British Special Forces Pull Out Of Yemen

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

UK Special Forces have pulled out of Yemen because of the deteriorating security situation in the country.

Sky News understands they were airlifted from the capital Sana'a over the weekend.

They had been operating in the country alongside US counterparts, who have now also been withdrawn.

US forces evacuated al Annad airbase near the southern city of al Houta, which was captured by al Qaeda militants on Friday.

Jeff Rathke, US State Department spokesman, said in a statement: "Due to the deteriorating security situation in Yemen, the US government has temporarily relocated its remaining personnel out of Yemen."

Video: Deadly Mosque Attacks In Yemen

The UK Government has not commented on the withdrawal of British troops.

Last month, Washington, London and Paris closed their embassies as the country teeters on the brink of all-out civil war.

Yemen has become increasingly unstable amid a power struggle between Iranian-backed Shia rebels, known as Houthis, in the north and UN-recognised President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Mr Hadi fled to the southern city of Aden in February after escaping from house arrest in Sana'a. 

The Houthis have taken control of the capital and six provinces.

Video: 19 Jan: Yemen In Turmoil

On Friday, Islamic State affiliates claimed responsibility for two bombs at mosques in Sana'a. As many as 150 people were killed in bomb blasts in the capital last week.

If the group was behind the attacks, it would mark its first large-scale foray into the country and could raise the prospect of a bloody Shia versus Sunni conflict.

The CIA and US military have carried out drone strikes against insurgents in Yemen for many years.

A 2011 strike killed influential cleric Anwar al Awlaki, who was the motivator behind many terrorist attacks against the West and is said to have influenced the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.

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Three Children Abandoned At Railway Station

Three children apparently abandoned by their father at New Delhi railway station have been reunited with their mother after an appeal on Twitter.

An image of the children scared and huddled together on a platform at the station was tweeted by user @abishek1122 asking for help.

"Can someone help these helpless kids at New Delhi railway station near platform 16 entrance," he wrote.

Police were alerted and searched for the children for 30 minutes until they were finally located, NDTV reported.

At first, Rumana, seven, five-year-old Raja and Sanya, four, were reportedly terrified and were unable to tell officers how they had got to the station.

But after being given something to eat, they said their father had taken them there on Tuesday evening.

The children were able to describe where they lived in the Nabi Karim area of the city and were later reunited with their mother.

Sanjay Bhatia, deputy commissioner of the railway police, told The Indian Express: "The eldest of the three, Rumana, told us that their house was somewhere near Nabi Karim police station.

"Policemen took the children to that area and walked around until they identified their house. They were reunited with their mother."

The children's mother, named as 37-year-old Tabussum, was reportedly asleep when officers arrived at her home. Police said the woman, who is separated from her husband, claimed her husband regularly took the children away without telling her.

Charity World's Children said there are more than 11 million abandoned children in India - more than 90% of whom are girls.

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DJ Neil Fox Charged With Child Sex Offences

DJ Neil Fox has been charged with nine sex offences involving six victims - three of whom were allegedly juveniles at the time.

The 53-year-old's lawyer, Anthony Burton, said his client "categorically denies each and every allegation that has been made against him".

Mr Fox will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 April facing seven indecent assault and two sexual assault charges.

The offences relating to the three juveniles were alleged to have taken place between 1991 and 1996.

The other three complainants were allegedly attacked by Mr Fox between 2003 and 2014.

The Magic presenter, who goes by the radio name Dr Fox and lives in Fulham, west London, was arrested earlier this month and in December.

The charges were announced after he attended Charing Cross police station in central London.

Scotland Yard said the investigation was not part of its Operation Yewtree inquiry into Jimmy Savile and others.

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Claudia Lawrence: Man Arrested For Murder

A man in his 50s has been arrested on suspicion of murdering Claudia Lawrence, who disappeared six years ago.

North Yorkshire Police say searches are currently being conducted which are expected to continue over a number of days.

A police spokesman said Miss Lawrence has not been found.

Her family have been told about the development and are being supported by trained officers.

Police searching an alleyway at the back of Miss Lawrence's home last month

Miss Lawrence's father Peter said in a statement that the development was "encouraging".

"It is encouraging to know that following all the media activity over the last three weeks from Claudia's 41st birthday to the sixth anniversary of her being missing, North Yorkshire police continue to be active in seeking answers as to what has happened to Claudia," he said.

Video: Missing Claudia Lawrence - New CCTV

"It is to be hoped that the matter can be resolved as soon as possible and I encourage people to continue to come forward with information to the police by phoning them on 101."

