British Holidaymaker Feared Drowned In Egypt

A British man is feared to have drowned after he failed to surface while scuba diving at a holiday resort in Egypt.

Steve Cracknell was having a routine lesson with his instructor off the coast of Sharm el-Sheikh when the pair went missing.

Mr Cracknell, 46, from Yeovil, Somerset, is thought to have been on holiday with his wife and their two daughters at the time.

He vanished while swimming at the White Knight dive site, a relatively shallow canyon.

Locals have reportedly been searching every day for the pharmaceuticals executive and his instructor, who were diving with a company located at the Savoy Hotel last Saturday.

A friend of Mr Cracknell, who asked not to be named, told The Daily Telegraph: "I am just holding out hope and don't want to think about the accident.

"I can't imagine how his wife and daughters are handling this. My heart goes out to them.

"We are hoping for a good resolution, but we know that the longer they are missing the less likely it is that the result will be good."

Shinji Sato, a Japanese dive instructor living in Sharm el-Sheikh, told the paper: "They've still not found the bodies. This kind of thing is incredibly rare. It never happens.

"Everyone here is very upset. It's so sad."

Mr Cracknell's instructor is understood to be Costantino Di Maria, a veteran diver who has lived in Sharm el-Sheikh for years.

Reports say the plateau which Mr Cracknell was exploring suddenly sheers off into a plummeting mile-deep precipice.

Locals have speculated that one of the two men may have encountered problems during the diving session.

Mr Cracknell's family are thought to have returned to the UK.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a British national is currently missing in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.

"We are liaising with the local authorities and we are providing consular assistance to the family."

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Egypt Terror Threat 'High' For Britons

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

The Foreign Office has raised its terror threat level for UK citizens in Egypt - warning there is a "high risk of attacks".

The threat level has gone from 'general' to 'high' following credible reports of an al Qaeda-inspired plot to attack western tourists.

In recent days, Egyptian police reported they had foiled a terror attack aimed at tourists in northern Sinai, close to the border with Gaza.

A Foreign Office spokesman told Sky News there was now a "high threat of terrorism throughout Egypt, including Sinai."

British holidaymakers are being warned not to stray outside well-guarded resorts, like those in Sharm el Sheikh.

Islamists in Cairo demand the implementation of sharia law

Tourist numbers in Egypt have begun to rise again in the wake of the country's revolution.

The raising of the terror threat came as more than 1,000 Islamists rallied in Cairo and called for the implementation of sharia Islamic law.

The demonstration highlighted divisions in society as rival factions jostle to shape the new Egypt.

Liberals have clashed over the role of Islam with Islamists, who dominate a 100-strong assembly that is drawing up a new constitution - which must be approved in a referendum before a new parliamentary election can be held.

"Islamiya, Islamiya," the protesters chanted in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the centre of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak who spent 30 years keeping a tight lid on Islamists.

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Washout Summer May Raise Winter Flood Risks

This summer's unusually wet weather means there is a higher risk of flooding in autumn and winter, the Environment Agency and Met Office has warned.

The wettest April to June on record, and further wet weather in July, September and October, has left river levels full, the ground saturated and exceptionally high ground waters in some areas, the agencies say.

The emergency services and householders are being advised to be prepared for flooding, which, because of the wet conditions, could hit with relatively small amounts of rain.

"This year our flood defences have protected over 119,000 properties, but we cannot prevent flooding entirely," said the Environment Agency's Paul Mustow.

"With one in six homes at risk of flooding, the most important step people can take in protecting themselves from the worst impacts is to find out if they are at risk, and sign up to the Environment Agency's free flood warnings service.

"As winter approaches we'd encourage everyone to take this one step to help protect themselves from what is recognised as the country's number one natural hazard."

Sarah Jackson, the Met Office's chief adviser to the Government, said: "We are heading into the winter period which is traditionally the wetter period of the year in the UK.

"Because the ground is so wet, if we do have any prolonged heavy rainfall in any part of the country, there is going to be heightened risk of flooding.

