Bradley Wiggins Knighted In New Year Honours

By Ian Woods, Senior News Correspondent

Britain's gold rush during the London Olympic and Paralympic Games has led to 78 athletes and coaches being named in the New Year Honours List.

Among the top honours are knighthoods for cyclist Bradley Wiggins and yachtsman Ben Ainslie, while Paralympic cyclist Sarah Storey becomes a Dame.

Dave Brailsford and David Tanner, the Performance Directors who have ensured that Britain now leads the world in cycling and rowing are also rewarded with knighthoods.

Every British athlete who won a gold medal in the Olympics or Paralympics is included in the list unless they have already been honoured in the past.

Heptathlete and face of London 2012 Jessica Ennis is awarded a CBE

So Sir Chris Hoy, who was knighted after the Beijing Games, is omitted from the list despite adding two more gold medals to his career tally of six.

Somali-born middle-distance runner Mo Farah becomes a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his stunning double gold medal performances in the 5,000m and 10,000m.

He joins four other competitors who become CBEs having previously collected the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) - rower Katherine Grainger, cyclist Victoria Pendleton, heptathlete Jessica Ennis and wheelchair athlete David Weir.

David Weir was also given a CBE after winning four gold medals in London

Sir Bradley admitted to having mixed feelings about receiving a knighthood. Born in Kilburn, he is now almost as famous for his sideburns and Mod image as his cycling exploits.

This was the year he became the first Briton to win the Tour De France, and he also won the Olympic Time Trial title and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

He told Sky News: "It's an incredible honour and it's an incredible thing to have. It's still not something that sits incredibly easily with me, I don't think it's something I'm going to use in daily life.

"(It's) an amazing thing to have in the drawer for my wife my kids and my family. It's topped the year off really."

Dame Sarah Storey first won Paralympic gold as a swimmer, and achieved even greater success when she switched to cycling.

A birth defect means she does not have a left hand, but she also competes against able-bodied cyclists and was pushing for a place in the Olympic squad.

Ben Ainslie was also knighted after winning four gold medals

"I really hope that everybody who's been connected to what I've done feels a part of what has happened," she told Sky News.

"To be honoured in this way - the top gong as you might say - you never even imagine or dream of it. It's just beyond your wildest dreams."

Her boss, Dave Brailsford, becomes Sir Dave after overseeing not just the Olympic triumphs, but the rise of Team Sky as a professional road racing team. Like Sir Bradley he is struggling to adjust to the adulation.

He said: "[It feels] very strange. On the one hand you feel proud and honoured, on the other hand it feels quite humbling really.

Swimmer Ellie Simmonds gets an OBE, while Sarah Storey becomes a dame

"It's a recognition for everything that's happened in cycling over a period of time. I'm the lucky one who gets recognised."

Jessica Ennis CBE told Sky News: "It sounds very surreal. It's such an honour.

"When you get involved in sport, and when I started, it certainly wasn't something that I ever thought of, so to now be in this position at 26 and be receiving a CBE is such an honour."

Cyclists Jason Kenny and his girlfriend Laura Trott end 2012 sharing four gold medals and two OBEs (Officer of the Order of the British Empire).

Andy Murray gets one not just for his Olympic victory, but also for winning the US Open.

Andy Murray caps his Olympic gold and US Open title with an OBE

Olympic rower Katherine Grainger, double equestrian gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin and paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds and paralympic horsewoman Sophie Christiansen add OBEs to the MBE's they collected following winning performances in the 2008 Beijing Games.

Christiansen told Sky News: "As athletes we work towards getting gold medals but this is the icing on the cake to be recognised."

Lord Coe, the mastermind of the Games, becomes a companion of honour, but one notable absentee from the list is film director Danny Boyle, the creator of the opening ceremony.

He appears to be one of the minority who for various reasons decline to be honoured.

London 2012 mastermind Lord Coe becomes a companion of honour

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Abducted Atiya Back With 'Overwhelmed' Mum

Atiya Anjum-Wilkinson is back with her mother in Greater Manchester three years after being abducted by her father and taken to Pakistan.

The six-year-old flew into Manchester Airport on Friday night on a Pakistan International Airlines flight from Islamabad accompanied by her uncle.