The man, who is from the York area, was arrested by police on Monday.

Sky's North of England Correspondent Gerard Tubb said the arrest is linked to the screening of CCTV by police close to Miss Lawrence's home last week.

Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, of North Yorkshire Police, said it was crucial to the case that the arrested man was not identified - including on social media.

"I urge everyone to show restraint and patience while we carry out these very important enquiries," he said.

Miss Lawrence, 35, was last seen on 18 March, 2009.

She was reported missing by her father the next day when she failed to turn up for her 6am shift at York University, where she worked as a chef.

Police started reviewing the case in 2013 and have carried out a number of searches since then, including a detailed re-examination of Miss Lawrence's home in the Heworth area of York, and a fingertip search of an alleyway that leads to the rear of the house.

A man was arrested last year in connection with her disappearance and suspected murder, but the 60-year-old was later released without charge.

A 47-year-old remains on bail on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

On the sixth anniversary of her disappearance last week, police released new CCTV footage of two people seen walking near Miss Lawrence's home on the evening she vanished.

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Ed Balls: Mansion Tax Will Save The NHS

Ed Balls has defended his party's plans for a mansion tax saying people with the "broadest shoulders" should be asked to pay their fair share "so we can save the NHS."

The shadow chancellor said many of the high value properties were owned by international investors and that provision had been made in the plans to make sure those who had low incomes but had benefited from house price rises were not unfairly penalised.

He said the measure was absolutely necessary at a time when the health service was going backwards because of under-funding.

Mr Balls said he was committed to staying in the EU and that Britain could be influential in Europe and change the way things were working.

He said that having a referendum on the EU and leaving within five years would be a "disaster" and that it was a "really, really risky for our country".

Video: Projections: Sky News Poll of Polls

Mr Balls said the UK did not need to be a part of the Euro to be influential in Europe and that a Government could not be playing politics with Britain's membership.

On the subject of house building Mr Balls said Labour did not build enough homes when it was in power but instead concentrated on repairing dilapidated housing.

He said the Labour party now was to build 200,000 more homes by 2020, adding it was a tough target but he believed they could deliver. 

He said: "Unless you get the supply of houses up ... it's going to be very hard for people to buy."

The shadow chancellor was accused of "tinkering around the edges" when it came to reducing the deficit and asked "when are you going to do the big stuff?"

He said Labour would have a "more careful and balanced plan" to reduce the deficit and that there were plans to put the top rate of income tax back up to 50p.

Mr Balls was answering questions at Sky News' Ask The Chancellors event at Facebook's London offices.

George Osborne faced questions from the same audience earlier.

Driving home the Conservative message to voters to stay on the right track, the Chancellor said his job turning round the economy was "not yet finished" and there was more to be done.

The event follows on from similar question and answer sessions for party leaders including David Cameron and Ed Miliband.

The clash comes at a crucial time, with the latest Sky News projection of seat numbers in the House of Commons suggesting both main parties are well short of the 326 seats they need for an overall majority.

Ahead of the showdown, political insiders revealed Mr Osborne and Mr Balls "get on" well, despite their very public political clashes.

Conservative activist and commentator Tim Montgomerie told Sky News that the men have a "good private relationship", while Damian McBride, who once worked with Mr Balls in the Treasury, said they like each other on a "personal level".

Mr McBride revealed the two men's private relationship to the Murnaghan show. He later added that there was common ground because both men have so many interests and hobbies outside of politics.

He said: "It is very rare that you meet politicians with so many outside interests that don't want to talk about politics all the time. (Ed Balls) would rather be talking about football or the theatre or what he watched on TV last night so he is that kind of personality and I think that is why he gets on with George Osborne."

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Huge Aircraft Carrier Anchors Off South Coast

A giant US aircraft carrier has anchored off the Hampshire coast ahead of a five-day visit to the UK.

The 100,000-tonne USS Theodore Roosevelt is positioned off Stokes Bay, Gosport, with hundreds of people lining the coast to catch a glimpse of the vessel.

The 1,092ft-long carrier, known as the Big Stick, is making its first port of call in a round-the-world deployment. It was forced to anchor off the coast because it is too big to sail into Portsmouth Harbour.

Some 5,226 sailors will visit Portsmouth during the stay, which is part of the ongoing partnership between the Royal Navy and US defence on carrier operations.

Six Royal Navy aircraft handlers are among the crew as they train ahead of serving aboard new carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth when it enters service in 2017.

