North Korea To Restart Nuclear Reactor

North Korea will restart all nuclear facilities including its shuttered Yongbyon reactor, the official KCNA news service has said.

It will rebuild and resume its mothballed uranium enrichment facility and the 5 MW Yongbyon reactor, which was closed in 2007 as part of international disarmament talks that have since stalled.

When it is fully running the reactor is capable of churning out one atomic bomb worth of plutonium - the most common fuel in nuclear weapons - a year.

A nuclear energy spokesman said the move was being made in line with a policy of "bolstering the nuclear armed force both in quality and quantity" as well as solving "acute" electricity shortages.

Kim Jong-Un has said the North is at war with South Korea

But the step will boost fears in Washington and among its allies about North Korea's push for nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the US, technology it is not currently believed to have.

The North's leader Kim Jong-Un has been issuing daily war-like threats in recent weeks, including one to launch missile attacks on American targets in the region. He also claims the North is in a "state of war" with South Korea.

Pyongyang conducted its third nuclear test in February, prompting UN sanctions that have angered its leaders and led to the current tensions.

The country has since declared that making nuclear arms and a stronger economy are the nation's top priorities.

The country added the 5 MW graphite-moderated Yongbyon reactor to its nuclear complex in 1986 after seven years of construction, adding the operation is aimed at generating electricity.

It takes about 8,000 fuel rods to run the reactor. Reprocessing the spent fuel rods after a year of reactor operation could yield about seven kilogrammes of plutonium - enough to make at least one nuclear bomb, experts say.

North Korea began building a 50 MW and a 200 MW reactor in 1984, but their construction was suspended under a 1994 nuclear deal with Washington.

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Windermere Lake Deaths: Woman And Girl Die

A 36-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl have died and a man is being treated in hospital after they suffered breathing difficulties on a boat.

The alarm was raised at around 4pm when Cumbria Police and an ambulance were called to a private vessel at a jetty on Lake Windermere in the Lake District.

The woman and young girl, both from the Leyland area of Lancashire, were treated at the scene and then airlifted to Royal Lancaster Infirmary, where both later died.

The man, who was also on the boat near Bowness, was taken to the same hospital where he is still receiving treatment, Cumbria Police said.

Officers said they were unable to confirm reports that the deaths were the result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

A Cumbria Police spokeswoman said: "(We) can confirm that at approximately 4pm today (Monday), they attended an incident at Lake Windermere, where it was reported that three people on a private boat on Lake Windermere were having serious breathing difficulties.

"Police attended along with an ambulance crew.

"A 36-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl, both from the Leyland area, were treated at the scene and then airlifted to Royal Lancaster Infirmary. Unfortunately both have since tragically died.

"A man, who was also on the boat, is still receiving treatment at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary."

The spokeswoman continued: "Police are currently investigating the circumstances of this tragic incident and trying to establish the full facts about what has happened. The coroner has been informed."

The incident was witnessed by businessman and star of the television programme The Dragon's Den, Duncan Bannatyne, who posted a photograph of the scene on Twitter, saying: "Tragic accident over there I am afraid."

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Welfare Reforms 'Will Make Benefits Fairer'

The Government is beginning the biggest shake-up in the history of the Welfare State with the introduction of a raft of reforms which it says will make the benefits system "fairer".

Chancellor George Osborne and Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith have dismissed criticism that they say make the shake-up sound like "the beginning of the end of the world".

They launched their fightback as 660,000 social housing tenants with a spare room began to lose an average £14 a week in what critics have dubbed a "bedroom tax".

It is part of a package of welfare and tax changes coming into force this month which critics claim will hit poor families and the disabled especially hard.

Changes to council tax benefit will see bills for an estimated 2.4 million households rise an average £138 a year with two million paying for the first time, an anti-poverty group said.

The system has been handed to town halls to operate from today but with 10% less funding.

On April 6, working-age benefits and tax credits will be cut in real terms with the first of three years of maximum 1% rises - well below the present rate of inflation.

On April 8, disability living allowance begins to be replaced by the personal independence payment (PIP), which charities say will remove support from many in real need.

