GCHQ Spies 'Tap Fibre Optic Cables For Data'

British spies have secretly accessed fibre-optic cables carrying huge numbers of emails, Facebook messages and other communications, according to The Guardian.

Documents given to the newspaper by US whistleblower Edward Snowden suggest eavesdropping agency GCHQ can analyse data from the network of cables that carry global phone calls and internet traffic under an operation codenamed Tempora.

The newspaper said data had been shared with the organisation's US counterpart, the National Security Agency.

GCHQ, in Cheltenham, refuses to comment on intelligence matters but insisted it was "scrupulous" in complying with the law.

It is the latest in a string of leaks from Mr Snowden, who has told The Guardian he wants to expose "the largest programme of suspicionless surveillance in human history".

The newspaper said there were two principal components to the agency's surveillance programme, called Mastering the Internet and Global Telecoms Exploitation.

The paper claimed Operation Tempora had been running for 18 months.

GCHQ and the NSA can access communications including recordings of phone calls and a user's entire internet history, the documents suggest - and their scans apparently entirely innocent people as well as specific suspects.

Edward Snowden has been charged with espionage

Mr Snowden, who fled the US for Hong Kong after deciding to reveal the NSA's secrets, told the paper: "It's not just a US problem. The UK has a huge dog in this fight," he said.

"They (GCHQ) are worse than the US."

The Guardian reported that GCHQ lawyers told US counterparts there was a "light oversight regime" in Britain compared with America.

The newspaper said the documents revealed that by last year GCHQ was handling 600 million "telephone events" each day, had tapped more than 200 fibre-optic cables and was able to process data from at least 46 of them at a time.

The intelligence gathered is understood to have led to a number of high-profile arrests and convictions, including a terror cell in the Midlands. It is also claimed to have led to the arrest of London-based individuals planning attacks prior to last year's Olympic Games.

A source close to the intelligence agencies told Sky News' Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge that GCHQ scanned data for possible indications of a threat to national security, and that most of the information is not looked at in detail.

The work is legal and subject to ministerial scrutiny, the source said.

Ridge said: "At the same time this is of course going to reignite the big debate over the balance between protecting national security and making sure that people's personal details aren't compromised."

Privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch's director Nick Pickes said: "If GCHQ have been intercepting huge numbers of innocent people's communications as part of a massive sweeping exercise, then I struggle to see how that squares with a process that requires a warrant for each individual intercept. This question must be urgently addressed in Parliament."

A GCHQ spokeswoman said: "Our intelligence agencies continue to adhere to a rigorous legal compliance regime."

US authorities have filed espionage charges against Mr Snowden, a former CIA technician who formerly worked for the NSA, and have asked Hong Kong to detain him.

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Jeremy Forrest: Child Sex Teacher Jailed

A teacher who fled to France with his pupil and spent a week on the run has been jailed after admitting five counts of sexual activity with a child.

Jeremy Forrest, who was convicted by a jury yesterday of abducting the schoolgirl, pleaded guilty to the additional charges and was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.

During his trial, the prosecution labelled him a "paedophile" and said he "groomed" the vulnerable teenager.

The 30-year-old insists he still loves the youngster, who broke down in tears and told him she was "sorry" as he was found guilty of her abduction.

She did not attend court for his sentencing but in a victim statement her mother said she had been "robbed" of her childhood.

"I feel like the worst mother in the world," she said. "Someone has got my child and I never saw it coming."

Forrest is led onto a plane to be extradited from France last October

Passing sentence, the judge at Lewes Crown Court said Forrest "chose to ignore the cardinal rule of teaching" by starting a sexual relationship with the teenager shortly after her 15th birthday.

"Your behaviour in this period has been motivated by self-interest and has hurt and damaged many people - her family, your family, staff and pupils at the school and respect for teachers everywhere," Michael Lawson QC said.

"It has damaged you too but that was something you were prepared to risk. You now have to pay that price."

He added: "I have seen nothing in the evidence which shows that at any stage you tried to provide proper boundaries between yourself and her, to discourage her, or let other staff deal with the matter appropriately.

"Indeed all the evidence shows that you encouraged her infatuation and provided opportunities for her to communicate with you and be alone with you."

Forrest arrived back in the UK with his head covered

Rumours of Forrest's relationship with the teenager surfaced in February last year, when the pair were spotted holding hands during a flight on a school trip to Los Angeles.

