Nuisance Phone Calls: Which? Demands Action

Campaigners have demanded "tougher regulation" to clamp down on companies who plague people with unwanted phone calls and nuisance text messages.

Consumer group Which? found seven out of 10 consumers had been cold-called in the last three months, while two-fifths had received unsolicited texts.

The majority of calls and messages came from claims management companies (CMCs) offering to take up payment protection insurance (PPI) and personal injury cases.

Which? urged regulators including Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to set up a joint taskforce to pull the plug on "intrusive and distressing" calls and texts.

It said offenders should receive fines and be put out of business.

"Unwanted calls or texts are not just a nuisance, they can be intrusive and distressing," executive director Richard Lloyd said.

"Many of us have been bombarded with spurious claims of PPI or injury compensation. People are telling us they are totally fed up with this nuisance and want to see action.

"Our research once again shows the behaviour of unscrupulous claims management companies must be tackled to stop them exploiting consumers who could claim compensation for free themselves.

"We want to see tougher regulation from the Government to clean up the CMC industry."

Which? said that a quarter of its members who made a claim on their car insurance were contacted by a CMC within three months.

Many of them were then bombarded by repeated messages. More than a fifth said they were sent at least 10 texts and one in eight received 10 or more phone calls.

The Transport Committee is currently investigating the extent to which bogus and exaggerated whiplash claims push up the cost of car insurance. False claims are estimated to add around £90 to the cost of every premium.

From next month, insurers will be banned from receiving money in exchange for the details of customers who make personal injury claims.

However, Which? said the rules will not cover non-injury claims such as car repairs.

It urged people to register their details with the Telephone Preference Service and to avoid opting into third party marketing when taking out an insurance policy.

It also said consumers should not respond to spam texts, even to text "stop", as this alerts the sender to the phone number being active and in use.

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Medals For WWII Veterans After 67-Year Wait

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Veterans of two Second World War battles that cost thousands of troops their lives are to receive the new Arctic Star medal and Bomber Command clasp.

The first of up to 250,000 presentations will be made by Prime Minister David Cameron at a ceremony in Downing Street.

The awards were announced last year after a long campaign to recognise the extraordinary bravery of those who fought in the war.

The Arctic Star is given to those who served in Arctic Circle, delivering supplies to the Soviet Union, primarily through the ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk.

They are credited by many with keeping up Russian morale in the fight against Nazi Germany.

The convoys, which sailed under the name Operation Dervish, cost 3,000 seamen their lives.

Winston Churchill once described their passage through the Arctic at the mercy of German forces as the "worst journey in the world". Only about 400 veterans are thought to be still alive.

Bomber Command flew various aircraft, including the Lancaster bomber

Veterans of Bomber Command will also be recognised for their part in World War Two.

It has long been felt their exploits had been ignored compared to their compatriots in Fighter Command.

While Spitfires and Hurricanes provided valuable protection at home, Bomber Command attacked enemy sites abroad, flying dangerous sorties against munitions factories, ships and airbases.

Commanded by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris, they flew missions over Germany, France and Italy.

One of the most famous was 617 Squadron's "Dambusters" raid in May 1943, during which bombs were dropped on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams on the Ruhr in Germany.

Over 12,000 aircraft, including the famous Lancaster, were shot down during the war, with more than 50,000 airmen killed.

The Arctic Star medal and Bomber Command clasp

Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative MP for Gosport who campaigned for the medals, said: "The Arctic Convoy veterans endured unimaginable hardship to keep those vital supply chains open to Russia in the critical stages of WWII. They are all heroes in the truest sense of the word.

"After 10 years of campaigning, my delight to see justice finally being done is tinged with sadness that so many are no longer alive to receive the medals they richly deserved."

The Arctic Star and Bomber Command clasp were announced in December after a review by former diplomat Sir John Holmes.

The government moved quickly to design and manufacture the awards but critics say the recognition was due decades ago.

As well as veterans, the families of those who have died are able to apply to receive the awards on their behalf.

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Child Porn Is Top Web Concern, Says Watchdog

Child porn is the number one concern among adults when considering a range harmful content online as it emeges that around 1.5 million people have stumbled across images of child abuse while browsing the internet, a watchdog says.

A survey by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), set up in 1996 as a UK hotline to report criminal content online, discovered that  4% of men and 2% of women have come into contact with images of child abuse.

However, the survey showed around 40% of Britons would not know how to report child porn if they were to encounter it.

IWF chief executive Susie Hargreaves said: "There is clear public concern over the availability of images and videos of children being sexually abused over the internet.

"What is concerning for us is that not enough people know how to report this or would rather ignore it, especially considering the survey tells us that around 1.5 million British adults have seen this sort of content online.