And later in the month, trials begin in four London boroughs of a £500-a-week cap on any household's benefits and of the new Universal Credit system.

George Osborne says the benefits system will now be 'fairer' for all

Pilots for the flagship scheme have been scaled back amid reports - denied by welfare officials - that IT problems have derailed preparations for its rollout from October.

Labour claims the impact of the measures and other coalition policies have left the average family almost £900 a year worse off.

A coalition of churches has said vulnerable people are paying a "disproportionate price" for the Government's austerity drive and attacked its whole approach.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph on Monday, Mr Osborne and Mr Duncan Smith said: "Our changes will ensure that the welfare state offers the right help to those who need it, and is fair to those who pay for it."

Ending what ministers call a "spare room subsidy" will address the "scandal" of a million people living in overcrowded conditions and millions more on waiting lists, they said.

The three-year, real-terms cut was a hard but "necessary" decision to save the taxpayer £2bn a year as part of austerity deficit-reduction measures, they wrote.

And raising the personal income tax allowance to £10,000 in two phases starting at the start of the financial year on Saturday was "the biggest tax cut in a generation".

"What we're doing this coming week is making welfare fairer, helping to create jobs, and making sure you can keep more of what you earn."

Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps has faced scorn after using the fact that his own two sons shared a room in justifying the "common sense" spare room crackdown.

Mr Shapps has defended his plans for children to share bedrooms

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Shapps said: "It is wrong to leave people out in the cold with effectively no roof over their heads because the taxpayer is paying for rooms which aren't in use.

"It's just a common-sense reform which in the end will help house more people. People share rooms quite commonly - my boys share a room."

Sky's political correspondent Sophy Ridge said his comments provoked jibes and criticism from Labour MPs and others on Twitter.

"The problem is the debate over welfare has become so politically charged, emotional even, that some Labour MPs are saying it is not appropriate for Mr Shapps, who is a millionaire, to compare themselves with people on low paid jobs for instance," she said.

Labour said freedom of information responses showed local councils had sufficient one and two-bedroom properties to house only one in 20 of those families with spare rooms.

Responses from 37 authorities across Britain revealed 96,041 households faced losing benefit but there were only 3,688 smaller homes available.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said: "These shocking new figures reveal the big lie behind this Government's cruel bedroom tax.

"They say it's not a tax but 96% of people have nowhere to move to. In the same week that millionaires get a huge tax cut, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people will be hit by a vicious tax they can't escape.

"This wicked bedroom tax is going to rip neighbour from neighbour, force vulnerable people to food banks and loan sharks, and end up costing Britain more than it saves as tenants are forced to go homeless or move into the expensive private rented sector."

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David Miliband Quits Sunderland Over Di Canio

South Shields MP David Miliband has resigned as Sunderland FC vice-chairman over the appointment of new manager Paolo Di Canio.

The former foreign secretary, who was also a non-executive director of the club, said he had made the decision due to the Italian's "past political statements".

In a statement on his website, he said: "I wish Sunderland AFC all success in the future. It is a great institution that does a huge amount for the North East and I wish the team very well over the next vital seven games.

"However, in the light of the new manager's past political statements, I think it right to step down."

Di Canio is a controversial figure who has previously admitted to being a fascist and has been photographed several times making a so-called Roman salute while playing for Italian club Lazio.

After making the salute against Livorno he received a one match ban and a several thousand euro fine.

In 2005, he told the Italian news agency ANSA: "I am a fascist, not a racist."

When he joined Swindon Town in 2011, the GMB union reportedly cut its sponsorship deal with the club in protest over Di Canio's views.

The 44-year-old joined Sunderland on a two-and-a-half year deal on Sunday after Martin O'Neill was sacked by the struggling Premier League side.

He left Swindon Town in February, having guided them to promotion from League Two in his first managerial role.

Sunderland's American chairman Ellis Short said: "Paolo is hugely enthused by the challenge that lies ahead of him. He is passionate, driven and raring to get started.

"The sole focus of everyone for the next seven games will be to ensure we gain enough points to maintain our top-flight status. I think that the chances of that are greatly increased with Paolo joining us."

