Man Dies Making Documentary About Homeless

A young documentary maker has been found dead while sleeping rough in freezing temperatures to highlight the plight of the homeless.

Lee Halpin, 26, had planned to spend a week living on the streets in his home city of Newcastle.

He began the project on Sunday but was apparently found dead three days later in a derelict building in the West End of the city.

How he died has not yet been confirmed but it is believed he may have died from hypothermia.

Speaking earlier on a YouTube video, he said the project was part of an application for an investigative journalism course to give an example of fearless reporting.

He said he had spoken to a homeless charity about the rise in the number of people on the streets and the possible repercussions of the bedroom tax.

"I'm about to go and spend a week being homeless in the West End of Newcastle.

"I will sleep rough for a week, scrounge for my food, access the services that other homeless individuals use," he said.

"I will interact with as many homeless people as possible and immerse myself in that lifestyle as deeply as I can."

He concluded the video by saying he hoped it showed his willingness to get to the heart of a story.

Mr Halpin's friend Daniel Lake told the Evening Chronicle: "No-one knows how he passed away, but we think it could have been hypothermia.

"He made the ultimate sacrifice trying to raise awareness about what was happening to other people."

A statement from Northumbria Police said: "Officers have arrested two men aged 26 and 30 on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug. They have been bailed pending further enquiries. A report is being prepared for the coroner into the death of the man."

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India: British Woman Found Dead In Kashmir

A Dutchman has been detained after a 24-year-old British woman was found murdered on a houseboat in Indian-administered Kashmir, police have confirmed.

The woman had allegedly been stabbed to death on a houseboat on Srinagar's Dal Lake, a popular tourist destination.

Kashmir Inspector General of Police Abdul Ghani Mir said the man was picked up as he tried to flee the valley with only his passport.

He said: "A 24-year-old British national was found murdered in a local houseboat this morning. A Dutch national, De Wit Richard, has been detained for investigations in this connection.

The woman's body was found at Dal Lake, a popular tourist destination

"While preliminary investigation has confirmed that the woman was murdered, we are investigating other angles. Forensic evidence is being collected.

"The Dutch national had fled from the houseboat in the night, leaving behind his belongings. He was trying to flee from the Valley, carrying only his passport. We flashed an alert for his arrest."

The man was held at Qazigund in south Kashmir's Anantag district, around 100km (62miles) from the lake where the woman's body was found.

Police and onlookers have gathered near the scene of the murder

Speaking near the murder scene, Deputy Inspector General of Police for central Kashmir Syed Afadul Mujtiba said: "There is one houseboat over here in which there were two tourists living.

"One tourist was there for about one month. She has been living here, an English tourist, and a Dutch tourist arrived two days ago, and now today in the morning the dead body of the female tourist has been found with incision wounds, sharp-edged weapon wounds, and the Dutch tourist has tried to escape.

"It appears that he has murdered this female tourist."

Sky's India correspondent Alex Rossi said: "Police say preliminary investigations have confirmed that this woman was murdered, but they are investigating other angles.

"Forensic evidence is being collected and the Dutch national is being questioned."

The Foreign Office says it is in touch with local authorities and the victim's family have been informed.

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HMV Rescue: Hilco Deal To Save Jobs And Shops

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

HMV, Britain's last remaining independent music retail chain, is on the verge of being rescued in a £50m deal that will preserve 2,500 jobs.

Hilco, the specialist restructuring firm, is poised to sign a binding agreement to secure HMV's future following weeks of speculation that the chain and its historic logo could disappear from high streets.

The deal, which could be announced as early as this morning, will involve HMV emerging from administration, backed by a new company incorporated in the UK.

Hilco will acquire roughly 130 HMV-branded stores, and all nine of the outlets which operate under the cut-price music brand Fopp.

People close to the talks said an agreement was likely to be struck later although it could yet be delayed.

Hilco has been the frontrunner to become the new owner of HMV since soon after Deloitte was appointed as administrator at the end of January. Initially brought in to manage the retailer's business alongside Deloitte, the restructuring firm acquired HMV's debts just days later.

The chain is expected to be run by a combination of incumbent HMV and newly-appointed Hilco executives.