"We recommend that everyone keeps up-to-date with the latest forecasts and warnings in periods of wet weather to be prepared."

More than 1.1 million people are signed up to receive Environment Agency flood warnings - which can be sent by email, text, or a message to a landline or mobile phone.

This summer over 100,000 households were warned of potential flooding, giving people essential time to protect their homes and possessions. 

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Outrage At Killing Of Prison Officer In NI

The wife of a prison officer killed in a motorway ambush in Northern Ireland has called for no retaliation over his murder.

David Black - who had spent more than 30 years in the prison service and was approaching retirement - was gunned down in an attack believed to have been carried out by dissident republicans in Northern Ireland.

The father-of-two's wife Yvonne has appealed for no retaliation for the killing, which has been condemned by politicians on all sides.

She said in a statement: "Grief and sadness in another home will achieve nothing."

Mr Black, 52, was shot on Northern Ireland's M1 motorway early in the morning as he drove to the top security Maghaberry jail near Lisburn, County Antrim.

The attack happened at the M1/M12 turnoff in County Armagh

Police said the gunman was in a Toyota Camry with a Dublin registration which drew alongside Mr Black's black Audi.

Shots were apparently fired at Mr Black from the vehicle, causing his car to veer off the road and into a drainage ditch.

He sustained "very serious and probably fatal gunshot wounds," police said.

At the time bomb disposal experts were attending a security alert further along the motorway, which police believe may have been set up as a decoy.

Police attending the scene

No organisation has admitted responsibility, but security chiefs believe republicans opposed to the peace process were involved.

The extremists have been involved in long-running protests against jail conditions inside Maghaberry.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the shooting would not derail the peace process in Northern Ireland.

He said: "This is a dreadful tragedy for the family and friends of David Black who has been so brutally murdered as he went about his work keeping the people of Northern Ireland safe.

"These killers will not succeed in denying the people of Northern Ireland the peaceful, shared future they so desperately want."

The motorway was closed following the shooting

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Matt Baggott said: "It was a completely senseless attack. It demonstrated the recklessness and ruthlessness and sheer dangerousness of those who oppose peace and are dedicated to taking us back to those dark days of the past.

"This has all the hallmarks of dissident republicans. This was just a brutal attack and we need the public's support to be able to solve it as quickly as possible."

It is 18 months since renegade republicans claimed the life of police officer Ronan Kerr in Omagh, County Tyrone.

Mr Black had expressed interest in early retirement but no date had been set, Prison Service director general Sue McAllister said.

"We will not allow this to derail the efforts that we are making to reform the service but we will do everything we can to support all of our staff in the very difficult days ahead," she added.

Theresa Villiers said the murder was "cowardly and evil"

A car used in the attack was later found burnt-out in Lurgan, Co Armagh, where supporters of dissidents have backed the jail protest campaign.

Mr Black, from Cookstown, Co Tyrone, was the 30th prison officer killed in Northern Ireland since 1974.

It is understood his service stretched back as far as the 1981 IRA hunger strike inside the Maze prison, when 10 republicans starved themselves to death.

Finlay Spratt, the head of the Prison Officers' Association, who knew Mr Black and described him as "a very nice fellow to work with", criticised the security provisions offered to prison officers since the Troubles ended.

"They have stripped away all the security around prison officers," he said.

Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness both condemned the murder.

"At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved family and we condemn this murder in the strongest possible terms," they said in a joint statement.

The shooting happened at around 7.30am, at the same time as a major security alert further along the motorway at a shopping centre at Sprucefield, near Lisburn, where bomb disposal experts were called in to check a car.

It is believed this vehicle might have been linked to the shooting,

Only a day ago, Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers warned that the threat from dissident republicans in Northern Ireland remained severe. She described the latest attack as "cowardly and evil".

The Republic of Ireland's foreign minister Eamon Gilmore also expressed his condolences.

"I know that I speak for every decent man, woman and child on this island, North and South, in expressing revulsion at this act," he said.

