Call For Police To Be Armed With Tasers

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 31 Januari 2015 | 12.27

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Frontline police officers should be able to carry a Taser to combat attempted attacks on them by terrorists, according to the head of the organisation that represents front-line officers.

Police Federation chair Steve White said the stun guns, which can temporarily disable the target with two dart-like electrodes that carry a maximum 50,000-volt charge, should be made more widely available to uniformed officers.

He told The Guardian newspaper the move was needed because acts of terrorism could be carried out anywhere and officers needed protection.

Mr White said: "The terrorist ideal to get attention no longer relies on an attack being in a place of note.

"It could be in Cheam high street, in any town, in any part of the UK.

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Gallery: Taser Device Explained

The most common device used by police is the X26 Taser, which has a peak voltage of 50,000 volts when discharged - this drops to 1,200 volts while travelling around the body

The Taser fires two small dart-like electrodes which stay connected to the main unit as they are propelled by small compressed nitrogen charges to the body similar to air gun or paintball marker propellants

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Tasers work primarily by creating "neuromuscular incapacitation" - in short, they interrupt the ability of the brain to control the muscles

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This creates an immediate and unavoidable incapacitation that is not based on pain and cannot be overcome. Once the electricity stops flowing, the subject regains control of their body

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The Taser has a "drive stun" capability, where the Taser is held against a person's body without firing the projectiles. This is intended to cause pain without incapacitating the target

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"We know there are more dangerous people out there, preparing to attack police officers and we need to be able to respond to that threat."

Leaders at the Police Federation will vote next month on a proposal that every officer on the frontline should be offered training in how to use the weapons.

Mr White said: "Talking to them with a cup of tea and a biscuit is not going to work."

The murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich in 2013 showed "you don't need to have a gun to create terrorism", said Mr White, who rejected the notion the move amounted to arming officers.

"It is a defensive tool and a tactical option.

"We have a largely unarmed service and the service wants that to remain.

"The alternative is to have officers out there without anything at all. We have to do something."

But one police chief, speaking anonymously, told The Guardian the idea risked damaging public confidence in the police.

"The idea of arming every police officer with a Taser is alien to 200 years of police culture," they said.

"It is a stepping stone to arming the police; something strapped to your hip that looks like a firearm is a huge shift in what we stand for."

The latest Home Office figures show the use of Tasers has increased every year, and there have been a number of controversial deaths related to the use of them.

The stun guns were fired 826 times out of the 5,107 times they were deployed between January and June 2014.

The latter figure compares to 4,999 times during the same period in 2013 and 1,297 occasions in 2009.

Concerns over their use grew after the death of Andrew Pimlott in Plymouth in April 2013.

He suffered fatal burns after being hit by a Taser after he had poured petrol over himself and was holding a lit match at the time.

:: Steve White will be appearing on Sky News this morning at around 8.20. You can watch the interview on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202 and Freeview 132.

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Written By Unknown on Jumat, 30 Januari 2015 | 12.27

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent, in Donetsk

As the fighting in eastern Ukraine intensifies, humanitarian conditions in the region are deteriorating.

Sky News filmed families in the rebel-controlled capital of Donetsk, as it was revealed the European Union has extended its first set of sanctions against the separatists and Russia, which has been accused of aiding the rebellion.

Some of the families in Donetsk have been living in underground shelters since July, too frightened to let their children play outside or go to school.

Two hundred people, including more than 50 children, are living in the basement of an arts centre in the city's western suburb - afraid to allow the children above ground for more than a few minutes at a time.

One eight-year-old girl said she couldn't remember when she last played outside.

"If they go out it's only for five minutes maximum," her mother, Vika Makeeva, told us.

"To get fresh air and come back."

They said the school had been shelled and it had no basement shelter so the children hadn't been since December.

UNICEF has provided them with hygiene kits, and individuals have donated food and toys for the children.

"They started to shell us from the Ukrainian side," Luba, one of the mothers, said.

"I took the child when he was asleep in his blanket, put him on a bike and we went to a shelter in the children's hospital, but it was really damp, with frogs, and then we came here."

Many of the residents have homes, but they are too frightened to return.

We went with one lady to check on her flat - she told us their block was shelled four days ago, and their roof destroyed.