The girl, now 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted having a crush on Forrest, who taught at Bishop Bell Church of England School in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

They exchanged flirty text messages, tweets and photographs but denied any wrongdoing when pressed by the school.

Fearing their relationship was about to be exposed when police were alerted last September, Forrest abducted the youngster and took her on a cross-Channel ferry to France, where they spent a week on the run.

The couple dyed their hair, assumed false names and dropped a mobile phone into the English Channel in an effort to avoid being caught, but were tracked down after a Europe-wide search.

The family of Jeremy Forrest give their reaction to the sentencing

In a statement read outside court, Forrest's family said he was "very sorry for his actions" during what they described as a "sorry episode for all concerned".

"Despite the verdict and today's sentence, there are many factors in this case which need to be examined and addressed, including the failure to properly act on early warnings," they said.

"We sincerely hope these are looked into and not simply swept under the carpet."

A spokesman for Bishop Bell School said the staff had only "very limited anecdotal hearsay and no evidence of relationship" when concerns were first raised.

He said that before Forrest fled the country, the school had intended to remove him from the classroom while an internal investigation into possible professional misconduct was carried out.

A jury took just two hours to find Forrest guilty of abduction

The spokesman said staff remained "deeply shocked by the actions of Mr Forrest and his betrayal of the trust that was placed in him".

"It is important that the strongest possible message is sent to all who work with children that they hold a position of responsibility and trust for the lives, and wellbeing, of those in their care," he said.

"We take our responsibility extremely seriously and our safeguarding policies and procedures are robust.

"However, we are determined to implement any learning from these events to ensure that all pupils at the school are as safe as they possibly could be."

Jeremy Forrest was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Ling, of Sussex Police, said Forrest was in a "position of responsibility, authority and trust over the children in his care, which included this young, vulnerable victim".

"He grossly abused the trust placed in him and his actions caused distress and anxiety amongst parents, family members and the school community," he said.

Nigel Pilkington, of the Crown Prosecution Service, added: "We're pleased that Forrest has been sentenced for the full extent of his criminality, sparing his victim and her family from having to go through another trial."

Forrest, of Petts Wood, London, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for each count of sexual activity. The sentences will run at the same time. A one-year sentence for abduction will run consecutively.

The judge also imposed a sexual offences prevention order on Forrest, banning him from working or volunteering with children and unsupervised contact with children forever.

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Serious Speeding Offences In UK Jump By 10%

The number of drivers summoned to court for speeding increased by 10% last year - meaning more drivers are committing the most serious speeding offences, new figures reveal.

In 2012, 48,000 drivers - nearly 1,000 a week - appeared before magistrates for breaking the speed limit - up from 44,000 the previous year.

But the number of fixed penalty notices for lower-level speeding offences fell by 6% to almost half a million.

In total, British motorists were fined £30m for speeding last year.

The police data, obtained by a freedom of information request from LV= car insurance, suggests a growing minority of drivers are committing the worst offences.

Most drivers who were caught speeding said they were spotted by fixed speed cameras (62%), with a significant proportion caught by police with a camera at the roadside (22%) and police without a camera (10%).

Many motorists admit they regularly exceed the speed limit without getting caught.

One in seven (14%) drivers say they avoid detection by memorising where police patrol in their area, while others have technology in their vehicles, such as SatNavs, to detect fixed speed cameras and alert them while driving (16%).

Britain's roads are set to get even faster in future as last week the Government announced that trials of an 80mph speed limit could take place from August this year.

According to current Association of Chief Police Officers guidelines, a motorist caught driving at 80 mph on the motorway (70mph speed limit) would receive an on-the-spot fine but would need to be travelling at 96mph to receive a court summons.

If the speed limit is increased to 80mph, it is possible that only those driving well over 100mph would receive a court summons.

John O'Roarke, managing director of LV= car insurance, said: "While overall speeding convictions are down, it appears that the police are rightly taking a hard line on the most serious speeding offences.

"However, if a driver is caught exceeding the limit by even just a few mph, they can still be fined and given penalty points. Drivers should take care to know their limits to avoid a fine, penalty points or worse."

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School Canteens: 8,000 Face The Axe

By Liz Lane, Sky Reporter

As many as 8,000 primary school canteens in England could be at risk of closure because they are losing money.

Head teachers took control of dinner budgets from local councils in April and many have discovered they are draining the finances.