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Woman 'Mauled To Death By Daughter's Dogs'

A 71-year-old woman has died after she is believed to have been mauled by her daughter's dogs as she went to feed them.

Neighbours reported hearing screams and dogs barking as the woman went to feed the pets in the back garden of the home in Morden, South London.

The police were called at around 6.25pm yesterday but the woman was dead when they arrived. She had suffered multiple injuries.

Officers seized five dogs including two Bordeaux bulldogs, two American bulldogs and a mongrel from the property in Rutland Drive.

Neighbour Kevin Hamilton told Sky News he heard screaming and dogs barking at about 5.15pm.

A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said none of the animals were banned breeds and no arrests had been made.

She said of the victim: "She had sustained a number of injuries. An investigation is under way to establish a cause of death."

A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out at St George's Hospital in Tooting, south London.

Two adjoining semi-detached houses - seven and nine Rutland Drive - were cordoned off by police.

Friends and family of the woman gathered inside number nine, while a police officer guarded the entrance to number seven.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act it is against the law to own only four breeds of dog.

These are the Pit Bull Terrier, the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino and the Fila Braziliero.

There have been calls for more breeds to be put on the banned list and for the law to be toughened up after a number of high profile dog mauling cases.

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Savile Estate Frozen Amid Sex Abuse Claims

The estate of Jimmy Savile has been frozen in response to the mounting sexual abuse claims against the late television and radio star.

NatWest Bank, which is acting as the Jim'll Fix It presenter's will executor and trustee, said the distribution of his assets had been put on hold because of the allegations.

Savile's estate is reportedly worth £4.3m.

NatWest said in a statement: "Given the claims raised, distribution of the estate has been put on hold."

Savile's will was written in 2006 and bequeaths his savings and other assets to 26 separate beneficiaries, according to the Financial Times.

The newspaper said it had obtained a copy of the document which instructs that £20,000 in cash was to be shared between 20 of the celebrity's friends, family and neighbours.

It says a further £600,000 was to be put into a trust fund, with the interest shared between eight people.

The remainder - just under £3.7 million before expenses - was to be held by NatWest on behalf of The Jimmy Savile Charitable Trust, according to the FT.

Savile's intended individual beneficiaries include the trustees of both his charities and existing and former employees of Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor Hospital, the newspaper added.

Police are investigating claims that the star, who died in October last year, sexually assaulted individuals at both NHS sites.

Savile's estate was previously put on hold in July after a woman claimed to be his illegitimate daughter, the FT said.

It is believed the latest freeze may be in anticipation of legal claims for damages by Savile's alleged victims.

Scotland Yard is leading a national investigation into the television and radio star's activities. He is now believed to have been one of the UK's most prolific abusers, with about 300 possible victims.

Detectives are following 400 lines of inquiry as part of the investigation while the BBC has launched an inquiry into the culture and practices at the corporation in the era of Savile's alleged sexual abuse.

It is also looking at the decision-making process that saw a Newsnight investigation into Savile's activities shelved.

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EU Budget: Cameron Faces Commons Showdown

Prime Minister David Cameron faces an embarrassing Commons defeat later today when MPs debate the EU budget.

A rebellion is brewing on the Tory backbenches: eurosceptics want the budget cut, while the PM plans to go no further than to demand a real-terms freeze, an inflation-only rise of a little over 2% a year.

The budget will cover the period 2014 - 2020.

In Brussels, some are calling for a budget increase of nearly 7% - at a time when the EU is demanding draconian austerity measures from Greece and other countries worst hit by the eurozone crisis.

That's like a red rag to a bull to the Tory right who are organising a Commons ambush.

Tory MPs Mark Pritchard and Mark Reckless will need 40 others to rebel with them to bring about a Government defeat if, as expected, Labour votes against the Government with the pro-European Lib Dems supporting Mr Cameron.

Past performance suggests they will fall short, but they could come close with MPs like Bill Cash and John Redwood garnering support for their cause and urging Mr Cameron not to "cave in" to pressure from Europe.

