Monday, November 3, 2014

Morning news headlines: Hong Kong murder man charged; Virgin defends safety record; tax statements sent out


A British man has appeared in court in connection with the gruesome murders of two women - one of whom died six days before her body was discovered in a suitcase - in Hong Kong.


Rurik George Caton Jutting, named in a court document, had been arrested after the bodies of the women - reportedly sex workers from Indonesia - were found at his flat in the Wan Chai district of the former British colony in the early hours of Saturday.


The 29-year-old has been identified as a Cambridge-educated banker. Bank of America Merrill Lynch spokesman Paul Scanlon said a person with that name had worked at the bank until recently.


May to reveal abuse probe details


Home Secretary Theresa May will today attempt to get the inquiry into historical child sexual abuse back on track after the loss of its second chairman in less than four months.


Mrs May is due to make a statement to the Commons explaining how she intends to proceed following the dramatic resignation on Friday of Fiona Woolf.


Mrs Woolf, the Lord Mayor of London, admitted she had lost the confidence of abuse victims following disclosures about her links to former home secretary Lord Brittan.


MP's expenses records destroyed


MPs accused of abusing their parliamentary expenses under the old, unreformed system may escape investigation after Commons officials destroyed records relating to their claims, it has been reported.


The Daily Telegraph reported that Commons Speaker John Bercow has been accused of presiding over a new cover-up following the destruction of paperwork relating to claims made before 2010 when a new system was introduced in the wake of the expenses scandal.


The move came to light after members of the public wrote to parliamentary standards watchdog Kathryn Hudson asking her to investigate claims made by their MP dating back to 2004.


New tax statements to be sent out


Millions of people will this week begin receiving their first annual tax statements setting out exactly how much they pay in to the Exchequer and how their money is spent.


Chancellor George Osborne - who first announced the scheme in his 2012 Budget - said that it was designed to make the tax system more transparent and easier to understand.


The 16 million Paye taxpayers will receive their personalised summaries in the post over the course of the next seven weeks, while the eight million who complete self-assessment returns will be able to access their statement online.


E-cigarettes linked to 100 fires


Electronic cigarettes have been linked to more than 100 fires, new figures reveal.


Fire services in the UK are now attending at least one blaze involving the devices each week, statistics obtained by the Press Association suggest.


They have attended dozens of incidents suspected to have been sparked by e-cigarettes or related equipment including chargers in less than three years.


Branson firm defends safety record


Sir Richard Branson's spaceflight company has denied reports that it ignored safety warnings ahead of a test flight crash in which one pilot died and another was seriously injured.


It had been claimed concerns were raised about the safety of their project which aims to send tourists to space.


SpaceShipTwo co-pilot Michael Alsbury died when the aircraft crashed in the Mojave Desert in California on Friday.


Living wage to rise by 20p hour


The Living Wage is to increase by 20p to £7.85 an hour, boosting the pay of 35,000 workers, it has been announced.


The new figure was revealed as a new study showed that 5.2 million people, or 22% of the workforce, are paid less than the Living Wage - an increase of 1% over the past year.


A higher hourly rate will be announced by London Mayor Boris Johnson for the capital later, to replace the current £8.80.


Police probe rugby website hacking


Counter-terrorism police are investigating the hacking of a rugby league team website which has been replaced with a page featuring the message: "I love you Isis".


Keighley Cougars website currently shows a black screen with the words "Hacked By Team System DZ" at the top.


A message posted on the club's twitter feed said: "Apologies, the website has been hacked. The developers are working on it. Will let you know when it's back up and running."


Plight of Ebola orphans revealed


Children are being orphaned, stigmatised and discriminated against because of the deadly Ebola virus, experts have said.


At least 3,700 children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have lost one or both parents to the disease, according to Unicef.


Many have nowhere to go as extended families are refusing to care for them, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) said.


Daredevil tightrope towers crossing


Daredevil Nik Wallenda has wowed Chicago and the world with two skyscraper crossings on a tightrope without a safety net or a harness.


Thousands of cheering fans packed the streets around the city's Marina City towers to watch the 35-year-old, heir to the Flying Wallendas' family business, complete the back-to-back walks, including one wearing a blindfold.


As he stepped from the wire after completing the second leg, he tore off his blindfold and waved to the crowd, who erupted in cheers.



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