Missing British Boy Ashya Could Be In Spain

Hampshire Constabulary has confirmed there is positive information to suggest the family of Ashya King may now be in Spain.

The police force said it now has information which suggests the family has strong links to the Marbella area and that they may be travelling there.

The family's car was spotted on Friday, according to police, which has shifted the focus of the search to Spain.

Officers are now working with Spanish authorities in a continued effort to locate the missing five-year-old, who has a brain tumour.

Five-year-old Ashya needs treatment for a brain tumour

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Shead said: "The need to find Ashya is now desperate. It is really important that we find him and ensure he receives medical attention at the earliest opportunity.

"We still don't know whether the King family has any spare batteries for the machine which administers food, the knowledge, or any way of recharging the battery. Without properly administered food Ashya's situation is very serious.

"We have information to suggest that the family may well be on the way to Spain and our search is concentrating on the Marbella area.

"I do have to stress although that's what we're focusing our attention at this point in time, they could equally be anywhere and we would urge anybody on the continent to stay vigilant, keep your eyes open, and if they see the vehicle they're travelling, if you see the family or indeed if you see Ashya please contact police."

Ashya was taken from the hospital by his parents Brett and Naghemeh

Mr Shead added officers would be contacting hospitals across Europe, looking for someone matching the little boy's description or symptoms to see if he has been admitted.

Ashya's family took him from Southampton General Hospital, where he was receiving treatment, at around 2pm on Thursday and travelled on a ferry to Cherbourg, France, two hours later.

The little boy is in a wheelchair and is being fed through a tube. He has undergone "extensive surgery" - with his last operation seven days ago.

Police were told by the hospital that the little boy was missing at 8.35pm that day - more than six hours after he was taken by his parents - Jehovah's Witnesses Brett King, 51, and Naghemeh King, 45.

The family, from Southsea, is travelling in a grey Hyundai I800 Style CRDI registration KP60 HWK.

Interpol has issued a yellow alert in 190 countries

Interpol has sent out a missing persons alert to its 190 member countries as concerns for the boy's welfare have grown.

Ashya is likely to be in a wheelchair or buggy, cannot communicate verbally and is immobile, a police spokesman said.

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust said Ashya was allowed to leave the ward under his parents' supervision and hospital staff raised the alarm when his absence "became a cause of concern".

Legal experts have said that it is "unlikely" that the Kings had committed an offence by taking Ashya out of hospital.

A post on Hampshire Constabulary's Facebook page said: "This is my mother's friend, she has run away in desperation because they cannot accept that there is nothing that can be done for their son and want to look for help abroad.

"Please don't judge, they are a very sweet loving family and I can only believe they are doing this because they want to help their son."

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Raised Terror Threat Prompts Government Talks

Caution No Excuse For Chaotic Response To IS

Updated: 6:52pm UK, Friday 29 August 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

This is a Corporal Jones moment: "Don't Panic!"

But it is one that, so far, has revealed that the British approach to the rapid emergence of Islamic State from almost nil to "a deeper and greater threat than we have ever seen before" has been as chaotic as the Dad's Army character.

David Cameron has now elevated IS above al Qaeda in terms of the danger it poses to the safety of British citizens.

And the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has raised the immediate threat level for the UK from substantial to severe – which means it's likely.

The Prime Minister will announce new measures to restrict the ability of would-be terrorists to leave the UK to get training and to return to commit atrocities.

For now, though, he has continued to rule out the use of force to battle IS in its home territory.

Instead the UK will continue to offer logistical and intelligence support to the US which has been conducting very limited air strikes against the 'Caliphate'.

If, as the PM suggested, this is to be a conflict that could last years or decades, then there is clearly no rush.

But caution can no longer be an excuse for chaos in the response.

The world isn't the way that anyone would wish it. Not now and not for the foreseeable future.

The next generation of Britons will be facing a Malthusian struggle over resources with a hungry China, a Russia brimming with ambitious consumers, Africa's exploding population, India's intellectual empire, and global warming.

The mess that is the Middle East may have its roots in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I and sectarian rivalry – but it will be further fuelled by the competition that is going to drive conflicts for years to come.