Speaking after seeing her daughter for the first time since 2009, Gemma Wilkinson said she was "absolutely overwhelmed".

She said: "We've literally gone from now knowing where Atiya is, to then finding out that we do know where Atiya is, to receiving pictures of Atiya and how she looks now, and then to Atiya's coming home and now she's here.

"It's been an absolute whirlwind. It's more than I could ever imagine or hope for."

Sky Correspondent Frazer Maude, in Manchester, said: "It is going to be a very difficult period of readjustment that could take some time.

"She has spent three years now living in Pakistan with her extended family we believe and she will be returning here to try and relearn a Western way of life.

"These must be very difficult times for her mother as well, the uncertainty as to what reaction she is going to get from her daughter, whether her daughter will even speak the same language when she arrives."

Atiya vanished in 2009 after she was taken to Pakistan by her father

MEP Sajjad Karim, who contacted Pakistan authorities to try and track down Atiya, told Sky News he wished he had known about the case earlier.

He said: "There is nothing that I have done now, that I couldn't have done three and a half years ago."

Mr Karim added that Atiya was located on Christmas Eve and authorities were able to show up-to-date pictures of her to Ms Wilkinson on Christmas Day.

No money changed hands in getting her back, he said.

Atiya vanished in November 2009 after going to stay with her father, Razwan Ali Anjum.

The former insurance salesman said he was taking her to Southport.

Instead he took her to Lahore, Pakistan and told Ms Wilkinson she was "never going to see Atiya again", courts have heard.

Anjum is serving a prison sentence in Britain for refusing to reveal his daughter's whereabouts despite a court order.

Ms Wilkinson's "on-off" relationship with Anjum ended in 2008.

Anjum was handed a fourth consecutive jail term by a High Court judge in April after he refused to say where his daughter was.

Mr Justice Moor imposed a 12-month sentence after he found him in contempt of a High Court order instructing him to disclose Atiya's whereabouts.

He said Anjum, in his late 20s, would not be eligible for release until he had served at least six months. He had previously been given one two-year and two 12-month sentences.

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Weather: Downpours To Bring Yet More Flooding

Large parts of Britain are braced for yet more flooding with heavy rain forecast on Friday and Saturday.

Just under two inches of rain are needed by Monday for 2012 to be the wettest year on record for the UK overall.

A new record has already been set for England with 43.1in of rain falling between January 1 and Boxing Day, the Met Office said.

The Environment Agency (EA) said that the west of the UK should prepare to take the brunt of more wet weather, with many areas still saturated with water from before Christmas, when floods forced many to flee their homes.

The Thames Barrier was closed to keep the high tide out of London

Heavy rain in the north and west on Friday will increase the risk of flooding, while more downpours are forecast on Saturday.

"The weather is set to remain unsettled into the weekend. With the ground still very wet, and river levels running high, any rain is likely to increase the risk of flooding," an EA spokesman said.

"There is also an ongoing risk of flooding from groundwater, particularly in Dorset, and some larger rivers like the Thames and Severn are still rising as they slowly respond to the recent downpours.

"As a result, we may see further flooding of low-lying land, such as flood plains and low-lying roads as the peak in river levels moves downstream."

A car drives down a flooded road between Sonning and Playhatch in Berkshire

There are 82 flood warning and 182 less-serious flood alerts in place, focused on the Midlands, south west and south east.

The recent heavy rain, coupled with late-running engineering work and other problems, meant a miserable return to work for rail travellers on Thursday.

First Great Western said the main line in the South West, which has been closed since before Christmas because of flooding between Exeter St Davids and Tiverton, is expected to reopen on Saturday.

The Thames Barrier was also raised on Thursday morning to keep the high tide out of London and reduce the risk of flooding.

It reopened later in the day, but was closed again from 10.15pm through to 3am.

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Norfolk Car Crash: Two Young Girls Killed

Two girls aged seven and 10 have been killed and three other people injured after a car crash in Norfolk, police have said.

The children were in a car along with two adults and another child which crashed on the A47 near Wisbech at 6.40pm, according to Norfolk Police.