"Although we've seen record removal times in the UK, during 2012 we saw a higher proportion of images of children under 10 years old being sexually abused."

Around 77% of those surveyed were most concerned by child porn, while 73% were worried about terrorist websites and 68% were concerned by extreme and violent porn.

Just under two-thirds were concerned with hate sites, which display racist or homophobic material, 61% are worried about suicide content and around half of those surveyed were concerned by eating disorder sites.

In the whole of 2012, the IWF logged just 73 UK sites hosting child sexual abuse images or videos, compared with 9,477 hosted in other countries around the world.

Of the 73 UK webpages, 41 or 56% were then removed within 60 minutes of the IWF notifying the host company or internet service provider.

However, Ms Hargreaves added: "We are also very aware that there are internet hosting companies in the UK which could do more, and faster, who are not members of IWF.

"We have a responsibility to do all we can to help protect children - and adults who were abused as children - from having their abuse viewed time and time again. We need to prevent people from stumbling upon this content and assist other countries in creating a hostile environment for hosting it."

The ComRes poll surveyed a sample of 2,058 British adults.

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Father And Son Killed In Alps Hiking Trip Named

A British father and his 12-year-old son who died while hiking in the Alps have been named by the Foreign Office.

Peter and Charlie Saunders were killed on a walking trip in the Chamonix valley in France after flying there for a short weekend adventure, the FCO said in a statement issued on behalf of their family.

"Charlie was always full of life, had a really happy temperament and loved spending time with his father. Peter was fantastic at making things happen, resourceful, with a positive approach to life. They will both be sorely missed by friends and family alike," it said.

Rescue services in Chamonix were called by 48-year-old Mr Saunders at 2pm local time on Saturday.

He apparently said his son had fallen into a crevasse near Mont Blanc and that they were lost.

Captain Patrice Ribes, a French police officer, told Sky News that emergency services tried to trace the mobile phone call and launched a rescue mission.

But the rescuers lost contact and had to launch their search with little information about the pair's location.

A helicopter eventually spotted their bodies on Sunday morning at an altitude of 1,600m.

Capt Ribes said: "We think the father tried to find his son after he called us and asked for rescue. We believe he fell as he tried to find his son. Their bodies were found together this morning at 7.40am."

The father and son had ventured into the Glacier des Bossons area of the Mont Blanc mountain range.

Capt Ribes said they had inadequate equipment and were exploring a "dangerous, deep, snowy" mountain trail.

Richard Mansfield, a mountain guide who has worked in the area for 20 years and lives near the Bossons glacier, said: "I don't know exactly where the accident happened but all the trails on the north side of the valley are covered in snow at the moment.

"The footpaths usually don't get that many people out at this time of year because they are much more difficult to navigate, although yesterday was a beautiful sunny day."

Mr Mansfield described a "number of footpaths which weave in and out of indentures in the mountainside" and this "is where they may have slipped off".

The valley, which boasts five ski resorts, receives a lot of British tourists throughout the year, with many owning holiday homes in the area.

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Police Arrest 60 Ahead Of Football Match

Police have arrested more than 60 people for alleged violent disorder in Nuneaton in the hours leading up to a football match against Lincoln City.

The disorder broke out in a number of pubs in the town centre ahead of the Conference National fixture on Saturday.

Officers from Warwickshire Police, West Mercia Police, West Midlands Police and British Transport Police were deployed in the town shortly before 10.30am in response to reports of disorder at a number of licensed premises.

The suspects, who were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder, were transported by coach to Nuneaton and held in custody for questioning.

Chief Inspector Adrian Knight, who was in charge of the response, said officers from all police units involved were "successful in containing the disorder and protecting the safety and well-being of the general public".

"This operation was a true collaboration utilising resources from across the region.

"I am extremely grateful to our regional colleagues from West Mercia, West Midlands and British Transport Police for their support in this operation. It has been a particularly challenging day.

"Warwickshire Police is committed to protecting people from harm, whether they live in the county or are visiting, and we will not tolerate any behaviour which puts them at risk.

"Anyone intent on causing trouble in Warwickshire should be aware that we will deal with them robustly."

He added: "The fact that 62 people have been arrested is testament to our commitment to tackle violence and disorder within the county."

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Budget: Osborne To Tackle Youth Jobs Crisis?

Osborne: 'More Tough Choices Ahead'

Updated: 3:30am UK, Sunday 17 March 2013

George Osborne has warned the country of "more tough choices" and says there are no "miracle cures" for the UK economy, as he prepares to deliver Wednesday's Budget.

