns of racial bias in the police department in Ferguson.

:: 5 March: Michael Brown's family announce they will sue Ferguson police and Officer Wilson.

:: 9 March: Municipal Court Judge Ronald Brockmeyer steps down.

:: 10 March: Ferguson City Council votes unanimously to accept the resignation of City Manager John Shaw, who oversaw the police department

:: March 11: Ferguson police chief, Thomas Jackson, resigned following the Justice Department report.

:: March 12: Two officers are shot outside the police department.

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Lambeth Council Abuse: Key Findings

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 11 Maret 2015 | 14.59

By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs & Education Editor

Details of an internal investigation documenting allegations of sexual assaults and abuse carried out by officers within Lambeth council in the 1990s have been revealed. They include:

:: There were two sites on Lambeth council property used to carry out sexual assaults. They were used for this purpose "on many occasions over the years".

:: Two private removal firms were "frequently" on site, and were believed to have removed evidence of equipment used during sexual assaults, and washed the area down. One firm had keys to all internal lockers, including a cabinet where evidence in a criminal case was kept and later went missing.

:: Items handed to police following the rape of a female member of staff by a colleague on council premises included a semen-stained blanket, soiled tissues, cassettes and a penknife.

:: Bulic Forsythe, a manager in the housing department, told colleagues he was going to "spill the beans" after a visit to one of these sites.

He clashed with an individual who held a senior position and is named in the report as the head of the ring involved in abuse, and then moved from the housing department to social services.

Whilst in social services Bulic told another colleague he believed the individual in housing could still 'get to him'. After his death in 1993, colleagues reported that a report he had compiled went missing from his office.

:: Three male employees, including one in a senior position, were suspended from their jobs in the housing department as a result of the internal investigation.

Despite the findings of rape and sexual assault, and possessing indecent images of children, they were suspended on grounds of a 'breach of the council's equal opportunities policy'.

:: The report recommends a criminal investigation into the allegations of rape, child rape and images of abuse. The Metropolitan Police has confirmed no investigation was ever undertaken at the time.

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Was Man Murdered For Exposing Paedophile Ring?

By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs & Education Editor

Police investigating Westminster-linked child abuse are examining whether a man was murdered because he was about to expose a paedophile ring operating within a London council.

Sky News has obtained details of an internal investigation documenting sexual assaults and abuse carried out by officers within Lambeth Council in the 1990s.

The unpublished report reveals claims from those within the council that Bulic Forsythe, a manager in the housing department whose murder sparked a nationwide appeal in 1993, may have discovered council property was being used to carry out abuse.

That abuse involved senior figures in Lambeth who were using council premises for the rape of women and children, according to the report's remarkable findings.

They used the basement of Lambeth's housing headquarters, the report says, because "sexual assault could be performed without fear of interruption by other staff".

A senior staff member is accused of watching material with "sadistic, bestial and paedophile themes" which "may have been home-produced by staff of people with whom they associated".

One female staff member was subject to a rape on council premises "of horrendous proportions", such that she was still suffering from serious injuries one month on.

She described being raped alongside children and animals by senior figures in the council.

Although the report, which was prompted by alleged breaches of the council's equal opportunities policy, recommends a criminal investigation, its findings were never formally investigated by the police at the time.

Instead, the perpetrators within the council were dismissed from their positions. The report has never before been made public.

It also reveals that colleagues of Bulic Forsythe, whose family has long believed he was murdered to prevent him from blowing the whistle on events at Lambeth, also feared he had been killed as part of a cover up.

"The murder of Bulic Forsythe was seen by some witnesses as a possible outcome for anyone who strayed too far in their investigation or for those who asked too many questions," the report says.

"The panel heard evidence about Bulic Forsythe whilst he was working in social services visiting Hambrook House and speaking to a colleague and telling her that he was going to 'spill the beans'.

"Three days later he was killed," the report says.

Sky News showed the report to Kiddist Forsythe, 21, the daughter of Bulic Forsythe, who was born three months after his murder.