As she led us across the courtyard she heard outgoing rocket fire and hurried behind a concrete wall, listening for the sound of the impact so she could work out which direction it was heading.

She said this was why she was afraid to bring her children outside.

In the city centre we saw long queues of people, the majority of them pensioners, outside an aid distribution point.

It was bitterly cold and there was thick ice on the ground, but they had been waiting patiently since 8am for handouts donated by Ukraine's richest man, Rinat Akhmetov.

The Ukrainian government has cut off pensions and other social payments to those living in rebel-controlled areas like Donetsk.

There is food in the shops, but many have no money to buy it, and so find themselves dependent on donations.

"For six months we have had no pension," one elderly woman told us.

"We have no salaries, no pensions, that's it so we're queuing for help."

"This is how we live," her husband added.

"Waiting for the humanitarian aid, thanks that they are helping us."

Pavel Gudchok worked for a Ukrainian bank, but they closed the branches in Donetsk last year and now he can't find a job.

He was visibly shivering as he waited to help his grandmother at the aid point.

"There's no money here, people are hungry here, without homes," the 24-year-old said.

"They need everything now."

The longer this goes on, the more attitudes here are hardening, the stronger the anger with Kiev - and the deeper the divisions in this already bitterly divided country.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boris Launches Outspoken Attack On Jihadis

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Boris Johnson is set to trigger a new controversy with an outspoken outburst - even by his standards - on the character and personality of jihadist bombers.

In an interview with The Sun, London's Mayor said: "If you look at all the psychological profiling about bombers, they typically will look at porn. They are literally w***ers. Severe onanists.

"They are tortured. They will be very badly adjusted in their relations with women, and that is a symptom of their feeling of being failures and that the world is against them.

"They are rejected by women, they are not making it with girls, and so they turn to other forms of spiritual comfort - which of course is no comfort."

It is not the first time Mr Johnson has launched an outspoken attack on jihadi terrorists.

Last year he said hoped the terrorist known as "Jihadi John" would be killed in a bomb attack.

In his Daily Telegraph column in August he said Britain must take on Islamic State (IS) and "try to close it down now".

Mr Johnson warned that doing nothing would mean a "tide of terror will eventually lap at our own front door".

But his inflammatory remarks in The Sun may reinforce the view of those Conservatives who believe Mr Johnson lacks the gravitas to be party leader and Prime Minister.

And Mr Johnson could also face accusations from radical Muslims and other ethnic groups of Islamophobia and racism.

The mayor, who is poised to return to the Commons in May in the safe Tory seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, told The Sun: "I fervently think we need to de-mystify this lot.

"The type of people who are likely to get involved in ISIS or get radicalised are the same sorts of people who are vulnerable to getting dragged into drug gangs or other types of criminal activity.

"They are just young men in desperate need of self-esteem who do not have a particular mission in life, who feel that they are losers and this thing makes them feel strong and feel like winners."

Mr Johnson backed the Muslim Cabinet Minister Sajid Javid - seen by some Tory rivals as a rival to the Mayor for the Conservative Party leadership - after the Culture Secretary said it was "absolutely right" to say Muslim communities carry a "special burden" to tackle terror.

The mayor said: "I want to hear a proper angry Islamic theological denunciation of what is going wrong.

"We won't succeed if Western politicians just go around bashing and blaming Islam; that is hopeless.

"This problem can only be addressed if Muslim authorities and clerics find a powerful and compelling way of setting up an alternative narrative for young people that makes this seem irrelevant."

Pointing out his own great grandfather was a Turkish Muslim, the mayor added: "I often hear voices from the Muslim intelligentsia who are very quick to accuse people of Islamophobia.

"But they are not explaining how it can be that this one religion seems to be leading people astray in so many cases.

"They are not being persuasive in the right way with these people. I am not yet hearing it in the way that we need to hear it."

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Audio: Hostage Faces Death Within Hours

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 29 Januari 2015 | 12.27

An audio recording purportedly from a man being held by IS militants says a fellow hostage has just hours to live unless an Iraqi prisoner is released.

The message, which is unverified, is believed to have been read out by Kenji Goto - a Japanese journalist taken by Islamic State militants last year.

In it the voice demands the release of Sajida al Rishawi, who was sentenced to death in Jordan for her involvement in a 2005 terrorist attack that killed 60 people.