These may involve a long-term campaign against political Islamist terror.

But that won't be the only problem the UK and her allies will face.

For proof one only has to look at eastern Ukraine.

Nato's leaders are going to meet in Wales next week to thrash out priorities and strategy for the next few years.

Cameron's recent short speech and his appearance on Monday in the Commons, is a clear sign that he's steeling himself to grasp a handful of nettles.

He's bracing the British for a long haul conflict with the IS. He's fortifying the debate over what it is to be British by insisting that adopting "British values" are not an option or a choice but "a duty".

He will soon have to help drag more money for Nato out of its members.

And he'll be ordering his security services to come up with tactics and long-term strategies to deal with the uncomfortable realities of the modern world that politicians have been refusing to confront.

These are that it's going to get more dangerous, more expensive, harder work and just tougher all around. Few politicians will want to sell that less than 12 months from an election.

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Lib Dems Promise Six Weeks' Paternity Leave

The Liberal Democrats will promise fathers an extra four weeks' paternity leave under new manifesto plans due to be announced.

The policy would extend the total parental leave to 58 weeks by extending fathers' current entitlement of two weeks to six.

Under the plans, the law would be amended to provide parental rights to cover six weeks reserved for working fathers and six weeks for working mothers.

The remaining time would be available to share between partners.

For same-sex couples, each partner would be entitled to six weeks' reserved leave, with the rest available to share.

The policy goes further than the Coalition's introduction of shared parental leave from next April.

Business and Equalities Minister Jo Swinson said shared paternal leave plays an essential part in building a stronger economy and a fairer society.

"It allows couples to choose how to split time off work to look after their new baby," she said.

"Extending paternity leave is an important next step to encouraging new dads to spend more time with their child in those vital early weeks and months after birth.

"When parents share caring responsibilities, more equality in the workplace will follow.

"It is a nonsense to think it is only the mother's job to look after children. Parenting is a shared responsibility."

A Lib Dem spokeswoman said the policy would also encourage fathers to spend more time with their children.

"It's very important to us. We have done lots in government so far to make sure fathers get more rights," she said.

"This is just the extra step in encouraging them to spend more time with their children."

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James Argent: Towie Star Found 'Safe And Well'

The Only Way Is Essex star James Argent has been found "safe and well", his father has told Sky News, after his family reported him missing and a police hunt was launched.

Argent's father said his son had been in touch to explain his "phone was broken and he's now on his way to Blackpool".

His agent Neil Dobias also confirmed the news: "I'm not sure of any of the details but he's called home and spoken to his mum. I just know that he's safe and well."

Police had earlier said they were concerned for Argent's welfare after he was reported missing by his family.

Argent with Towie's Tom Pearce at the National Television Awards in January

Known as "Arg" on the hit reality show, he was last seen at around 3am on Friday at his home in Woodford Green, Essex.

He was meant to be flying out of Gatwick on Friday morning, but he did not make his flight and did not contact his family, friends or agent, who he was supposed to be meeting.

They said it was was "unusual" and very out of character, so increasingly the concern grew for his well-being.

His agent told Sky News earlier: "James was meant to meet me at the airport yesterday morning for a work trip to Majorca but he never turned up and now we are all very concerned."

Argent completing the London Marathon in 2012

The 26-year-old, who joined the Towie cast along with his best friend Mark Wright when the series first aired in 2010, is known to frequent the Brentwood area and nightclubs in Redbridge.

Argent, who has more than 1.4 million followers on Twitter, mentioned missing his ex-girlfriend and Towie co-star Lydia Bright in his most recent tweet on Thursday.

He wrote: "I really miss my old pal @LydiaRoseBright will you hurry up and get back from Italy ASAP! #Needy x."

Their will they/won't they relationship was the focus of the Essex-based show's last series.

Argent with Lydia Bright

The response on Twitter to concerns about Argent's whereabouts was huge this morning.

Former Towie star Sam Faiers tweeted: "We're all worried come home @RealJamesArgent."

Fans also expressed their concerns on social media, with one tweeting: "I hope @RealJamesArgent is found unharmed and well!! Xx."

Another wrote: "Omg can't believe it, hope @RealJamesArgent is okay."