All five occupants of the black Ford Focus were taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, where the girls died from their injuries.

The crash happened on the A47 near Wisbech at 6.40pm on Thursday

The other three occupants of the car remain in hospital, although police said their injuries are not believed to be serious.

A Norfolk Police spokesman said: "The incident happened on the A47 at approximately 6.40pm when a black Ford Focus left the road, ending up on its side at the edge of a ditch.

"Five people were travelling in the car, two adults and three children, who were all taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn.

"Sadly, two girls aged seven and 10 died in hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the collision."

The road was closed in both directions for several hours at the scene of the accident - close to the Norfolk border with Cambridgeshire - before reopening just before 10.30pm.

A police spokesman said officers were continuing to investigate how the vehicle came to leave the road and asked for witnesses to the crash to come forward.

The accident comes two days after two young brother were killed in a Christmas Day motorway crash.

Adnan Habib, 10, and four-year-old Arsalaan were killed when the car they were in - also a Ford Focus - crashed on the M6.

In a statement their family said: "Adnan and Arsalaan were our family's precious jewels, spreading joy wherever they went. They were happy and joyous boys who were a central part of the family, always smiling and bringing smiles to everyone they met."

Their 32-year-old aunt, Bushra Tazarib, also died in the crash which happened close to junction 15, near Stoke-on-Trent, at about 11.25am.

Two other women were travelling in the car, including the boys' mother, who was driving at the time of the crash. Both were taken to hospital but discharged on Boxing Day after treatment.

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Knife Crime: Funding To Tackle Youth Violence

By Niall Paterson, Sky News Correspondent

The government has announced extra cash to help tackle youth violence and gun crime.

Half a million pounds will be given to the voluntary sector, charities and other organisations working directly with young people at risk of becoming violent offenders and those already involved in knife and gun crime.

In addition, the Home Office intends to expand the "priority areas" in which its Ending Gang and Youth Violence frontline team works from 29 to 33.

Home Secretary Theresa May said: "Serious youth violence has a devastating impact on communities and needs to be stopped.

"We need to change the life-stories of the young people who too often end up dead or seriously injured on our streets or are sucked into a life of violence and crime.

"This package of support will help police protect communities as well as boost the innovative work being done at a local level by charities and voluntary groups to provide vulnerable youngsters with a way out."

The Home Office has already committed £18m to help police, local agencies and the voluntary sector tackle gangs and youth crime in 2013.

Gang involvement and knife crime are commonly linked to social deprivation and poor upbringing.

Figures from the Metropolitan Police show that as much as 60% of knife crime attacks are gang-related.

Home Office Minister Jeremy Browne told Sky News: "The consequences of knife crime are often devastating and when knife crime does take place it rightly worries people a huge amount and there is a clear link between knife crime and gang membership."

Yet critics of the government's approach suggest that until the London riots of 2011 too much emphasis had been placed on criminal justice, and how courts would deal with offenders after crimes had been committed.

The government's Ending Gang and Youth Violence report, published in November 2011, suggested far greater emphasis on utilising the experience of the voluntary sector.

But one youth worker and former gang member, Sheldon Thomas, told Sky that the sums of money being discussed were too small to have any real effect.

He said: "There are many deprived communities up and down this country that are in need of sufficient resources.

"Those resources are being shipped out into foreign wars...to the normal Joe public I don't think they matter. I think what matters is what's happening next door."

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Child Abuse: New Database Of Medical Visits

By Liz Lane, Sky News Reporter

A national database is being introduced in hospitals to flag up potential vulnerable children to nurses and doctors.

It is in order to prevent cases similar to that of Baby Peter Connelly in which health and social service workers repeatedly failed to pick up on signs that the toddler was being abused.

Social services failed to detect signs that Baby P was being abused

He died of multiple injuries in August 2007.

Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter is behind the system and said: "For many years there's been a problem of getting joined-up and co-ordinated information to front-line healthcare professionals about children that may be potentially at risk from abuse."

Under the system, a flag will appear on the child's medical record at any hospital they attend if they have already been identified by a local authority as being at risk, or if they have frequently been taken to accident and emergency departments.

Currently, this sort of information is not shared between hospitals up and down the country.