She said: ""Some of the stuff that's in here, I honestly can't believe happened. I was very shocked.

"It's really clear the fear that operated in the council - it seems from the report my father felt that fear," she went on, adding he was scared that if he moved jobs "people in power could still get to him".

Sky News contacted a number of people who held senior positions in Lambeth at the time of the alleged incidents. All said the council had elements of dysfunctionality and was plagued by corruption and fear.

Dr Nigel Goldie, former assistant director of social services, said: "There were often rather strange things happening. Things going on behind the scenes that were never properly explained or known about.

"This was in the context of an organisation that displayed dysfunctional features."

There has been a renewed focus on events in Lambeth in the 1980s and '90s amidst growing evidence of a series of paedophile rings operating across England involving the abuse of children in care homes, in some cases allegedly by politicians and other senior figures.

The Metropolitan Police, which has been investigating events in Lambeth at the time under "Operation Trinity", said it was considering the report as part of its investigation.

Detective Inspector Sean Crotty said: "This report provides the context to people who were abused in Lambeth.

"What we need is for people who were children at the time and who were abused to come forward."

Lambeth Council said it is supporting Operation Trinity and is working closely with specialist police investigators.

A spokesperson said: "Lambeth Council is determined to do all that we can to support this renewed push to tackle the issue, and ensure that offenders who had previously escaped justice are now held to account."

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IS Defector: I Saw Jihadi John Kill Hostage

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 10 Maret 2015 | 14.59

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent

Sky News has spoken to a former member of Islamic State, who claims he witnessed the man known as Jihadi John murder Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.

The former translator said that the masked man in the video was indeed Mohammed Emwazi, the 26-year-old Londoner who has become the face of the world's most notorious terrorist organisation.

"Saleh" said Emwazi is employed as the chief killer of foreign hostages for Islamic State's media wing and that his murderous influence among the group is feared and respected.

Speaking from Turkey, where he fled to escape IS, Saleh explained in broken English how he was employed by the group to convince foreign hostages they were safe. He is the only person to admit seeing Emwazi kill.

He said: "When he killed Kenji Goto I live showed this [saw this] but not near, from a little [distance].

"After he was killed him, three or four person come and take over the body and put in a car. After that, John went on a different road.

"The big boss was there with them. Turkish man say 'put this camera there, change place there' but John [was] the big boss. All time, all time say to all 'fastly, fastly, fastly, we should finish'. So respect him. Only he talks orders – others do."

Saleh suggested Emwazi commanded such respect within the group because of his willingness to murder foreigners.

"Maybe because he use the knife," he said. "I cannot understand why he is so strong. One man can kill and all people will respect. A Syrian man anyone [in IS] can kill. But strangers [foreigners], only John."

Saleh claims foreign hostages captured and murdered by the group were subjected to numerous mock executions until the procedure became normal. It could explain why many hostages appeared calm in execution videos published online by the group.

He said: "He would say to me 'say to them, no problem, only video, we don't kill you, we want from your government [to] stop attacking Syria. We don't have any problem with you; you are only our visitors'.

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Gallery: Jihadi John's email exhanges with Cage and a reporter

This email Mohammed Emwazi sent to a Mail On Sunday reporter in 2010 revealed his first encounter and his fear of MI5

He later made contact with the campaign group Cage and told them about clashes with border control officers

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IS Hostages Subjected To Execution Rehearsals

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent

An Islamic State defector claims militants routinely subjected foreign hostages to mock executions and gave them Arabic names before they were killed.

Speaking exclusively to Sky News, "Saleh" said he was employed by a Turkish man in the the group to reassure hostages their lives were not in danger - yet he says he always knew they would be killed.

Saleh said the execution rehearsals took place so that when the moment of death finally came the hostages were not expecting to be killed and were relaxed to appeal for their release on camera.

"So they don't worry. Always I say to them 'don't worry, doesn't matter, nothing dangerous for you'. But at the end I was sure [they would die].

"Maybe they [the captors] raise their voice, but without hitting. All the time he say to him 'it's a rehearsal, don't [be] afraid'.