The Government's school meals advisers are asking those in trouble to seek help, rather than close down their kitchens.

Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, who founded the restaurant chain Leon, will make public the details of their recommendations in the next few weeks.

Mr Dimbleby said in the meantime worried head teachers, governors or parents should get in touch.

He said: "We don't think there's a massive risk of mass closures because in the survey we did for our work, 95% of head teachers strongly believe food is important for the behaviour and the attainment of their pupils, but we would like to hear if any schools are thinking of closing their kitchens. We think there are people who can help to keep it open."

Schools are having to be more creative to make school dinners feasible.

In Brill in Buckinghamshire, village butcher and parent John Wilkins has teamed up with a pub to provide meals at cost to the local primary.

He said: "We're not reinventing the wheel with what we do really, and it should be done in schools. Really they should have the facilities and the finance to do it, but if it isn't there then you have to look at another alternative."

Brill primary head teacher Andy Leach said it would be very difficult to persuade outsiders to do it at an affordable price.

He said: "Increasingly there are cutbacks and services are being reduced at a local and central level and schools have to be a bit more creative now about how they provide services and certainly if we were to be using a commercial provider for our school dinners they would struggle to make it pay."

Canteen closures are already beginning. All Saints Church of England Primary School, in Datchworth, Hertfordshire will stop providing school dinners at the end of this term, saying not enough pupils were having them to make it viable.

Mr Dimbleby and Mr Vincent said increasing uptake of hot meals is key to making the service profitable.

They want the number of children choosing school dinners to grow from 40% to 80% over the next five years.

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Billing Errors Cost Families Up To £400 A Year

Millions of families are being left up to £400 out of pocket due to errors in calculating their household bills.

A new report claims 70% of consumers have been overcharged in the past year, with a third more than once.

Billing mistakes by firms responsible for essential bills, such as utilities, telecoms and mortgages totalled around £6.7bn in 2012, according to figures from price comparison website uSwitch.com.

It found customers were overcharged an average of £196 and had to wait around 53 days for a refund, with one in 10 overcharged by £400 or more.

More than one in ten (13%) had to wait between two to six months to get their money back. Some (12%) are still trying to get the issue resolved, while 6% were never refunded.

The most common causes of the errors included charges being added to a bill which never should have been (42%), incorrect tariff or product details being used (32%) or a special offer or discount not being applied to the bill (25%).

Some 95% of the mistakes were spotted by the customers themselves - not the companies.

And researchers found that a quarter of people received a bill that simply did not add up.

On average people spent eight hours and £23 on phone calls and correspondence trying to sort out mistakes, with just 7% receiving an instant refund.

Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch.com, said: "Overcharging on household bills is rife and yet it still seems to be down to the customer to spot it.

"Consumers have to keep their wits about them and ensure that they check all their household bills carefully - if you are not checking then the chances are that a mistake will have slipped through and this could be costing you dear.

"At the same time I would urge companies to do as much as possible to help their customers by making household bills simpler, clearer and easier to understand."

She added: "Nobody can afford to be left out of pocket because a company didn't quite get its sums right."

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NHS 'Cover-Up' Staff Could Be Named

A decision not to name those accused of covering-up failures by an NHS watchdog to properly investigate baby deaths could be reversed.

The Care Quality Commission has been accused of destroying an internal report into maternity units that were part of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust.

An independent investigation - leaked on Wednesday - found the CQC failed to properly inspect the Morecambe Bay Trust, where up to 16 babies died.

CQC chief executive David Behan said legal advice was being reviewed to see if the names of those responsible for deleting a critical review of the initial inspection could be "put into the public domain".

Joshua Titcombe died in Furness General Hospital after staff failures

He said: "Ever since I commissioned this independent review it has been our intention to place the report into the public domain.

"We received legal advice that we could not name individuals and to do so would be to break the law. We are now seeking a review of the original legal advice."

Concerns were first raised in 2008, but in 2010 the CQC gave the trust, which serves 365,000 people in South Cumbria and North Lancashire, a clean bill of health.

Wednesday's report suggested that CQC bosses were so concerned about protecting the watchdog's reputation that they ordered an internal review to be deleted because it showed that their original inspection was flawed.

Joshua Titcombe died in 2008 aged just nine-days-old in Furness General Hospital, one of the hospitals overseen by Morcambe Bay NHS Trust, after staff failed to spot and treat an infection.

Earlier, his father James had described the report into the cover-up as "shocking".