Major music companies and film studios, anxious to retain a major distribution channel on Britain's high streets, are understood to have agreed to new supply terms with HMV and have given their blessing to the deal. HMV's landlords, confronted with the prospect of scores more vacant shops, are also understood to be supportive.

Some of the shops being taken on by Hilco had been earmarked for closure by Deloitte, so the final redundancy toll from HMV's restructuring was unclear. Prior to falling into administration, HMV had 230 shops in the UK.

Hilco, which has successfully turned around the performance of HMV's Canadian business since buying it two years ago, also has plans to re-establish the brand in Ireland by reopening a store on Dublin's Henry Street.

HMV's 16 Irish outlets, including the famous Grafton Street shop that has hosted gigs by the likes of U2, were closed in January.

Since the turn of the year, thousands of jobs have disappeared from Britain's high streets as prominent chains including Blockbuster UK, Republic and Jessops have been forced to call in administrators.

Some have been reborn in truncated form, with Jessops acquired by the Dragons' Den entrepreneur Peter Jones and Republic taken over by Mike Ashley, the Sports Direct tycoon.

Trevor Moore, who had a brief stint running HMV before its collapse into administration, had hoped to put together a bid for the company but was made redundant in February.

Among the other suitors which looked at bidding for HMV were Asda, the supermarket chain, and Jon Moulton, the private equity veteran.

HMV had been struggling for several years, pinned down under a debt mountain that vastly outweighed its stock market value. Caught between the dual pressures of fast-growing competition from digital rivals and waning consumer confidence, the company had shed some of its most prized assets, including Waterstones, the books retailer.

Hilco has had a mixed track record investing in other British retailers, having bought assets from chains including Allied Carpets, Ethel Austin and Woolworths.

Neither Deloitte nor Hilco could be reached for comment.

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North Korea Moves Second Missile To East

By Mark Stone, on the South Korea border

North Korea has now moved two missiles to its east coast, loading them on mobile launchers, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.

The agency cited a top government official.

"It has been confirmed that North Korea, early this week, transported two Musudan mid-range missiles by train to the east coast and loaded them on vehicles equipped with launch pads," Yonhap quoted the official as saying.

Seoul said earlier it had been seeking urgent information on the first Korean missile that had been moved to the east coast.

Intelligence officials from Washington, Tokyo and Seoul are monitoring the movement of the weapon.

The Musudan missile is a mid-range weapon, meaning it is capable of reaching South Korea and Japan and perhaps also the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

"The range is between 3,000 to 4,000km. There are major US military forces in Guam and a fixed number of troops to deal with the Korean peninsula, so I think these facts can reduce the possible danger there," Kim Min-seok, South Korea's Defence Ministry spokesman, said.

Speaking to Sky News, a security advisor to the South Korean government said there is no doubt that Pyongyang's capability is concerning.

"The technological level of North Korean weapons has become much improved and better - especially their missile capability and their long-range artilleries," Kim Byungki said.

"It is more uncertain, it is less predictable, there are more ways for them to destabilise us and there are more ways for us to respond ... so it is more complex."

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said daily reports from Pyongyang were "really alarming and troubling" and urged North Korea to ease tensions.

"Nuclear threat is not a game, it is very serious," he said, adding that any misjudgement or miscalculation could have "very serious implications".

North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-Un has escalated his rhetoric

America says it is taking "all necessary precautions" to respond to the daily threats from the North Korean leadership.

President Barack Obama's spokesman insisted the US government was taking the threat extremely seriously.

"What we're seeing now is a familiar pattern of behaviour," Jay Carney said.

"Regrettable but familiar."

The Musudan, which is manoeuvrable on the back of a specially designed mobile launch pad, is untested but has a potential range of about 1,500-2,500 miles.

Its accuracy is unknown and most experts believe the North Koreans lack the technological ability to mount a nuclear warhead into its tip.

Musudan missiles, pictured here in 2010, are untested

Nevertheless, it can carry a significant load of conventional explosives which could cause considerable damage.

The Musudan does not have anywhere near the ability to reach the US mainland.

It is not clear whether military commanders in North Korea have been given orders to fire the weapon in anger or as a test.

However, given the level of rhetoric delivered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and the number of US and South Korean military assets that are now in the region, the missile would be shot down within minutes of any launch.