Admiral Sir George Zambellas, First Sea Lord, said: "It is excellent to see US Navy carrier steel in Portsmouth. And in barely two years we will see UK carrier steel here too.

"We warmly welcome the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group - a reflection of the close partnership between our nations and navies, and the value of credible seapower in support of our shared national interests."

The USS Roosevelt is accompanied by its escort ship, destroyer Winston S Churchill, which traditionally has a UK navigator on board to honour the ship's British connection. That post is currently held by 27-year-old Lieutenant Lynsey Sewell.

But the two navies will go head-to-head when a team from the USS carrier plays against HMS Diamond in a football match at HMS Temeraire.

At a cost of $4.5bn (£3.23bn), the carrier was launched in 1984. At 1,092ft, it is the length of more than three football pitches and nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall.

The vessel has a top speed of above 30 knots, and its 196,020 square foot flight deck has space for around 85 aircraft.

Among other features on board, it has four high-speed aircraft elevators that can raise planes to the flight deck from the hangar below and three wires located on the deck can bring an aircraft going 150mph to a stop in under 400ft.

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'Axe Killings Search' On Phone At Murder Scene

A mobile phone found at the scene of the murders of three members of the same family was apparently used to search for information on axe killings, according to reports.

Martin van Breda, 55, Teresa, 54, and son Rudi, 22, were found dead at their home in Stellenbosch, South Africa, on 28 January.

Their 16-year-old daughter Marli was critically injured in an apparent axe attack at their golf club estate home.

Son Henri van Breda, 20, also survived the attack and reportedly told family members he had been knocked unconscious after an axe was thrown at him.

Forensic officers reportedly made the discovery after going through search histories on mobile phones and computers in the house, Netwerk 24 reported.

Someone had searched for information on the 2004 murder of Peter Porco in Delmar, New York state, on the mobile phone.

Mr Porco was killed with an axe and his wife left for dead in the attack. Their son Christopher Porco was jailed for 50 years for murder and attempted murder in 2006.

It was unclear who the phone belonged to.

Marli has been discharged from hospital into a rehabilitation facility, where she remains under police guard. She suffered injuries to her head, face, and neck.

Henri, who suffered minor injuries during the alleged attack, is reportedly staying with family.

Last week, the Times newspaper reported that Marli and Henri are the main beneficiaries of the family estate, which is valued at around 200 million rand (£11.2m).

No one was been arrested in connection with the murders.

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Vin Diesel Names Daughter After Paul Walker

Vin Diesel has revealed he named his baby daughter after his friend and Fast & Furious co-star, Paul Walker.

The star told NBC's Today programme in the US that he and his partner, Paloma Jimenez, have named the infant, whose birth was announced on 16 March, Pauline.

"There's no other person that I'm thinking about as I'm cutting this umbilical cord," he told anchor Natalie Morales.

"I knew he was there and I felt like, you know, a way to keep his memory a part of my memory, a part of my world."

News of Pauline's birth came as the first public screening for Furious 7 was held at the South By South West (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas.

The co-stars were great friends off screen

The film is due for release on 3 April.

Walker, 40, died as a passenger in a one-car crash in Santa Clarita, California, in November 2013.

Diesel has often spoken about how much he misses his close friend.

On the one-year anniversary of the actor's death, Diesel shared a photo on Facebook of Walker bonding with his first-born daughter, Hania Riley, now six.

"He was an important part of my transition into fatherhood ... that healthy family member, with the most positive outlook on life ... A year ago today ... a year of mourning ... and his absence still leaves me speechless. We miss you Pablo."

Diesel and Jimenez also have a four-year-old son called Vincent Sinclair.

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Osborne: We Want To Be In Europe, Not Run By It

The Chancellor has insisted Britain should be "in Europe, but not run by Europe" as he set out his vision for the UK economy.

George Osborne dismissed the idea firms were being put off investing in the UK because David Cameron had promised a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.

He said: "We are getting more investment than any other EU country."

But he added it was essential there was EU reform, saying:  "We've got to make sure the whole of Europe, Britain included, reforms ... Our view, which is we want to be in Europe but not run by Europe, is where I think the majority of British people are, and the majority of British businesses are.

"And we want a better deal for the whole of Europe. We should not be happy with the fact there are so many unemployed young people across our continent ... we also want a better deal for Britain.

Video: Projections: Sky News Poll of Polls

"We're not in the euro. We need a proper relationship with the members who are in the euro, and that's what we intend to achieve."