Dr Simon Eccles, of Homerton Hospital in east London, believes it will help doctors make better judgements.

"Spotting those characteristic injury patterns that tell you a child has been abused is one thing," he said, "but what's much harder is the child whose injuries are completely understandable but actually have just been happening too often."

Lauren Matthews, whose nine-year-old son Leo has been in hospital recently, told Sky News she has her concerns: "Two weeks ago we had to take him to hospital because his friend closed his hand in the door. And then yesterday we had to come into hospital again because he had an asthma attack, so in certain situations it could be taken out of context."

Doctors say the system will only deal in facts and they will objectively assess each case.

Work will begin on it in early 2013 and it will start to be introduced to NHS hospitals in 2015.

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Queen And Royals Attend Christmas Day Service

Transcript Of The Queen's Broadcast

Updated: 4:35pm UK, Tuesday 25 December 2012

This past year has been one of great celebration for many. The enthusiasm which greeted the Diamond Jubilee was, of course, especially memorable for me and my family.

It was humbling that so many chose to mark the anniversary of a duty which passed to me 60 years ago. People of all ages took the trouble to take part in various ways and in many nations.

But perhaps most striking of all was to witness the strength of fellowship and friendship among those who had gathered
together on these occasions.

Prince Philip and I were joined by our family on the River Thames as we paid tribute to those who have shaped the United Kingdom's past and future as a maritime nation, and welcomed a wonderful array of craft, large and small, from across the Commonwealth.

On the barges and the bridges and the banks of the river there were people who had taken their places to cheer through the mist, undaunted by the rain.

That day there was a tremendous sense of common determination to celebrate, triumphing over the elements.

That same spirit was also in evidence from the moment the Olympic flame arrived on these shores.

The flame itself drew hundreds and thousands of people on its journey around the British Isles, and was carried by every kind of deserving individual, many nominated for their own extraordinary service.

As London hosted a splendid summer of sport, all those who saw the achievement and courage at the Olympic and Paralympic Games were further inspired by the skill, dedication, training and teamwork of our athletes.

In pursuing their own sporting goals, they gave the rest of us the opportunity to share something of the excitement and drama.

We were reminded, too, that the success of these great festivals depended to an enormous degree upon the dedication and effort of an army of volunteers.

Those public-spirited people came forward in the great tradition of all those who devote themselves to keeping others safe, supported and comforted.

For many, Christmas is also a time for coming together. But for others, service will come first. Those serving in our armed forces, in our emergency services and in our hospitals, whose sense of duty takes them away from family and friends, will be missing those they love.

And those who have lost loved ones may find this day especially full of memories. That's why it's important at this time of year to reach out beyond our familiar relationships to think of those who are on their own.

At Christmas I am always struck by how the spirit of togetherness lies also at the heart of the Christmas story. A young mother and a dutiful father with their baby were joined by poor shepherds and visitors from afar. They came with their gifts to worship the Christ child. From that day on he has inspired people to commit themselves to the best interests of others.

This is the time of year when we remember that God sent his only son 'to serve, not to be served'. He restored love and service to the centre of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ.

It is my prayer this Christmas Day that his example and teaching will continue to bring people together to give the best of themselves in the service of others.

The carol, In The Bleak Midwinter, ends by asking a question of all of us who know the Christmas story, of how God gave himself to us in humble service: 'What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; if I were a wise man, I would do my part'. The carol gives the answer 'Yet what I can I give him - give my heart'.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas.

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M6 Car Crash Killed Two Young Brothers

Two victims of the three people killed after a car flipped over on the M6 motorway on Christmas Day were brothers, aged four and 10.

The third victim of the accident on a busy stretch of the motorway in Staffordshire was a 32-year-old woman.

The boys' mother, who was believed to have been driving the car, and another female passenger remain in a stable condition at University Hospital North Staffordshire.

Staffordshire Police said the crash happened on the northbound carriageway of the M6 near junction 15 at around 11.25am.

Chief Superintendent Martin Evans said: "Colleagues from the emergency services have worked seamlessly throughout the day in these very sad and exceptionally difficult circumstances.

"Unfortunately the outcome is extremely tragic and our thoughts are with the family of those who have died."