The Chancellor is under mounting pressure to change course and kick start growth as the UK faces an increased risk of falling into a triple-dip recession.

An opinion poll suggests most voters - including more than a quarter of Conservative supporters - think his policies are failing.

But Mr Osborne dismissed calls for extra borrowing to cut taxes or finance a "spending spree" and insisted that abandoning his austerity programme would be a "disaster".

Writing in The Sun on Sunday, Mr Osborne hinted he would do more to help homebuyers, business start-ups, apprentices and people saving with retirement.

Helping create jobs would mean "cutting tax rates and red tape, backing scientific advance, building new roads and broadband" and making the UK an attractive investment option, he said.

However he warned of "more tough choices" to be made on further slashing public spending from 2015 - with the scale of the squeeze to be unveiled in his statement.

"It won't be easy," he warned, amid rows between ministers over where the axe should fall.

Hopes the economy could grow in this quarter and thus avoid returning to recession were dealt a blow this week by a 1.5% fall in manufacturing output in January.

Former cabinet minister Liam Fox is leading Tory calls for a change of course - suggesting Corporation Tax be reduced to zero and far bigger cuts to public spending, notably welfare.

Other prominent backbench demands include cancelling a fuel duty rise due in the autumn and scrapping the beer duty escalator that automatically ups the price of a pint.

Mr Osborne is tipped to announce extra investment in housebuilding and road projects - called for by leading business groups - and help for people to buy homes.

But he will not abandon "Plan A" by increasing borrowing to fund it - a move being mooted within the coalition by Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said he would welcome extra borrowing to fund a cut in the basic rate of income tax to put more money into people's pockets.

But Mr Osborne hit back: "I think the British people know there are no easy answers in today's world. They aren't fooled by the miracle cures peddled by the same snake oil politicians who got us into this mess.

"Labour's answer to Britain's borrowing problems is to borrow even more - that simply doesn't make sense. If there were easy options and miracle cures then of course I would take them, but sadly there aren't."

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'Mumpreneurs' Could Be Lifeline To Recovery

By Poppy Trowbridge, Business and Economics Correspondent

It has been five years since the depths of the financial crash and still the key to kick-starting growth eludes the coalition Government.

The British economy started 2013 with zero momentum, but could more measures to help mums open businesses help get Britain growing again?

According to StartUp Britain, a group that supports entrepreneurs, 60% of small businesses are started from home.

And a growing number of those are being started by women who've left the workforce to have, or care for, their children.

Julia Hunter is a former City bond trader, and mum. Starting a family prompted her to start a business.

"I was looking to start my own business rather than work for somebody else purely because of the family side of things. It is important to me to just be around."

Mum-run companies are contributing a significant amount to the economy already.

According to Mumpreneur UK, there are 300,000 mum-run companies in the UK today.

As a group, they add about £7.4bn a year to the economy. Yet the average startup cash they require is only £500.

That's a low-risk, high-reward ratio that the Chancellor would admire.

Ms Hunter says British business needs more support from the Chancellor. She believes cutting VAT would be one way to encourage enterprise in the upcoming Budget.

Becky Jones from StartUp Britain says big banks and established companies should be encouraged more to support smaller startups.

She told Sky News: "Giving them support at the early stage can be a complete game changer for the life of a small business."

After all, these are the firms that will hire, produce, sell and export - at each stage contributing to the tax that the Government so desperately needs to slowly pay down debt.

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Cameron To Address Tory Spring Conference

David Cameron will promise to foster "aspiration" and give school sport a £150m cash boost when he addresses the Conservative party's spring conference after a bruising few weeks.

Following the disastrous Eastleigh by-election which saw the Tories beaten into third by UKIP, and just days before a Budget, the Prime Minister's speech is being viewed as a key test of his leadership.

Mr Cameron will tell activists his approach chimes with the Tory values of highly-popular figures such as Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill as he attempts to reassure restive Tory activists.

"The global race is not just about GDP," he will say.

"It's about saying to the mum who's worried about her children's future, we are building a country where there is a future, so your kids won't have to get on a plane to get on in life, they can make it right here in Britain.

"It's what this party's always been about - aspiration."

In a swipe at Labour opposition to tough benefit cuts being rolled out as part of the deficit reduction, he will paint them as "patronising people, patting them on the head and putting a benefit cheque in their hands".

Instead the Government was "giving people the tools to succeed."

Mr Cameron - who has come under fire from backbenchers over his "posh, male and white" inner circle - will acknowledge the "leg-ups" he enjoyed in life.

"I know the leg-ups I got in life. A loving family, wonderful parents, a great school and university.

"We want people to climb up through their own efforts, yes, but in order to climb up they need the ladder to be there in the first place, the family that nurtures them, the school that inspires them, the opportunities there for them.