"I will explain. He want, when he will kill you really… [it] don't enter his [hostage's] head. Exactly, of course, you [hostages] should say this message: 'I'm living in ISIS and will stay and continue'."

Saleh worked as a translator before he was employed by IS. He fled across the border to Turkey to escape the group and claims to have looked after a hostage with an English accent.

He said: "This man from England, or Netherlands, I don't know. He was speaking English so nice. Sometimes I don't understand what he say.

"He was with mask. All questions around gun, around job in Syria. 'Who send you to Syria? Who is your partner there? When you came into Syria? Where you stayed in Idlib? In Aleppo?' All thing [the time he] give answer. 'No, I'm press, I'm press'.

"So after that he said to me, the Turkish man, 'don't worry, don't worry'. After that he was so afraid."

Saleh claimed hostages were given Arabic names to convince them they were amongst friends in order to calm them down. He says Kenji Goto was given the name "Abu Saad".

"ISIS gave the hostages an idea; 'You should be Muslim and come with us'. When I went to the rehearsal he said to [Kenji] Goto 'Abu Saad'. Maybe I was thinking to myself 'maybe they try [find] this name so hard, 'Kenji Goto'.

"Maybe they could not say [Kenji Goto] so [they say] Abu Saad. But when I noticed Goto, when they said Abu Saad to Goto, direct [he] relax."

"Saleh" said Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, is employed as the chief killer of foreign hostages for Islamic State's media wing and that his murderous influence among the group is feared and respected.

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Cameron Pledges To Open 500 New Free Schools

Written By Unknown on Senin, 09 Maret 2015 | 14.59

By Jason Farrell, Political Correspondent

David Cameron says he wants to create 500 more free schools in the next parliament.

The Prime Minister will suggest at a speech in London later today that the controversial programme has been a great success, amid criticism from teachers' unions and the Labour Party.

"If you vote Conservative, you will see the continuation of the free schools programme at the rate you've seen in the last three years," he will say.

"That means, over the next parliament, we hope to open at least 500 new free schools resulting in 270,000 new school places."

Under the free schools scheme parents and teachers can set up and design their own schools.

One institution expecting approval will be based at a "boxing boot camp" in Hackney which will use daily training sessions in the ring to help children deal with their anger.

Mr Cameron will also announce the approval of 49 new free schools, as a report by the right-wing think tank Policy Exchange concludes the innovation is driving up standards at primary and secondary level.

Free schools have been the big education experiment of this government so it is no surprise that, with an election coming, the Conservatives conclude it has been a huge success.

More than 400 have been approved since 2010 creating more than 230,000 places. According to Policy Exchange nearly three quarters (72%) of all open or approved mainstream free schools are in areas with a projected lack of places in the future.

But critics say the schools are unaccountable and the initial findings do not warrant expanding the programme.

Henry Stewart from the Local Schools Network said: "It you look at the data for both primaries and secondary schools free schools don't have any effect on the other schools in the area, but what they have done is they've used up a huge amount of resource.

"Some £1.7bn is the capital spend on free schools to date and the National Audit Office found that 52% of free school places are in areas that don't need new places."

The Policy Exchange report also finds that free schools are not dominated by the middle class and are eight times more likely to be located in the most deprived areas of England than the most affluent.

Jonathan Simons, head of education at Policy Exchange, said: "Policymakers should make decisions based on evidence and the evidence clearly shows that free schools drive up standards of nearby schools in the local community, particularly the ones which are lower performing.

"Restricting new free schools solely to areas of basic need will deprive pupils - especially in some of the poorest performing schools - from achieving better results."

But Tristram Hunt MP, Labour's shadow education secretary, said: "The Tory plan is failing young people and their parents, with a third of all free schools found to be under-performing.

"Instead of focusing on the desperate need for more primary school places across the country and on spreading innovation right across the school system, David Cameron's government has spent at least £241m on free schools in areas that already have enough school places.

"The result is many more children forced into crowded classrooms - a 200% increase in the number of infants taught in classes of more than 30."