The motorway was closed in both directions following the accident, which included a red Ford Focus, but has now reopened.

The accident occurred on the M6 between junctions 14 and 15

A West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) spokesman said: "Crews arrived to find a single vehicle that had crashed and overturned.

"Two children and an adult that were travelling in the vehicle suffered serious injuries.

"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of ambulance crews, nothing could be done to save the two boys and one woman, and they were confirmed dead at the scene.

In a separate accident on the M6, four adults and three young children were injured on the southbound carriageway, near Corley Services, at around 7pm on Christmas Day.

A WMAS spokesman said two cars were substantially damaged and it was fortunate nobody was more seriously injured.

Earlier on Christmas Day, Ann Mary Goodrich, 57, and her husband Paul John Goodrich, 56, from Hampshire, died following the collision on the B3349 Odiham Road at Heckfield Heath, near Basingstoke.

A 29-year-old man from Farnborough, believed to be the driver of the other vehicle involved, received medical attention at the scene before being taken to hospital with serious injuries.

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Floods: UK To Remain On Alert For Another Week

Showers could bring more flooding woes for parts of rain-battered Britain this Christmas.

Hundreds of homes and businesses have been swamped with floodwaters as winter rain continues to fall across saturated land.

The Environment Agency (EA) said widespread showers meant many places remain on flood alert despite the persistent heavy rain being expected to ease off by the end of Christmas Day.

An EA spokeswoman said: "While the worse of the weather is behind us, the risk of flooding continues with rain falling on already saturated ground.

"As a result, flood warnings and alerts will remain in place for much of the week ahead.

Railway engineers check inflatable dams on the railway line near Exeter

"This is because river levels remain high and sensitive to further rain fall."

The rivers Severn, Trent, Avon and Thames are most at risk of flooding, the EA said.

There are more than 160 flood warnings in place across the country, and 266 less serious flood alerts.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning - its second highest alert - for South West England.

The Met Office said the wettest place in the UK since the heavy rain began last week was Tyndrum in Perthshire with 6.1in (155mm).

The Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre in Nottingham was flooded

Cardinham, near Bodmin in Cornwall, is the wettest place in England with 5.1in (128.8 mm) of rain and the wettest place in Wales has been Mumbles Head in West Glamorgan with 4.2in (107mm) of rain.

Ballypatrick Forest in Antrim has been the wettest place in Northern Ireland, with 3.5in (89mm) of rain.

Some areas have exceeded their full-month December average since December 19 - such as Plymouth, which has seen 5.1in (128.8mm) of rain compared with a December average of 4.7in (118.8 mm).

Lower-level yellow weather warnings have also been issued for much of southern England and Wales.

Britain is now set for one of its wettest years ever, the Met Office said.

The UK's average rainfall in 2012, excluding December, is 1,202mm -  placing it 13th in the list of wettest years since records began in 1910.

Forecasters said December's deluge of rain meant that this year was now likely to finish among the country's highest rainfall totals on record.

The year 2000 remains the UK's wettest year, with an average rainfall of 1,337.3mm.

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Christmas Day Online Sales Surge Predicted

Bargain season begins in force today as online retailers slash prices ahead of an expected onslaught of consumers hitting the high street for the traditional Boxing Day sales.

Amazon's UK website said it had seen sales on Christmas Day increase by 263% over the last five years.

It expects this to be its busiest Christmas Day to date, partly due to the growth in home broadband and the popularity of tablets and smartphones.

The retailer is launching its Boxing Day deals a day early, which include clearance offers and "lightning deals" for a limited time and quantity of stock.

Shopping frenzies are moving from the high street to the internet

Trends seen on past Christmas Days on Amazon include an 11am rush for last minute gift cards, the spending of gift cards at midday and sofa surfing at 8.15pm.

Amazon's vice president of EU retail, Xavier Garambois, said: "The digital revolution has certainly played a part in this growth and Christmas Day is our biggest day of the year for MP3 and Kindle Book downloads, as many people are buying content from new devices that they have just received.

"It's not just digital items though, we are seeing purchases of everything from baby products to women's clothing rapidly growing on Christmas Day. Many customers are shopping on Christmas Day in a way that has previously only been seen in the retail industry on Boxing Day."