The man states that a fellow hostage - Jordanian pilot Lieutenant Muath al Kasaesbeh - would be killed if the prisoner was not ready to be exchanged at the Turkish border with Syria by "sunset".

The brief message did not make it clear what the fate of either hostage would be even if the group's demands were met.

Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said: "We are still in the process of verification but with all of the information gathered we think that there is a high probability that the voice was indeed that of Mr Goto."

Although the Jordanian government is willing to hand over the would-be suicide bomber, nations around the world - including the US - believe the deal with IS should not go ahead.

Such an exchange could set a dangerous precedent, encouraging terrorists to take more people hostage.

However, if both hostages were to survive, it could provide crucial intelligence about their captors, as the whereabouts of a man dubbed "Jihadi John" remains unknown.

The family of Lt al Kaseasbeh have met Jordan's King Abdullah, where they were assured that "things were still positive".

Despite this, the country's Foreign Minister has not received any evidence that the pilot is alive and well.

The Japanese government is investigating the latest footage, which was originally uploaded to YouTube.

The mother of Kenji Goto has made a tearful appeal to Japan's Prime Minister to help save her son.

Junko Ishido said she had begged Shinzo Abe to "Please save Kenji" and to work with the Jordanian government to secure his release.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rotherham Victim Says Abusers 'Untouchable'

By Jason Farrell, Sky News Correspondent

A survivor of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham claims she still sees her abusers "driving young girls in their car", as a Sky News investigation reveals hundreds of new cases continue to emerge.

In August 2014 the Alexis Jay report identified 1,400 cases of child sexual exploitation in the Yorkshire town.

But Sky News has learned that hundreds more cases were known to authorities prior to its publication and that hundreds more are being reported.

Victims continue to feel let down by authorities.

One survivor "Gemma" told Sky News: "It's still going on if not worse, because now they're having to hide it more.

"I'm still seeing my abusers driving young girls in their car. They're untouchable."

The Alexis Jay report found that hundreds of children had been sexually exploited, mostly by Asian gangs, and that Rotherham Council and South Yorkshire police had failed to tackle the problem.

Jayne Senior, who ran an outreach programme for victims in Rotherham called Risky Business, has revealed that she reported nearly 1,700 cases of grooming or sexual exploitation to the council's children's services between 1999 and 2011.

This was a shorter time period than that examined by the report.

"I was accused of saying too much, of sharing too much information, reporting too much intelligence," she told Sky News in her first ever interview.

"Risky Business didn't make all this up. It was accused of making it all up and Alexis Jay exonerated all of that."

The report found Risky Business was seen by the borough's social care services "as something of a nuisance".

It added that "there were too many examples of young people who were properly referred by Risky Business to children's social care and who somehow fell through the net and were not treated with the priority they deserved".

Risky Business was shut down in 2011 and victims have expressed frustration that a recent application to set up a new support group has been turned down by the council despite recommendations in the Jay report.

"It shouldn't have been shut down," one victim told Sky News.

"Because that was an agency that was trying to tackle the situation. But knowing now that it was all a cover up then I think it was closed down because they were trying to tackle the problem."

Local MP Sarah Champion said she was also baffled as to why Risky Business was discontinued.

"Genuinely, I have no idea why it was shut down. Why would you shut down a successful organisation that was demonstrating there was a massive need for their services and was proving results. They were getting prosecutions."

The Rotherham MP is leading calls for a national task force to be set up to combat large scale child abuse across the UK. She said she has been "overwhelmed" with new cases coming to her for help and advice.

As well as support many victims are still seeking justice.

"Gemma" complained that local police "turned up suited an booted" outside her home with a panic alarm - showing neighbours that she was someone who had reported abuse.

"All they care about is getting a statement," she said. "Six months on we've had no arrests, we've had no charges, evidence is still being lost."

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said: "We look at each case individually to establish the most appropriate way to contact and visit victims throughout an investigation to ensure their personal safety is maintained.

"South Yorkshire Police has not received a complaint in relation to this alleged incident."

Leader of Rotherham Council, Cllr Paul Lakin, said : "We accepted the recommendations of Professor Jay's report and immediately acted to address the issues raised.

"We fully acknowledge that we should have done more in the past and have offered our sincere and heartfelt apologies to the victims and survivors of child sexual exploitation.

"Make no mistake, protecting children and supporting the police in tackling child sexual exploitation is our highest priority.

