United Kingdom

    Public Domain Sub-zero temperatures spell danger for humans, but sometimes they actually work in our favor. Paramedics believed 25-year-old Justin Smith was dead when they arrived on scene. The Pennsylvania man had no pulse, no blood pressure, and had turned blue. Smith had gone out for drinks with friends the night before, only to be found the next day on the side of the road, mostly covered in snow. Seeing him in that condition, there was no hope, Justin’s father, Don, said, according to the Standard Speaker. Don was the one who had found his son on the side of Treskow Road. I thought, ‘He’s, you know, dead. Emergency personnel arrived on the scene, but they too could detect no vital signs in the man who had been in sub-zero temperatures for approximately 12 hours at the...

    The number of rapes and other sex crimes reported to police are at their highest level since current records began, new figures show. Sex offences reported to forces in England and Wales rose by 26,606 in the year to September 2015, an increase of 36% on the previous 12 months, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found. The 43 forces recorded just under 100,000 sex offences in total, the highest figure since the current method of reporting began in 2003. The ONS report said forces recorded 33,431 rapes and 66,178 other sexual offences, a total of 99,609 that was the highest since the National Crime Recording Standard was introduced 13 years ago. Recorded separately, rape reports rose 39% year-on-year and other sex crimes 35%. The report noted: "It is thought rises in...

    Britain is to spend another £30m on shelter, warm clothes, hot food and medical supplies for 27,000 children and babies who have fled fighting in Syria. The aid has been announced by the International Development Secretary, Justine Greening, who is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos with David Cameron. The special help for the most vulnerable victims of the Syrian civil war as winter bites in Europe comes as the Prime Minister pleads with world leaders to provide more support for the refugees. The latest aid is for children who have fled to the Balkans, Greece, and Italy and the UK's support will provide jackets, hats, scarves, boots and food to help keep them warm this winter. Announcing the funding, Ms Greening said: "As the humanitarian crisis in Syria continue...

    David Cameron is to launch a major diplomatic push today to secure a June referendum, as plans emerged in Brussels to end Britain's ability to deport thousands of failed asylum seekers. Jean-Claude Juncker's office is preparing to tear up the "Dublin" rules that dictate asylum seekers must stay in the first European country they step foot in. The influx of a million migrants via Greece to Germany has rendered them a farce, and the Financial Times reported that EU officials are planning to abandon them within months. Such a move would be present Downing Street a bruising battle in the middle of the renegotiation. The current rules allow Britain to deport around a thousand failed asylum seekers a year to other EU states. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, has said the imm...

    A mother-of-12 who receives £40,0000-a-year in benefits is planning to spend £4,000 on a boob job, it's reported. Cheryl Prudham, who has been dubbed Britain's most shameless mum, has apparently been fed up with her saggy breasts since the birth of her youngest child in July. The 33-year-old is set to go under the knife at Liverpool's MYA Cosmetic Surgery Clinic to boost her from a B cup to a 34D, the Daily Star Sunday reported. Cheryl, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, wants to become more like her idol Katie Price and missed the fact her boobs were bigger during pregnancy, according to pals. A source told the newspaper: "Cheryl can’t wait to have her boobs done and wants them modelled on Katie’s. "She doesn’t feel very sexy after 12 children and has always admired Katie for...

    Banning Donald Trump from the UK risks martyring him, MPs heard amid warnings the US presidential hopeful could fuel the flames of terrorism. The controversial billionaire businessman was labelled a wazzock and criticised by several MPs for his repugnant remarks about Muslims, Mexicans, women and others during a three-hour parliamentary debate. Calls to bar Mr Trump emerged from some MPs and Labour's Jack Dromey (Birmingham Erdington) warned he should not be allowed within 1,000 miles of our shore. This is because he would embolden the EDL on the one hand and fuel the flames of terrorism on the other hand, according to Mr Dromey. But many Conservatives criticised the debate, saying MPs were playing into Mr Trump's hands by fuelling the publicity over his comments while als...

    Muslim women can be banned from wearing veils in schools, courts and other British institutions, David Cameron has said as the Government intensifies the war on home-grown extremism. The Prime Minister said that he will give his backing to public authorities that choose to ban women from wearing face veils. It comes as the Government prepares to announce a series of measures designed to stop British Muslims becoming radicalised and traveling to the Middle East to join terrorist groups like Isil. Mr Cameron also announced that tens of thousands of Muslim women will face deportation unless they pass a series of English language tests after coming to Britain on spouse visas. The Prime Minister's comments about veils will reignite the row over whether Britain should endorse a ...

    The things your estate agent won’t tell you Looking to buy a new home or sell your current one? Read these insider tips and tricks from the world of estate agents first. They overprice your property The average sale price ends up being 12-15% less than the initial asking price. There are many potential reasons for this, but it’s largely due to the fact that estate agents give you a higher valuation than is realistic so that you’ll go with them. They make personal use of your property More often than you’d like to think, estate agents use the properties they’re selling for their own personal use. For example, one anonymous agent confessed that it’s common to have naps in uninhabited houses they’re showing. They will cut their fees Did you know you can actually negotiate the...

    An illustration picture shows the logo of car-sharing service app Uber on a smartphone next to the picture of an official German taxi sign A campaign group set up by the wife of a taxi driver will this week mount a bid to force Transport for London (TfL) to put the brakes on Uber, the app which has recruited thousands of drivers and attracted a multibillion pound valuation. Sky News can reveal that Artemis Mercer, who started a Facebook group last year in support of London's taxi trade, will launch a crowdfunding drive to raise £600,000 to fund the initial phase of a judicial review against TfL. The move will come amid a fierce debate about the breakneck growth of taxi and other ride-sharing apps in London and elsewhere, with Uber facing an array of regulatory measures to ...

    The British government should keep some form of diplomatic back-channel open to Isis in order to help move towards a political solution in Syria, Jeremy Corbyn has said. The Labour leader told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that some Middle Eastern countries were clearly already in touch with the militant group and that there had to be “some route through to its leadership. He noted that during open conflicts with the Taliban and IRA the UK government had quietly kept back-channels open. Mr Corbyn used his appearance on the Sunday-morning politics programme to lay out other planks of his foreign and defence policy calling for the UK to come to a reasonable accommodation with Argentina over the Falkland Islands and suggesting that Trident submarines could be built but not armed...