According to MoneySupermarket.com, shoppers in the UK are set to spend a total of £2.9bn in the Boxing Day sales.

Furniture Village said visits to its website on Christmas Day last year peaked at 25,000 at 4pm, with that figure increasing to 50,000 on Boxing Day, suggesting that the majority of customers researched products online before buying from high street stores.

Chris Webster, a spokesman for technology analysts Capgemini, said: "Online tills will be ringing all the way from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, including a massive £300m spent on Christmas morning itself.

"Christmas Day will see a surge in online sales as new tablets and smartphones are put through their paces and vouchers are cashed in for virtual goods such as movies and music.

"This year we're as likely to be downloading Queen's Greatest Hits as watching the Queen's speech."

Meanwhile, high-street spending was "acceptable but not exceptional" this festive period, according to the British Retail Consortium.

Head of media and campaigns Richard Dodd said poor accessibility on high streets, a lack of parking and weak consumer demand were to blame rather than an increase in online shopping.

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Queen To Hail Olympics In 3D Xmas Message

Monarch's Message: From Radio To 3D

Updated: 4:41am UK, Monday 24 December 2012

The Queen's grandfather, King George V, delivered the first royal Christmas broadcast live on the radio from Sandringham more than 75 years ago.

He had reigned since 1910, but it was not until 1932 that he gave his first festive speech.

He was unsure about using the relatively untried medium of the wireless, but eventually agreed and read a message composed by author Rudyard Kipling.

The original idea was suggested by Sir John Reith, the founding father of the BBC, to inaugurate the Empire Service, now the BBC World Service.

The fixed time of 3pm each year was chosen in 1932 because it was considered the best for reaching most of the countries in the British Empire by short wave.

The General Post Office was used to reach Australia, Canada, India, Kenya and South Africa.

George V's eldest son, who became King Edward VIII, never delivered a Christmas speech as his reign lasted less than a year, ending in abdication.

There was no broadcast in 1936 or 1938.

King George VI, Edward's younger brother, made his first broadcast in December 1937 in which he thanked the nation and Empire for their support during the first year of his reign.

It was the outbreak of war in 1939 which firmly established the tradition, when George VI sought to reassure people and boost morale.

Following her father's death, the Queen made her first Christmas broadcast in 1952 and her first televised Christmas broadcast in 1957, live from Sandringham.

She has delivered one every year except for 1969, when she decided the royals had been on TV enough that year following an unprecedented documentary the family made about their life.

Today the speech is available on the television, radio, the Royal Channel on the YouTube website, and in HD.

This year for the first time the national address will also be broadcast in 3D.

The Queen usually does her speech in one take, recording it a couple of weeks before December 25. Accompanying TV footage is gathered throughout the year.

She writes her own message and each one has a religious framework and reflects current issues.

The speech is one of the rare occasions when the Queen does not turn to the Government for advice and is able to voice her own views.

While the Royal Family gathers together round the TV to watch the broadcast on Christmas Day, the Queen sometimes watches it alone, heading off to another room to scrutinise her message in private.

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Adoption System To Be 'More Swift And Robust'

Plans to overhaul the adoption process in a bid to find homes for 4,000 children currently on a national register have been unveiled by the Government.

Potential adopters will be given a "more active role" in selecting a child and granted the same maternity and paternity paid leave arrangements as biological mothers and fathers.

Officials are considering allowing approved candidates access to the register of those waiting to be adopted to help them choose potentially-suitable children.

Those interested in adopting will be given "a more active role" in choosing a child, and additional support will be given to successful adoptive parents.

Prime Minister David Cameron said he hoped the changes would create a "swifter, more effective and robust" system.

David Holmes, chief executive of the British Association of Adoption and Fostering, welcomed the announcement.

"Now, more than ever, we need more people to consider if adoption could be right for them - we must find families for the thousands of children who are waiting whilst ensuring that adoption support is available to meet the needs of all," he said.

Children's Minister Edward Timpson urged people over Christmas to "think seriously about opening up their home to a child awaiting adoption".