Mr Osborne was answering questions at Sky News' Ask The Chancellors event at Facebook's central London offices.

He said the economy had "had a heart attack" and the coalition had managed to get it back on track and was ready to "finish the job".

He admitted more homes need to be built to help young people get on the housing ladder - but said the Government had introduced a number of measures to help first-time buyers.

"The reason why the housing market stopped building things is because the economy fell off a cliff," he said.

Mr Osborne said there was "no silver bullet" to solve the problem, but there were measures the Government had announced at last week's Budget, including Help To Buy schemes and an ISA aimed at helping young people save for a deposit.

Video: Osborne On Housing Demand

He said: "I'm absolutely passionate about people having homes to buy and to rent for themselves."

While Mr Osborne admitted savers had got a bad deal out of historically low interest rates, he said: "I don't think increasing interest rates just to help savers would help the rest of the economy."

He was also quizzed about zero-hour contracts, and said they have been "abused" by employers.

"I think the biggest abuse you get is exclusivity," he said.

"So someone is on a zero-hours contract, but their company will not let them work for any other company, even though they're not guaranteed any hours of work.

"So a law has now gone through Parliament, which we've introduced, to stop that happening."

Video: The Chancellor On Business Rates

The Chancellor was asked questions by an audience of key opinion formers, including entrepreneurs and small business owners.

His Labour counterpart Ed Balls has also faced questions from the same audience this afternoon.

The event follows on from similar question and answer sessions for party leaders including David Cameron and Ed Miliband.

The clash comes at a crucial time, with the latest Sky News projection of seat numbers suggesting the two main parties are well short of the 326 seats they need for an overall majority.

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Tory Candidate Quits After 'EDL Plot' Claim

Suspended Conservative candidate in Dudley North Afzal Amin has quit with immediate effect, says a Tory party source.

His resignation comes after he hit back at claims he allegedly plotted to win votes by taking credit for stopping an English Defence League (EDL) protest.

In a statement on his website, Mr Amin had said the claims, published in The Mail On Sunday, "grossly misrepresented" the truth and presented "an inaccurate picture of what was happening".

But now Conservative sources have said he has stepped down as candidate "with immediate effect" - a day ahead of a planned disciplinary hearing.

The party will now act "swiftly" to appoint a new candidate, who must be in place by the time nominations close on 9 April.

Video: Robinson: 'I couldn't believe It'

A Conservative spokesman said: "Afzal Amin is resigning as Conservative candidate for Dudley North with immediate effect.

"Conservative Chairman Grant Shapps has welcomed Mr Amin's decision and thanked him for his work in the past."

The would-be MP for Dudley North had been accused of collaborating with the EDL to announce a protest march against the building of a "mega-mosque".

The plan was for the protest to be scrapped with Mr Amin taking credit for defusing the situation, The Mail On Sunday reported.

In secretly-filmed footage, obtained by the newspaper, Mr Amin promised former EDL leader Tommy Robinson and current EDL chairman Steve Eddowes he would subsequently be an "unshakeable ally" in parliament.

"This is my fantasy," he says in the footage, reportedly filmed by Mr Robinson at an Indian restaurant in Birmingham.

"If I could demonstrate to the people in Dudley that I can be a positive voice for community cohesion... then that would help me a lot in the forthcoming election."

In a recorded phone call with Mr Robinson, Mr Amin also says he needs two "white" canvassers to help his campaign for election.

"I need two white, working class lads to go round those areas to say to people, 'You support the Army, if you support the troops then vote for this guy'. That's what I need," he said.

When Mr Robinson raises the question of payment Mr Amin makes it clear it is illegal to pay people to canvass during elections.

But when it is suggested the men can be paid indirectly through Mr Robinson, Mr Amin replies: "Yes of course, of course".

The allegations prompted his suspension from the Conservative Party.

Mr Robinson, who blew the whistle on the alleged plot, told Sky News Mr Amin's offer was an example of "corruption in politics" and "dishonesty".

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "Here was a man sitting before me who was telling me he was going to be the future prime minister of our country, offering bribes and money.

"This is not a one off scenario. This is going on across the country in every political party."

The Muslim candidate had been selected to stand in the contested Dudley North constituency, which has a Labour majority of 649.

As a Muslim army officer who served for over a decade in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Amin was considered a star Tory candidate.

He hoped to overturn the Labour majority in the General Election in May.

Just four days ago, he tweeted: "This General Election could be one of the most important of our lifetime. Now is not the time to lose faith in politics."

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