One eurosceptic Tory MP is even using the argument that a Commons rebellion will strengthen Mr Cameron's hand when he goes into the budget negotiations in Brussels next month.

The Prime Minister is beset on all sides - not only the right of his own party, but from Ukip which is attracting disillusioned Tory eurosceptics, and of course from Labour: shadow chancellor Ed Balls and shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander used an article in The Times on Monday to demand a cut in the EU budget.

Tony Blair, who still seems to harbour some ambition to become Europe's first elected president, warned there is now a serious risk that the EU could break up, and warned his party, and others, "not to play short-term politics with this issue" - but the temptation to do so will, needless to say, prove irresistible.

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Afghanistan: Two British Gurkha Soldiers Killed

Two British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan by a man wearing an Afghan police uniform.

The soldiers, from the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, were shot dead at a checkpoint in the Nahr-e-Saraj district of Helmand Province.

Major Laurence Roche, the spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "The loss of these soldiers is a huge blow to The Royal Gurkha Rifles and everyone serving in Task Force Helmand. 

"Our thoughts are with their families, friends and fellow Gurkhas at this time."

The soldiers' families have been informed.

The Ministry of Defence said there have been nine UK deaths attributed to so-called "green on blue" or "insider attacks" this year.

The repatriation ceremony for Corporal Channing Day

The latest two deaths come as the bodies of two service personnel killed last week were repatriated to the UK.

Corporal Channing Day, who served with the 3 Medical Regiment, died alongside Corporal David O'Connor, of 40 Commando, after being injured on patrol with C Company in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province on Wednesday.

Their Union flag-draped coffins were flown into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

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Breast Cancer: Thousands Are Over-Diagnosed

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

Almost 4,000 women a year are having treatment for breast cancer they don't need, according to new research.

An independent panel of doctors called in to assess the UK's breast screening programmes found some women are diagnosed with tumours that would never cause them any problems in their natural life span.

But the doctors say screening also prevents more than 1,300 deaths a year, underlining the benefits of regular mammograms.

Cancer Research UK, which took part in the review, strongly recommended women turn up for screening.

The charity's chief executive Dr Harpal Kumar said: "Screening remains one of the best ways to spot the very early signs of breast cancer, at a stage when treatment is most likely to be successful."

The review was ordered after European researchers had warned that screening may do more harm than good.

The independent panel trawled through 11 studies involving thousands of women, in the hope of settling the controversy.

According to results published in The Lancet medical journal, for every cancer death prevented, three women will be over-diagnosed.

They may have surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy as a result.

National cancer director Professor Sir Mike Richards said leaflets explaining breast screening will be rewritten within four months to reflect the new information.

"We have always said that there are some cancers that can be found that would not have caused problems in a woman's lifetime,"  he said.

"What we can now do is put a number on that, to give an estimate.

"Women can make their individual choices based on good information."

But Dr Deborah Cunningham, clinical director of breast services at Charing Cross Hospital in London, warned that some women could be deterred from screening.

She told Sky News: "They already have difficult choices to make. This complicates it further. Screening won't work if they don't turn up."

Beverley Angell was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine screening appointment earlier this summer. She has no doubt that the programme is worthwhile.

"I could not feel the lump and I did not know it was there. It has saved my life."

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Royal Mail Delivers 1,000 New Parcel Jobs

Royal Mail is to create 1,000 new jobs as it looks to cash in on the boom in online retailing.

Royal Mail is planning a £75m investment programme in its UK express parcels business as packages become increasingly important to the company against a backdrop of a plunging letter numbers as email takes more of the strain.

In the last reported financial year, its parcels businesses accounted for almost half of the group's revenues, excluding the Post Office, and online retailing is expected to continue increasing as stores place a greater emphasis in their online offerings.

High rents, other cost pressures and low consumer confidence have combined to hurt the high street since the financial crisis, prompting many retailers to invest heavily in online.

As a result, Royal Mail is to open a new parcel processing centre in Chorley in Lancashire next year, two new depots will be opened in Cornwall and Hampshire with a further nine existing depots expanded or moved to larger sites over the next four years.