He said: "We know that children do well in an adoptive family and I hope this comprehensive package of support will lead to more and more people having the confidence to come forward and provide a chance for these children to thrive and reach their potential.

"This support will also provide more help to those who are already adopting children who have been in care. I urge everyone this Christmas to think seriously about opening up their home to a child awaiting adoption."

Former Barnardo's chief Martin Narey, now the Government's adoption adviser, said new evidence from the US - and more recently the UK - suggested giving adopters the initiative improved matches.

He said: "Of course, that does not mean that adopters can simply choose their child, they still need professional advice on such a vital decision. But it is clear - and indeed I have observed - that there is a chemistry between adopters and children which can provide a foundation for a very successful adoption."

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Teen's Rape Heard By Mother Over The Phone

Police are hunting a man who raped a teenage girl in an attack that was overheard by her mother who had phoned her daughter.

The 15-year-old girl was threatened with a four-inch knife in Elswick, Newcatle upon Tyne, about 8.50pm on Tuesday.

She was then taken to a nearby waste ground where she was raped in an horrific attack that lasted over an hour and a half.

At about 9.30pm, her mother became concerned her daughter had not returned home and tried calling her mobile.

But on the other end of the line she heard the voice of her daughter's attacker and called the police.

After the attack, the schoolgirl phoned her mother to say she had been robbed. But in a later conversation, she revealed she had been raped.

The girl was taken to waste ground and was assaulted

The victim's aunt said the family is devastated.

"Her mum could hear his voice in the background, she didn't know where (her daughter) was or what was happening," she said.

"She wasn't drinking on the street like a lot of 15-year-olds do. She should have been safe. She is coping. But she doesn't realise the severity of what's happened to her because she's only 15.

"We just want him caught. If anyone saw anything suspicious or anyone hanging around the area, please tell the police.

"My sister is absolutely devastated. She just keeps blaming herself and feels so guilty."

Police have found the knife they believed was used in the attack.

They have also released CCTV images of the suspect, who is in his late teens, around 5ft 8 with dark skin and of slim build.

The knife that police believe was used in the attack

He was wearing a black leather jacket and a black fleece hat.

Northumbria Police Detective Chief Inspector Gary Hetherington, who is leading the investigation, said his team will not rest until the man is caught.

"We have a dedicated team of officers and staff working on this investigation, using every tool at our disposal to catch the rapist," he said.

"We are studying extensive CCTV footage, undertaking forensic tests and working with the family and local community.

"This was a particularly nasty offence, all the more so because of how unusual it is, and I would like to again reassure the community that we have extra officers on patrol in the area and that these will continue over the holidays."

:: Anyone with any information should call Northumbria Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers may offer a reward for information which leads to an arrest and charge.

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Hospital's £400,000 Payout Over Care Failings

A hospital has apologised and paid out more than £400,000 for 38 cases of failings in patient care.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was "disgusted and appalled" at the accounts of suffering and neglect at Redditch's Alexandra Hospital.

Health bosses are now writing to all of the families involved to apologise, after legal action exposed years of bad practice.

Claims ranged from nurses taunting patients to leaving an elderly woman unwashed for 11 weeks.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was 'disgusted and appalled'

In one case, a man had starvation recorded as the cause of his death after being treated at the hospital for two months.

Many of the families are to receive compensation for cases that their lawyer described as "appalling".

In total the hospital has paid out £410,000 in 38 separate cases, five to people who survived, the rest to those whose relatives died.

The hospital did not admit liability but agreed to apologise fully to the families.

A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said the hospital has massively improved.

"Whilst the Trust has accepted that certain aspects of the care afforded to some patients fell below the standard that they were entitled to expect, all of the cases cited are several years old, in many incidences, more than a decade old.

"This Trust now has the sixth best standard hospital mortality index (SHMI) in the Midlands and East Strategic Health area based on 2012/13 figures which put the figure at 97 - which is below the national average.

"A number of very serious allegations made by the families of deceased patients are not borne out by the medical records.

"Nevertheless, the Trust accepts that, the care afforded to some patients, some years ago - between 2002 and 2009 - fell below the requisite standard and has apologised for the shortcomings."

Mr Hunt said the Government was acting to ensure failings in care were detected more quickly.

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