Mr Miliband recently announced he would be leaving British politics to take up a job with a charity in New York, saying it was the right move to allow the Labour party to progress under the leadership of his brother Ed.

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Plebgate: Mitchell's Scotland Yard Complaint

Ex-cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell has lodged a formal complaint against Scotland Yard over the apparent leaking of its report into the "Plebgate" affair.

The senior Tory MP has written to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) accusing the Metropolitan Police of a continued campaign to "destroy" his career.

Mr Mitchell took the action after newspaper reports suggested a police file passed to the Crown Prosecution Service contained no evidence that officers lied about his behaviour.

He strongly denies calling officers "plebs" during an altercation over their refusal to allow him to ride his bike through the Downing Street gates last year.

And the politician - who quit as chief whip amid the storm over the incident - claims he is the victim of a conspiracy by officers to "toxify" the Tories and blacken his name.

In a letter to IPCC deputy chairman Deborah Glass, he wrote: "We are deeply dismayed that the Metropolitan Police appear to have leaked part of their Report prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to certain members of the Press and spun it to the advantage of the Police officers involved.

"This was an Enquiry into a dishonest and illicit attempt to blacken my name and destroy my career. It would appear that this police enquiry continues precisely that process."

Keith Vaz, Labour chairman of the Commons home affairs committee, said the latest development showed it was wrong for Scotland Yard to lead the inquiry into its own officers and called for the whole investigation to be taken over by the IPCC.

Scotland Yard is trying to find out how the Sun and Daily Telegraph obtained information about the "Plebgate" row and if it came from police.

It is also looking at a police officer's claim to have witnessed the altercation and allegations by Mr Mitchell that police had lied in a log of the event.

Three officers from the Diplomatic Protection Group have so far been arrested as part of the investigation. All three remain suspended.

Some 30 detectives have taken statements from all 800 officers in the DPG, which is tasked with protecting government officials.

Papers related to the case were passed to prosecutors on Thursday, but the CPS said it was not "a full file of evidence" and that is expected more.

"We now await the conclusion of the police investigation before considering charges," it said in what was seen as a rebuke to the force.

A number of newspapers subsequently reported sources as saying the file did not contain any evidence to back Mr Mitchell's claim of a conspiracy by officers.

Mr Vaz said the committee had argued from the start that Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe was wrong to allow Scotland Yard to conduct the investigation.

Britain's most senior police officer promised a "ruthless" investigation into the alleged conspiracy "no matter where the truth takes us".

It is being supervised by the IPCC and the commissioner invited the Greater Manchester force to provide an external review.

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Benefits Shake-Up 'To Cost Families Hundreds'

By Tadhg Enright, Sky Reporter

Changes to the welfare system will cost the average family £891 over the next year, according to research by Labour and the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

The Conservatives have responded by saying the biggest shake-up of the welfare state in history has already had an effect with a third of those claiming incapacity benefit giving it up to avoid a medical to prove their entitlement.

From Monday, millions of low income families will see an increase in their council tax bills.

The so-called bedroom tax will see extra charges levied on council house tenants with more bedrooms than they need.

And from next Saturday, the annual increase in tax credits and other working-age benefits will be cut to just 1%, well below the rate of inflation.

The personal income tax allowance for those aged under 65 will rise to £9,440 but the higher rate threshold will fall to £41,450.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls says millions of families will lose out

The top rate of income tax will also fall from 50p to 45p which Labour claims will shave £100,000 off the annual tax bills of 13,000 people who earn more than £1m a year.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said: "These shocking figures show the huge hit millions of families are facing at the very same time as David Cameron and George Osborne are giving millionaires an average £100,000 tax cut.

"And while Ministers trumpet the small rise in the income tax personal allowance, they should admit that it is hugely outweighed by things like cuts to tax credits and child benefit, higher VAT, the bedroom tax and the granny tax.

"They are giving with one hand, but taking away much more with the other."

Mum-of-two Emma Kingsbury is one of 660,000 council house tenants who will have to pay the so-called "bedroom tax" because she only needs two of the three bedrooms in her home,

She told Sky News: "I've only ever needed two bedrooms and now, after placing us in this three bedroom when I didn't need or ask for it, they want us to pay for this room that we rarely use."