Home Secretary Theresa May will also give a speech later today

"Great Conservatives down the generations have put those ladders in place. When Churchill invented the labour exchanges that helped people into work.

"When Macmillan built new homes. When Thatcher fired up enterprise so people could start their own businesses. That's what we're doing in the Conservative Party right now."

Mr Cameron will say the £150m a year cash injection for school sport will help bolster coaching for pupils in England.

A primary school with 250 pupils would receive £9,250 per year - this is around two days a week of a primary teacher or a coach's time, he will say.

Ofsted will be tasked with ensuring the funding brings the maximum benefit for all pupils, with schools held to account for how they spend the money.

At the conference later today, Home Secretary Theresa May - who last week fuelled leadership ambition speculation with a speech which ranged far beyond her policy brief - will also give a speech.

She is reported to have been the target of Education Secretary Michael Gove's private warning to Tory Cabinet ministers earlier this week not to undermine David Cameron's position as PM.

But her speech is expected to be restricted to home affairs issues.

London Mayor Boris Johnson on Friday told Conservative Cabinet ministers accused of positioning themselves for the post-Cameron leadership to "put a sock in it and back the Prime Minister".

Mr Johnson, regarded as front-runner in the succession race if he can find a seat in Parliament, said speculation over a challenge to Mr Cameron's leadership was "complete nonsense".

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Jockey JT McNamara In Medically Induced Coma

By Nick Powell, Sports Editor

Cheltenham. That one word conjures up for millions a special week in March, a mixture of sport and noise and comradeship, pints and predictions, dreams realised and crushed.

But there was a different perspective as dawn broke over Cleve Hill in the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside today - Gold Cup Day of all days.

The first thoughts of everyone were for JT McNamara, and all were forced to remember what risks a jump jockey takes, each time he or she dons the silks and goes into partially airborne battle amid tons of horseflesh.

McNamara, an experienced Irish amateur rider, spent the night in a specialist hospital unit after falling from Galaxy Rock in the penultimate race of the festival's third day.

Aged 37, he has "a serious neck injury", according to Dr Adrian McGoldrick, chief medical officer for the Irish Turf Club.

McNamara was put in a medically induced coma before being transferred into an air ambulance as the normal exuberance of the crowd subsided into concern, and dread.

Former England rugby captain Mike Tindall, husband of Zara Phillips and the owner of a Gold Cup hopeful today, tweeted: "Thoughts & best wishes go out to JT McNamara."

"Praying he's OK," added fellow rider Sam Thomas.

Tony McCoy, champion jockey for the past 17 years, spoke of a sombre mood among his colleagues.

"We're a small community," he said, "we stick together."

The riders all know the risks, they have all felt the pain.

"I've broken bones in my ankle, I've broken my tibia and fibula, I've broken my wrists," McCoy has recounted.

"I've fractured a couple of lower vertebras, I've broken both shoulder blades, both my collar bones, my cheekbones and all my teeth are not mine anymore."

This is the day most in racing look forward to more than any other.

This afternoon's Gold Cup will still be a tense sporting occasion, sparking joy and tears - so long as McNamara is okay.

But the crowd will be more aware than usual of what the stars of the show go through to provide their entertainment.

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MP Arrested After House Of Commons 'Bar Fight'

The MP Eric Joyce has been arrested after an alleged fight in a bar at the House of Commons, Sky sources say.

The independent Member of Parliament for Falkirk was held after the incident at the Sports and Social Club bar.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Police were called shortly before 10.30pm this evening to reports of a disturbance at a bar within the House of Commons.

"Officers attended and a man aged in his 50s was arrested in connection with this incident.

"He remains in custody and inquiries continue."

Joyce resigned from the Labour Party after butting Tory rivals Stuart Andrew and Ben Maney in a previous incident in a Commons bar last February.

The 52-year-old also punched Tory councillor Luke Mackenzie and Labour whip Phillip Wilson while going berserk and insulting officers.

After leaving Mr Andrew with a bloodied nose, Joyce told police: "He deserved it."

Joyce, who accepted he was "hammered" on red wine during the brawl, launched into a frenzied attack after shouting that the Strangers' Bar "was full of ******* Tories".

The former soldier walked away from Westminster Magistrates Court with a fine and pub banning order after admitting four counts of common assault.

He was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £1,400 to victims after he entered early guilty pleas.

Joyce was also given a 12-month community order - banning him from entering pubs and licensed premises for three months - and imposed with a curfew order from Friday to Sunday.

After the hearing, Joyce admitted he was lucky to avoid jail and said he was "deeply apologetic".

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