Later, Towie star Gemma Collins tweeted: "Arg is ok."

Argent collected Towie's Bafta Audience Award in 2011 and completed the London Marathon in just over six hours in aid of Cancer Research in 2012.

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Hospital Food Shake-Up Announced By NHS Chiefs

By Siobhan Robbins, Sky News Reporter

The days of lumpy mash and watery gravy should become a thing of the past for hospital patients and staff as new mandatory food standards are introduced.

The rules will be legally binding and are aimed at putting an end to unhealthy and inedible meals on the NHS.

Under the changes, all patients will be checked for malnutrition, given an individual food plan and get help eating and drinking.

Canteen food must also be healthy, meet guidelines on salt, sugar and fat and be sustainably sourced.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said most people enjoyed the meals they currently received.

But he added: "Patients say the quality of food at their hospital is one of the most important things in their stay, on top of which we know that if you give people healthy, nutritious food it means they recover more quickly, they stay in hospital for a shorter amount of time and it costs the NHS less, so there are lots of reasons why this is very important."

The plans come from a report by the Hospital Food Standards Panel, which also recommended hospitals develop food and drink policies that encourage healthy eating, high-quality food production, sustainability and excellent nutritional care.

The changes will be included in NHS contracts

Hospitals will also be scored on the standard of their food, with results to be posted online.

It is a move being welcomed by 22-year-old Craig Benwell, who said the meals he received during a recent stay in hospital were often inedible or served in tiny portions.

The hospital says thin, plain food was appropriate for his condition because he was being treated for Crohn's Disease.

But Mr Benwell told Sky News: "I can understand why I was on the special diet because I can only eat certain foods.

"But the amount of food that was coming out and the look of it just wasn't very appetising at all.

"The main problem was portion size ... I had to really gain weight and the portions they were giving me just really weren't enough."

The new changes will be included in NHS contracts but will not be written into law, leading to criticism from campaigners that they could be easily ignored.

Alex Jackson, coordinator of the Campaign for Better Hospital Food, added: "We're also alarmed that the Government's food standards are weak and only reflect basic catering and care standards, which are already commonly implemented in the NHS, including that 'tap water is available' to patients.

"Good things in themselves, but nowhere near ambitious enough to have a transformative effect on patient meals."

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Two Tory MPs 'Seriously Considering' Defecting

Five Big Wins For UKIP As Carswell Defects

Updated: 2:50pm UK, Thursday 28 August 2014

By Faisal Islam, Political Editor

For days, Nigel Farage has been impishly promising a "big announcement" about "a new donor".

Impressive spin, maximising the bombshell announcement of a defection to UKIP (and I'd not be surprised if Douglas Carswell had handed over a tenner to make the claim true, technically).

The first win for UKIP, is obviously getting a Conservative MP to defect.

Second, in Carswell UKIP have gained a respected, independent, radical mind, an ex-Spectator parliamentarian of the year.

He is not a time-serving, bitter backbencher overlooked for promotion in the Coalition Government.

He is a man of interesting views - from direct democracy, to the system of money and debt, to immigration, and of course Europe.

He has a strong following within the Conservative grassroots.

Third, he will resign as an MP, triggering a by-election, at the worst possible time for the Conservatives.

Some political analysts felt the European and local elections in May were just a form of the typical mid-term protest vote, that UKIP was running out of steam.

This changes that completely.

Fourth, was the manner of Carswell's resignation. Calm praise of the prime minister, who he voted for as Conservative party leader.

But then he assailed Mr Cameron's entire strategy to heal the Conservative party's open wounds on Europe.

The policy of renegotiation of EU membership followed by a 2017 referendum was "not sincere", the leadership wanting to secure "just enough" to pretend change was happening.

The Conservative leadership was not "serious about real change". There will a few other Conservative MPs pondering that one.

Fifth, he also singled out the key moments that pushed him to the exit door.

There was Mr Cameron's recent talk to the 1922 committee when Carswell claims he said he would not consider the UK going for a trade-only "associate" status with the EU.

He also criticised the effective dropping of "open primaries", and the treatment of one MP chosen by them, Dr Sarah Wollaston.