"With regard to the 2002 Home Office researcher's report, we take allegations of a "cover up" very seriously and have made strenuous efforts to obtain a full copy of the report. As yet, this has not been forthcoming.

"We are also working with our partners, including South Yorkshire Police, to identify cases where individuals may not have had the access to the services and support that they need."

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Protesters To Rally Against Fracking Proposals

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 28 Januari 2015 | 12.27

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

Demonstrators from around the UK are expected to gather in Lancashire today, ahead of a controversial decision on the future of fracking in the county.

It is the first time that Cuadrilla, an exploration company, has applied to develop new fracking sites since being blamed for creating earth tremors in Blackpool three years ago.

The firm suspended test drilling and abandoned its site near the seaside resort following the quakes in 2011.

The Preese Hall site remains the only place in the UK where modern fracking techniques have been used so far.

The new areas sit on the same massive reserve of shale gas which experts say could help revolutionise Britain's energy market.

But groups opposed to fracking say it would industrialise the countryside and pollute the environment.

Cuadrilla has applied to Lancashire County Council for permission to frack two sites in a rural area between Preston and Blackpool.

Officers at the authority have recommended that councillors vote against the proposals because of concerns over noise and road safety.

If the councillors accept the recommendations, it will be seen as a major blow to the efforts to kick-start Britain's shale gas industry.

Anti-fracking campaigner Tina Rothery said: "Like many people in the anti-fracking movement, we have completely put our own lives on hold for four years just to get this done – because how do you walk away from this?

"Every door I would look to walk out of would have my granddaughter's face on it. I can't walk away and go 'It's OK – they'll take care of it' because it's too big."

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process of drilling a mile or more into the earth before water, chemicals and sand are injected under high pressure into rock, releasing the shale gas trapped inside.

In recent years, it has become one of the most divisive issues in the UK, leading to violent scenes between police and protesters at proposed sites in Manchester, Lancashire and Sussex.

Supporters such as Blackpool businessman Tony Raynor claim his interest in fracking was prompted by the local earth tremors several years ago.

"Like most people, I was ambivalent to shale gas, but the tremors made me want to find out more. Now I'm in favour," he said.

"There are fewer jobs here now than there were in 2004 and we all worry about the brain drain (from the area) and our children finding opportunities in this region. We need economic activity happening in Blackpool."

The anti-fracking movement has built up considerably over recent years. Its supporters say pollution in the US has shown the process is environmentally unsustainable.

However, supporters argue that it has considerably reduced America's dependence on imported energy supplies and helped to bolster the economy.

Cuadrilla has asked that the local authority allows more time to consider its proposals for minimising the environmental impact at fracking sites. If Lancashire councillors do reject Cuadrilla's plans, the company is expected to appeal.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

More Pregnant Smokers Quit If Paid, Study

Pregnant women who smoke are more likely to quit the habit if they are paid, according to new research.

Figures suggest 5,000 fetuses and babies die every year as a result of mums smoking during pregnancy.

And it is claimed it can cost the NHS annually up to £64m for problems in mothers and up to £23.5m for infants.

But a new study suggests financial incentives, in the form of shopping vouchers, can motivate pregnant women to quit the habit.

"This study provides substantial evidence of a very promising and potentially cost-effective new intervention to add to present health service support," the authors wrote.

"The findings can serve as the basis for future research to include other UK centres and other health care systems."

Researchers at the University of Glasgow and the University of Stirling used 612 pregnant smokers.

They were randomly assigned to one of two groups.

Half were assigned to a group offered up to £400 of financial incentives if they took part in sessions aimed at helping them quit ior actually gave up.

The other half were just offered places on help groups and a face-to-face appointment with a smoking cessation adviser, four follow-up support calls and free nicotine replacement therapy for 10 weeks.

Women who were offered shopping vouchers were significantly more likely to quit smoking (23%) than those in the control group (9%).

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Campaigns Heat Up As Election Countdown Begins

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 27 Januari 2015 | 12.27

There are now just 100 days until the General Election, with Britain's two largest parties - Labour and the Conservatives - launching new policies in a bid to lure voters.

David Cameron has promised a renewed squeeze on benefits "within the first few days" of Government if the Tories are re-elected on May 7.