"It embodies everything that is wrong with the culture in the NHS. It's something that's been rotten really about the system," he said.

"We need it to change. We need that culture to change. Patient safety should be the number one priority, and organisations that work within regulation need to be aligned with that principle."

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Young 'Face Decades Of Saving To Buy Homes'

Average First-Time Buyer Deposits

Updated: 1:24am UK, Wednesday 19 June 2013

A regional breakdown of how long it would take average first-time buyers to save for a deposit in their local area:

NORTH EAST

:: Average first-time buyer house price: £74,981

:: Average first-time buyer deposit: £14,996

:: Years for a couple to save average deposit: 4.5

:: Years for a couple with a child to save average deposit: 8.8

:: Years for a single person to save a deposit: 9.3

NORTH WEST

:: Average first-time buyer house price: £81,193

:: Average first-time buyer deposit: £16,239

:: Years for a couple to save average deposit: 4.5

:: Years for a couple with a child to save average deposit: 8.5

:: Years for a single person to save a deposit: 9.8

YORKSHIRE & THE HUMBER

:: Average first-time buyer house price: £87,599

:: Average first-time buyer deposit: £17,520

:: Years for a couple to save average deposit: 4.5

:: Years for a couple with a child to save average deposit: 8.8

:: Years for a single person to save a deposit: 10

EAST MIDLANDS

:: Average first-time buyer house price: £91,985

:: Average first-time buyer deposit: £18,397

:: Years for a couple to save average deposit: 4.8

:: Years for a couple with a child to save average deposit: 8.8

:: Years for a single person to save a deposit: 10.5

WEST MIDLANDS

:: Average first-time buyer house price: £85,167

:: Average first-time buyer deposit: £17,033

:: Years for a couple to save average deposit: 5

:: Years for a couple with a child to save average deposit: 9.8

:: Years for a single person to save a deposit: 10.3

EAST

:: Average first-time buyer house price: £129,986

:: Average first-time buyer deposit: £25,997

:: Years for a couple to save average deposit: 6

:: Years for a couple with a child to save average deposit: 11.8

:: Years for a single person to save a deposit: 13

LONDON

:: Average first-time buyer house price: £278,417

:: Average first-time buyer deposit: £55,683

:: Years for a couple to save average deposit: 10.8

:: Years for a couple with a child to save average deposit: 20.5

:: Years for a single person to save a deposit: 29.5

SOUTH EAST

:: Average first-time buyer house price: £158,319

:: Average first-time buyer deposit: £31,664

:: Years for a couple to save average deposit: 7

:: Years for a couple with a child to save average deposit: 13

:: Years for a single person to save a deposit: 15.3

SOUTH WEST

:: Average first-time buyer house price: £127,753

:: Average first-time buyer deposit: £25,551

:: Years for a couple to save average deposit: 7

:: Years for a couple with a child to save average deposit: 13.3

:: Years for a single person to save a deposit: 15

ENGLAND

:: Average first-time buyer house price: £139,920

:: Average first-time buyer deposit: £27,984

:: Years for a couple to save average deposit: 6.5

:: Years for a couple with a child to save average deposit: 11.8

:: Years for a single person to save a deposit: 14.3

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NHS Watchdog In 'Hospital Scandal Cover-Up'

Senior officials at an NHS watchdog have been accused of a cover-up after destroying their own report into a hospital maternity unit at the centre of a care scandal.

An independent investigation has found the Care Quality Commission failed to properly inspect University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, where the deaths of up to 16 babies are being investigated by the police.

Concerns were first raised in 2008, but in 2010 the CQC gave the trust, which serves 365,000 people in South Cumbria and North Lancashire, a clean bill of health.

Wednesday's report suggests that CQC bosses were so concerned about protecting the watchdog's reputation that they ordered an internal review to be deleted because it showed that their original inspection was flawed.

The new report details one official saying that he was told by a senior manager in March last year to destroy his review because it would expose the regulator to public criticism.

Furness General Hospital in Cumbria

It says: "He informed us that he was instructed by a member of senior management at CQC to 'delete' the report of his findings.

"We think that the information contained in the report was sufficiently important that the deliberate failure to provide it could properly be characterised as a 'cover-up'."

James Titcombe, whose baby son Joshua (pictured) died at just nine-days-old in Furness General Hospital in 2008 after staff failed to spot and treat an infection, described the report as "shocking".