The bedroom tax will cost Emma and her boys £15 a week.

The 'bedroom tax' has prompted a number of protests

"The boys will have to stop some of their extra curricular activities, outings for Easter," she said.

"They haven't given anybody any time to try and downsize. I've had a month."

The Government insists it is vital to break the cycle of dependency on benefits and has claimed that welfare reforms have already succeeded in reducing spurious claims.

Out of 1.44 million medical assessments carried out on claimants of incapacity benefit, 837,000 were found to be fit enough to return to work.

A further 878,300 chose to give up their benefit instead of facing a medical to prove their entitlement.

Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps said: "Welfare makes up a third of this country's spending - so it's our job to make sure it's getting to the people who really need it.

"Our reforms are about freeing people from a system of dependency that's trapped them and their families for decades - and people are getting back into work as a result.

"These figures demonstrate how the welfare system was broken under Labour and why our reforms are so important."

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Lord Carey Attacks David Cameron On Religion

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister David Cameron.

In an article for the Daily Mail, Lord Carey says many Christians doubt the PM's "sincerity" when he pledges to protect their religious freedoms and accuses ministers of "aiding and abetting" discrimination against believers.

He points to Government plans to legalise gay marriage as evidence of an "aggressive secularist and relativist approach" and argues that Mr Cameron has fed Christian "anxieties" more than "any other recent political leader".

Lord Carey also says a new poll suggesting that more than two-thirds of Christians feel they are now part of a "persecuted minority" shows the Government must do more to demonstrate its commitment to stand up for faith.

The ComRes poll commissioned by the Coalition for Marriage also found more than half of Christians who backed the Conservatives in 2010 say they will "definitely not" vote for the party in 2015.

Lord Carey expresses alarm about Labour MP Chris Bryant's campaign to turn the 700-year-old Parliamentary chapel of St Mary Undercroft into a multi-faith prayer room so that gay couples can get married there.

Lord Carey slammed Chris Bryant's campaign for gay marriages in Parliament

But he also directly calls into question the Prime Minister's actions, saying: "I like David Cameron and believe he is genuinely sincere in his desire to make Britain a generous nation where we care for one another and where people of faith may exercise their beliefs fully.

"But it was a bit rich to hear that the Prime Minister has told religious leaders that they should 'stand up and oppose aggressive secularisation' when it seems that his Government is aiding and abetting this aggression every step of the way.

"At his pre-Easter Downing Street reception for faith leaders, he said that he supported Christians' right to practise their faith. Yet many Christians doubt his sincerity.

"According to a new ComRes poll more than two thirds of Christians feel that they are part of a 'persecuted minority'. Their fears may be exaggerated because few in the UK are actually persecuted, but the Prime Minister has done more than any other recent political leader to feed these anxieties.

"He seems to have forgotten in spite of his oft-repeated support for the right of Christians to wear the cross, that lawyers acting for the coalition argued only months ago in the Strasbourg court that those sacked for wearing a cross against their employer's wishes should simply get another job."

The new poll suggests continuing resentment over legalising same-sex unions, even though there is special protection for the Church of England in the law, and Lord Carey's successor Justin Welby has softened the Church's stance on the issue.

Two thirds of those polled said they believed allowing same sex unions was an attempt to make the Conservative Party look trendy.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has vowed to protect religion

The poll comes after a series of controversial cases between Christians and employers over their rights to express their faith in the workplace.

Recent cases include Adrian Smith, a Trafford housing manager who says he was demoted and had his pay docked 40% after questioning the Government's plans for same sex marriage and Reverend Brian Ross who was sacked as the Chaplain of Strathclyde Police, apparently because his support for traditional marriage did not fit with the force's equality and diversity policies.

In another case, graphic designer Jamie Haxby is suing a hotel after claiming he was turned down for a job because he is a Christian.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles insists that unlike New Labour 'we do do God' and has agreed freedom of religion has been undermined.

He has vowed to change the law if necessary to stop people being taken to task for wearing a cross or a rosary, and says council should not try to ban prayers before meetings.

But the march of secularism means Britain will no longer be a Christian country within just 20 years, according to official research by the House of Commons library.

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