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Three Missing British Schoolgirls 'In Al Raqqa'

Three missing schoolgirls who left Britain to join Islamic State have crossed into Syria and are believed to be staying at a house in al Raqqa, Sky sources say.

Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, boarded a flight from Gatwick Airport bound for Istanbul last month.

Authorities feared the teenagers, who attended Bethnal Green Academy in east London, were seeking to join the Islamist militants.

Sky's Stuart Ramsay said: "We're being told tonight that they've crossed into Syria through a crossing... which is not too far from Kilis.

"They're now apparently in a house that is owned or controlled - or at least hosted by - a British girl who had been in contact with them through the internet, and had brought them through Turkey and into Syria.

"We are told by... good sources within the city of al Raqqa that they are there, that they are safe.

"That is where they are staying - with this British girl who is hosting them.

"There's been a lot of discussion about where they are, (and) how they got there. But we are told they are now inside Syria, they are inside al Raqqa, and they are under the control of Islamic State."

Last week CCTV footage emerged which appeared to show the three teenagers at a bus station in Istanbul.

The girls were seen wrapped in heavy winter jackets, two with hoods pulled up, and carrying packed sports bags and holdalls.

The footage was recorded in the early hours of 18 February, less than 24 hours after the trio left their London homes, telling their families they would be out for the day.

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Gallery: Three Schoolgirls From East London Go Missing

These pictures were taken from Kadiza Sultana (l) and Shamima Begum's (r) Twitter accounts

Kadiza and Shamima are feared to be on their way to Syria with a third girl, 15-year-old Amira Abase

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Boko Haram Militants Ally With Islamic State

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 08 Maret 2015 | 14.59

Nigerian militant group Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to Islamic State in an audio statement, according to SITE.

The monitoring group said part of the message, which has been translated from Arabic, read: "We announce our allegiance to the Caliph of the Muslims Ibrahim ibn Awad ibn Ibrahim al Husseini al Qurashi and will hear and obey in times of difficulty and prosperity.

"We call upon Muslims everywhere to pledge allegiance to the Caliph."

The pledge of allegiance has been attributed to Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, and was released through the group's Twitter account.

Ibrahim ibn Awad ibn Ibrahim al Husseini al Qurashi - better known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi - is the leader of Islamic State.

He has already accepted pledges of allegiance from other jihadist groups in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan and north Africa.

Boko Haram has staged a military campaign to establish its own Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria over the last six years.

Shekau was not pictured, but did identify himself in the recording.

The group has begun releasing videos in recent months which resemble those made by IS in Iraq and Syria where hostages, including British aid workers Alan Henning and David Haines, were murdered.

This month, it released footage purporting to show two men being beheaded.

Nigerian government spokesman Mike Omeri said: "(The audio) is confirming what we always thought. It's sad, it's bad.

"It's why we are appealing to the international community... hopefully the world will wake up to the disaster unfolding here."

Rita Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group, said: "Boko Haram is now being elevated from a local jihadi group to an important arm of the Islamic State.

"With Boko Haram's wide network in North Africa, the Islamic State's projection of creating an Islamic Caliphate is gaining headway.

"Furthermore, Islamic State's infrastructure, resources and military capabilities will enable Boko Haram to expand its operations and control even faster in North Africa."

On Saturday, four bomb blasts killed at least 50 people in the city of Maiduguri in some of the worst attacks since Boko Haram militants tried to capture the town in two major assaults earlier this year.

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MH370 Search Boss 'Expecting' To Find Plane

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

The man in charge of the search for missing flight MH370 has told Sky News that he is "expecting but not guaranteeing" that the aircraft will be found.

Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB), the organisation coordinating the search in the Southern Ocean, told Sky News that while he was once "cautiously optimistic" he is now "less cautious and more optimistic".

His comments came on the first anniversary of the loss of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The plane disappeared shortly after take-off with 239 passengers and crew on board.

An interim report into the plane's disappearance says it travelled in a southerly direction until it ran out of fuel in the Indian Ocean, west of Australia.