The concern is that this could then lead to an uncontrollable escalation in military action by both sides.

More follows...

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Argentina Floods: Dozens Die As Rain Continues

At least 52 people have drowned in their homes and cars, or were electrocuted as floods swamped Buenos Aires.

Thousands have been evacuated from their homes

At least 46 died on Wednesday in and around the city of La Plata. Six deaths were reported a day earlier in Argentina's capital.

Many people climbed onto their roofs in the pouring rain after storm sewers flooded forcing water into houses.

"It started to rain really hard in the evening, and began to flood," Augustina Garcia Orsi, a 25-year-old student, said.

"I panicked. In two seconds I was up to my knees in water. It came up through the drains - I couldn't do anything."

Many claim officials have not done enough

The rains also flooded the country's largest oil refinery, causing a fire that took hours to put out.

The La Plata refinery suspended operations as a result, and Argentina's YPF oil company said an emergency team was evaluating how to get it restarted.

"Such intense rain in so little time has left many people trapped in their cars, in the streets, in some cases electrocuted," Governor Daniel Scioli said.

"We are giving priority to rescuing people who have been stuck in trees or on the roofs of their homes."

The region of Buenos Aires has been worst affected

President Cristina Fernandez visited Tolosa, a La Plata neighbourhood where she grew up and where her mother was among those evacuated.

She announced security measures to combat vandalism, help for identifying the dead, and three days of national mourning for the victims.

At least 2,500 people were evacuated from their homes to about 20 centres in the La Plata area, which is about 37 miles (60km) southeast of Argentina's capital.

The rains are expected to ease later

The flooding threatened to ruin food supplies across La Plata's metropolitan area, which has nearly one million people.

National Planning Minister Julio de Vido estimated that 280,000 people remain without power across the city and surrounding province of Buenos Aires, where most Argentines live.

"Our job is focused on restoring service, but we're going to wait until the equipment dries to guarantee the safety of the electricity workers, because we don't want any deaths," he said.

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North Korea Army: 'War Could Break Out Today'

The North Korean military says it has ratified a "merciless" attack against the United States, potentially involving a "cutting-edge" nuclear strike.

"The moment of explosion is approaching fast," the army said in a statement on state news agency KCNA.

War could break out "today or tomorrow", the statement said, quoting a spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army.

"The merciless operation of (our) revolutionary armed forces in this regard has been finally examined and ratified.

"The US had better ponder over the prevailing grave situation."

The North's rhetoric has been met by a display of US military strength

The North's Committee for Peaceful Reunification of Korea was later quoted by KCNA as threatening to withdraw its 53,000 workers from the joint industrial zone it shares with the South.

Pyongyang informed Seoul on Wednesday that it was stopping the daily movement of South Koreans to the Kaesong complex, the last real surviving point of contact between the two countries.

And the committee said: "If the South Korean puppets and conservative news media keep badmouthing (us), we will order all our workers to pull out from Kaesong."

North Korea's latest pronouncements came as Washington scrambled to reinforce its Pacific defences, preparing to move an advanced missile defence system to the island of Guam.

Mr Hagel said North Korea posed a "real and clear danger"

The land-based weapon, which is primed to shoot down short and medium-range missiles, will be sent to the US territory to defend its bases there.

The Pentagon has already sent bombers, stealth aircraft and ships.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the North had moved a mid-range Musudan missile to its east coast.

The missile is believed to have a range of 1,875 miles (3,000km) or more, which would put all of South Korea and Japan in range and possibly also the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

North Korea is not believed to have tested these missiles, according to most independent experts.

Tensions have been soaring on the Korean peninsula since the North launched a long-range rocket in December and conducted its third nuclear test in February.

A military checkpoint linked to the Kaesong joint industrial complex

North Korea has threatened missile and nuclear strikes against the US and South Korea in response to UN sanctions and joint military drills.

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday that North Korea's "bellicose, dangerous rhetoric" posed a "real and clear danger" to America and its allies South Korea and Japan.

"They have nuclear capacity now, they have missile delivery capacity now," he said.

"We take those threats seriously, we have to take those threats seriously.

"We are doing everything we can, working with the Chinese and others to defuse that situation on the peninsula.

"I hope the North will ratchet its very dangerous rhetoric down."