And he expressed his regret over the failure to get tough MP recall powers.

More than anything, this could blow open the Conservatives decades-long internal fight over Europe.

At a time when David Cameron and George Osborne were finalising their conference offer to the electorate, a plan to turn the as yet voteless recovery into a vote-heavy one, this is the last thing the PM needed.

On the day the PM flies to Glasgow to try to help keep the Union together, he faces the old nightmare, of keeping his own party together.

Ed Miliband and Alex Salmond will be sharing in Nigel Farage's delight today.

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Gold Diggers Flock To Beach For Treasure Hunt

An artist has caused a gold rush on a beach after apparently burying thousands of pounds worth of the precious metal there as part of an arts festival.

Michael Sailstorfer says he has hidden 30 bars of 24-carat gold, worth £10,000, under the sand of Outer Harbour beach in Folkestone, Kent.

People are being encouraged to search the beach after low tide - and can keep any gold that they find.

People have travelled from as far as London to take part, the curators say

The bars are around the size of a dog tag, and worth up to £500 each.

Rachel Kinchin, communications director at arts producers Situations UK, which is curating the project, said around 500 people had turned up so far, and described the response as "amazing".

She said: "There's so many stories of what people would do with it (a piece of gold).

There have been four reports of people finding gold so far

"One guy who's redundant said he would start up his own business. Others want to keep it as a piece of art."

Ms Kinchin said they had received reports of four treasure hunters striking it lucky, although no one has officially come forward to them.

One of those who went down on Thursday, the first day of searching, was Vicky Webb, who told Kent Online: "I heard about this on the radio and I thought we should go down and join in.

Each piece is around the size of a dog tag

"Some people are getting a bit frustrated at not finding anything but it's a lot of fun."

Ms Kinchin said there is no time frame for when the hunt will end, and added it was possible some of the gold might never be found.

The project by Berlin-based Mr Sailstorfer is called Folkestone Digs and is part of the town's triennial, which runs from August 30 to November 2.

People are being encouraged to sift through sand so as not to miss any gold

A common theme of his work is said to be the "disruption of the everyday".

Situations UK said the project "is a continuation of his aim to make art that comes less from the head and more from the stomach".

Some are using metal detectors to help them, others are relying on spades

Ms Kinchin said part of the work was about a "shared experience and sense of community".

Folkestone's triennial, which happens every three years, has previously included works by artists including Tracey Emin, Jeremy Deller and Martin Creed.

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Annual House Price Growth Hits 11% Says Report

The slowdown in house price growth of recent months could have been short-lived, with home costs accelerating in August.

The Nationwide study calculated growth of 0.8% - the sixteenth successive monthly price rise - leaving the annual pace of house price growth up to 11% from 10.6% in July.

The report said that while the figures highlighted a growing gulf between housing costs and wage rises - most recently measured at -0.2% - affordability was not stretched by historic standards.

Its figures were released as separate Land Registry statistics - covering the year to July - measured growth of 7.2% nationally.

London house prices were found to have grown by 19.3% annually - the biggest year-on-year increase in the capital in more than a decade.

Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist, said: "The outlook for the housing market remains highly uncertain.

"The number of mortgage approvals fell by almost 20% between January and May, suggesting that activity was cooling.

"However, there was a modest rebound in June and it is unclear how much of the slowdown was due to the introduction of Mortgage Market Review rather than an underlying loss of momentum.

"Surveyors report that new buyer enquiries have moderated somewhat in recent months, and the prospect of interest rate increases together with subdued wage growth may temper demand in the quarters ahead.

"However, the brightening economic outlook is likely to provide ongoing support for housing demand.

"Consumer sentiment remains buoyant thanks to declining inflation and sustained increases in employment."

He also pointed to the continuing weak supply of homes on the market as a factor likely to support price growth.

But separate research released by property analyst Hometrack has found the gap between house sellers' asking prices and the amounts that buyers are willing to pay is widening.

Hometrack said this pointed to the pace of house price increases slowing in the coming months.