Royal Mail Group's chief executive Moya Greene said: "Our investment is part of Royal Mail Group's strategy to grow its parcels businesses in the UK and overseas.

"Our strategy is to convert the rise in parcel volumes into profitable growth. That means becoming a much more customer-focused company being run on commercial lines and investing in new, vital technology."

The move was welcomed by the Government.

Mark Hoban, minister for employment, said: "It is great news that 1,000 new jobs will be created across the country as a result of this investment.

"We've now got a record number of people in employment and these jobs will provide welcome opportunities for people who are looking for work."

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Gary Glitter Released From Custody On Bail

Former pop star Gary Glitter has been released on bail after he was questioned on suspicion of sexual offences.

Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, was seen leaving Charing Cross Police Station by the side entrance at around 5pm.

He was bailed to return to the police station in mid-December.

Gadd had been taken from his central London home at around 7.15 on Sunday morning and detained by officers working on Operation Yewtree, which is investigating allegations of child sex abuse against Savile and others.

A police spokesman said: "Officers working on Operation Yewtree arrested a man in his 60s in connection with the investigation.

"The man, from London, was arrested on suspicion of sexual offences, and was taken into custody at a London police station.

"This individual falls under the strand of the investigation we have termed 'Savile and others'."

Gadd served almost three years in jail in Vietnam after being convicted in March 2006 for child abuse offences.

He had moved to Vietnam to avoid media attention into his private life.

Gadd was deported back to the UK in 2008.

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Jimmy Savile's Family 'Knew Of His Dark Side'

Jimmy Savile's great-niece has told Sky News she believes some members of his family knew of what they called his 'dark side' - but that they turned a blind eye to it.

Caroline Robinson, 49, has said she was sexually abused by Savile at a family gathering when she was 12-years-old and again at an engagement party when she was 15.

"They both happened during a family gathering. It was not as though I was on my own. There were members of the family there as well," she said.

"Jimmy got it down to perfection, where he managed to do it and what he did and nobody noticed.

"After it happened when I was 12, I spoke to my grandmother, I told her what Jimmy had done. Her reply was, 'It's only Jimmy, it doesn't matter, I'll sort it out'.

"I think that certain members of the family who were closer to him knew what kind of man he was but they kept it secret for their own means".

Savile's nephew, Roger Foster, said on Saturday that the 'picture' of Jimmy Savile painted by his victims was not the man he knew. But he apologised to those alleged victims for Savile's 'darker side'.

Savile's great-niece has accused him of assaulting her when she was 12

Ms Robinson said she believed many people knew of Savile's alleged activities but that they 'turned a blind eye' in part due to the rewards that came with being associated with Savile's name.

"I think a vast amount of people knew at the BBC, at the NHS and the council. I think everybody knew who surrounded themselves with Jimmy Savile, including the family; they turned a blind eye.

"The rewards they got from Jimmy Savile's name and everything else kept them in a lifestyle that they became accustomed to.

"I am sure the BBC, if they could have stopped this in the 60s when they first found out about the allegations, I would not be a victim now. I would not be sat here. They have wrecked my world apart. They are to blame.

"It is sad that certain members of the family were given the riches of Jimmy Savile whilst the others, who may have been abused; they got nothing at all".

Ms Robinson also urged and encouraged other potential victims of Savile to come forward.

"I would like to ask all of the victims who are quiet still ... your voice will be heard. You have to come and speak to somebody. Whether it is the police, your mum, your dad, anybody.

"You must come and tell, because it is a secret that eats you alive inside and it will one day kill you. You have to speak out now".

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Victory For Man Who Took Cold Caller To Court

A businessman plagued by nuisance phone calls offering compensation for Payment Protection Insurance has secured £220 in an out-of-court settlement.

Richard Herman, 53, was so fed up with the unwanted calls arriving from India, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

He warned the company that, in future, he would invoice them £10 for every minute of his time they used.

When the calls continued he began recording them before finally invoicing the company £195 for their use of his "time, telephone and electricity".