The tensions surrounding Kaesong - established in 2004 and a crucial source of hard currency for North Korea - carry enormous significance.

Neither of the Koreas has allowed previous crises to significantly affect the complex, which is the only surviving example of inter-Korean cooperation and seen as a bellwether for stability on the Korean peninsula.

China, the North's sole major ally, appealed for "calm" from all sides, repeating Beijing's oft-declared position.

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Derby Fire: Philpotts Face Jail Over Deaths

A couple, who killed their six children in a house fire, are due to be jailed after both were convicted of manslaughter.

Mick and Mairead Philpott triggered the blaze at their Derby home in the early hours of May 11 last year in a bid to frame Lisa Willis, Philpott's former girlfriend.

Philpott was fighting a custody battle with Miss Willis, who had lived with the couple and slept with Philpott on alternate nights while living at the house.

Both women were said to have lived happily with one another for a decade but Miss Willis left Philpott three months before the deadly fire taking her five children, four of whom were fathered by him.

Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, Jayden, five, and Duwayne, 13 - all died as a result of the petrol-fuelled blaze that tore through their three-bed council house in Victory Road.

Jurors at Nottingham Crown Court returned guilty verdicts on manslaughter charges for the pair and co-defendant Paul Mosley, 46, after an eight-week trial.

Many sobbed and hugged one another while Mairead Philpott's sister, Bernadette Duffy, clapped her hands and shouted out: "You murdering b*******.

"You heard me. I told you didn't I?"

Back (L-R) Duwayne and John, Front (L-R) Jack, Jessie, Jade and Jayden

Mick Philpott, 56, stood in the dock staring straight ahead with his hands clasped in front of him as the verdicts were delivered.

He shook his head and his wife looked down at the floor and fought back tears while clutching a tissue in both her hands.

Before leaving the dock Philpott crossed himself and was heard to say: "It's not over yet."

During his evidence he appeared emotional and slumped forward sobbing in the witness box as the court was played the frantic 999 call he and his wife made on the night of the fire.

The trio had planned to get all six children into one bedroom at the back of the house so Philpott could play the hero and rescue them with a ladder stationed in preparation.

Mick Philpott tried to frame his former partner over the blaze

Brothers Jamie and Darren Butler, who live on the same road as the Philpotts, described how the Philpotts did nothing to help rescue their children and stood like "a couple of statues".

Mick Philpott, who was known locally as Shameless Mick for his lifestyle, tried to frame his former partner over the blaze

He had previously told police that Miss Willis was harassing him and had threatened the family.

The fire was far bigger than the trio expected and unemployed Philpott - father of 17 children from five women - climbed up a ladder at the back of the house to discover he was unable to smash a large enough hole in the bedroom window.

Firefighters found the youngsters' lifeless bodies in each of the three upstairs bedrooms.

Yesterday Sky News revealed that Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill of Derbyshire Police suspected Philpott as he watched his reactions during a news conference.

He said that officers had been surprised when Philpott wanted to speak to the media five days after fire.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill's disbelief captured on camera

Mr Cotterill said his misgivings were betrayed in a single photograph, taken as he sat alongside Mick, and his wife Mairead.

He said: "In one particular photograph, what I saw there was a guy who was sat there pretending to cry and I've described it as a bit of a sham of a performance and I didn't believe that he was genuinely overcome by grief.

"I thought he was playing to the cameras."

Mr Cotterill said prior to the press conference Philpott seemed "overly excited by the prospect of going to face the media given what had taken place and given that he had lost six of his children in that fire".

He said that following the conference Philpott had "inappropriately" asked a family liaison officer to marry him and faked a faint.

It was a comment echoed by the mortuary manager at a Derby Royal Hospital, who said that Philpott had pretended to faint when he saw his children's bodies for the first time.

Philpott was keen to play out his 'grief' in front of the media

Marie Smith, said that Philpott also asked for alcohol and engaged in horseplay with a police liaison officer days after the tragedy while bemused staff looked on.

She said that Philpott had apparently fainted and did not respond to her attempts to bring him round until she threatened to call for medical assistance.

She said: "He still didn't respond so I instructed a member of staff to call a doctor for assistance and as soon as I said, he woke up, he recovered very, very quickly ..."

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