"I am confident that if the aircraft is in the area we are searching, we will find it, and I have a high degree of confidence but not certainty about the satellite data and the calculations that an international group of experts has come to," Mr Dolan told Sky News.

"I have said previously that I am 'cautiously optimistic'. Because we now know the capacity of our search teams... and we haven't been able to see any flaws in our analysis, I am less cautious than I was; more optimistic but again, I can't guarantee we will get an outcome although we are confident that is the case.

"We have got a priority search area, a large one. Within that there are no relative priorities; each space within that search area is of equal probability.

"So at this stage, with a bit over 40% [of the 60,000 km sq area] covered, we are not feeling that there is any problem.

"We have planned to cover that entire area thoroughly and we are expecting but not guaranteeing that we will find the aircraft during the course of that."

Main points from the report:

:: The underwater locator beacon battery had expired in December 2012, a year before the plane disappeared. The significance of this was not apparent but it would mean that searchers may have a lesser chance of finding the plane, even if they were in its vicinity. However, the report adds: "There is some extra margin in the design to account for battery life variability and ensure that the unit will meet the minimum requirement."

"However, once beyond the expiry date, the (battery's) effectiveness decreases so it may operate, for a reduced time period until it finally discharges," the report said. While it is possible the battery will operate past the expiry date, "it is not guaranteed that it will work or that it would meet the 30-day minimum requirement," said the report.

:: There was nothing unusual or concerning in the health, financial affairs or behaviour of the pilots and crew

:: The plane's right wing had been damaged in Shanghai in 2012 and repaired by Boeing. It had gained its most recent certificate of airworthiness in May 2013, when a flaperon inboard seal needed to be replaced. There were no other issues.

:: There were no significant clouds at the last civil radar point, no lightning, no significant weather phenomena

:: The report has details of the consignment of batteries being carried onboard the plane - Motorola batteries made in Malaysia. The report says that, while they were inspected, they didn't go through additional security screening. The batteries are allowed on flights.

Painstaking analysis of satellite data from British company Inmarsat has concluded that the plane had flown south for up to eight hours before coming down in the Southern Ocean off Perth in Western Australia.

The focus is an extremely challenging search of the sea bed within a 'priority search area' determined by further satellite analysis.

Currently, four ships from the Dutch firm Fugro are scanning a mountainous 60,000 sq km seabed.

Mr Dolan said: "We are certainly confident. We are not certain, of course, because there is a limit to the satellite data and analysis but we have been reviewing that data and analysis continually ever since we took over the search back in April, and we have got as much out of that as we can, and it doesn't give us a guarantee of location just a very high probability."

The search is being jointly funded by the Malaysian and Australian governments who have pledged continued support until it is completed in May.

Mr Dolan gave a remarkably upbeat assessment of one of the most challenging search operations ever mounted.

"If that [satellite] data is reliable, and we think it most likely is then we know that we will cover the search area thoroughly; if the aircraft is there, we will find it," he said.

Each of the four ships in the search area has a crew of about 30.

Three of the vessels are dragging sophisticated sonar devices just above the seabed, scanning for wreckage. This represents a significant challenge because of the rugged mountainous nature of the seabed.

The fourth vessel is using a remote-controlled unmanned submarine which can manoeuvre more easily along the seabed.

Unlike the towed devices, the submarine cannot send back real-time data so it must be hauled to the surface every few days.

"We have got quite elaborate quality assurance system in place to make sure that we are not missing anything with that sonar data and we are very comfortable that we will see things down there," Mr Dolan said.

"We have already found shipping containers and various other things that clearly fell off vessels over the course of storms and so on so we are getting the resolution necessary [to spot the plane]."

Mr Dolan praised the work of the teams on board the vessels.

1/5

Gallery: Vigils Take Place To Remember Missing Flight MH370 One Year After Disappearance

A Chinese relative of passengers on board the airliner attends a gathering to mark the one-year anniversary of the disappearance in Kuala Lumpur

A child is comforted by her mother during a vigil to remember the victims

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