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Met Chief Wants New Powers To Stop UK Jihadists

The country's most senior police officer wants jihadists who fight abroad to be stripped of their British passports and placed under revived control orders if they return to the UK.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe spoke after Boris Johnson called for anyone travelling to Syria or Iraq "without good reason" to be arrested - and for returning fighters to lose their UK citizenship.

Deputy Prime Minister has argued that no new laws are required - and insisted he would listen to "police, the authorities and security services" rather than Mr Johnson.

But Sir Bernard, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, has also called for new powers.

He said: "It seems to me it's a privilege to have a passport and be a citizen of this country, and if you're going to start fighting in another country on behalf of another state, or against another state, it seems to me that you've made a choice about where you what to be."

Sir Bernard wants a return to "something like" control orders, which were used to restrict the movement and behaviour of terror suspects who could not face charges in court or be deported.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe wants fresh powers to stop suspected terrorists

"Certainly for us, anything that either stops them from going or preferably stops them from coming back is a good idea," he said.

"They were stopped because the threat was reduced and quite properly they were seen as too intrusive.

"But I think these things have got to be considered when the drum beat changes, and it's clear that the drum beat has changed."

An estimated 500 or 600 Britons are thought to have travelled to Syria to fight jihad there.

Last week a video emerged of an ISIS fighter with an English accent, dubbed 'Jihadi John', apparently beheading US journalist James Foley.

Scotland Yard has confirmed "significant progress" is being made to find the killer.

Sir Bernard said the force is working with American counterparts to firmly establish whether he is British.

James Foley was beheaded by a suspected British jihadi

"We are making progress in that investigation, of course we are working with our partners in America because this was an American citizen who was murdered by a British citizen, it appears.

"First of all we have to tie down who we think did it, where it happened, and then we can start talking about jurisdiction.

"Obviously there is a voiceover, which everybody's heard, which sounds like a Brit. It sounds like somebody from London, that's all the experts tell us. So we're investigating whether that's true.

"Our investigation is making progress but it's not straightforward, it's not got a name plate stuck on it. We are going to have to do quite a lot of work with various people to try to get to the bottom of it."

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Tax Fugitives Brought To Justice By HMRC

Five of the UK's top tax fugitives have been brought back to the UK to face justice following a global HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) initiative, the organisation has said.

HMRC said it is "excellent news for all honest taxpayers" and released images of a further five people it wants to track down.

These are: Ahmed Salim Khezri, Norbert Dombo, Mohammed Kasim Farook (aka Mohammed Kasim), Paul Edwards and Murugasan Natarajan (aka Murucasan Natarajan and Raj Natarajan).

The five fugitives HMRC wants to apprehend

Those who have been apprehended in the last year are:

:: John Sabin, who fled to Spain after being convicted for his role in smuggling more than 150 million illicit cigarettes into the UK

:: Malcolm McGowan, who also fled to Spain before he could be sentenced for smuggling more than 28 million cigarettes

:: Magdalena Ferkova, returned from the Czech Republic after being found guilty of tax credit and child benefit fraud

:: Michael Voudouri, who fled to northern Cyprus prior to sentencing after being found guilty of an £11.6m money laundering scam

:: Michael Fearon, who fled to the Republic of Ireland while on trial for his part in smuggling more than 8 million cigarettes

Malcolm McGowan, one of those who has been caught in the last year

Jennie Granger, HMRC's Director General of Enforcement and Compliance, said: "This is down to the determination of our people with the help and support of the general public.

"We would like to thank the public for that help, and ask them to look at the 2014 list and help us to bring back the rest.

"These fugitives were involved in frauds that have collectively cost the UK more than  £844 million but the success of our campaign means those on the run should know that HMRC will relentlessly pursue them."

HMRC said it had also received "important information" on the location of five other people on its "most wanted" list.

It is two years since HMRC first published images of its top tax fraud absconders, and since then the pictures have been viewed three million times, leading to the capture of some of the fugitives.

There is also a map showing where HMRC believes the remaining people on the list to be.

HMRC says that, where legally possible, it will seek extraditions with the help of the Crown Prosecution Service and other partners in the UK and abroad to ensure they are brought back to the UK. 

:: Anyone with information should contact the Tax Evasion Hotline on 0800 788 887 or email via the HMRC website. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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