The Prime Minister plans to reduce the annual cap on welfare payments from £26,000 to £23,000 – with the £135m saved going towards funding for 3 million apprenticeships by the end of the decade.

Mr Cameron will be speaking on Sky News at 7.15am about his proposals to tighten the limit, which he believes will "give people the chance of a better future".

:: Sky looks at the 150 seats that could play a deciding role in May's General Election. Click here for the link to the In The Margins console.

Meanwhile, Labour is outlining its 10-year plan for the National Health Service, which includes a pledge to improve the care that terminally ill, frail and elderly people receive at home.

The announcement of 5,000 new "homecare workers" is part of a wider policy to invest an extra £2.5bn in the NHS, with a view to recruiting 20,000 more nurses and 8,000 additional GPs.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham will be appearing live on Sky News at 8.10am.

The fresh round of campaigning comes as Sky News forecasts another hung parliament following May's General Election, with the Green Party, UKIP and the SNP all vying to lure voters away from the traditional two-party system.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Will There Be Another Hung Parliament In May?

By Michael Thrasher, Sky's Election Analyst

With 100 days to go until the General Election, Sky News is forecasting another hung parliament - with Labour rather than the Conservatives as the largest party.

Typical: you wait years for a hung parliament and then two come along together.

This forecast will change because electoral opinion is changing. Gone are the days when parties could rely upon a solid core of support and concentrate instead on wooing the "floating" voters.

Over the past two years, former Tories have separated from the party, tempted by the promises of UKIP to curb immigration and abandon the European Union. It is 100 days and counting before separation turns into divorce.

Labour, which recovered rapidly from its 2010 defeat because of Liberal Democrat voters defecting, has squandered that inheritance. Deemed too left-wing or too right-wing according to which branch of the party has a public platform, it is being outmanoeuvred by the radical Greens in England and by the SNP in Scotland.

The electoral arithmetic is clear. Understanding what might happen on 7 May requires us to reset the parliamentary numbers to what they were after the last election.

The Conservatives, with 306 seats, fell 20 seats short of an overall majority, despite staging one of its best-ever election performances.

Labour finished with 258 seats, and required 68 gains for a victory.

:: Sky looks at the 150 seats that could play a deciding role in May's General Election. Click here for the link to the In The Margins console.

Election watchers normally talk about swing - the movement of voters from one party to another across consecutive elections. The line for next May is pretty well-rehearsed.

The Conservatives require a swing of 2% from Labour (or an 11-point lead in the popular vote) for an overall majority.

Meanwhile, Labour overtakes the Conservatives with a 2% swing in its favour, and then crosses the finishing line with a 5% swing (a three-point lead).

The national polls currently show that Conservative support has fallen by six points, while Labour has enjoyed a rise of three points. Assuming a national uniform swing, Labour would be just short of a majority.

But the 2015 election is so unlike previous elections that such forecasting conventions should be abandoned.

National polls are now too blunt to capture the undercurrents of electoral opinion. They fail to reflect the turbulence in Scotland following the referendum vote, differences across the English regions, and politics in individual constituencies.

Last September, 45% of voters in Scotland supported independence. The latest Scottish-only polls shows most of these will stick with the SNP for the Westminster election.

Meanwhile, the majority that voted to stay with the union have scattered among other parties.

All of this is good news for the SNP, which could win 53 seats, and disaster for Labour, projected to lose 36 seats.

There are differences in the English regions, too. The UKIP threat to the Conservatives is concentrated down the east coast, and into Essex and Kent particularly.

While Conservative hopes are pinned on banging the drum of economic recovery, its sound is muffled in the Midlands and the north, where 38 of its most marginal seats are situated.

Opposition parties would hope to tap into such scepticism, but these voters are unimpressed with Labour's leader and his party's message.

General elections are ultimately decided not by the national vote, but by results in 650 separate constituencies. The contrast here between UKIP and the Liberal Democrats reinforces this point.

Farage's party is generally more popular than Clegg's, but vote distribution is everything. UKIP may win Clacton and Rochester again, but the Liberal Democrats could have 10 times that number of seats despite polling fewer votes nationally.

A hung parliament is therefore the most likely outcome of this chaos, but the 100 days after the election look equally unpredictable.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greece Lightning: Could Syriza Success Spread?