Upon receipt of the invoice the marketing firm acting on behalf of UK-based PPI Claimline Ltd, denied making the calls. When Mr Herman revealed he had recorded evidence, they still refused to pay.

But when Mr Herman filed a claim in the small claims court for the unpaid invoice - plus £25 in costs - the company offered to settle the debt out of court and transferred £220 into his bank account.

Mr Herman filed in the small claims court when his invoice was not paid

Mr Herman said: "I kept being called, as we all do, and I thought the only way for them to stop would be for me to speak to them and say, 'For goodness sake, take me off your list!'

"Then it occurred to me to tell them that if they call again I'll charge for my time. When they continued calling I sent them an invoice for 19.5 minutes."

To encourage others to do the same Mr Herman has set up a website with examples of covering letters and invoices to send to nuisance callers.

Even though the validity of Mr Herman's original invoice was not tested in court, he believes anyone who warns cold-calling companies they will be charged if they call, have a right to invoice them.

"I did business studies at 17 and studied 'offer-and-acceptance' so I knew a verbal contract is just as valid as a written one but harder to prove.

"The recorded calls proved I did tell them I would charge for my time if they called again".

Mr Herman, who works in the telephone industry selling call-recording equipment, said his action was a last resort after asking the Information Commissioner and the Telephone Preference Service for help.

In a statment, PPI Claimline said: "We would like to stress that all our supplier relationships are subject to strict contractual provisions requiring full compliance with all relevant regulations, including those which relate to data protection and the telephone preference service.

"We would like to draw a clear line between the two calls to Mr Herman made on behalf of PPI Claimline and any other calls he received, which were nothing to do with PPI Claimline or its suppliers."

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Beer Tax Debate Heads To Parliament

By Emma Birchley, Sky News Reporter

Campaigners calling for an end to a policy which pushes beer prices up faster than the rate of inflation have won the right to a debate in Parliament.

The beer duty escalator was introduced by the last government in 2008. It means the cost of a pint rises by an additional 2% every year.

Stephen Pugh is the financial director of the brewer Adnams in Southwold. He believes the policy is misguided.

"The duty will be 50p or so on the pint and the VAT will be a similar amount, so you are talking about adding £1 of tax for the government on that.

"I think that's an expensive and damaging level of costs to the consumer."

Many pubs have been unable to survive in the recent economic climate. Six thousand have closed in the past four years.

It is causing so much concern that more than 100,000 people have signed an online petition urging the government to scrap the escalator. The petition has been organised by the beer campaign group CAMRA.

Beer duty has increased by 42% since 2008

The issue will now be debated in Parliament on Thursday.

David Sanchez runs the Lord Nelson pub in the Suffolk seaside town.

To get a realistic profit after paying all the tax he says he should sell his bitter for £4 a pint. But he believes that price is too high and so it sells for £3.40.

"You can't really price the beer where it needs to be to maintain the current profitability so we have to keep the beer prices down to encourage customers to keep coming in.

"They still whinge at the price… It's all part of the banter these days."

Beer duty has increased by 42% since the escalator was introduced in 2008 while sales have fallen by 15% in that period.

And the rate of decline is rising. Between July and September there was a 5.6% fall in the volume of beer sold in pubs and shops compared to the same quarter last year, although it is thought the bad weather this summer may have had an impact on sales.

A spokesman for the Treasury said a range of tax measures had been introduced to help the alcohol industry, and pubs in particular.

"However at a time when we are working hard to get down the deficit, alcohol duty revenues do make an important contribution to the public finances.

"Crucially, the Government has not made any changes beyond what was announced at the budget in 2008."

But in the past three months 117 million fewer pints have been sold.

And, according to the industry, that means that tax revenue from beer is actually being hit because people cannot afford to buy it.

The British Beer and Pub Association wants duty to be frozen in the next budget.

Research carried out for the organisation suggests it would save 5000 jobs in the industry.

But the fear is, if prices keep being driven higher, more pubs will be forced to call time for good.

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