"It embodies everything that is wrong with the culture in the NHS. It's something that's been rotten really about the system.

Westmorland General Hospital, where Morecambe Bay NHS Trust is based

"We need it to change. We need that culture to change. Patient safety should be the number one priority, and organisations that work within regulation need to be aligned with that principle."

Responding to the report's findings, the regulator said: "We let people down, and we apologise for that.

"This report reveals just how poor the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) oversight of University Hospitals Morecambe Bay (UHMB) was in 2010.

"This is not the way things should have happened. It is not the way things will happen in the future. We will use the report to inform the changes we are making to improve the way we work and the way we are run."

It insisted there was "no evidence of a systematic cover-up" and promised "more thorough inspections".

CQC chairman David Prior said: "The publication draws a line in the sand for us. What happened in the past was wholly unacceptable. The report confirms our view that at a senior level the organisation was dysfunctional. The board and the senior executive team have been radically changed."

Shadow health minister Jamie Reed said: "First, we need to know who took the decision to delete this report, who else was party to the decision and what the justification was for so doing.

"Second, urgent clarity is needed on whether the CQC had any contact with the Department of Health about this matter and if so, what was the nature of that contact."

The CQC, which faces at least 30 civil negligence claims, is to be subject to a public inquiry.

:: Sky News wants to build a comprehensive picture of the nation's maternity services. Over the next few months, Sky News will work with new mothers from across the UK in a digital project called Postcode Delivery, engaging with families, charities, health workers and policymakers. For more information click here.

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Soldiers Wait To Hear On Army Job Losses

Thousands of soldiers will learn today whether they have lost their jobs in the latest round of Army redundancies.

A fresh tranche of up to 5,300 Army personnel are to be handed redundancy notices as the Government tries to reduce the number of regulars to 82,000 by 2018.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the move was necessary to help balance the books but insisted operational capability would not be affected.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has confirmed there will be no further reductions in manpower in the next round of spending cuts.

But shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said the redundancy notices being issued today "represent not just broken promises but a failing strategy" to reform the British Army.

The MoD said it had attempted to maximise the number of voluntary redundancies.

A spokeswoman said: "Tough decisions needed to be made to address the multi-billion pound deficit and bring the defence budget back into balance.

"This unfortunately included making some redundancies across the armed forces. However we can be clear that these reductions will not affect our operational capability.

"The end of combat operations in Afghanistan and the restructuring of our armed forces means they will be more reflective of the complex global situation and more adaptable to future challenges and threats."

But Mr Murphy said: "The Government has a flawed plan for reforming the British Army. There is a huge effort going into sacking soldiers but nowhere near as much is being done to plug the gap by recruiting new reservists.

"These redundancies represent not just broken promises but a failing strategy, and the level of voluntary applicants will be a signal of morale."

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Child Porn: Web Giants Summoned For Talks

By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent

Leading internet companies have been summoned to a Westminster meeting in a bid to crack down on child abuse online.

Firms including Google, Microsoft and Facebook will attend a summit called by Culture Secretary Maria Miller on Tuesday.

They will be expected to come up with ways to stop access to child abuse images and report back with an action plan.

The meeting comes after two child killers were found to have viewed child pornography online.

Mark Bridger, convicted of murdering five-year-old April Jones, and Stuart Hazell, who murdered Tia Sharp, 12, both accessed abusive images.

In the 12 days since the summit was announced, web giants have already taken some action.

Mark Bridger accessed child pornography online before killing April Jones

TalkTalk and BT have announced that customers trying to view inappropriate material will be confronted by a pop-up warning.

And Google has pledged millions of pounds to organisations who try and tackle child abuse online, such as the Internet Watch Foundation who maintain a blacklist of images.

Culture Secretary, Maria Miller said:  "Child abuse images are horrific and widespread public concern has made it clear that the industry must take action. Enough is enough.

"In recent days we have seen these companies rush to do more because of the pressure of an impending summit. Imagine how much more can be done if they seriously turn their minds to tackling the issue. Pressure will be unrelenting."

It is unclear exactly what concrete action – if any – the government will demand from the meeting.

Companies providing internet services in Britain have already rejected a call from the Prime Minister's adviser to impose parental filters for adult content as a default setting when viewing content online.

The Internet Service Providers Association said it remained opposed to default filtering because it "can be circumvented and lead to over- or under-blocking" of offensive web pages.

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