Written By Unknown on Senin, 26 Januari 2015 | 12.27

By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent

As car horns blared in the capital's streets, few doubted this had been a seismic night in European politics.

Five years of swingeing cuts have shrunk Greece's economic output by a third and delivered a primary budget surplus, but the price has been too high for many of the electorate.

A third of people in Greece live below the poverty line, a quarter are out of work and pensioners have seen their income dwindle.

That generalised anger finally found its expression at the ballot box.

While previously Syriza's core supporters had been students and a loose coalition of Marxists, Maoists, Trotskyites and environmental campaigners, it acted as a lightning rod across society.

Many of the squeezed middle class wanted to punish the political parties they felt had sold Greece's future prosperity to protect the banking system.

Alexis Tsipras now has something of a dilemma though: he wants to keep Greece in the single currency but the European Union, the European Central Bank and the IMF won't want the country to renege on its promises.

There were strings attached to the €240bn which have kept the country afloat and the likes of Germany are unlikely to agree to allow Greece to restructure more of its debt.

But if Mr Tsipras softens on his vow to "finish the troika" in order to prevent a default and a so-called Grexit, he may anger his core support base.

The wider repercussions could be felt outside the country's borders.

There are a host of other anti-austerity parties in Europe waiting to challenge the consensus, most prominently Podemos in Spain where an election must be held this year.

If this election grows into a pan-European movement, the plumbing of the global economy could face some determined opposition.

Syriza's progress might well embolden those willing to take on established political parties, which could have far reaching consequences.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greece Will Leave Austerity 'Humiliation' Behind

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The leader of the Syriza party has vowed to end the "humiliation and anguish" of Greek citizens after his party took victory in the country's election on an anti-austerity platform.

Alexis Tsipras told thousands of supporters in Athens that Greece will leave behind the "catastrophic austerity" measures imposed by European creditors.

The left-wing party - which was widely tipped to win the poll - looks likely to win 149 seats in the 300-seat parliament.

This indicates the party would be two seats short of an overall majority.

With 92% of the votes counted, Syriza was 8.5 points ahead of the conservative New Democracy party of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who has conceded defeat.

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Gallery: Alexis Tsipras Celebrates Victory For His Anti-Austerity Party

A young child supporting anti-austerity party Syriza takes part in celebrations after the first exit polls in Athens

Syriza supporters await the final result of the Greek election at the party tent

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Members of the conservative New Democracy party watch as exit polls shows a significant victory for Syriza

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Celebrations continue for supporters of Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras in Athens

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An anti-austerity voter is overcome with emotion as news of the results breaks

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"Greece leaves behinds catastrophic austerity, it leaves behind fear and authoritarianism, it leaves behind five years of humiliation and anguish," Mr Tsipras said in his victory speech.

The win raises the prospect of a stand-off with European creditors, with Mr Tsipras promising to renegotiate the repayment terms of Greece's debt.

Financial markets have reacted nervously to the result, fearing conflict with other Eurozone governments that could put strain the currency bloc.

Greece was forced to undertake deep budget cuts and fiscal reforms as a condition for a €240bn bailout in 2010 from the so-called "Troika" - the group of creditors made up of the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank.

Many in Greece feel slashed public spending has hit the most vulnerable hardest, while leaving the tax evasion and corruption of the apparent elites untouched.

Mr Tsipras said he would cooperate with fellow Eurozone leaders for "a fair and mutually beneficial solution", but said the Greek people come first.

"Our priority from the very first day will be to deal with the big wounds left by the crisis," he said.

"Our foremost priority is that our country and our people regain their lost dignity."

He added: "The verdict of our people means the Troika is finished.

"The new Greek government will be ready to cooperate and negotiate for the first time with our peers a just, mutually beneficial and viable solution."

Germany's Bundesbank has warned Greece needs to reform to tackle its economic problems, while the euro fell nearly half a US cent.

Mr Samaras had insisted voters would be making a huge mistake to elect Syriza at a time when painful fiscal reforms may be about to pay off.

After conceding defeat, he told supporters: "My conscience is clear because I told the truth to the Greek people until the very end.

"I received a country that was almost destroyed and I was asked to hold a hot potato and I did that."

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Written By Unknown on Kamis, 22 Januari 2015 | 12.27

Prince Andrew Asked For Sex Claim Response

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Prince Andrew has been formally asked to respond to allegations by a woman who claims she was made to have under-age sex with him.

A letter addressed to the Prince at Buckingham Palace has been filed by lawyers acting on behalf of Virginia Roberts.

The document, filed on Wednesday in a Florida court, asks him to take part in a two-hour interview under oath.

Ms Roberts, who is referred to in court as Jane Doe No 3, claims when she was 17 she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew by his friend Jeffrey Epstein - a financier and now convicted sex offender.

The Duke, who is not a party to the proceedings, strenuously denies the claims.

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Gallery: Profile Of Prince Andrew

Born on 19 February 1960 at Buckingham Palace, Prince Andrew is the second son and the third child of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh

The Prince served in the Royal Navy for 22 years as a helicopter pilot - he took part in the Falklands campaign

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He married Sarah Ferguson in 1986 in a wedding that captured the public's imagination

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But the couple separated in 1993 and divorced in 1996

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The Prince holds several posts in the British Army, Navy, Air Force and Commonwealth forces

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The letter, dated 14 January, said: "This letter is a formal request ... to interview you, under oath, regarding interactions that you had with Jane Doe No 3 beginning in approximately early 2001. Jane Doe No 3 was then 17 years old.

"The interview could be conducted at a time and place of your choosing, and with your co-operation, I believe the interview could be completed in two hours or less."

The Prince is expected to publicly deny the allegations when he hosts an event at the World Economic Forum in Davos later.

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: "We would not comment on speculation about what the Duke might say."

It is the first time Ms Roberts has spelt out in her own words what she claims happened.

Sky's US Correspondent Dominic Waghorn, said: "She says at one point: 'I knew he was a member of the Royal family but I just called him Andy.'

"I think that's what's new about this - these are claims she is making in detail about Prince Andrew."

Buckingham Palace has issued a number of denials over the woman's claims.

An earlier statement insisted "any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors" was "categorically untrue".

And following the latest development a spokesman told Sky News they had nothing to add.

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Written By Unknown on Rabu, 21 Januari 2015 | 12.27

The Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war will not be published until after the General Election, it has emerged.

Its chairman, Sir John Chilcot, will explain the reasons for the further delay in an exchange of letters with Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday, according to Government sources.

The inquiry was set up by the Labour government six years ago and heard from its final witnesses in February 2011.

Mr Cameron is understood to have written to Sir John saying that he would have liked to have seen the report released before the election, but accepted that publication was a matter for the inquiry.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says the public will find the latest delay "incomprehensible".

In a letter to Sir John, Mr Clegg wrote: "Neither administrative processes nor a constant back and forth between the inquiry and witnesses criticised should frustrate an independent report so important to the country's future from being published as soon as possible .

"If the findings are not published with a sense of immediacy, there is a real danger the public will assume the report is being 'sexed down' by individuals rebutting criticisms put to them by the Inquiry, whether that is the case or not.

"The inquiry into Iraq will both resolve the issues of the past, and set the tone for future British foreign policy. We cannot wait any longer for these lessons to be learned."

The latest news of a delay comes as MPs prepare to stage a Commons debate next week on the matter.

Senior Tory backbencher David Davis, told the Guardian: "Frankly this is not good enough. It is more than five years since it started.

"We need to know why. This is not simply some formality. This is for the whole country to understand why we made a terrible mistake in Iraq. Simply putting it off is not good enough.

"Why has this taken so long? What is going on that is preventing this?"

Former Attorney General and Conservative MP Dominic Grieve said the public deserved reasons for the "extraordinary delay".

He told Sky News: "It's absolutely imperative we should have an explanation as to what is going on. I think a chronology setting out what's happened... is essential."

Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker told Sky the delay was "not acceptable to the British people" and that the public should have had the findings before the election.

"These were major events in 2002/2003, when government in its normal way was abandoned... when we had Alastair Campbell writing dodgy dossiers - or at least editing them - and when we had weapons of mass destruction lauded around which didn't turn out to exist."

Publication has been delayed by disagreement over the release of confidential messages between Tony Blair and former US president George Bush.

The so-called "Maxwellisation" process, by which people who are criticised in the report are given the chance to respond, has also contributed to the hold-up.

Sir John finally accepted an agreement whereby he would publish the "gist" of the communications between Mr Blair and Mr Bush after Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood blocked the publication of the full exchanges.

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